Lorne Michaels had a good and bad weekend. The Broadway play he produced, “Leopoldstadt,” opened to rave reviews. It’s a hit, and Tom Stoppard will be headed to the Tony Awards next June.
But back in real life, “Saturday Night Live” returned sans eight beloved cast members, and without Cecily Strong, who’s doing a play in Los Angeles. Reviews were not good even with new cast members who will have to prove themselves.
Ratings were down to just 4 million viewers with Miles Teller as host, and Kendrick Lamar as musical guest. That’s off by 600,000 viewers from the end of last season, and down 900,000 from last year’s premiere. This week, the host is actor Brendan Gleeson and the musical guest is Willow Smith. Ratings will be terrible. Let’s hope the cast does a better job.
