“SNL” ended its season, a rocky one, on a high note tonight. The show was funny and the cast was teary. But the latter may be because a lot of the cast may not return in the fall.

RATINGS UPDATE HERE

Kenan Thompson, who has his own sitcom on NBC returning in the fall, said “we’ll see you at Thanksgiving.” Which means we won’t be seeing  him in September.

Kate McKinnon, who has won Emmys and is a movie actress now, is ready to go. She teared up on the show when she described the cast as “family” during the poignant cold opening.

Pete Davidson, who seems to be cleaned up at last and out of danger, thanked the audience for letting him grow up in front of them. This may be the end for him.

Cecily Strong stole the show as Judge Jeanine Pirro in what may have been her exit sketch. It was a crowning achievement. Cecily gives me Ana Gasteyer vibes: extremely talented but not motivated for superstardom. I hope I’m wrong.

Aidy Bryant might be leaving, although her other show, called “Shrill,” was not renewed on Hulu. She’s got a good gig at “SNL” and may consider that Vanessa Bayer hasn’t been seen much since she left.

Even if all these talented people leave, “SNL” has a deep bench. Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney are solid core players, Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang are ready for the spotlight. Mikey Day and Alex Moffat have a lot of life left in them. And Chris Redd already seems like a star. Ego Nwodim became one this season as Dionne Warwick.

So “SNL” will survive, as it always does. And don’t forget Michael Che and Colin Jost. They’re staying, and they make the show.

Come back tomorrow at 1pm and we’ll see how tonight’s ratings went. Lil Nas X’s very gay “Montero” song may have turned a lot of people off. His second number should have been his first. It was excellent. On “Montero” it felt like he was lip synching, as if any of his fans would care.

It’s actually possible Jean Smart is going to win two Emmy Awards this year. It’s been the best of times, I imagine, and the worst.

Once a star of “Designing Women,” Smart, who is 69, is having the best year of her career probably at the worst possible time. She’s in two hot shows on HBO, “Hacks” and “Mare of Easttown.” But when she was finishing shooting the former, her husband of 34 years, Richard Gilliland, died after a brief illness.

In “Mare of Easttown,” a runaway hit drama murder mystery. she plays Kate Winslet’s worn and wonderful mom. As Helen Fahey, Smart seems also warm and wise, which she is. But we learn some kinky stuff about her that gives Smart a chance to set herself apart in a cast of eccentrics who are all vying for the David Lynch Award.

Smart’s real breakout on HBO this spring just started last week. She’s the star of a potentially great comedy called “Hacks.” Her Deborah Vance is very Joan Rivers-based, a successful, wealthy stand up comedian who’s made her money in Las Vegas after failing at things like late night TV. Deborah lives there in a mansion, and rules her world. But when it looks like her act may be getting stale, she takes in a female comedy writer from Los Angeles who’s made some mistakes and can’t get work. That’s Hannah Einbinder, killing it in her debut. (She’s also the daughter of the great Laraine Newman, from the original cast of “Saturday Night Live.”)

I don’t where “Hacks” came from because the imdb is now unreadable and I have no press information on it. But three episodes in, it’s a box of chocolates. The creators have mixed together elements of Joan Rivers’ life with Midge Maisel’s, added a touch of “Veep,” and put it all in a Cuisinart. Looking at the “Maisel” aspect, Smart is playing Jane Lynch’s character as if she were Rivers and Einbinder is playing Midge. But it’s current, not nostalgic, and there’s just a pinch of sex, vulgarity, and bad language so you know it’s HBO.

“Hacks” is Jean Smart’s show, she’s the queen of this universe. While Helen Fahey is stripped down, no makeup or money, responsible for grandchildren, Deborah is the quantum opposite. She’s buying antique pepper shakers for $10,000, something Helen could not comprehend. Deborah is snarky and rude and over the top, so much fun to play. Helen has to keep her eye on the ball in her house to make all the tentative things around her don’t fall apart.

So, yes, HBO loves Emmy nominations and awards. But this should be a cake walk for them. Jean Smart is going to be the talk of the town this summer and fall. And boy, does she deserve it!