‘SNL’ sees Nate Bargatze return as host, along with another debate cold open

It’s been less than a year since comedian Nate Bargatze made his debut hosting “Saturday Night Live,” but the appearance was so well received that he’s back already, alongside a stacked lineup of Season 50 hosts that include Jean Smart, John Mulaney and Michael Keaton. Bargatze’s every-guy vibe still fits “SNL” nicely, particularly in sketches where he’s playing with language, such as a sequel to 2023’s fantastic George Washington weights and measurements scene or a pitch-perfect “Sábado Gigante” parody in which Bargatze plays a befuddled audience member pulled into the show with only a rudimentary — but not completely blank — understanding of the Spanish being spoken around him. As with Bargatze as host, this week’s cold open was a case of: “It worked great, let’s do it again.” All the guest stars who appeared in last week’s cold open were back for the “SNL” take on the vice presidential debate. As Rudolph maintained her composure even as ice cream dripped down her chin, it was hard to forget that Carvey and David Spade, the co-host of “Fly on the Wall” podcast, said last week that sometimes physical ad libs or flubs on the show are really accidental-on-purpose, as was the case with Biden burying his head in Kamala’s hair on last week’s show. Will probably go viral: ‘Sushi Glory Hole’ is the new ‘Dick in a Box’ Slotted as it was so late in the show, a new “SNL” digital short featuring Lonely Island’s Samberg and Akiva Schaffer was so surprising, catchy and pushing the line of good taste that it feels like something that could take off in a big way online.