Martin Short made his return to Saturday Night Live to become a member of the five-timers Club alongside musical guest Hozier. The holiday episode was filled with stars, featuring the highest number of cameos in a season already rich in guest appearances.
Short was a cast member from 1984 to 1985 and co-hosted his first episode in December 1986, sharing the episode with his friends Chevy Chase and Steve Martin. He came back to host alone in December 1996, December 2012, and most recently, December 2022. He has also made cameo appearances in 11 episodes, with the latest being Kristen Wiig’s episode on April 6, 2024.
Short was accompanied by Hozier for his second appearance as a musical guest. The Irish singer made a guest appearance for the first time on an episode hosted by Bill Hader in 2012.
If there were a central idea for the evening, it would have been guest appearances and revisited sketches. It’s not really a negative aspect, but prepare for numerous interruptions for applause and setups that seem recognizable.
This week’s Cold Open was a self-serving display of guest appearances. This typically occurs when an individual joins “the five timers club” (also known as hosts who have presented the show five times.) Short is accompanied by Tom Hanks, Tina Fey, Scarlett Johansson, Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Emma Stone, Paul Rudd, Jimmy Fallon (who hasn’t hosted five times), John Mulaney and, naturally, Alec Baldwin. Die-hard SNL fans might enjoy this, and it has some excellent jokes, but it comes off more as a reason for applause and cheers than a genuine sketch. It is quite lengthy as well. Perhaps it should involve all these individuals.
Hozier initially debuted his track “Too Sweet.” Although that performance was lovely, if you’re going to see just one, choose his second song: a rendition of The Pogues’ “The Fairytale of New York.” Hozier made an excellent choice, and his rendition is breathtakingly beautiful. The Irish folk song in traditional style was composed by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan. Following MacGowan’s passing last year, the performance feels particularly significant.
