Ariana Grande SNL Sketches Ranked: Impressions, Political Family Feud Highlight Season's Best Night Yet
We had to wait three episodes, but we got as close to a perfect Saturday Night Live as we're likely to see this season. Ariana Grande was back as host for the first time since 2016, and once again she was flawless in a night that did not have a single bomb. We're not saying every sketch had us rolling, but every sketch would rank higher than a 5 out of 10. The weakest sketch of the night was still a delightful charm, while the first sketch managed to elevate the cold political open into a different level with a surprising game show twist that worked on every level. This week saw some of our mid-tier players really stepping into their own. It seems like the fourth season is around when the main players start to find their comedic range and reach their potential. This week, both James Austin Johnson and Sarah Sherman really stretched themselves -- at one point side by side as Oasis' Gallagher brothers -- and proved their worth. Ariana showed off multiple impressions throughout the night, including Britney Spears, Céline Dion, and Jennifer Coolidge. And yes, she sang in almost every appearance she made, but all of it served the show and served the comedy so well. She's one of those hosts that is so effortlessly good at this, she could have been a cast member in another world! As usual, we're ranking all the sketches from worst to first, including the Monologue, Cold Open, "Weekend Update" and any sketches that were cut for time but made their way online. We'll skip the musical guests, because they're not usually funny -- unless Ashlee Simpson shows up. We wrap up with a look at the cast-member who had the strongest week. Castrati The introduction of the barbaric technique that created high-pitched singing voices in young boys that would never go away, Ariana Grande's dead stare into the distance was so funny, we wish she would have maintained it longer into the sketch. We get her breaking it when Andy Samberg (as her father) suggested the process reversible, but it would have been funnier to go back to it. Andy got a laugh from Kenan Thompson by referring to him by his actual name in the piece, but Kenan quickly got it together enough to carry on. While not quite as funny as most of the night, the image of Maya Rudolph and Andy explaining their "twist" technique will haunt many a male for years to come. From Monday Night Football to the octagon of the UFC, Ariana Grande delivered a hilariously spot-on Céline Dion both speaking and singing of her love for the violence of the sport that also … unites us? The over-the-top sincerity of the piece, as well as the gruesome descriptions of violence paired with footage of said moments, really captures the craziness of the sport, and the impossibility of romanticizing it. Once again, Ariana delivers on all fronts, this time doing so by herself with gusto and passion. She was born for comedy! Good news for fans of Ariana Grande the actress, she's gonna keep it lowkey tonight, which means it won't be a night filled with her grabbing a mic and singing. She sang all about it in this very fun opener that featured glimpses of some of her iconic impressions like Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus. She even promised not to do a corny Wicked musical number, which must have come as a huge shock to Bowen Yang, who dropped in as Glinda the Good Witch. This piece set the perfect tone by offering us a confident and funny leading lady not taking herself too seriously and ready to let loose and have a good time. We're right there with you, Ari! We were already enjoying the silliness of both Chloe Bennett and Ariana Grande showing off their stellar Jennifer Coolidge impressions for this Maybelline sketch, but the addition of Dana Carvey later as a third Jennifer really sealed the deal. It was one of those sketches that suffered from multiple technical difficulties, due to the complexity of the mirrored roles, but the players stayed committed to the premise and made sure that we were having as much fun as they were. The only thing that could have made it strong would have been an actual Jennifer Coolidge appearance at the very end (some cameos do work). With time at a premium, it looks like we may have gotten a dress version of this piece as there were some line flubs, Ariana Grande held her badge upside down at first, and the cast struggled here and there with the lines. In their defense, the lines were intentionally obtuse and convoluted, but that was so much of what the piece was about. All in all, it was a very successful word salad piece that was held together by the bordering insanity of the production and everything else. Sometimes, the chaos works. "Good luck trying to talk over all those rape whistles," Michael Che quipped while talking about Donald Trump's upcoming all-female Fox News town hall. The boys definitely went in harder on the former president than Harris, while also poking fun at J.D.
Tomas Kauer - News Moderator 
We had to wait three episodes, but we got as close to a perfect Saturday Night Live as we're likely to see this season. Ariana Grande was back as host for the first time since 2016, and once again she was flawless in a night that did not have a single bomb.
We're not saying every sketch had us rolling, but every sketch would rank higher than a 5 out of 10. The weakest sketch of the night was still a delightful charm, while the first sketch managed to elevate the cold political open into a different level with a surprising game show twist that worked on every level.
This week saw some of our mid-tier players really stepping into their own. It seems like the fourth season is around when the main players start to find their comedic range and reach their potential. This week, both James Austin Johnson and Sarah Sherman really stretched themselves -- at one point side by side as Oasis' Gallagher brothers -- and proved their worth.
Ariana showed off multiple impressions throughout the night, including Britney Spears, Céline Dion, and Jennifer Coolidge. And yes, she sang in almost every appearance she made, but all of it served the show and served the comedy so well. She's one of those hosts that is so effortlessly good at this, she could have been a cast member in another world!
As usual, we're ranking all the sketches from worst to first, including the Monologue, Cold Open, "Weekend Update" and any sketches that were cut for time but made their way online. We'll skip the musical guests, because they're not usually funny -- unless Ashlee Simpson shows up. We wrap up with a look at the cast-member who had the strongest week.
Castrati
The introduction of the barbaric technique that created high-pitched singing voices in young boys that would never go away, Ariana Grande's dead stare into the distance was so funny, we wish she would have maintained it longer into the sketch. We get her breaking it when Andy Samberg (as her father) suggested the process reversible, but it would have been funnier to go back to it. Andy got a laugh from Kenan Thompson by referring to him by his actual name in the piece, but Kenan quickly got it together enough to carry on. While not quite as funny as most of the night, the image of Maya Rudolph and Andy explaining their "twist" technique will haunt many a male for years to come.
From Monday Night Football to the octagon of the UFC, Ariana Grande delivered a hilariously spot-on Céline Dion both speaking and singing of her love for the violence of the sport that also … unites us? The over-the-top sincerity of the piece, as well as the gruesome descriptions of violence paired with footage of said moments, really captures the craziness of the sport, and the impossibility of romanticizing it. Once again, Ariana delivers on all fronts, this time doing so by herself with gusto and passion. She was born for comedy!
Good news for fans of Ariana Grande the actress, she's gonna keep it lowkey tonight, which means it won't be a night filled with her grabbing a mic and singing. She sang all about it in this very fun opener that featured glimpses of some of her iconic impressions like Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus. She even promised not to do a corny Wicked musical number, which must have come as a huge shock to Bowen Yang, who dropped in as Glinda the Good Witch. This piece set the perfect tone by offering us a confident and funny leading lady not taking herself too seriously and ready to let loose and have a good time. We're right there with you, Ari!
We were already enjoying the silliness of both Chloe Bennett and Ariana Grande showing off their stellar Jennifer Coolidge impressions for this Maybelline sketch, but the addition of Dana Carvey later as a third Jennifer really sealed the deal. It was one of those sketches that suffered from multiple technical difficulties, due to the complexity of the mirrored roles, but the players stayed committed to the premise and made sure that we were having as much fun as they were. The only thing that could have made it strong would have been an actual Jennifer Coolidge appearance at the very end (some cameos do work).
With time at a premium, it looks like we may have gotten a dress version of this piece as there were some line flubs, Ariana Grande held her badge upside down at first, and the cast struggled here and there with the lines. In their defense, the lines were intentionally obtuse and convoluted, but that was so much of what the piece was about. All in all, it was a very successful word salad piece that was held together by the bordering insanity of the production and everything else. Sometimes, the chaos works.
"Good luck trying to talk over all those rape whistles," Michael Che quipped while talking about Donald Trump's upcoming all-female Fox News town hall. The boys definitely went in harder on the former president than Harris, while also poking fun at J.D.
