SNL

33 years after he first made his 'Saturday Night Live' debut in 1981, Prince returned to the live comedy variety show on Nov. 1 to perform an eight-minute medley comprising of three new songs: 'Clouds,' 'Marz' and 'Anotherlove.'

Yeah it is a little strange that a newly minted Oscar winner like Matthew McConaughey would be caught dead making television commercials for Lincoln cars. However, it did lead to a series of fake 'SNL' commercials featuring guest host Jim Carrey playing the 'Dallas Buyers Club' and 'True Detective' star, so who are we to complain?

The unfortunate and untimely death of the great Jan Hooks this past week sent the comedy world into mourning, with countless writers and comics stepping forward to pay tribute to the late 'SNL' star. It could have been easy for this week's new episode to gloss over the passing of one of their own (it is a comedy show, after all), but 'SNL' has always been a slightly class institution -- it remembers those who came before.

If you went to some kind of comedy university, there would probably be an entire class available on the subject of how awkward white people rapping is inherently pretty funny but difficult to pull off without feeling too hacky. Whether or not 'SNL' pulled it off with last night's "Booty Rap" sketch is something we'll let you decide, but at least guest host Chris Pratt and the always reliable Aidy Bryant attack their material with gusto.

As is often the case, the weirdest sketch from last night's 'SNL' season premiere was easily the funniest in the entire show. The latest in Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney's series of truly strange sketches and shorts, the scene is an exacting parody of lousy '90s television that sidesteps all obvious jokes in favor of making fun of a very specific kind of TV show.

Whether the 'SNL' shakeups of season 40 have truly come to a close or not, this Saturday will see 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and 'Parks and Recreation' star Chris Pratt kicking off the premiere in Star-Lord style. Feast your faces on seven-full minutes of promo goodness, as Chris Pratt takes the 'SNL' stage for the first time!

Of the many changes in store for the 40th season of 'SNL,' none would prove so heartbreaking as the loss of beloved announcer Don Pardo, who passed away earlier this year. No one could ever replace Pardo's distinct intonation announcing every 'SNL' installment, though the new voice of the sketch comedy series will at least be a familiar one, as distinguished alum Darrell Hammond takes the mic.

We'd known that 'SNL' would need some additional fine-tuning after shedding some of the dead weight of season 39, but where writer Colin Jost had replaced "Weekend Update"s departed Seth Meyers alongside Cecily Strong, an unexpected shakeup has emerged. Strong will step down from the Update desk, remaining an 'SNL' regular, while 'Daily Show' correspondent and 'SNL' writer Michael Che will become Jost's new co-anchor.

After all the turnover season 39 of 'SNL' brought to the cast, between Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis and Seth Meyers departing, as well as controversial additions like that of Sasheer Zamata, the 40th anniversary season of the long-running NBC sketch comedy was expected to bring with it a few changes. Now, the first of the season 39 freshmen have been cut, as cast member Brooks Wheelan announces he won't return this fall.

'Saturday Night Live' guest host Andy Samberg took the opportunity last night to do an SNL Digital Short spoofing the EDM and DJ culture. The short is appropriately titled: 'When Will The Bass Drop?'

In addition to Sam Smith surprising everyone with his US debut performance, 'Saturday Night Live' opened with a hilarious skit featuring President Obama (played by Jay Pharoah) trying to figure out new ways to get people to sign up at Healthcare.gov. With the help of a White House social media expert, he finds himself taking photos with parody versions of Justin Bieber, Harry Styles of One Directi

What, you thought Jonah Hill's third hosting gig was the 'SNL' news of the day? Nope! At long last, after a heated controversy and a nationwide search, the long-running NBC sketch comedy series has found its newest black female cast member in Upright Citizen's Brigade veteran Sasheer Zamata.