As the days begin to grow dark and cool, more people find themselves retreating indoors to the comfort of their couches to watch their favorite shows pick up for another season.

Saturday Night Live remains one of the top choices among comedy fans, but if the show delivers the same way as its previous season, that may change.
While it had its highlights, the show failed to meet the high standards it once established for itself years earlier.
The cast certainly is not lacking in talent, and head writer Colin Jost has proven himself to be an exceptional comedian, constantly gaining attention for hosting “Weekend Update” with co-anchor Michael Che.
However, some standout cast members who give memorable performances week-after-week are suspected to be leaving the show in its entirety.
On Monday, fan favorite Beck Bennett announced he would not be returning for a ninth season.
Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Colin Jost, Michael Che, Melissa Villaseñor, Cecily Strong and Pete Davidson have all been rumored to be to leaving, but only two have publicly responded.
Melissa Villaseñor posted a black screen to her Instagram story and told her fans that she deserved better than what the show was giving her and, therefore, would be leaving, but later she said that she was unsure and just stressed at that moment.
Michael Che also responded to the rumor of his exit as “Weekend Update” co-anchor. When someone commented under of his Instagram posts asking if he was leaving, Che gave a casual response saying that he would. The comment and post have since been deleted.
If all those cast members were present for season 46, why were viewers disappointed? The answer: a lack of originality.
This is not to say there were no standout moments in season 46. Between cast member Bowen Yang dressing up like the iceberg hit by the Titanic on “Weekend Update” or Dave Chapelle’s opening monologue, season 46 had multiple memorable jokes and sketches; yet something still felt off.
The burden of blame is often placed on the way writers incorporate jokes about the current political and social climate. This is nothing new to America’s longest-running sketch comedy show. Viewers remember Fred Armisen dressing up as President Obama and Tina Fey as former Alaska governor, Sarah Palin.
The problem arises when the jokes are simply rephrasing the absurdity of the situation into a basic play rather than finding a way to spin it around and turn it into something new.
For instance, the “Gen Z Hospital” sketch which aired during controversial host Elon Musk’s episode felt lazy and forced. The cast, all of which are older than the cut off for Generation Z, simply spit out phrases and slang used by young adults and teenagers and thought that was enough.
Sketches like these seem to be occurring more often than they did in past years. No cast or era of SNL has zero misses as comedy is subjective, and perfection is an impossibility. However, other seasons made getting through a bad sketch a joke in itself still entertaining to watch.
To be fair, the major cast and era that came just before season 40 began is hard to beat, especially because they founded what most of today’s comedy stands on. The cast had Seth Meyers as head writer and “Weekend Update” anchor, who is considered one of the best anchors in the history of SNL. Other notable names include Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, John Mulaney, and Bill Hader, all of whom went to appear in or create hilarious movies, TV shows, and comedy specials.
More recently, tuning in weekly seems like more of a chore than for actual enjoyment as there are more bits that are coming up short. Despite this, “Weekend Update” has been incredible.
Colin Jost’s and Michael Che’s dynamic brings something extremely special to the series, and the two have only gotten better over time. Rumors, however, state that Che and Jost may not be returning for another season.
Whether or not they show up in front of the iconic “Weekend Update” backdrop for this Saturday’s premiere, SNL will surely deliver at least some memorable jokes.