All due respect to Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, but Neil Patrick Harris’ turn as Saturday Night Live host was one of the most sustained series of first-rate comic performances this venerable series has seen. Whether he was a thrusting, grinding exercise guru on a Today Show parody (and hats off to Kristen Wiig’s fantastically detailed parody of Kathie Lee Gifford’s twitchy tics) or nailing a David Frost impersonation in the Frost/Nixon skit (and congrats to Bill Hader on his David Bowie), Harris was quick, cutting, ruthless, and still charming.
What did you think? Which SNL sketch did you like best last night?
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The “Curtains for Broadway” sketch!!!
He was definatley one of the best of the season!
Really??? Though I thought NPH was awesome- but the only ’sketch’ that made me laugh was the opening monologue. I thought the entire show last night was weak weak weak.
he was very good. and so was everyone else.
My stupid DVR chose not to tape last night after I had set the recording! I am beyond bummed. I’ve been looking forward to this since it was first announced. NPH is one of my favorite people and I am sure he killed it. Hopefully it’ll be online at some point :<(
I’m sure it will rerun in a few weeks
I actually laughed a lot at last night’s show. Can’t remember the last time that happened. NPH was a riot. My favorite skit was definitely “Penelope”.
Yeah, I was actually thinking the same thing…he was so funny & right on point with his acting. Some hosts you don’t expect much from since they aren’t necessarily actors. Then there’s some you expect a lot from (Oscar nominees) that still bomb. But there are the rare ones like Harris, Baldwin, Jennifer Garner, Justin Timberlake, etc….you can see their range. I saw Harris several years ago in Assassins on Broadway & he was excellent in that, too.
I thought the skit with all the broadway characters was hilarious
NPH is so talented. But why didn’t the writers give him material where he was the star of the sketch? He too often played second fiddle to Kristen Wiig (Penelope, Today Show, etc.) whom I think is great but her characters are getting a bit tired. He was forced into the reactive role all night. He deserved better. He could have been legendary.
The best was the digitial short where he was playing the Doogies Theme and at the end a single tear rolls down his cheek. I was dying.
NPH was hilarious. The digital short, ending with the tear rolling down his cheek had me laughing out loud. Really nice to have a host not visibly reading his cue cards. Well done Doogie.
Other great hosts from the past 10 years: Garth Brooks and Justin Timberlake. Don’t like either one much, but their shows were good most of the way through. Go back and watch “Old French Whore,” or “Who’s More Grizzled?”
I’ve always said that Neil Patrick Harris is funny, especially on How I Met Your Mother. It’s good that he got a chance to do his comedic talents and angles on Saturday Night Live! And the Frost/Nixon skit is so funny as Neil’s character interviewed those classic personalities/celebrities of the ’70s.
NPH is the 2nd best this season. Top spot goes to Jon Hamm by a mile. Jon Hamm’s John Ham and Don Draper’s Guide to Picking Up Women are instant classics.
NPH was the funniest episode in years. It was consistent all the way through to the last sketch, and the whole cast being involved so jovially in the brilliant digital short was the highlight of the night. My wife and I watched it three times in a row.
NPH was by far the best host this season! All of the skits were hysterical—my favorite being the Broadway characters one—he looked gorgeous, and he was as charming as ever.
Bravo!
I thought that many of the skits were absolutely rank. Where are all the funny writers?
That said, I thought that Neil delivered. He was immersed in his scenes and his comic timing was spot on. Had he better material to work with, I might have enjoyed the episode a bit more.
I loved this episode because it showed off the WHOLE cast. Usually, there is one comedian that appears in almost all the sketches [usually its Samberg]; but here, in almost every sketch, we see everyone. Even the less frequently used Daryl Hammond [who is amazing, but the younger hosts don't use him] appeared several times. Great job NPH! Bringing SNL back to the top!
Terrible Bowie. Why does he sound like Austin Powers?
I watched because I’d heard Taylor was musical guest and thought it was clever of show to incorperate her in show as Orphan Annie. Neil was wonderful. The skit with “Kathie Lee” was painful to watch, until Neil showed up then it was great and I couldn’t stop laughing. I mean all that bumping and grinding, etc was hysterical. Two first name show had me cracking up, I don’t know if I was the only one wondering why Julia Louie was on when Daniel Day-Lewis got kicked off. The digital short was good. I’d wondered if “Doogie” was going to be focus of any skits.
loved it! right from the opening monologue when he said 18 years ago he watched fred savage LOL and when his girlfriend at the time wanted to make out “not now, let’s watch this” hhahahah It was awesome, start to finish!
that was great. nph and justin timberlake should switch off hosting duties weekly (with occasional ben affleck cameos as keith olbermann)
Loved it! I wanna see Frost/Other People!
Loved loved loved him in the Broadway, Thrusting, and the Frost/Nixon skits. The air-traffic one got a little stale, but I did think he looked fetching in the coral sweater.
Nonetheless, the appearance of Liza Minelli was unexpected and great. The stabs at NPH’s lack of Emmy due to Piven was pretty good too.
NPH was awesome. This was the best SNL episode since Peyton Manning. Great monologue, loved the Digital Short (for the first time in a long time), the Broadway sketch was great, and even the closing sketch was hilarious (Whopper Virgins). Home Run.
He was amazing! I especially loved the Broadway and Penelope one.
The shot had Piven had nothing to do with Piven winning Emmy Awards over NPH. It was about Piven bailing on his role in the revival of David Mamet’s Speed the Plow. Piven called in sick for a few performances and then got a doctor’s note saying he had mercury poisoning and was dropping out of the show. What’s suspicious is the Piven had been telling people how “bored” he was doing the show.
NPH was solid, but he wasn’t “best ever” or anything like that. But I certainly wouldn’t mind him hosting again.
He was incredible. I think this is best thing he has done in his entire career. I am now a fan.