SNL Scorecard: Will Ferrell / Paul McCartney
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
Well, that's another season of Saturday Night Live come and gone, believe it or not. It truly feels like only a couple months ago that the show's 51st season was getting under way, and I was kicking off my 8th year of issuing these scorecards by reviewing the disappointing season premiere with Bad Bunny. Yet, here we are again, celebrating a truly astounding 51st year of the show, and looking ahead to a summer of uncertainty amidst rumors of many a big name leaving (including perhaps the biggest name of all).
It's been a funny old season of SNL, one that was following up a famous 50th season that was chock-full of fanfare and celebration, and doing so with a not-insignificant amount of upheaval in both the cast and the writing room. All season long I've made the analogy of this SNL season being similar to a "transitional season" that sports teams undergo sometimes, when a number of new players are brought in, many of the old stars are leaving and/or aging out of peak performance, etc. And like nearly all those instances of teams in transition, it took a while for this somewhat ‘new-look’ cast and staff to find its footing, as the new writers and younger cast members tried to splice their humor in with the vets who have been there the better part of a decade now (or in the case of Kenan Thompson, the better part of a century). But, as any fan who has been in the position of cheering for one of those teams would tell you, the best you can hope for is that they hit their stride down the stretch in the season, when all the new parts have figured each other out a little better, and that has seemed to be the case with this show, by and large! Just last week, Matt Damon hosted what I think was the funniest episode all year, and I’d characterize more of the shows in 2026 as “good” than not, which could not honestly be said for the year 2025.
Anyways, it all seemed to be leading up to a fever pitch finale, hosted by SNL’s most famous alum, Will Ferrell, with a guest appearance from one of the most famous musicians (and SNL frequenter) in modern history, Paul McCartney. It was a finale so eye-poppingly big in star power than many a rumor has abounded online that this was to be Lorne Michaels’ final episode at the helm. (No such announcement was made before or during the show, nor since, so it would seem, for now, that that was simply Internet smoke.) But what many, including myself, were forgetting about this finale were two different dynamics at play: one, Senioritis. Yes, I’m sure everyone at the show wanted the season finale to be great, but I also imagine they’re fatigued and burnt out, and mostly ready to go on summer break. And two, when a comedic genius like Ferrell hosts, writers tend to phone it in somewhat, relying on the star to “make it funny.” The cross-section of both trends played a big part in a serviceable but somewhat disappointing finale. It was far from a wet fart of a season end, to be clear; it was an undeniably fun episode, buoyed by the most energetic studio audience I remember hearing for some time. But for all the potential this had, to be a serious example of ending an inconsistent season on a high, it ended up just being another one of the many such episodes this season that was perfectly enjoyable, but mostly forgotten by the next day.
One last time in case you forgot- I know my rankings can seem a little arbitrary, and truthfully there have been times where even I will look back at scorecards and think "Now, why did I rate (x) an 8.5, if (x) from this other episode was only a 7...?". So, both to hopefully clear up my scoring system for any curious readers, but also really to help keep myself consistent, here is the rubric to reference:
10/10: Perfect, no notes
8-9.5/10: Very funny-to-hilarious, definite rewatch
6-7.5/10: Pretty funny-to-funny, but won't necessarily be a rewatch
4-5.5/10: Not BAD, but not particularly funny or memorable
1-3.5/10: Terrible/poor taste, to simply bad/unfunny
Here's the sketch-by-sketch breakdown of the 20th and final episode of the season:
Sketch of the Night
"Post-Op": 8/10
I've harped on the "first sketch out of the gate" selection all season long, so when-- for the second consecutive episode! --the first post-monologue sketch was a banger, I thought we were in for a great night. As it happens, this episode never reached these heights again, thanks in no small part to Lorne Michaels keeping up his incredible streak of cutting what would have been the funniest sketch of the night for time. But that doesn't lessen the fun I had in this one. Definitely skeptical that anybody but Will Ferrell could have made all of his lines this funny, but this was some of the funniest writing on the night as well.
The Good
“The Nudemans": 7.5/10
We love a great sight gag, and this was tons of fun, even if nothing was going to be as funny as the initial reveal. This wouldn't have worked with everyone breaking nonstop, so kudos to Ferrell and Sarah Sherman for (unsurprisingly) fully committing, and Andrew Dismukes and Veronika Slowikowska both for holding it together.
“Mechanics": 7/10
Most of this sketch had a throwback (maybe "2000s sitcom?") humor feel that I found charming, if not hilarious, but then it took a WILD turn at the end-- and I don't just mean the Paul McCartney cameo, fun as that was. In other circumstances this ending might have felt contrived, but given how unexpected it was, and how perfectly Mikey Day and Ashley Padilla sold it straight-faced, I liked it.
“Monologue": 7/10
I had an discussion-come-argument with my friend David last week about the purpose of monologues and what makes a good or memorable one, and about 75% of the way through this one, I was ready to text him that this was a perfect example of a great monologue: opening with an original and unexpected gag involving the host, said host comedically and affably doing a bit based off of that, playing to the crowd expertly...and then it just kind of lost steam at the end. Unfortunately, a lot of that has to do with the introduction of Mr. McCartney, who I will never complain about seeing or hearing, but his shoehorned walk-on appearance did sort of kill the momentum at the end.
"Weekend Update": 7/10
In a season in which Weekend Update felt a lot more up and down than it usually has in recent years, the last segment of the season was, fittingly, up and down! This was in part because in addition to the funniest sketch of the night, Lorne and co. also cut what would have been the best Update segment of the night (and one of the best in recent memory) from the show. Cutting Che and Jost's "Joke Swap" would not have been a popular move, but it might have been the right one, given how much this one seemed to just go for shock value rather than laughs. Still, the co-anchors had enough good jokes to make this a mostly good Update, and the return of Jeremy Culhane's "Mr. On-Blast" was delightful.
The... Less-Good
"Cast List 2": 5.5/10
Sighhhhh. I bet this went hard for people that completely missed the original, as it was cut for time, but as someone who knows the 2019 edition by heart and whose family quotes and references it repeatedly, this was a shoddy remake. I suppose I can appreciate it for giving this sketch the air time it so clearly deserved in the first place.
"Jeffrey Epstein Ghost Cold Open": 5.5/10
A friend watching the show texted me, "Damn, Will Ferrell as Jeffrey Epstein really just kinda looks like Harrison Ford" and that was funnier than anything in the sketch itself was. Look, this was fine. At least we got more of James Austin Johnson's Trump than Colin Jost's Pete Hegseth for the first time in eternity, and I appreciated that this was sharper and more incisive than most of their cold opens have seemed to be of late. But yeah, much as I'll miss the show over the summer, I won't miss the ritual of underwhelming starts to the episodes.
"Bobbin's Sacrifice": 4/10
I'm typically a fan of Dan Bulla's bizarre video shorts-- his "Girl on a Bug Planet" with Olivia Rodrigo just two weeks ago was one of the best of the night, and this one aired early in the night, so I was sure it would be a banger. Plus, it was a clear LOTR homage, with Will Ferrell in the lead comedic role. The costumes, hairstyling, and accents were terrific. The graphics elite. There's just one problem: it wasn't funny. It's unlike Dan and co. to forget that crucial element, but sadly they did this time.
Musical Performances
Paul McCartney: 8/10
It's difficult to do, but I try to be as objective as possible when rating a musical guest. After all, music taste can be SO subjective, so if an artist puts on a great set but it just happens to be a genre or style I don't really like, why should I ding them for that?
But how can I be objective about Sir Paul McCartney? The man's music, especially in his time with The Beatles, has meant more to me than almost anyone else's. He's a living legend. And sure, he doesn't really have it vocally any more, but he's 83 years old! And he's playing "Band On The Run," one of the all-time great rock songs, with so much energy! And he's debuting a new song about his Liverpool upbringing and his childhood mates that became the biggest and best band in the World! And it's making me cry! So yeah, forgive me if I rate this special set a little higher than most musical acts (admittedly, a surprisingly strong set) from this season.
OVERALL SCORE: 6.56 ('Comedy Only' score: 6.44)
At the end of Season 51, here’s where the episodes stand-- keep in mind the episode's overall score factors in the musical performance, so what I considered the funniest isn't necessarily the top-rated overall, etc.:
Finn Wolfhard/A$AP Rocky - 7.30
Matt Damon/Noah Kahan - 7.15
Ryan Gosling/Gorillaz - 7.10
Harry Styles - 7.09
Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile - 7.05
Melissa McCarthy/Dijon - 6.87
Jack Black/Jack White - 6.85
Colman Domingo/Anitta - 6.77
Sabrina Carpenter - 6.58
Will Ferrell/Paul McCartney - 6.56
Alexander Skarsgård/Cardi B - 6.54
Ariana Grande/Cher - 6.54 (the Alexander Skarsgård episode ranks higher due to a higher 'Comedy Only' score)
Connor Storrie/Mumford & Sons - 6.50
Olivia Rodrigo - 6.50 (the Connor Storrie episode ranks higher due to a higher 'Comedy Only' score)
Nikki Glaser/sombr - 6.50 (the Olivia Rodrigo episode ranks higher due to a higher 'Comedy Only' score)
Teyana Taylor/Geese - 6.42
Amy Poehler/Role Model - 6.25
Josh O'Connor/Lily Allen - 6.15
Glen Powell/Olivia Dean - 6.00
Bad Bunny/Doja Cat - 5.91
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