Vanessa Bayer

SNL set a pretty high bar for the rest of Season 41 with Larry David’s hosting debut this past weekend, but will Melissa McCarthy prove so reliable with Kanye West, given all the controversy of late? Get a taste by the first promos as McCarthy gets her nails done with Vanessa Bayer.

SNL commercial parodies are at their best when they’re at their most scathing. The fake ad for a fictional dating app called Settl may not be as dark as that vicious, pro-gun parody from a while back, but it’s a different brand of cynical: Here is the app for people who are tired of trying to find the right person and just want to settle down with, well, any person.

While traditional live sketches are still the backbone of any given episode, modern SNL is frequently at its best in the pre-recorded segments. The past few years have seen an interesting evolution as the silly “digital shorts” of a decade ago have matured into full-blown filmmaking, with sketches that feel more like short films than just a comedy bit. Last night’s Ryan Gosling-hosted episode peaked with a pre-recorded sketch titled “Santa Baby,” which let both SNL and Gosling himself turn the weird up to 11.

SOUND ADVICE WITH JANESSA SLATER.

The Katherine Webb beauty hype is too much-here are some women more talented and prettier.