Saturday Night Live UK

Was it a crime against comedy – as the original Saturday Night Live often is nowadays? No – and by any reasonable measure it was off to a flying start.

Most of the flaws in the premiere were, in fact, entirely part of the SNL DNA. .... There were no disasters, though, which can’t always be said for episodes of traditional-flavor Saturday Night Live. .... For me, the cast was good enough that I’ll watch the next few weeks, if only to justify facile jokes about how it USED to be funny.

Promising debut of the British spinoff. .... As a debut, the episode could be hit and miss. But then, which sketch show isn’t? As the immensely likable cast members settle and share the spotlight more evenly, it may boil down to the weekly host to get that essential traction online.

The sketches are darker and more surreal than its U.S. counterpart, the comedy much more deadpan. Even if all the sketch itself doesn’t work (hey, they kept that feature too) there’s enough one-liners to keep you going and try out the next. .... The weakest part of “SNL U.K.” is, well, the “Saturday Night Live” part. .... At times, watching this feels like visiting a branch of Five Guys. It’s fine, but it’s not like eating in America.

As this first live sketch cut to an ad break, the typical British cynicism that had earmarked SNL UK as an all-time televisual disaster had shifted into a mood of, “Wait... is this actually good?” .... The second half of the 75-minute show suffered in comparison. .... Although a 50-year run like Lorne Michaels’ flagship operation might be too optimistic, it may well outlive what the vast majority expected.

It could have been a lot, lot worse. And it could have been a lot better. But it is likely to become so as the team and the audience settle in over the coming weeks and we might see some recurring characters and start to build a rhythm and rapport with the show.

My unsolicited advice to “SNL UK,” which streams stateside on Peacock? Be yourself. Don’t be too slavish to your American counterpart, which currently feels a little flabby and rudderless. That freedom that allows you to drop F-bombs? Use it to create some truly dangerous comedy.

SNL UK is an amusing, inherently awkward, sometimes brilliant and sometimes flawed bizzaro world of sketch comedy. It's refreshing to see a new cast of comedians and writers taking wild swings even if the show might be doomed to failure

I really liked SNL UK, in my time with it so far. It feels out-of-time in a REALLY good way. As a 44 year old, watching it at once feels like watching old sketch shows I watched from before I was old enough to understand them combined with the sketch shows I loved from the 90s. One thing it does feel, to my 90s sensibilities, is "cool". And a lot of that heavy lifting is being done by the, so far, MUCH cooler musical selections than SNL US tends to have. I have high hopes for SNL UK due to the British having a much higher standard for wit than the US. "Khomeni? Two. But one of them is dead now." made me want to stand up and cheer.

It was just so 'BLAH', safe and . Get in some comedic edge to spice it up. Ricky Balshaw springs to mind, then I'll watch it

I wasn't expecting much, and I was right. What the f**k were they thinking when they thought they had material for a good first episode. In the bin.

One of the worst things i’ve seen called comedy on British Tv in 40 years! Nothing to like about or redeem it! american crap with cheap take jokes! 0 star!