A thing I didn't know I needed — or really, a thing I didn't know could or would ever happen — was The Lonely Island's return to Saturday Night Live this season. But, wow oh wow, am I glad it happened.
Maybe it was the specific time of their reigning era: the Obama presidency, being in my 20s, the fact that Instagram didn't even exist yet (could you imagine the numbers "Jizz in My Pants" would put up on TikTok?!) or maybe it was just that the trio (Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone) truly hit comedy gold.
But after each member moved on to writing, producing, directing, and starring in other projects (with overlap at times), and Samberg opened up to Kevin Hart on his Peacock show Hart to Heart about the unsustainability of the SNL schedule long-term, a return just didn't seem to be in the cards. And it's not like The Internet was demanding the worlds of The Lonely Island and SNL to collide once more. Perhaps that's what makes the return that much sweeter, and a real surprise for all involved and enjoying.
Unsurprisingly, the quality of the new era is right on par with their previous efforts — because this could've given returning-to-your-high-school cringe. Instead of just drumming up nostalgia for nostalgia's sake, this move feels like a fit. The Lonely Island's last SNL appearance was six years ago in 2018; in 2016, they popped up in the lead-up to their criminally underrated film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, without a doubt one of the best comedies of the 21st century (I legally have to say this because it's true). The same is true of their first film, Hot Rod, which similarly made up for what it lacked at the box office with DVD sales, at-home viewing, and positive word of mouth on, of all places, the internet.
This is also where I have to give a shoutout to Hot Rod's director commentary, Because that's exactly what their podcast with Seth Meyers reminds me of, where they give insight into the first seeds of ideas, to fun facts from the set, and general goofiness that makes me laugh every episode just as much as it informs me.
I'd highly recommend listening to the episodes about their return to SNL, which happened in early October with “Sushi Glory Hole”. (Two words: I had to look it up so you don't have to, but I forgot to use incognito mode so big yikes on that one.)
There's plenty of insight into what standards and practices had an issue with, how this Digital Short came to be when really Samberg just thought he was Dougie-ing back into Studio 8H to play the Second Gentleman, and of course, what Lorne thought of it. It's also fun to hear about how this experience has been different from their first go-round on the show, and I just like to hear what they text each other about. Come for the "SGH" chat, stay for Meyers' bonus Chris Martin anecdote.
But what we really learn is that The Lonely Island made a bunch of new music during the strikes in 2023. When/how that might be released still remains to be seen, but if I had to make an educated guess, especially with SNL's 50th anniversary celebration coming up in February and the fact that these guys aren't dummies and it (literally) pays to have SNL bankroll your music videos, I'd expect we see and hear some more from these guys in the coming weeks.
Which is again, excellent news. Seeing the words "An SNL Digital Short" flash across your TV/computer/phone screen brings with it a nice drop of dopamine. Especially at this time, when the pre-election tension was at a high, here come these guys! And just after the air was quickly let out of the country's red balloon with a loud, annoying fart noise (and, in this exception, not the funny kind) post-election, they drop "Here I Go." (Still need to get the audio of that one on the streaming platforms though, guys!)
At first, I wasn't sure if we were jumping right on over that third rail of white people making a comedy song about calling the cops. But there might be something so damn silly about this entire masterclass of audio and visual storytelling that makes it … so wrong it's right? Or just … exactly right?
This is a group who has always made us laugh so much we don't even realize we're actually thinking at the same time. There's something to be said for how consistently goofy and silly they are, without ever really sacrificing artistic integrity. They somehow keep an under-three minute clip surprising every step of the way. If at first you were wondering, "Are we allowed to laugh about unnecessarily calling the cops?" The answer, in this case, is a resounding, "Hell yeah, motherfucker, hell yeah!" That this was released just a handful of weeks after Samberg took on his most serious, dramatic role yet in the film Lee, opposite Kate Winslet, to then watching him rip off tearaway clothes in the middle of a neighborhood is a real chef's kiss.
Can I list a few more exquisite moments here? Okay, great — and all of these wonderful details are expanded upon in the "HIG" podcast episode: that it came about so incredibly last minute and that the song is inspired by K-pop; those gloriously ill-fitting athleisure pants (why do those fit men so terribly?!); that one perfect shot of Colin Jost; all the compliments about how perfect Charli XCX was for this moment; and, of course, how Samberg declares he "almost flopped out" in the middle of that dance scene. Bellissimo.
I also didn't know that I needed to see an adorable pug be put in doggie handcuffs, and for that I thank The Lonely Island and SNL, and I can only encourage all parties involved to keep it comin'.
