Josh O’Connor’s SNL Debut Sparks Debate Over Whether the Episode Played to His Strengths

I couldn’t access the full text of the Deadline article via my web tool (it returned a paywall error), so I used the publicly visible excerpt of that piece plus other reporting and commentary that covered the same episode.

Josh O’Connor’s hosting debut on “Saturday Night Live” leaned hard on the show’s cast and recurring formats, leaving critics split on how well the episode used the British actor’s screen presence. Deadline’s published excerpt argued the show struggled to channel O’Connor’s “whimsical charms” into material that fit him.

The Dec. 13 broadcast paired O’Connor with musical guest Lily Allen and opened with a Trump-on-Air-Force-One cold open, before O’Connor’s monologue framed him as a self-described “soft boy” who embroiders and gardens and joked about his resemblance to “Ratatouille” character Linguini. “For what it’s worth,” he said, “I would kill as Linguini.”

Several set pieces that drew attention did so by putting O’Connor in support positions. The Los Angeles Times wrote that he “left almost no impression at all,” arguing he often blended into sketches centered on other characters, with the night feeling closer to a showcase for Bowen Yang and Allen. The A.V. Club made a similar point about screen-time gravity shifting toward Yang and castmate Ashley Padilla, while still crediting O’Connor for a “low-key” charm that landed best in quieter, character-driven bits such as the “sensitive male strippers” sketch.

Allen’s performances became a major talking point after Dakota Johnson appeared during “Madeline,” stepping out from behind a sheer curtain to deliver lines in character. “I hate that you’re in so much pain right now …,” Johnson said, before the performance ended with an onstage embrace. Entertainment Weekly also highlighted a recurring concern from former cast member Gary Kroeger, who said the season’s political satire has started to feel “formulaic,” even as he praised the current ensemble’s versatility.

Fan chatter ahead of airtime showed genuine anticipation for O’Connor’s first turn in Studio 8H, with viewers on the show’s subreddit posting they hoped writers would “do some fun stuff with him.”