Other than his season-opening turn as viral video star Corn Kid, “regular” has been Walker’s go-to move. That’s not an insult. That everyman quality has him showing up in more sketches than any of the other featured players–a guy who burns himself with a sizzling iron after hearing about Kanye antics in “So You Think You Won’t Snap,” a smart kid in a S.T.E.M class, pleasant supporting guy in “We Got Brought” and “Deer,” and a crooning Frank Ocean covering Billy’s Caribbean Queen. In the Meghan Thee Stallion episode, he got the third-most screen time of any player, a luxury never afforded to a Jon Rudnitsky or Brooks Whelan. Impressive start, rookie!
Related: 15 Facts About Paul Walker’s ‘Fast And Furious’ Movies
Michael Longfellow
Longfellow was the first to get his shot on the Update desk, sharing dirt on conservative, anti-vax family members. The bit goes over fine, even eliciting applause at some of his punchlines.
Beyond that, it’s hard to know exactly who Longfellow is going to be as a sketch player. He wore funny prosthetics as Adam Schiff in a January 6 committee sketch …
Broadway Video
… and like Walker, he’s showing up in straight-man supporting roles during sketches like “Headshots” and “Eyeballs.” For now, he seems to slot in the Alex Moffat space as Reasonably Good Looking Guy Who Can Blend Into Most Any Sketch. Unfortunately for Goodfellow, that’s just the seat that Andrew Dismukes seems to have claimed on the SNL bus. Based on the slim evidence so far, Longfellow might actually be a more confident, relaxed version of Dismukes — but Andrew has seniority on his side for now.
Where do we go from here? Expect one or more of the rookies to break out even more, while a couple inevitably fade into the background. But as evidenced in this week’s Jack Harlow episode — with “Halloween Red Carpet Show” giving each rookie another small spotlight — Lorne is going to give the New Kids every chance to succeed.
Top image: Broadway Video