As most of you reading this know (and saw), none other than Daniel Radcliffe himself hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time last night! Was his first swing at hosting the show a hit or a miss? Both myself and Hypable readers weigh in!
If you missed the show you can catch the full recap here. Oh, and his bumper photos looked like something off of a Milan runway, so check those out here.
Before the show started, I was worried that Daniel would be nervous and fumble through his opening monologue. Not because I expected it or that I thought he wouldn’t be good at it, but because even the most seasoned veterans of show business seem to come out and sink or swim when it comes to the opening monologue. To my surprise and delight, Dan not only nailed the monologue, he didn’t seem nervous to me at all. I’ve seen quite a few nervous/anxious moments with Dan over the years following his Potter interviews/appearances, so I do have grounds to judge him on this. There were a few nervous Dan Rad laughs (you know what I’m talking about), but he didn’t appear to be nervous in any way…at least to me.
The show started with a Target Lady sketch which hasn’t made it to air on SNL in quite a while. The sketch featured Dan Rad with a structured pony tail and a moment where he rips off his shirt. For fangirls/fanboys everywhere, this was an exciting and hilarious moment!
The Harry Potter sketch later in the episode had potential but as a huge Harry Potter fan, I just didn’t find it funny. Something tells me that if you’re someone who is only a casual fan of the movies you thought this skit was hilarious. Unfortunately, I literally had no one to ask about this because all of my friends are Potter fans.
Overall, I think Dan did an amazing time hosting, but that the real issue with the episode will be in the writing. SNL had a huge wealth of talent and showmanship with Dan and I feel like they didn’t use him to their full advantage! Dan managed to turn mundane skits (“The Jay Pharoah Show”) in to something where you couldn’t wait to hear what his next line was. Could you imagine how funny “The Miley Cyrus Show” would have been with Dan as someone from the Jersey Shore!?
I asked Twitter to weigh in on their thoughts and here’s what a couple of folks had to say:
@ruckermore: “I thought he was great! He is one of the only hosts that doesn’t sound like he’s reading cue cards.”
@BrantlyThor: “His American accent was hilarious!”
@JeSuisTonAmie: “I think he had one of the best monologues of the season so far, and The Target Lady skit was hilarious!”
@elizariff: “Dan did great, but the sketches and the episode were generally not up to par. Quite a few line flubs by everyone too. Unusual. #SNL”
@ellenhammond: “Dan did great! Better than I thought he would :) The skits were pretty good but I wish they had another Potter star make a cameo.”
@RealOrNotReal: “Daniel did an incredible job! He made #SNL funny. When he wasn’t a part of the skit it just fell flat.”
@FallonMoore: “My fav sketch was Casey Anthony’s dog, b/c it showcased Dan’s great comedic timing and dry sense of humor. He was settled.”
@RoxanneClark: “He was adorable! He seemed really into it and his acting was great! His body and accent were fantastic! He’s just so good! hahaha”
What are your thoughts on Dan hosting SNL last night? What was your favorite skit? Would you like to see him come back? Any particular skits you would like to see him be in? Leave your comments below!
This column was written by John Thrasher. Follow him on Twitter @jthrasher.
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