Saturday Night Live Fantasy League: Episode 43x08: James Franco & SZA

December 10, 2017

Saturday Night Live Fantasy League presented by Trivia Club, is a Fantasy League like no other. Like Fantasy Football for the comedy geek, participants draft cast members and prospective hosts before the start of the season and then are awarded points based of their performance through a scoring system. For additional points, before the start of each episode participants can guess which two songs they think the musical guest will perform. Since the beginning, this television institution has become the first step in the major leagues of comedy stardom, and with over forty seasons of familiar traditions, we’ve found a way to add math to comedy and somehow make that a fun game to play. Play at home,  or keep tabs on how we’re doing in our Saturday Night Live Fantasy League!

For more thoughts on Saturday Night Live, join Brian Edwards, of the SNL Fantasy League team The Team You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party, on the Deep Thoughts on SNL podcast! Subscribe, listen, enjoy! Deep Thoughts, when they can, also tweets during the show, so join in on twitter!


REPERTORY CAST
Kate McKinnon, 29 points
  • 5 points - promo
  • 7 points – cold open
  • 5 points – “LIVE FROM NEW YORK…!”
  • 5 points – sketch (Bloomingdales Gift Wrapping Department)
  • 2 points – breaking
  • 5 points – sketch (Iowa City All-District Spelling Bee)

Beck Bennett, 25 points


  • 5 points – sketch (Beta Corp)
  • minus 2 points - breaking
  • 5 points – sketch (Bloomingdales Gift Wrapping Department)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Scrudge at the Christmas Party)
  • 5 points – singing
  • 5 points – butt shot



Kenan Thompson, 25 points


  • 7 points – cold open
  • 5 points – “LIVE FROM NEW YORK…!”
  • 5 points – sketch (Beta Corp)
  • minus 2 points - breaking
  • 5 points – sketch (Bloomingdales Gift Wrapping Department)
  • 5 points – sketch (Cross Examining the Witness)


Cecily Strong, 24 points
  • 5 points – sketch (Beta Corp)
  • 7 points – Weekend Update
  • 5 points – reoccurring (Cathy Anne)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Christmas Charity)

Leslie Jones, 22 points
  • 5 points – sketch (Beta Corp)
  • 5 points – sketch (Bloomingdales Gift Wrapping Department)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (A White Woman Named Gretchen)
  • 5 points – host hug

Aidy Bryant, 12 points
  • 5 points – sketch (Beta Corp)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (A White Woman Named Gretchen)

Pete Davidson, 10 points
  • 5 points – sketch (Iowa City All-District Spelling Bee)
  • 5 points – sketch (Cross Examining the Witness)

Kyle Mooney, 7 points
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Scrudge at the Christmas Party)

Alec Baldwin, DNP – Did Not Participate

FEATURED CAST
Heidi Gardner, 27 points
  • 5 points – sketch (Bloomingdales Gift Wrapping Department)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Scrudge at the Christmas Party)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (A White Woman Named Gretchen)
  • 5 points – sketch (Cross Examining the Witness)
  • 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (Franco Family Reunion)

Chris Redd 24 points
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Scrudge at the Christmas Party)
  • 5 points – sketch (Iowa City All-District Spelling Bee)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (A White Woman Named Gretchen)
  • 5 points – sketch (Cross Examining the Witness)

Mikey Day, 19 points
  • 5 points – sketch (Beta Corp)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Scrudge at the Christmas Party)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (A White Woman Named Gretchen)

Alex Moffat, 19 points
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Scrudge at the Christmas Party)
  • 5 points – sketch (Iowa City All-District Spelling Bee)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (A White Woman Named Gretchen)

Melissa Villaseñor, 10 points
  • 5 points – sketch (Beta Corp)
  • 5 points – sketch (Iowa City All-District Spelling Bee)                                            

Luke Null, 5 points
  • 5 points – sketch (Iowa City All-District Spelling Bee)

HOST
James Franco, 77 points
  • 5 points – alongside former host (Seth Rogen)
  • 5 points – alongside former host (Jonah Hill)
  • 5 points – alongside former host (Steve Martin)
  • 5 points – sketch (Beta Corp)
  • 5 points – sketch (Bloomingdales Gift Wrapping Department)
  • 5 points – gushes blood
  • 2 points – spit take
  • 10 points – pre-taped sketch (Scrudge at the Christmas Party)
  • 5 points – sketch (Iowa City All-District Spelling Bee)
  • minus 2 points – breaking
  • 2 points – swearing (“bitch boy”)
  • 10 points – pre-taped sketch (A White Woman Named Gretchen)
  • 5 points – sketch (Cross Examining the Witness)
  • minus 2 points - breaking
  • 10 points – pre-taped sketch (Christmas Charity)
  • 5 points – sketch (Franco Family Reunion)
  • 2 points – embraces guest first

“Jenny”, 20 points
  • 10 points – cold open
  • 10 points – “LIVE FROM NEW YORK…!”

Seth Rogen, 20 points
  • 10 points – monologue
  • 5 points – alongside former host (Jonah Hill)
  • 5 points – alongside former host (Steve Martin)

Jonah Hill, 20 points
  • 10 points – monologue
  • 5 points – alongside former host (Seth Rogen)
  • 5 points – alongside former host (Steve Martin)

Steve Martin, 20 points
  • 10 points – monologue
  • 5 points – alongside former host (Seth Rogen)
  • 5 points – alongside former host (Jonah Hill)

Dave Franco, 5 points
  • 5 points – sketch (Franco Family Reunion)


The Party Andersons – Rob M.
Beck Bennett - 25
Aidy Bryant - 12
Kenan Thompson – 25
James Franco - 77
MUSICAL GUEST - SZA - SONGS: 1) Love Galore & 2) The Weekend
2 points – song
2 points – song
EPISODE EIGHT TOTAL 143

War Horse Can Dance – Megan M.
Cecily Strong - 24
Alex Moffat - 19
Leslie Jones - 22
MUSICAL GUEST - SZA - SONGS: 1) The Weekend & 2) Love Galore
5 points – first song
10 points – second song
EPISODE EIGHT TOTAL 80

The Team You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party – Brian E.
Cecily Strong - 24
Mikey Day - 19
Alex Moffat - 19
MUSICAL GUEST - SZA - SONGS: 1) Love Galore & 2) The Weekend
2 points – song
2 points – song
EPISODE EIGHT TOTAL 66
The Ignorant Sluts – Matthew S.
Kate McKinnon - 29
Alec Baldwin – 0
Steve Martin - 20
MUSICAL GUEST - SZA - SONGS: 1) The Weekend & 2) Love Galore
5 points – first song
10 points – second song
EPISODE EIGHT TOTAL 64

Billion Dollar Murrays – Russel H.
Kate McKinnon – 29
Mikey Day - 19
MUSICAL GUEST - SZA - SONGS: 1) The Weekend & 2) Love Galore
5 points – first song
10 points – second song
EPISODE EIGHT TOTAL 62

The Not Ready For First Place Players – Kevin M.
Kenan Thompson - 25
Aidy Bryant - 12
Kyle Mooney - 7
MUSICAL GUEST - SZA - SONGS: 1) The Weekend & 2) Love Galore
5 points – first song
10 points – second song
EPISODE EIGHT TOTAL 59

Holtzwomenn – Sarah R.
Beck Bennett - 25
Alec Baldwin – 0
Kyle Mooney - 7
MUSICAL GUEST - SZA - SONGS: 1) Drew Barrymore & 2) The Weekend
2 points – song
EPISODE EIGHT TOTAL 34

HARTMAN TROPHY STANDINGS (as of 43x08)
# TEAM NAME ∧∨-- HIGH[EP] HOST SONG TOTAL
1 The Party Andersons -- 149 [07] 140 38 937
2 War Horse Can Dance -- 129 [04] 0 55 785
3 The Team You Wish You Hadn’t
Started A Conversation With At A Party		 -- 132 [07] 15 23 756
4 Not Ready For First Place Players -- 117 [06] 0 44 681
5 The Ignorant Sluts -- 120 [02] 130 75 679
6 Billion Dollar Murrays -- 139 [07] 0 67 670
7 Holtzwomenn -- 135 [04] 30 32 598

This was a strange but actually kinda wonderful episode that took a lot of big swings, and connected with most of them. Whether it was a tortured Spelling Bee host, A Christmas Carol for New York assholes, or a MadTV-style wrapping presents sketch, this show did a lot of fun new things. Franco, James that is, works as a great host and also brings with him an interesting amount of unpredictability. Bringing a cadre of kids onto late night live TV for the cold open was another bold choice that I have to say worked for me. Of course, two out of eight kids either froze up or skipped ahead on the script but that’s why you have McKinnon and Thompson up there to help them through. Michael Che and Colin Jost being named co-Head Writers of SNL this week is surprising news to say the least, but Che has more and more potential as a regular cast member, especially after the A White Woman Named Gretchen pre-taped.

Oh and of course, SZA was excellent.

The next episode, the Holiday Spectacular(?), will be hosted by Kevin Hart with musical guests Foo Fighters! Both are certainly populist choices but I have always enjoyed the Foo Fighters, so it’ll be a pleasure to see them late Saturday night! Congrats once again to The Party Andersons for correctly predicting that Kevin Hart hosting stint! We’ll see you again some time after Saturday (a little sooner then this one, I would think, we fell behind in schedule because of all of the Trivial Awards fun!) for the last POINTS BREAKDOWN of 2017!

VERSUS will be updated for episodes eight and nine with the NEXT points breakdown!

LAST EPISODE:  SAOIRSE RONAN

NEXT EPISODE:  KEVIN HART


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