Skip to main content

Tracy Morgan triumphs with Brian Fellows, cameos galore in SNL return

saturday night live tracy morgan brian fellows snl
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Tracy Morgan’s much-anticipated return to comedy kicked off this Saturday night as he appeared as host of Saturday Night Live, the show that launched his career nearly two decades ago. And by all accounts, it was a total success.

While Morgan did a stellar job on his own, participating in a number of sketches and delivering a funny yet heartfelt opening monologue, he had plenty of friends behind him to ensure a successful show. Namely, that included the cast of his previous show, 30 Rock, including former SNL head writer Tina Fey and SNL fan-favorite host Alex Baldwin, as well as Jack McBrayer and Jane Krakowski. It was essentially a 30 Rock reunion episode.

Tracy Morgan Monologue - SNL

Even Larry David, who worked as a writer on the show years ago, showed up in the opening skit to perfectly channel presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in a mockery of the democratic debate.

Recommended Videos

Related: Out of traction and back in action: Tracy Morgan to return to comedy with FXX series

Morgan expectedly addressed the car accident last summer that left him with serious industries, and his friend and fellow comedian James McNair dead. While acknowledging the mounds of support he received from the public and friends, including his “Obi Wan Kenobi,” SNL creator Lorne Michaels, Morgan also took the opportunity to crack a few jokes. Referring to the brain trauma he suffered as a result of the accident, Morgan suggested that his mental capacity wasn’t all there to begin with anyway, so maybe this actually helped raise his IQ by a few points. His signature hilarious delivery left the audience in stitches, despite the sensitive subject matter.

Morgan debuted new characters for the show, like a recently divorced father playing against his ex-wife and kids on Family Feud, and a thug in a bar with a penchant to tango. But the most-talked-about performances involved the comedian bringing back two of his former recurring characters: Brian Fellow, the enthusiastic, egotistical animal “expert,” and a timely revival of Astronaut Jones, a girl-crazy astronaut who lives on Mars.

Demi Lovato, the night’s musical guest, appeared as his potential love interest in the Martian sketch, Martiana. A throwback musical intro showing a young Morgan donning the costume reminded viewers how far the comedian has come – not just from his accident but also as an actor.

This return was truly triumphant, given that Morgan was barely able to speak, and was undergoing speech, cognitive, vocational, and physical therapies less than a year ago following the accident. And judging from the support he received from the audience, fellow cast members, and cameo appearances, it’s clear that everyone’s rooting for a full comeback for the comedian.

Christine Persaud
Christine has decades of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started her career writing exclusively about…
3 sci-fi movies on Peacock you need to watch in November 2024
A close-up of Marty McFly in Back to the Future looking at something outside.

Sci-fi is a genre that everyone loves, whether it’s hard sci-fi or lighter options that incorporate sci-fi themes. There are classic and new sci-fi movies available to stream on all the top streaming services, including Peacock.

For this month, there are three sci-fi movies on Peacock you need to watch in November. Chances are these are movies you watched when they were first released, dating back to the 1980s through 2010s. But these are films with great re-watch value as well, especially if you haven’t seen them in a while. One, in fact, is among the greatest sci-fi movies of all time.

Read more
The 10 most popular TV shows on Netflix right now
A man sits between two women at a dinner table.

Exploring the thousands of titles on Netflix can be both exciting and overwhelming. Content of all types abounds, from dramas and comedies to reality shows and documentaries. It's a good thing there's a list to help narrow your decision by letting you see the most popular Netflix shows. That's right, every week, Netflix releases its list of the 10 most-watched TV shows over a recent seven-day period.

Tyler Perry rules Netflix, as his new show, Beauty in Black, sits at No. 1. This Is the Zodiac Speaking moves to No. 2, followed by The Diplomat season 2 at No. 3. Below, we have listed the top 10 shows in the U.S. from October 28 to November 3, along with general information about each show, including genre, rating, cast, and synopsis.

Read more
Godzilla Minus One and Marvel? Director Takashi Yamazaki recalls meeting Kevin Feige
Godzilla swims behind a boat as he readies for attack.

Godzilla might not be joining the MCU, but Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki has met with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.

While speaking at the Tokyo International Film Festival, Yamazaki shared the positive reception he's received about Godzilla Minus One's release. One of the positive remarks came from "the president of Marvel," presumably Feige, who approached Yamazaki and said, "Wadatsumi!" Wadatsumi is the name of the operation to destroy Godzilla toward the end of the film.

Read more