For those wondering how SNL‘s new cast members factored into tonight’s season premiere, the answer is: not much.

The two new featured players, Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter, were introduced together, as part of an early sketch on the search for reality competition The Debut: Dream Academy‘s next breakout girl group.

Belo-Osagie played Neelsa Boyce, a 17-year-old entrant who sought to become a pop star after playing Young Nala in The Lion King on Broadway when she was a kid.

Reiter got more screen time as Margle, who “only wear [s] flip flops because I keep passing out when I try to tie my shoes.”

After she’s first introduced onscreen, Margle shows up fully nude to a dance choreography session. We later learn that she and another eccentric contestant on the series named Duff (Jane Wickline) were only invited to participate after witnessing an executive behind the show, played by Ashley Padilla, committing a hit and run.

Margle is surprised to learn what Dream Academy is actually about, as a show: She says she thought it was a “show where you learned to control dreams.”

Subsequently, she pitches “Moose Knuckle” as a band name and the line “Newton’s Cradle, come and get it” during a songwriting exercise.

The sketch culminates with a performance by the final girl group, featuring Margle, who performs the hot new single “Newton’s Cradle” alongside The Debut Season 1’s KATSEYE (who happened to be the SNL season premiere’s musical guest).

Reiter made one other appearance tonight in the night’s final sketch, which opens on host Jalen Brunson (of the recent NBA Finals-winning New York Knicks) in the locker room. He won’t be meeting with reporters after tonight’s game, he says — though he’s visited regardless by a grey-haired Kenan Thompson, who reveals himself to be the NBA star’s third-grade coach — you know, the one who had a “really bad drinking problem”?

Coach Dennis has come around seeking a “small loan” and in hopes of getting Brunson to read his porno screenplay. Thompson introduces Reiter as Tonya, an immigrant who came to the U.S. eight years ago with a dream, who he hopes to rope into his porn. Kam Patterson also features in the sketch, which culminates in his, Reiter and Thompson’s characters stealing jerseys from the empty locker room and running away.

That was all the night had in the cards for Belo-Osagie and Reiter. Often, SNL will use its Weekend Update segment to help break in its new talent, though special segments of tonight’s presentation were instead devoted to special panelists Dario Amodei (played by Wickline) and Tucker Carlson (played by Jeremy Culhane).

Before returning for the new season, SNL said goodbye to Chloe Fineman and writer-performer Martin Herlihy, who was first introduced on the show as part of the trio Please Don’t Destroy. Other returning cast includes Kenan Thompson, Michael Che, Colin Jost, Mikey Day, Sarah Sherman, Marcello Hernández, James Austin Johnson, Andrew Dismukes, Ben Marshall, Tommy Brennan, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska.

Jalen Brunson, point guard for the 2026 NBA Finals-winning New York Knicks, hosted the kickoff episode for Season 52. Upcoming episodes will pair Dakota Johnson & Turnstile (October 3), Shane Gillis & Rosalía (October 10) and Inde Navarette & Gracie Abrams (October 31).

Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update was back and focused on the movie business.

Jeremy Culhane returned as Tucker Carlson and he was giving his thoughts on the summer’s slate of blockbusters.

“It’s movie time, let’s find our seats, silence our cell phones and abandon Christian values,” he opened. “Of course, I’m talking about Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie. Let me get this right: Jesus didn’t live at the same time as the dinosaurs but Paw Patrol did? What are we doing? What’s going on?”

Other kids movies in the spotlight were Toy Story 5 and Minions and Monsters.

“It was also a big summer for Minions and Monsters and no I’m not talking about the children’s film, I’m talking about the Trump cabinet. That’s right, I’ve turned on Trump, I’m so brave,” he said.

On the fifth installment of Disney’s Tom Hanks-narrated film, he added, “Let me understand this, you’ve got a friend in me and his name is Woody?”

It wasn’t just the kids slate that took a hit. Culhane’s Carlson also had some words for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Obsession.

“The Hollywood cabal shoots its filth with millimeters, or what I like to call it, the gay edge. I like The Odyssey, it’s so nice to see Greek people do something other than make women feel uncomfortable,” he said.

On Tom Holland’s superhero flick, he said, “Everybody Loves Spider-Man: Brand New Gender. Spider-they, Spider-them, uses whatever bathroom it feels like.”

On Curry Barker’s horror movie, he added, “Obsession, the left’s idea of a horror movie is that a woman is forced to love a man. Oh no, help, I’m being chased by a heterosexual relationship.”

All of this came after Weekend Update anchor Michael Che took aim at David Ellison’s Paramount+ and Taylor Sheridan.

“The White House responded to major news networks canceling coverage of President Trump by launching a live stream called Trump TV. But if that’s Trump TV, what the hell is Paramount+?,” joked Che.

The shows on screen? Sheridan’s Yellowstone, prequel 1883, spinoff Dutton Ranch and Sylvester Stallone-led Tulsa King.

It wasn’t a great start to the season for Saturday Night Live in many parts of the country after linear viewers suffered a delay thanks to college football running late.

The Oregon-USC game finished just over 15 minutes late, meaning that many affiliates started after the Jalen Bruson-hosted opener with a 16 minute delay.

USC hosted its Big Ten rival at the LA Memorial Coliseum and the Ducks won 41-27 but the delay was not helped by the fact that the latter’s star quarterback Dante Moore was carted off the field and taken to hospital by ambulance after a late hit.

Many stations including in LA, Chicago, Houston, Baltimore, Dallas and Charlotte were on the delay, while stations in New York, Boston, Washington, DC and Miami, all of which are owned and operated stations, aired it live.

The episode was, however, live on Peacock.

The show kicked off with Ramy Youssef reprising his role as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, getting a visit from James Austin Johnson’s President Donald Trump.

Brunson then performed the monologue and was helped by a number of his teammates Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart.

New cast members Saidah Belo-Osagie & Grace Reiter were making their debut and already starred in an early sketch.

The cast now includes Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Ashley Padilla, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson and Jane Wickline with Belo-Osagie, Reiter, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska as featured players.

Katseye was the musical guest.