Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced 2017–18

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced during the forty-third season of SNL, which began on September 30, 2017.

Marketing Campaign

A woman (Cecily Strong) and her significant other, played by the host, react angrily when they realize that their favorite restaurant is instead just the new campaign for a fast food restaurant.

Season	Episode	Host	Notes
43	September 30, 2017	Ryan Gosling	Terrezano's is revealed to be a set up for the new Pizza Hut campaign.
44	September 29, 2018	Adam Driver	Domenico's is revealed to be a set up for the new Burger King campaign.

Angel, Every Boxer's Girlfriend from Every Movie About Boxing Ever

Heidi Gardner plays Angel, a stereotypical girlfriend of a boxer, who appears on Weekend Update to give their "Good News Report". Angel will tell Michael Che that she is upset her boyfriend is "fighting again" and then expresses frustration with each piece of good news Michael asks her to comment on, such as a rise in holiday spending or the Royal Wedding. Angel's catchphrase is "I'm taking the kids to my sisters", said as an ultimatium if her boyfriend fights again or if something else angering her does not go her way.

Season	Episode	Host	Notes
43	November 4, 2017	Larry David
43	April 7, 2018	Chadwick Boseman
44	December 15, 2018	Matt Damon	Damon appears as Tommy, Angel's boyfriend.

Fresh Takes

A high school live news show hosted by three students and one teacher, played by the host. The teacher is disturbingly up-to-date on all the teenage gossip.

Season	Episode	Host	Notes
43	November 4, 2017	Larry David
44	February 16, 2019	Don Cheadle

Lazlo Holmes

Lazlo Holmes (Chance the Rapper), a basketball correspondent, is forced to cover games that he doesn't have knowledge about.

In addition to the SNL sketches, Chance the Rapper also plays Holmes in web-exclusive interviews of hockey players on the official NHL YouTube channel.

Season	Episode	Host	Notes
43	November 18, 2017	Chance the Rapper	Lazlo covers a hockey game.
45	October 26, 2019	Chance the Rapper	Lazlo covers a League of Legends tournament.

Sexual Harassment Charlie

At an office, a worker (played by the host) is being fired and insulted by their co-workers for allegedly inappropriate remarks, but Charlie (Kenan Thompson) is beloved by office workers, despite consistently saying extremely over-the-top comments.

Season	Episode	Host	Notes
43	December 9, 2017	James Franco
45	December 14, 2019	Scarlett Johansson

Cousin Mandy

An off-kilter woman, Mandy (Heidi Gardner), reunites with her famous cousins.

Season	Episode	Host	Notes
43	December 9, 2017	James Franco	Mandy attends a reunion with James and Dave Franco.
45	April 25, 2020	Brad Pitt	Mandy talks to her cousin Paul Rudd over FaceTime.

The Science Room

A science show host, played by the host, struggles to explain scientific concepts to two unintelligent kids Lonnie (Cecily Strong) and Josh (Mikey Day).

Season	Episode	Host	Notes
43	January 13, 2018	Sam Rockwell
45	January 25, 2020	Adam Driver

Bailey Gismert

Teenage film critic Bailey Gismert (Heidi Gardner) reviews movies on Weekend Update. She is extremely ditzy and overemotional, and she tends to harbor nonsensical crushes on inappropriate movie characters (such as Pikachu) under the impression that they are real people.

Season	Episode	Host	Notes
43	January 27, 2018	Will Ferrell	[1]
43	May 12, 2018	Amy Schumer	[2]
44	May 11, 2019	Emma Thompson	[3]
45	October 12, 2019	David Harbour	[4]
45	April 11, 2020	Tom Hanks	[5]
46	December 5, 2020	Jason Bateman	[6]

Big Nick's

A man, played by Pete Davidson, while accompanied by his friend (Chris Redd), asks business owner Big Nick (John Mulaney) to do something that is socially frowned upon. As a consequence, an ensemble, including both humans and anthropomorphic objects, join Big Nick in singing songs inspired by musicals.

Season	Episode	Host	Notes
43	April 14, 2018	John Mulaney	Davidson's character asks for lobster in Big Nick's diner. The ensemble, including Kenan Thompson and Kate McKinnon as singing lobsters, perform a version of Les Miserables. This sketch was originally written for Zack Galifianakis' episode in Season 35 [7]
44	March 2, 2019	John Mulaney	Davidson's character asks to use the bathroom in Big Nick's bodega. Mulaney plays the bodega's owner. The ensemble, including Kenan Thompson as a cat version of Willy Wonka, Melissa Villaseñor and Cecily Strong as cockroaches, Kate McKinnon as a Virgin Mary prayer candle, and Mikey Day, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney as Oompa Loompas, perform versions of songs from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Cats and Rent. Beck Bennett voices a toilet inspired by Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors.
45	February 29, 2020	John Mulaney	Davidson's character asks to buy sushi at Big Nick's store at LaGuardia Airport. The ensemble, including Kenan Thompson as a bird version of the Phantom of the Opera, Cecily Strong as a sushi chef, Alex Moffat as a mouse, Chloe Fineman as an air-hostess, Kate McKinnon as "Auntie Orphan Annie," Beck Bennett as a crying baby, Jake Gyllenhaal as "Guy Who Travels in Pajamas," Mikey Day as a gate agent, Bowen Yang as "Profiled Asian," and David Byrne as a baggage handler, perform versions of songs from Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Annie, Wicked, Little Shop of Horrors, and the Talking Heads' "Road to Nowhere".[8][9]
46	October 31, 2020	John Mulaney	Davidson's character asks to buy a pair of I ❤ NY underpants from Big Nick's Souvenirs shop during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 United States presidential election. The ensemble, including Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, Melissa Villaseñor, Lauren Holt, and Alex Moffat as Times Square costumed characters of a Minion, Batman, Minnie Mouse, Elsa, and Elmo, Kate McKinnon as Shrimp Louie, Beck Bennett as the "Diddler on the Roof," Maya Rudolph as the Statue of Liberty, Chloe Fineman as a "woman from Westchester", and Mikey Day as a homeless person, perform versions of songs from Guys and Dolls, A Chorus Line, A Little Night Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Follies, Sweet Charity, and Les Miserables.

Mattel Instagram Pitch

Three interns, played by Pete Davidson, Heidi Gardner, and the host, pitch Instagram captions to Mattel employees, played by Kenan Thompson and Cecily Strong, that escalate in bizarreness.

Season	Episode	Host	Notes
43	May 5, 2018	Donald Glover	The interns pitch Instagram captions for Barbie's account.[10]
44	January 19, 2019	Rachel Brosnahan	The interns pitch for Ken's account.[11]

References

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE0ZZ3-9ofY
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp6tjCOSo44
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHYQAakzbWQ
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRmdxu6w21g
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfkaLfEPTe0
6. "Weekend Update: Bailey Gismert on Old Movies - SNL - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj-D0jc17D0,
8. "Jake Gyllenhaal Sings in 'SNL' Musical Parody About LaGuardia Airport | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
9. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6d7Vk_qaiB8
10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blcKeLDDzSM
11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUD3P4MGmb0