‘SNL’ Launches ‘The Rundown’ Series; Colin Jost presents first episode
“Saturday Night Live” has launched a new short-form series on Peacock and YouTube titled “The Rundown.”
In each episode, an “SNL” alumnus – Dana Carvey, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Bowen Yang and Questlove as early guests – will select a favorite segment from the show’s history and add it to Lorne Michaels’ famous “Rundown” board, creating an all-star episode over time. In the first episode, Colin Jost explains the time-consuming complexities of writing a cold open, and puts a favorite on the board: Amy Poehler and Tina Fey’s “Katie Couric interviews Sarah Palin.”
“It’s nostalgic for me because it started early for me as a writer,” Jost said of the sketch. “It was just a great combination from Seth [Meyers] and Tina and Amy together. You have to see them play against each other, and I think they are two of the best to ever do it.
He said the Cold Open “is one of the best in the entire history of the show.”
Jost joined “SNL” as a writer in 2005 and estimated he has probably written 100 cold opens. (Lately he’s been in many of them, too, as the beer-swilling Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.)
“I can’t believe I got to write so many,” Jost said. “Many I’ve blocked, but some I’m actually proud of – shocking. I’m not going to watch them again! That would ruin it.”
Jost also discussed Brett Kavanaugh’s 2018 hearing sketch, which starred Matt Damon as a Supreme Court justice. Jost said the Cold Open came together in less than 24 hours: They wrote it Friday night and convinced Damon to fly overnight from San Francisco to New York and broadcast it live Saturday night.
Episodes of “The Rundown” air on Wednesdays during “SNL” break weeks through mid-June. Watch the first episode below.
