“Saturday Night Live” returns for its 43rd season tonight, and expectations are huuuuuge.
SNL will broadcast live across the country starting at 11:30 pm ET / 8:30 pm PT, something it tried a few times last year. The show won multiple Emmys earlier this month, and is fresh off one of its best-performing seasons in decades, thanks in large part to a never-ending stream of ridiculous material coming out of President Donald Trump’s White House.
Now the question becomes: Will SNL get another Trump bump in the ratings this fall?
There’s no way the new season won’t focus on Trump — it’s just a matter of how much, and whether or not people still want to see parody-Trump in action. (Methinks they do.)
Alec Baldwin, who won an Emmy for his portrayal of Donald Trump last season, has said he’ll be back, though with less regularity. Sadly for viewers, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned, which means no more Melissa McCarthy abusing the White House press pool with verbal (and sometimes physical) assaults. (McCarthy also won an Emmy.)
Trump was a major promoter of the show last season, even if it was unintentional. He was constantly complaining on Twitter about Baldwin’s impersonation of him, and many of the clips went viral online after the show had aired. It seems likely that Trump will be paying close attention again this season.
SNL will debut tonight with host Ryan Gosling and musical guest Jay-Z. Here are a few clips from last season to get you warmed up:
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.