New 'SNL' Castmembers Bowen Yang & Chloe Fineman Make Impressive Debut in Season Premiere

Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman on SNL
NBC

Here are some of the newcomers' biggest and best highlights from the season 45 premiere.

Saturday Night Live might have some new superstars in their midst.

The acclaimed sketch series added some new blood to the cast this season with comedians Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman, and the pair both enjoyed some memorable (albeit somewhat brief) screen time during the season 45 premiere over the weekend.

From Yang's appearance in the Cold Open to both comics getting to bust out some political impressions, as well as both making cameos in the Downton Abbey commercial parody, the newcomers actually showed up more than a few of the main stars.

Here's a look at some of Yang and Fineman's debut highlights from this week's SNL premiere.

"Impeachment Cold Open"

It's a big deal when a new castmember gets a chance to be in a Cold Open, and it's even more impressive when that Cold Open is also his debut on-screen appearance. However, for a politically driven sketch about Donald Trump's impeachment woes, Yang busted out his best Kim Jong-un impression, and got the chance to deliver one of the funniest lines of the sketch.

"I need some advice," Alec Baldwin's Trump asked Yang's Kim Jong-un. "How do you handle a whistleblower?"

"Oh, that's easy. You have big ocean in your country?" the North Korean dictator replied. "Okay, send whistleblower to the bottom of there."

"DNC Town Hall"

In yet another SNL sketch surrounding Trump's impeachment, the show took some swipes at the wide-open field of democratic candidates with a sketch lampooning the recent debates that have pitted the dems against one another. While the sketch primarily focused on guest stars Maya Rudolph's Kamala Harris and Larry David's Bernie Sanders -- as well as host Woody Harrelson's Joe Biden, both Yang and Fineman got to show off their impersonation chops.

Yang portrayed candidate Andrew Yang, while Fineman delivered a magnificent and hilariously bizarre impression of Marianne Williamson.

"If you think my candidacy is going well, I'm literally giving free money to people and I'm still in sixth place," Yang's Yang joked in the sketch.

"Here's how I will impeach Donald Trump: I will trap his soul inside this crystal," Fineman's Williamson said, astral-projecting into the town hall debate from another plane of existence. "So, this election, vote for magic. Good morning!"

"Downton Abbey Trailer"

SNL's parody of the new big-screen Downton Abbey had some pitch-perfect impressions from the cast all around -- particularly from Cecily Strong playing Lady Mary and Beck Bennett as Mr. Carson. However, both Fineman and Yang got a chance to show their value as utility players with minor roles that made them feel like natural fits for the ensemble sketch series.

Finally, one of the most heartwarming moments came during the goodnights, when longtime castmember Aidy Bryant excitedly celebrated the newcomers' inclusion and had the audience cheer for the two young comics.

It seems that two new stars were more than enough for the new season, which started off mired in controversy over the firing of comic Shane Gillis just days after he was announced as a new hire. 

The decision came due to racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments the comic made during a number of podcasts over the past two years that resurfaced after news broke that he'd been added to the cast.

Saturday Night Live airs live, coast-to-coast, Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. PT on NBC. 

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