Saturday Night Live already has one news program in its Weekend Update segment, but in its latest episode the show led off with a fictional news program set in Minnesota to cover an important ongoing trial that’s been national news. The sketch, called Minnesota Now, has four anchors debating the trial of Derek Chauvin, who is accused of killing George Floyd in an incident that sparked nationwide protest and a renewed call for civil rights justice in America.
Despite the sea change the Black Lives Matter protests have had in some areas in recent months, however, the premise of the sketch is that the Black members of the news program aren’t so sure Chauvin will see consequences for Floyd’s death.
“Let’s just say we’ve seen this movie before,” Ego Nwodim’s anchor says to a pair of white anchors played by Kate McKinnon and Alex Moffat. Kenan Thompson’s anchor character, sitting next to Nwodim, agrees. The back and forth is supportive, with everyone on set believing the evidence against Chauvin is convincing and the crime horrible. But the optimism from McKinnon and Moffat was not embraced by the Black anchors.
“She means well, she means well,” Thompson’s character said when McKinnon’s insisted things would be different this time.
Chris Redd’s weatherman character was brought in to break a tie, so to speak, but he wasn’t having it.
“Man, don’t put me in this mess,” he said. “I’m still in hot water for being in that Paul Pierce video.”
The “dialogue” did, indeed, get “heated,” but they got to other sad news that also drew some confusion: the death of Prince Phillip and DMX.
The sketch concluded with something they assumed everyone could agree on: the plight of Matt Gaetz and his growing sex scandal. But, unfortunately, there was at least one person willing to stick up for him there as well.