Jalen Brunson takes a laid-back and belated victory lap on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live

The first episode of Saturday Night Live's Season 52 kicked off with Jalen Brunson, the point guard for the New York Knicks, taking the helm as the host. This decision to have a sports star host the show was met with mixed reactions, as it felt somewhat retro and uninspired. Brunson, however, managed to deliver a surprisingly laid-back and engaging performance, avoiding the typical nervousness and awkwardness that often accompanies such an assignment.

While his lack of enthusiasm and excitement may have dampened the overall impact of the episode, his performance was far from the worst of the lineup.

The musical guest for the evening was a girl group called Katseye. While the sketches featuring this group were not the highlight of the night, they did provide some moments of levity. The most successful sketch of the night was the pre-taped segment featuring a group of music industry professionals and newcomer Grace Reiter as members of the girl group. The inclusion of newcomer Saidah Belo-Osagie also added to the energy of the episode.

Other sketches included a serious look at Mikey Day's supervillain persona, a support group for men whose romantic partners were pulled on stage during a Chris Brown/Usher tour, and a segment where the next generation of High School Musical learns about basketball and singing from a non-white man. While these sketches showcased the talents of cast members like Jeremy Culhane and Jane Wickline, they ultimately fell short of the high expectations set by the strong performance by Brunson.

Overall, the episode served as a decent first impression for the season, but it did not quite live up to the potential it had.