It's an unusual time for late-night humour. Rarely has the news cycle been so ripe for comedic commentary and the landscape so saturated with options for viewers.
Saturday Night Live has done well in that arena, airing a midseason finale on Saturday that concluded months of high ratings and critical praise.
SNL's ability to skewer Donald Trump, book hotly anticipated hosts and attract weeks of hate-tweets from the president-elect himself have all boosted the show's relevance. The sketch show successfully took advantage of a bizarre political climate that has brought its own record-shattering television ratings and, at times, has felt more like a reality show than the conclusion of a campaign season.
Preliminary ratings show SNL is on track to surpass last year's numbers. That makes sense given that political humour has long served as the show's staple material, and its most defining moments -- Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, Will Ferrell as George W. Bush -- have often come during election years.
But this season also contrasts with last year, when Saturday Night Live ended up in a maelstrom of controversy for having then-candidate Trump on as host. That 2015 episode brought in record ratings and plenty of blowback, including concerns over whether SNL would break FCC rules on giving political candidates equal time on air.