SNL: Molly Shannon Channels Mary Katherine Gallagher in New Promo

Saturday Night Live has released new promos for Molly Shannon’s upcoming episode as host. The longtime cast member will be returning to the stage for the first time in years and the new teaser for the episode hints at a returning character. As fans of the comedy series may recall, Shannon’s biggest recurring character on Saturday Night Live was Mary Katherine Gallagher. The hyper-active Catholic school girl character appeared five times in Shannon’s first season with the show, and the promo for her new episode hints that she might be bringing her back one more time. Check it out below

The former cast member of the series will return for the first time as a host in sixteen years, previously taking the duties in 2007. Shannon was a regular cast member from 1995 to 2001, debuting Mary Katherine Gallagher in just her fourth episode. Though the shy and awkward character, whose trademark joke of falling down only to stand back up and yell “Superstar!”, wasn’t exactly well received before making it to air she would continue to recur on the series. 

In Shannon’s first season alone Mary Katherine Gallagher appeared in five episodes, going on to appear in six episodes in the next season too. As fans may recall, she became one of the few Saturday Night Live characters to get her own spin-off feature film as well, 1999’s Superstar. The last time that Shannon appeared as a host on SNL she reprised the character again, making a return this week seem incredibly likely. 

This has become a major trend for SNL this season has been the hosts reprising a key role from their filmography for a sketch. Dave Chappelle reprised multiple characters from his hit , Steve Martin & Martin Short reprised their Father of the Bride characters, Aubrey Plaza appeared as her Parks and Recreation character April Ludgate, with Pedro Pascal starring in a The Last of Us parody about Super Mario. 

How to watch Saturday Night Live

Throughout the remainder of Season 48, currently expected to run through May, NBC is simulcasting new episodes live on both NBC and Peacock. Peacock also serves as the streaming vault for all SNL episodes from its inception, with new episodes being added the day after they air.

Virtually every SNL episode, other than the select few locked away for good because of a variety of reasons, is now available to watch on the streaming service.