Katy Perry SNL Tease

This week on Saturday Night Live will feature pop sensation Katy Perry on hosting duties with musical guest Robyn. This is hardly Perry’s first time on SNL, having appeared as a musical guest and to briefly poke fun at her banned Sesame Street segment, but she’s never had the responsibility of being funny for the entire episode. If the promo embedded below is any indication, it’s going to be an uphill battle for her. It doesn’t help she’s married to funnyman Russell Brand, always there to say something at least mildly amusing. What does Perry have besides her looks and a killer voice?

The promo also features regular SNL player Kenan Thompson, and together with Perry the two butcher the short promo. They go through four versions of the same bit, giving us the gist of Perry hosting and then doing something a little different each time. We’ve seen this type of ad from SNL before (Fred Armisen and Emma Stone come to mind) and it’s been proven to be an effective and funny way to pump up the show, but this was a train wreck. I’m not sure who should be blamed for this. Is it the writers fault or Thompson and Perry’s for their deliveries?

There’s a good reason why I rarely watch SNL anymore these days. Aside from the occasional good sketch, the laughs just aren’t there. The quality has gone down in recent years and this promo is just a painful reminder. Still, there’s always the chance the actual episode could be decently good.