Saturday Night Live's ratings hit record lows with Bill Hader performing hosting duties
- Hader returned to host after leaving the show in 2013
- The episode was the lowest-rated of all time for the series, tying Charlize Theron's 2014 episode in the ratings
- Hader brought back beloved characters like Stefon and Herb Welch, making the episode a win in the minds of some critics
Saturday Night Live's ratings were on life-support this week, with the Bill Hader back in the hosting role after leaving the show in 2013.
In spite of Hader bringing back Weekend Update character Stefon for a victory lap, viewership was down, tying a previous record set by Charlize Theron who hosted back in May.
Deadline reports that the episode, which featured musical guests Hozier, averaged 3.8 for metered-market households and 1.8 for adults 18-49, down from 3.9 and 1.9 from last week when Sarah Silverman took on hosting duties.
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In the tank: Saturday Night Live's ratings continue to slip, but with Bill Hader as host they tied for a record low
The slump can't be blamed on Hader, as ratings for the late-night show have been slipping since last season, after the departures of Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudekis and Bill Hader left it unable to produce consistently funny episodes.
Hader was no worse for wear during his return to New York a hiatus of more than a year. In addition to Stefon, he dusted off his crotchety reporter character Herb Welch and nailed an Al Pacino impression.
The AV Club gave the episode an A-, and other outlets had praise for Hader taking on the duties of host.
Defamer breaks down the numbers, finding that other Saturday Night Live alums have fared much better.
Jimmy Fallon hosted the Christmas episode, hitting a 6.3 for households, while Tina Fey, hosting last season's premiere, scored a 4.7.
Still, the best comparison might be Andy Samberg, who similarly to Hader is just beginning to develop on his own outside of Saturday Night Live.
Reunited: Former castmate Kristen Wiig and Harvey Firestein joined Hader during the musical number he chose for his opening monologue spot
Slipping: Bobby Moynihan played a Kim Jong-un with a limp in an opening sketch that largely failed to deliver much comedy
Impressionist: Hader flexed the muscles on some old characters, including Stefon and Herb Welch, a crotchety field reporter from WXPD News New York
His 4.0 during last season's finale puts him not far out of reach.
Then again, all the worrying could be for nothing. Nielsen, the company that measures ratings, announced last Friday that it had been getting its numbers wrong since March.
The company blamed the errors on a software glitch, which it said mostly affected ABC shows by causing ratings to stay unusually high.
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