‘SNL’ recap: Best moments from Michael Keaton hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’

"SNL" returned for the fourth episode of its 50th season on Oct. 19 with host Michael Keaton and musical guest Billie Eilish.

“SNL” returned to the air for the fourth episode of its 50th season on Oct. 19 with Michael Keaton as host, Billie Eilish as musical guest, and a surprise appearance from Alec Baldwin in the show’s political cold open.

Keaton, fresh off the success of Tim Burton’s long-awaited sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was joined by a number of Betelgeuse impersonators, played by Mikey Day and Andy Samberg.

Samberg said he “wasn’t able” to squeeze an appearance as Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff into the show, but was happy to perform his Keaton-as-Betelgeuse impersonation, one he tried (and failed) to get on “SNL” during his run as a cast member.

Throughout Season 50, Samberg (as Emhoff), Maya Rudolph (as Kamala Harris), Dana Carvey (playing Joe Biden) and Jim Gaffigan (playing Tim Walz) have featured in the political cold open. This time, however, Rudolph was paired with Fox News host Bret Baier, played by Alec Baldwin.

Baldwin has hosted “SNL” a record 17 times, and frequently appeared as Donald Trump throughout the 2010s. However, his appearances have been very infrequent since the 2020 election.

This was only Baldwin’s second cameo appearance on “Saturday Night Live” since he discharged a gun on the set of the film “Rust,” which resulted in the death of choreographer Halyna Hutchins. (A judge dismissed Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial in July.)

Check out the videos below to see highlights from the return of “SNL,” including another sequel to the show’s popular TikTok sketch series, Billie Eilish performing “Wildflower” live, and all of the guests visiting Colin Jost and Michael Che at the “Weekend Update” desk.

“Saturday Night Live” Cold Open

Michael Keaton Monologue

“SNL Weekend Update” clips

Billie Eilish musical performances

Some of the best sketches

Kevin Slane is a staff writer for Boston.com covering entertainment and culture. His work focuses on movie reviews, streaming guides, celebrities, and things to do in Boston.