[8] Cecily Strong was absent from the first three episodes of 2022 due to her appearance in the Off-Broadway revival of the one-woman play The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.
King retired after the ninth episode, hosted by Paul Rudd, and was succeeded by Liz Patrick, a longtime director of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Two months later, on November 6, former featured player from season 5 Peter Aykroyd died at the age of 65 from sepsis caused by an untreated abdominal hernia.
In January 2022, Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe wrote that he was "surprised with the mediocrity" of the season, suggesting that individual cast members did not have opportunities to stand out; he cited the high number of players compared to past seasons, the periodic absence of some cast members due to other commitments, and regular use of guest stars and cameo appearances in sketches as possible reasons.
[69] Conversely, Michael Boyle of Slate praised the season's filmed sketches featuring the Please Don't Destroy troupe, writing, "The basic character dynamics should be familiar to anyone who's watched SNL before, but they're done with an efficiency that puts the rest of the show to shame.
"[70] New cast member James Austin Johnson and his impression of former U.S. President Donald Trump, which debuted on the show this season, received a positive reception from critics.
[73] Another new cast member, Sarah Sherman, received positive reviews from the entertainment press for adapting her unusual and surreal comedy style to the show.
Luka Katic of Collider wrote, "Sherman certainly isn't the first unconventional comedian to be featured on SNL (i.e. Tim Robinson, Kyle Mooney, etc.).
Where actors like Robinson often felt they had to tone down their material for SNL, Sherman finds inventive alternative ways to channel her deranged sensibilities into the show.