It’s been some time since Saturday Night time Stay has had a second fairly just like the second it’s having with Marcello Hernández’s Domingo — which is to say, it’s been some time since a brand new unique character has turn into so standard that he’s escaped the confines of Studio 8H into the true world. But that’s what simply occurred final weekend, the place the return of Domingo within the Charli XCX-hosted episode of Saturday Night time Stay was adopted up by Hernández showing as Domingo at Sabrina Carpenter’s live performance tour cease in Los Angeles.
In viral movies shared from Sunday’s live performance, the viewers might be heard dropping its collective thoughts over Domingo’s look, particularly as he riffs on lyrics from Carpenter’s “Mattress Chem” by referring to himself because the man with “the blue jacket and thick accent.” (We already knew Domingo knew the lyrics to Carpenter’s “Espresso.”)
It’s not stunning that Carpenter followers could be acquainted with the character, although. The primary Domingo sketch, that includes a intentionally horrible riff on the pop star’s “Espresso,” is at present the most-viewed video on SNL’s TikTok account with over 100 million views, eclipsing the second hottest video — a behind-the-scenes second that includes Maya Rudolph and Vice-President Kamala Harris — by 55 million views. (And there are two different Domingo-related movies within the prime 10.)
There’s a reasonably clear motive for why Domingo has turn into so standard — due to the primary sketch’s connection to an already zeitgeist-y music, it was tailored to seize the eye of the TikTok algorithm. But whereas the explanation for his viral unfold could be very particular to 2024, the arrival of a brand new fan-favorite SNL character is a proud custom going again many years.
Breakout recurring characters have at all times been a foundational a part of the sketch comedy sequence from the start: Within the Seventies, the Coneheads and the Nerds confirmed up on the common; within the Eighties, there was Mr. Robinson and Gumby and even a couple of different characters not performed by Eddie Murphy; within the Nineties, Wayne, Garth, Pat, and Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer had been finally succeeded by the Girls’ Man, the Cheerleaders, and Mango.
Throughout these many years, SNL was typically critiqued for relying an excessive amount of on recurring characters over contemporary comedian premises, however that’s not a grievance you hear an excessive amount of nowadays. Maybe that’s as a result of like most long-running establishments, SNL adjustments primarily based on its writing workers and forged, to not point out rising tendencies. And loud splashy characters like Domingo haven’t been a giant a part of the present’s comedic vibe for some time, because it as a substitute leans more durable on recreation present parodies and absurdist pre-taped sketches spotlighting the forged as themselves.
These subgenres have been fruitful, from the fun of “Black Jeopardy” to the behind-the-scenes antics of Please Don’t Destroy, however aren’t essentially constructed for breaking by means of on a mainstream stage. Domingo represents the primary unique character to actually go viral because the days of Stefon, the Goal Girl, Miss Rafferty the alien abductee, and even David S. Pumpkins.
It looks like we’re on the cusp of a change — although perhaps not the plain one. The Domingo sketches are notable for instantly touchdown on a format with a whole lot of clear construction: Kelsey (Chloe Fineman) and her hapless husband Matt (Andrew Dismukes) watching as “the Kels Squad” (Sarah Sherman, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, and the visitor host) performs a well-liked new pop hit with “unique” lyrics, which in the end reveal that Kelsey has gotten very shut with the mysterious Domingo.
The truth that SNL introduced again Domingo for a second sketch after solely a month doesn’t simply communicate to his recognition, however the distinctive alternative offered by Charli XCX internet hosting. A key a part of the bit appears to be the open slot for the fourth squad member, as up to now the dignity has gone to hosts who’re additionally pop stars — which implies that if the present proclaims that Olivia Rodrigo or Carpenter herself will likely be internet hosting within the not-too-distant future, it looks like even cash that Domingo will return. (Possibly the primary birthday celebration of Kelsey and Matt’s little one? There’s already a time soar spanning months from “Bridesmaid Speech” to “Babymoon.”)
Even when SNL doesn’t discover a method to convey Domingo again earlier than the top of 2024, although, his on-line success marks a brand new enviornment for the present to discover — pop music-driven comedy meant to straight enchantment to TikTok. As an establishment, the present has at all times aimed to be in communication what its followers reply to; it’s why creator Lorne Michaels pushed for stay studio audiences even in the course of the top of the pandemic. Proper now, the viewers likes Domingo, so Domingo is right here to remain… At the least till he wears out his welcome. And that might be some time.
