Opening Montage

After three seasons, there is a new opening montage. The one introduced in the season 38 premiere features still photos of each cast member interspersed among a New York City background. The cast photos are edited to look like separate images merging to form one picture. The first time since the 1999-2000 season to solely have photos of the cast members. The new theme music being used tonight is in a noticeably slower tempo than it would soon go on to regularly be. Additionally, longtime cast members Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg, as well as Abby Elliott are gone from the previous intro, as they all left the show before the start of the season. Vanessa Bayer, Taran Killam, and Jay Pharoah were promoted to Repertory Status, and this is the first credits for Aidy Bryant, Tim Robinson, and Cecily Strong as cast members, who replace the departing trio. The photo of the host features it over a crowded street, while the photo of the musical guest is over the Brooklyn Bridge. This episode's montage ended with a shot of the camera panning up an exterior shot of 30 Rock.

More like this