The Margin: WATCH: Top 5 moments from ‘SNL’s’ most-watched season premiere in 4 years

“SNL” boasted a marquee lineup for its 30 Rock return, including comedian Chris Rock as the host, rapper Megan Thee Stallion as the musical guest — and, of course, Jim Carrey making his debut as former Vice President Joe Biden alongside guest stars Alec Baldwin and Maya Rudolph reprising their roles as President Donald Trump and Biden’s running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, respectively. The broadcast drew 7.765 million viewers overall, according to early Nielsen Media Research numbers — making it the Comcast-owned CMCSA, +0.11%  NBC show’s most-watched debut since 2016, when Margot Robbie hosted and The Weeknd performed.

Also of note: the live audience, which largely consisted of first responders, was paid to show up, the New York Times reported. That’s because New York’s pandemic reopening guidelines still ban the public from going to live TV shows — unless the show pays its crowd like cast members.

Here are four of the most buzzed-about moments from “Saturday Night Live’s” Season 46 premiere over the weekend.

Jim Carrey’s Joe Biden squares off against Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump for the first time

“SNL’s” cold open took on last Tuesday’s presidential debate, with the announcer noting, “Tuesday feels like 100 days ago.”

Carrey waltzed out with a big grin and Biden’s signature aviator sunglasses, and made a show of measuring whether his and Trump’s podiums were a socially-distanced six feet apart. Baldwin’s Trump interrupted Carrey’s Biden repeatedly, leading Carrey to take out a remote control at one point and hit a mute button to stop Baldwin from interrupting again. “I believe in science and karma,” Carrey’s Biden said. “Now, just imagine if science and karma could somehow team up to send us all a message about how dangerous this virus can be…” he continued, alluding to Trump’s later COVID-19 diagnosis.

Rudolph’s Harris also came out during the middle of the debate to tell the “boys” to try to get the debate back on the rails, and referred to herself as the “HVPIC” (aka Hot Vice President in Charge.)

Watch it here:

Chris Rock skewers the U.S. government during his opening monologue

The comedy star and former “SNL” cast member opened by referencing Trump’s COVID hospitalization (“My heart goes out to COVID,” he said) and noting that he’s been tested for the virus so much this week, “I haven’t had so much stuff up my noise since I shared a dressing room with Chris Farley.”

But he got more serious addressing Americans’ relationship to their government. “Does it work?” he asked, suggesting that it should be scrapped in favor of a new system.

“We’ve agreed in the United States that we should not have kings, yet we have dukes and duchesses running the Senate and the Congress, making decisions for poor people,” he said. “Rich people making decisions for poor people – that’s like your handsome friend giving you dating advice.”

Watch it here:

The audience was made up of first responders

The show treated the men and women who’ve been working on the front lines during the pandemic to the best seats in the house. “SNL” is the first live network TV show to bring back an in-studio audience during the pandemic. Everyone was tested for the virus beforehand, and they wore masks while sitting in the audience. Crew members wore masks, and the band was socially distanced, as well.

Rock gave the first responders a special shout out, and joked that, “They’re so good, we let people die tonight so they could see a good show.”

Many viewers, including tennis legend Billie Jean King, praised the move on social media.

And as an added bonus, the audience was paid to attend, as part of a loophole around New York’s reopening rules, which still ban the public from going to live TV shows. Sean Ludwig, who attended the “S.N.L.” premiere, told the New York Times that he and seven friends who had gone with him each received a check for $150 from Universal Television, a division of NBC’s parent company, after the show. “We had no idea we would be paid before we were handed checks,” Ludwig said. “We were all very pleasantly surprised.”

Megan Thee Stallion makes a Black Lives Matter statement during her performance

The “Savage” and “Don’t Stop” rapper paused her first ever “SNL” set to play audio from equal rights activists such as Malcolm X while screens behind her flashed messages like “Protect Black Women,” or shattered with images of bullet holes.

“We need to protect our Black women, and love our Black women … because at the end of the day we need our Black women,” she said, before also stating that Black men need to be protected and have people stand up for them.

“Because at the end of the day, we’re tired of seeing hashtags of our Black men,” she added, referencing the deaths this year of Ahmaud Arbury and George Floyd, as well as Breonna Taylor, which have spurred protests for equality and against police brutality across the country.

Watch it here:

‘Weekend Update’ pays tribute to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The segment recapping the news of the week ended with the camera cutting to the audience, where actress and comedian Kate McKinnon sat dressed as the late Supreme Court Justice, complete with RBG’s signature lace collar. The actress then put her hand over her heart and bowed her head, and a message reading “Rest in Power” was shown on the screen.

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