Episode Details

Nick takes a look back at one of Kate McKinnon’s funniest and most memorable Saturday Night Live characters, Olya Povlatsky. As the Russian correspondent on Weekend Update, Olya reports from a bleak, remote village where life is so miserable that everyone, including her, seems to be constantly hoping for the end. Her segments cover everything from the Russian economy and the war with Ukraine to the 2014 Sochi Olympics and computer hacking.

Along the way, Nick shares behind-the-scenes stories about how the character came together and why it worked so well. He also revisits the rare moment Olya appeared outside of Weekend Update, showing up in a Cold Open alongside Beck Bennett as a shirtless Vladimir Putin. It’s a deep dive into a standout character created by one of SNL’s best. [Ep 171]