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Ryan Gosling and Kate McKinnon reunited for a new installment of Saturday Night Live’s “Close Encounter” alien-abduction sketch on April 13, 2024. Gosling returned as Todd, McKinnon reprised the beleaguered Colleen Rafferty, and Sarah Sherman joined them as a third abductee in the episode’s cold open.
What happens in the 2024 sketch
The recurring sketch is framed as an interview in which people describe their encounters with aliens. Todd and the other abductees recount experiences that sound wondrous or almost transcendent. Colleen’s account is the jarring counterpoint: her abduction was crude, uncomfortable and far from an uplifting encounter.
The humor comes from that contrast, as well as Colleen’s blunt delivery and the performers’ physical reactions. Gosling reprises Todd, including a joke about wearing the same outfit as in the previous installment. The physical comedy between Todd and Colleen also makes it difficult for Gosling to keep a straight face.
Bowen Yang and Mikey Day play the investigators conducting the interview. Sherman takes the third abductee role; earlier versions featured Cecily Strong in that position.
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How this revival fits the sketch’s history
| Date | Installment | Context |
|---|---|---|
| December 5, 2015 | Original “Close Encounter” | Gosling, Strong and McKinnon played abductees. Writers Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell later told TIME that Gosling often broke during rehearsal after Colleen described being tossed onto the roof of a Long John Silver’s. |
| September 30, 2017 | “Another Close Encounter” | The premise returned during Gosling’s next hosting stint, with NSA agents interviewing Gosling, Strong and McKinnon, as TIME reported. |
| April 13, 2024 | New “Close Encounter” cold open | Gosling, McKinnon and Sherman appeared as abductees, with Yang and Day as investigators. The episode was hosted by Gosling, according to TV Insider and NBC Insider. |
That chronology makes the 2024 segment a revival of an established recurring bit, not a new alien-abduction premise. Its familiar characters and callbacks reward viewers who remember the earlier sketches, while the same central contrast makes the setup legible on its own.
Why the cast’s reactions became part of the joke
Gosling’s difficulty staying in character has been associated with the sketch since its first version. In TIME’s account of the writers’ recollections, Day and Seidell said Gosling would lose it after Colleen described being thrown onto the restaurant roof. They recalled that his response—“Man, you got screwed”—often took a while to deliver because he was laughing, but said he seemed to be having fun.
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Reflecting on the live performance, the writers told TIME, “It was fun because you could tell the cast was having fun with each other. This cast is pretty good about keeping it together, so seeing them lose it felt like a special thing.” The cast’s visible struggle to contain laughter adds a second layer: the sketch is not only about the contrast between the abductees’ stories, but also about performers reacting to one another in real time.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to watch
TV Insider named Peacock as a place to watch the April 13, 2024 episode when its report was published. That is historical availability information, not confirmation that the full episode or the sketch clip is currently in the service’s catalog or available in every region. Check the service’s current listing for your location.
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