What’s Worth Watching: Oscar Nominee J.K. Simmons Finally a Household Name on Saturday Night Live

J.K. Simmons SNL
Dana Edelson/NBC
J.K. Simmons SNL

Saturday Night Live, “J.K. Simmons/D’Angelo” (Saturday, Jan. 31, 11:30/10:30c, NBC)

Seeing a “Hey! It’s That Guy!” ascend to Oscar nominee status is always gratifying, but when said nominee is J.K. Simmons, it’s even better, because your mom might finally stop asking you who he is. The SNL writers have literally decades’ worth of material to use as jumping-off points—Whiplash! Oz! The Closer!—but if they don’t have Simmons reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man, with Taran Killam as Peter Parker, why even bother? Also accepted: A Closer skit, with Kate McKinnon as Kyra Sedgwick. D’Angelo—who just released his first new album in 14 years, Messiah—is the musical guest.

Bonus trivia: Simmons actually made a cameo on SNL in 1999, during a pre-taped bit that saw host Jerry Seinfeld in the prison from Oz.