Canton-Born Comedian Bill Burr plays a passionate Patriots fan on Saturday Night Live

By Alyssa Buford

Live from New York, Saturday Night Live (SNL) aired three Boston-associated skits starring stand-up comedian and actor Bill Burr, who was hosting the episode. The three sketches includes an alternate version of the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, a Rorschach test for a fire station in the North End, and a parody of a Buffalo Wild Wings commercial.

The fake commercial featured Burr portraying a “real Patriots fan”, screaming at the sports bars television, stealing beer bottles, and arguing with his son, played by Mikey Day, about whether former general manager of the Patriots and sports analyst Bill Belichick will return to coaching the New England football team.

Burr’s sketch is a sequel to another Boston-adjacent fake commercial made by Burr in 2020 for Sam Adams Brewery, said to feature “real Bostonians”. The 2020 sketch is a follow-up to a 2016 skit made by actor Casey Affleck entitled “real Dunkin’ Donuts customer”. Both were feature skits on SNL.

The sketch reveals the phone lock screen of Burr, a photo of Burr and Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports. The sketch feature other easter eggs and quirks, such as a “Let’s go Brandon” signature on his cast, a euphemism for insulting U.S President Joe Biden. Despite this allusions, the skit was not very well-received from SNL’s live studio audience, with minimal laughter from the crowd during the sketch.