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‘Saturday Night Live’ tries to bring some ‘pizzazz’ to the impeachment inquiry

Kate McKinnon as Rudy Giuliani, Jon Hamm as William B. Taylor, Jr., and Cecily Strong as Marie Yovanovitch during the show’s Impeachment cold open.Will Heath/NBC/NBC

After a week of televised impeachment inquiry hearings in Congress, “Saturday Night Live” held hearings of its own in its most recent episode and mocked the proceedings on “Weekend Update.”

The show imitated the hearings in its cold open, styled as an episode of a soap opera called “Days of Our Impeachment,” featuring a cameo from actor Jon Hamm, who played Ambassador William Taylor, one of multiple government officials who testified that President Trump sought investigations of Joe Biden from Ukraine.

“SNL” mocked news analysts who described the proceedings as lacking in “pizzazz,” by running an introduction that said they would present the hearings “in a way that underscores how scandalous these revelations really are.”

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In a faux-dramatic fashion, with Hamm as Taylor and cast member Cecily Strong as former ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, “SNL” ran through a cameo-filled parody of the hearings. Among those appearing were Kate McKinnon as Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani, Pete Davidson as attorney Michael Avenatti, and Melissa Villaseñor as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — who kissed Hamm’s Taylor at one point.

In a topical twist, cast member Kenan Thompson showed up as Cleveland Browns lineman Myles Garrett, suspended this week for his actions during an on-field fight Thursday.

Watch the entire cold open below — Warning: This video includes content some may find offensive

Later in the show, “Weekend Update” hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che traded jokes about the impeachment hearings, noting that Trump’s decision to tweet during the hearings caused Fox News host Lisa Kennedy to call him a “big dumb baby” on an appearance on “The Five.”

“And that’s what they’re saying on his favorite channel!” Jost exclaimed.

Watch the entire “Weekend Update” segment below — Warning: This video includes content some may find offensive

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Peter Bailey-Wells can be reached at peter.bailey-wells@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @pbaileywells.