Live from New York, it's Saturday night, once again. After moving to a virtual, video-chat heavy episode format in the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, "Saturday Night Live" returned to mostly normal form in its Season 46 premiere, back in Studio 8H in New York City with an audience (made up of first responders in masks) and host Chris Rock. Only now the shots of the cast in the main titles included a lot more masks. The venerated sketch comedy show announced last month that Jim Carrey would portray former Vice President Joe Biden, and Carrey was ready with a white wig and aviator sunglasses. However try as the cold open might, the past week in the real world was just too hard to parody. The opening sketchpoked fun at Tuesday's presidential debate, and although there were vague head nods to President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis, which dominated the headlines since early Friday morning, it felt like the sketch was written earlier in the week, which is about 200 years in 2020 time. It was already stale. "Did you take the COVID test you promised to take in advance?" asked Beck Bennett playing moderator Chris Wallace.New York questions whether 'Saturday Night Live' audience follows COVID-19 rules"Absolutely, scouts honor," said Alec Baldwin's Trump with his fingers crossed. "The China virus is a hoax – and that will probably come back to haunt me later this week."Later, Carrey's Biden said, "Imagine if science and karma could somehow team up to send us a message how dangerous this virus could be. I'm not saying I want it to happen, but just imagine it did."Carrey "paused" Baldwin, a nod to complaints by viewers that Wallace should have had the ability to cut the mics of the candidates so they could not interrupt him or each other. In spite of his storied career in Hollywood, Carrey is an odd choice to play Biden, especially when there are actors both in the current "SNL" casts and from former seasons (like Jason Sudeikis), who excelled as Biden. Carrey was cold, severe and oftentimes more reminiscent of his role in "The Mask" than the Democratic presidential nominee. The best line from the sketch was one Biden actually uttered during the debate, "Will you shut up, man?"Maya Rudolph appeared as Kamala Harris as well, and she, Carrey and Baldwin closed out the long opening with "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!"'SNL': Meet the three new cast members joining Season 46