The annual appearances of John Mulaney, who this weekend hosted “Saturday Night Live” for the third time in three seasons, have become one of the show’s more enjoyable traditions in this current era of its history. The presence of Mulaney, the former “S.N.L.” writer turned stand-up star and ubiquitous comic talisman (“Oh, Hello,” “Documentary Now!”, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”), seems to help loosen up the cast members and bring out their goofiest material. And this time, he had extra help from some co-stars of his latest Netflix special, “John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch,” including Jake Gyllenhaal and this week’s musical guest, David Byrne.

But first: another opening sketch featuring “S.N.L.”’s now familiar roster of celebrity impressionists playing the Democratic presidential contenders.

The segment was set in the White House, where Vice President Pence (played by Beck Bennett) was holding a news conference to discuss preparations for a widespread outbreak of coronavirus.

Bennett explained, “Most of you know me from the sentence: ‘Even if Trump was removed, we’d still be stuck with Mike Pence.’” He added, “I have to admit, this disease has been quite a test of my faith. Just like dinosaur bones or Timothée Chalamet.”