Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio's daily program "The Dean Obeidallah Show" and a columnist for The Daily Beast. Follow him @DeanObeidallah. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion articles on CNN.

(CNN) "Saturday Night Live" returned on Saturday with its first new episode after stopping production due to the coronavirus pandemic. And much like the first "SNL" after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the show opened with a more somber theme. But the big difference was that in that first show after 9/11, there were no jokes at the expense of then-President George W. Bush. On Saturday's show, however, there were many directed at President Donald Trump -- and Trump earned every one.

Dean Obeidallah

I worked on the production staff of "SNL" on 9/11. I can still recall the eerie quiet that filled the "SNL" offices in the weeks that followed, replacing the usual horsing around by the cast and writers. Like the rest of the nation, those who worked on this iconic comedy show were in shock. Plus, there was the question about what would be considered (appropriately) funny in this new America?

"SNL"'s first post-9/11 show aired on September 29, 2001 and opened with then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, surrounded by first responders, speaking of the lives lost and the heroes. "SNL" executive producer Lorne Michaels soon joined Giuliani on stage, asking, "Can we be funny?" to which Giuliani replied -- to big laughs -- "Why start now?"

Flash forward nearly 20 years, to the first "SNL" in the midst of a deadly coronavirus pandemic that has taken the lives of over 20,000 Americans . There were some similarities, but also some of the glaring differences that reflect today's America. Due to social distancing, Saturday's show was not broadcast live from the famed Studio 8H but remotely from the homes of cast members. Show host Tom Hanks was in his kitchen, where he noted that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, had recovered after contracting the virus last month . Hanks, much like the show after 9/11, addressed the idea of "SNL" being funny in this new world: "Will it make you laugh? Ehh, you know, it's 'SNL.'"

Giuliani was also a part of Saturday's show. But as a testament to how much things had changed since 9/11, the former New York City mayor who became Trump's personal lawyer wasn't heralded on stage as a hero. Rather, Giuliani became a punchline in a joke told by "SNL" Weekend Update segment co-anchor Colin Jost about Trump reportedly taking advice from him about "unproven cures" for Covid-19.

Read More