“Saturday Night Live” dug deep into its contact list of celebrity alumni and friends in the comedy world as it kicked off its 50th season with an opening sketch that featured Maya Rudolph’s anticipated return as Vice President Kamala Harris.

The sketch, for which cast member James Austin Johnson returned in his recurring role as former President Donald Trump, also saw the debuts of comedian Jim Gaffigan as Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Bowen Yang, another “SNL” performer, as Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.

And for good measure, the segment included appearances from “SNL” alums Andy Samberg as Douglas Emhoff, the second gentleman, and Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden.

Speculation had swirled all summer about who would play these roles on “SNL,” which tends to receive increased attention during presidential election seasons. That curiosity was intensified by the reshuffling of the Democratic ticket in July, when Biden announced that he was withdrawing from the 2024 race.

As recently as a few days ago, Lorne Michaels, the creator and longtime executive producer of “SNL,” was characteristically cryptic about his casting plans for this season’s political sketches.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he declined to say who would be playing Vance or Walz, or to say whether Trump would be played by Johnson or Alec Baldwin.

“I don’t want to get into what I’m doing,” Michaels said in that interview, adding that “SNL” had the people needed and that “it should be fun.”

The opening sketch, which juxtaposed the scenes between presidential rallies for the Harris and Trump campaigns, saw Rudolph take the stage to applause. “Well, well, well,” she said. “Look who fell out of that coconut tree.”

Later in her speech, she brought out Gaffigan, the prolific standup, as an enthusiastic Walz. “Folks, I haven’t been this excited since I got a 10% rebate on a leaf blower from Menards.”

Gaffigan sported a Walz classic — a light blue dress shirt and navy suit jacket. He used Walz’s now popular “weird” anecdote, said he got his suit at Costco and it is a Kirkland.

Did Gaffigan sound like a Minnesotan? Despite controversy among Minnesotans over the accuracy in accents used in media to represent the state such as the film “Fargo,” Gaffigan shied away from the Fargo “aw jeez” sound and entered a new territory: extroverted, folksy Midwest dad.

The energy was more subdued at the Trump rally, where Johnson stood behind a pane of bulletproof glass and told a weary crowd, “I see you trying to leave, but the doors are locked.”

Carvey, a veteran impressionist who for “SNL” played President George H.W. Bush and independent presidential candidate Ross Perot, appeared as Biden during the Harris rally.

“Thank you for putting country first and handing over the reins,” Rudolph said to him.

“I didn’t want to,” Carvey responded. “They made me.”

Information from MPR News was used in this report.