Sofia Vergara hosts "Saturday Night Live" (NBC)

After a long and dull Mitt Romney cold open, the "Modern Family" star delivered a short but sweet monologue in a sexy skintight dress. Discussing her thick Colombian accent, Vergara claimed that she can “make anything sexy” like gonorrhea, Rick Santorum and New Jersey. And she was right. 

The show took advantage of Vergara’s willingness to poke fun at herself with sketches highlighting her broken English and renown sex appeal. Though predictable, the humor was still entertaining. Something about Vergara just makes her so likable. She’s fun and doesn’t take herself too seriously. 

Vergara’s perfect rendition of the “Nanny,” Fran Drescher, in “Quirky Girl with Zoe Deschanel” was definitely a highlight. If Vergara is good at one thing besides speaking bad English and looking hot, it’s being loud. Though she had that legendary laugh down to a point, the sheer volume must have blown speakers everywhere. 

Another highlight of the night was the return of the fan-favorite "Gilly" sketch staring Kristen Wiig. Vergara played a sex-ed teacher who can't pronounce any anatomical terms. Vergara tries to maintain order while Gilly throws pies and covers classmates with maxi-pads. Never a disappointment, it was good to see Gilly again. 

Charming the hearts of tween girls everywhere, the show also featured musical performances by the breakout boyband One Direction as well as a sketch appearance. Though many may not be fans of the infectious pop stylings of One Direction, the group was a pleasant surprise. Even if you don’t like the music, you have to admit the trendy outfits, darling accents, and gravity-defying hair give the boys some charm. The British-Irish teens gave a decent performance of their hits “What Makes You Beautiful” and “One Thing” but they lacked stage presence and star quality of their boy pop predecessor, Justin Bieber.  

Another newcomer graced the "SNL" stage last night: new, featured cast member Kate McKinnon. McKinnon’s debut included impressions of Tabatha Coffey and Penelope Cruz in a fake Pantene commercial with Vergara. Although she didn’t get very much time in her first episode, McKinnon shows a lot of promise. If rumors about Kristin Wiig’s departure from the show are true, "SNL" will have an empty spot for a strong new female performer. But can Kate McKinnon fill it?  

Contact writer Kandace Cook here.