It seems that Sarah Palin is the new successful mascot of “Saturday Night Live.” The show’s season premiere featured former head writer Tina Fey as the Republican vice presidential candidate and it proved to be a real blast. Thus, the Emmy Award-winning “30 Rock” creator and star appears to feel even comfier in the high-heeled shoes of Sarah Palin and this may be noticed not only in the way Tina Fey wears those already famous square glasses and that fascinating silly accent, but also in the sketches that are getting better every week and in the ratings, of course.

A skit lampooning Thursday’s vice presidential debate boosted “Saturday Night Live’s” ratings, which saw a 23 percent increase compared to last week’s show that also featured Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. The program averaged a 7.4 rating, 18 share in metered-market households, up 42 percent from last season’s fourth episode, according to estimates released by Nielsen Media Research on Sunday.

This weekend’s “SNL” may have been full of surprises, as actress Anne Hathaway was the host of the show, rock band The Killers the musical guest and Queen Latifah had a moderator role in a sketch, but, nevertheless, Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin was obviously in the spotlight.

Can you really imagine an episode of “SNL” without her? Well, Fey may not impersonate Palin forever, but we sure hope she’ll keep doing it at least until the election.

The “Weekend Update” skit portrayed Tina Fey as the Republican vice presidential candidate, evidently, Queen Latifah as the moderator, Gwen Ifill, and usual “SNL” cast member Jason Sudeikis as Barack Obama’s running mate Joseph R. Biden, in a satirical debate which poked fun at each of the three public figures.

“We would like to remind our audience that due to the historically low expectations for Governor Palin, were she simply to do an adequate job tonight, and at no point cry, faint, run out of the building or vomit, you should consider the debate a tie,” Queen Latifah’s moderator explained in the introduction.

Her character repeatedly praised her own book about the progress of African American politicians including Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, while mentioning its publication dates, Inauguration Day and Election Day, amusingly. The fictional Gwen Ifill even told her fiercest admirers that the heavily discussed (by her) “Breakthrough” was also available for preorder on Amazon.com.

Moving on to the vice presidential candidates, Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin did not reveal this time her impressive experience with foreign affairs (she can see Russia from her bedroom window), but she did say that she and John McCain are a pair of Mavericks, while winking and smiling at the audience. While using the M-word over and over again, she even made a not-so-subtle reference to her 17-year-old daughter’s pregnancy, offering a ground-breaking and romantic definition of marriage: “I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers.” Weren’t you saying that Bristol planned to voluntarily tie the knot with the father of her baby, Ms. Palin? Oh dear, I forgot. It’s only a “Saturday Night Live” sketch. I took it way too seriously.