May 10, 20214 yr my relationship with snl is as follows: sun/mon i go on hulu, watch the cold open, some of the monologue, depending on how it's going and who it is, the first sketch, then ff to weekend update. if there's a digital short/music video type of pre-taped sketch, i'll watch it if i see it while scrolling or if i hear about it. i've basically turned it into a 22 min sitcom with no commercials. i agree there needs to be more cast turnover. i can't imagine 14 year old me would miss anyone currently on this show. covid fouled up pilot season and this along with it. the whole industry is lost. whatever. my question is this - do they have recurring sketches or characters anymore? i honestly don't watch enough to know, but that was all i cared about in the late 80's.
May 10, 20214 yr 23 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said: She was the ONLY bright spot in the Ghostbusters remake. She's just bad on live TV, but has some potential in film. However, she seems very content on SNL.
May 10, 20214 yr 14 minutes ago, henrygandorf said: my question is this - do they have recurring sketches or characters anymore? i honestly don't watch enough to know, but that was all i cared about in the late 80's. Interesting. Outside of the ones on weekend update, Don Jr and Eric, etc, I don't think so?
May 10, 20214 yr 2 minutes ago, Red Five said: Interesting. Outside of the ones on weekend update, Don Jr and Eric, etc, I don't think so?
May 11, 20214 yr 4 hours ago, henrygandorf said: my question is this - do they have recurring sketches or characters anymore? Yep, and he’s one of the best skits on there
May 11, 20214 yr i don't know if you can call it recurring...but they've done several of the Le Mis skits... but now i'm thinking, is that only when John Mulaney has hosted? anyway... those are always hysterical.
May 11, 20214 yr Yep, and he’s one of the best skits on thereYes. Guy that just bought a boat is awesome.
May 13, 20214 yr They've done the Kennan game show where no one can guess what's wrong with the picture a few times, and I think also his Reese de'WHAT classic film show. For Kate, there's the alien abduction trio and the late night drunks at the bar (been a while for that one, I think). But no one has really had a a recurring sketch persona that has stuck in many years. Modern tech allows us all to get what we want from SNL. I love it but can't imagine devoting 1130-1 am sitting and watching it.
May 13, 20214 yr The War In Words series whenever they have a British actress on are pretty great. We only watch SNL through YouTube clips on our Apple TV. We'll roll through all of Weekend Update and check out any skits that people claim are funny.
May 16, 20214 yr On 5/14/2021 at 2:55 PM, RPM said: I'm predicting an epic episode. While not epic, it was very strong start to finish. A talented host makes the show so much better. Muppets sketch had me rolling.
May 16, 20214 yr 15 minutes ago, 4th&Five said: He sang a lot. No telling how many roles he just auditioned for. The dude is old schooled talented. He can sing, dance, has timing and is a comedic genius. I'm betting he pulls off an Oscar worthy dramatic role at some point. Dying is easy, comedy is hard.
May 16, 20214 yr Didn’t Jost and Che typically do the “joke swap” thing in Weekend Update in a season finale? Was disappointed to not see it last night. Episode was solid overall. Not great, but still had its highlights.
May 16, 20214 yr 2 hours ago, Buzzrock said: I'd heard the hype this morning and thought it started funny enough...but didn't get the hype. But when they beat the other one's eyes shut...and Statler pets his injured friend's head, stares at him in horror and starts trembling uncontrollably...I fucking cried laughing. Wow, just watched it again. That was a good cry.
May 16, 20214 yr 1 hour ago, dbecks said: Didn’t Jost and Che typically do the “joke swap” thing in Weekend Update in a season finale? Was disappointed to not see it last night. Next week is finale.
May 17, 20214 yr I haven’t cared for this season at all. Most of the skits haven’t been that funny to me. They’ve been better. I thought last year and the one before was a lot better. I’m getting tired of the Fauci skits. I guess it’s easier when you have someone like Trump and his staff and their craziness to play off of. Doing Biden’s age jokes is just not funny after awhile. Weekend Update however has been their best part of the show still.
May 17, 20214 yr Apparently, you three or four were the only ones who watched. Lowest ratings in SNL history, or something like that.
May 17, 20214 yr 14 hours ago, Brandywine said: I haven’t cared for this season at all. Most of the skits haven’t been that funny to me. They’ve been better. I thought last year and the one before was a lot better. I’m getting tired of the Fauci skits. I guess it’s easier when you have someone like Trump and his staff and their craziness to play off of. Doing Biden’s age jokes is just not funny after awhile. Weekend Update however has been their best part of the show still. They do the Fauci sketches because someone told Lorne that McKinnon is a big star and she needs to be in every cold open and Weekend Update.
May 17, 20214 yr One problem is too many cast members, regular and featured. they don't have to go back to 7 from 1975 but this is too many people trying to get on-air. I know they realized that the audience wanted a more diverse cast but that doesn't mean you still need 5 or 6 white guys. Not too mention that you can always pull in Jost or Che or another writer into a sketch if needed. The cast is so big, they don't even have headshots for all of them on their website. Do they not know who these people are? https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/credits/cast And for the comment that many older, "classic" SNLs are not funny, comedy often ages poorly. For a lot of it, I think other comedians or shows see a funny new concept and then its gets beaten into the ground by copying it. The unexpected is often what adds to the humor. When comedy becomes known or over-exposed, it ain't funny. Steve Martin sold millions of comedy records but if someone showed up at an open mic night with similar material, there would be crickets.
May 17, 20214 yr The cast is too big because nobody is leaving. Without doing the math, this has to be one the longest-tenured casts. 20 member cast and over half have been there 5+ years. If you take out the new kids in the repertory, the average tenure is 7 years (6.5 w/out Keenan). Fuck, Pete Davidson is fast approaching 30 and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. Kudos to learning the mistakes of the past and not quitting with the first movie offer, but a topical sketch show with a lead player almost 2 decades into his tenure makes for a very stale experience. Injecting fresh blood doesn’t do much when the arteries are clogged with years of sludge. I guess we’re all just waiting for Lorne to die to see something fresh and new.
May 23, 20214 yr It sure seemed like it was Cecily’s swan song. In fact, all four on stage to begin the cold open seemed teary, Aidy, Cecily, Kate and Kenan* were acting as if it could be their last show, and then Davidson said, “thanks for letting me grow up here” in his WU bit. Che talked about the joke swap on Stern, and revealed a truth: simply because the jokes are so taboo (especially for Jost), they don’t have to even be great jokes to get a big reaction. My wife was snorting at the Black Superman bits like they were the first time Abbott & Costello did “Who’s on First?” *Kenan leaving? Yeah, right.
May 23, 20214 yr Only the clips that get featured on Twitter do I find to watch any snl. this is pretty good
May 23, 20214 yr Joke swap is hilarious. I have long loved weekend update, and Jost and Che are excellent.
May 23, 20214 yr Only the clips that get featured on Twitter do I find to watch any snl. this is pretty good That was hysterical. Holy shit.
May 23, 20214 yr 2 hours ago, Nicole44 said: Watching the skits I did wonder if this is it for McKinnon and Strong? Add Davidson as well. His sign-off on WU had a farewell forever vibe.
May 23, 20214 yr It sure seemed like it was Cecily’s swan song. In fact, all four on stage to begin the cold open seemed teary, Aidy, Cecily, Kate and Kenan* were acting as if it could be their last show, and then Davidson said, “thanks for letting me grow up here” in his WU bit. Che talked about the joke swap on Stern, and revealed a truth: simply because the jokes are so taboo (especially for Jost), they don’t have to even be great jokes to get a big reaction. My wife was snorting at the Black Superman bits like they were the first time Abbott & Costello did “Who’s on First?” *Kenan leaving? Yeah, right.What makes it funny is that it makes Jost so clearly uncomfortable. His reaction to what he has to read is gold.
May 23, 20214 yr 7 minutes ago, Gardner Barnes said: What makes it funny is that it makes Jost so clearly uncomfortable. His reaction to what he has to read is gold. I thought he finally got the best of Che with the Blue Lives Matter More joke. Edited May 23, 20214 yr by RPM
May 23, 20214 yr 24 minutes ago, Herpa Derpa said: Add Davidson as well. His sign-off on WU had a farewell forever vibe. Definitely. Lots of speculation around the internet that it was a farewell for all three. McKinnon, Strong and Davidson. It’s been such a bizarre fucking year with Covid that I would have rather them go out (if any or all of them are leaving) on a more normal type season. But as many have pointed out not much is changing until Lorne goes.
May 24, 20214 yr 22 hours ago, Gardner Barnes said: What makes it funny is that it makes Jost so clearly uncomfortable. His reaction to what he has to read is gold. That and Che giggling in the background.
May 24, 20214 yr On 5/23/2021 at 9:29 AM, Nicole44 said: Watching the skits I did wonder if this is it for McKinnon and Strong? Going to be a lot of departures because many were going to leave last year but then Covid hit so they unilaterally extended all contracts. Thompson, McKinnon, Davidson, Bryant, Strong and Jost are all IMO gone.
May 24, 20214 yr 13 minutes ago, The Ace of Aces said: Going to be a lot of departures because many were going to leave last year but then Covid hit so they unilaterally extended all contracts. Thompson, McKinnon, Davidson, Bryant, Strong and Jost are all IMO gone. Thompson is flying round trip every week to film The Kenan Show in LA, and then returning to New York to film SNL. I don't think this is sustainable for anyone. https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2021/02/16/kenan-thompson-adds-nbc-sitcom-saturday-night-live-duties/6725611002/
May 24, 20214 yr Yeah, he's got two little kids. He's earned the right to exit on his own terms. He was always funny on the show, even when the writing was piss poor (which has been most of his career on SNL). I've always thought Cecily Strong is so well rounded---character comedy, impressions, musically, some physical comedy, even reading the news for that short stint. Not much she can't do and she's tall and beautiful to boot. I don't know if she can carry a whole series on her own, but she's very versatile and I look forward to her next projects which I'm sure Lorne will somehow fuck up for her. But she's got Tina in her corner and that's always a good thing. I never "got" Pete Davidson. I know he's funny, it's in his bones. Even when he's doing the awkward, emo thing (most of the time)...he's funny in his core since the day he was born. I'm sure he'll be wildly successful as he apparently does have some "It" factor that I can't see. Bryant and McKinnon are usually very funny together. I figured McKinnon would stick around awhile longer. Jost did bring on another co-head writer this year so that should been my first clue. Che can handle W/U all by himself. Not sure what Jost will do after this, he's not great at comic acting. But he can show-run/produce and would be a great collaborator for a number of other funny writers out there in the SNL alum universe and beyond. And I don't care what side of the aisle you're on, the man can write political humor as good as anyone in America in the last generation. If he was just a little warmer and more sincere, he could be the next Letterman with 5x the political joke firepower. As it is though, he's too polarizing for now---he can't play to 40% of the country and the late night lineup is already overcrowded with hose kinds of guys (Kimmel, Meyers, Colbert, Noah, et. al.). But was always a fan, sorry to see him go.
May 24, 20214 yr 20 minutes ago, Lobo said: Yeah, he's got two little kids. He's earned the right to exit on his own terms. He was always funny on the show, even when the writing was piss poor (which has been most of his career on SNL). I've always thought Cecily Strong is so well rounded---character comedy, impressions, musically, some physical comedy, even reading the news for that short stint. Not much she can't do and she's tall and beautiful to boot. I don't know if she can carry a whole series on her own, but she's very versatile and I look forward to her next projects which I'm sure Lorne will somehow fuck up for her. But she's got Tina in her corner and that's always a good thing. I never "got" Pete Davidson. I know he's funny, it's in his bones. Even when he's doing the awkward, emo thing (most of the time)...he's funny in his core since the day he was born. I'm sure he'll be wildly successful as he apparently does have some "It" factor that I can't see. Bryant and McKinnon are usually very funny together. I figured McKinnon would stick around awhile longer. Jost did bring on another co-head writer this year so that should been my first clue. Che can handle W/U all by himself. Not sure what Jost will do after this, he's not great at comic acting. But he can show-run/produce and would be a great collaborator for a number of other funny writers out there in the SNL alum universe and beyond. And I don't care what side of the aisle you're on, the man can write political humor as good as anyone in America in the last generation. If he was just a little warmer and more sincere, he could be the next Letterman with 5x the political joke firepower. As it is though, he's too polarizing for now---he can't play to 40% of the country and the late night lineup is already overcrowded with hose kinds of guys (Kimmel, Meyers, Colbert, Noah, et. al.). But was always a fan, sorry to see him go. Jost is also Mr. Scarlett Johansson, which is nice.
May 24, 20214 yr I'm sure it's lovely, but he's got too many jokes in his reservoir to hang it up and now and be her ornament. If he was a little more down the middle with his political humor (I get it these days, when the shit from one side practically writes itself...all you gotta do is leave your mouth agape and wiggle your pencil around as you read the quotes verbatim). And a little more empathetic and connected with others more, he could be the next Carson or Letterman. But late night doesn't need a Jost-type right now. Maybe not until the end of the decade actually. I could see him developing and running a political show for HBO or SHO in the vein of On the Brink, Veep, Last Week Tonight, etc. And possibly being on it himself. I have no idea what his plans are, just recently found out this year he was married to Scarlett. I love his sense of humor, but understandably it won't appeal to much of America so he'll have to narrow his next project which I suspect will be wildly successful. I think Che would do excellent at W/U on his own. He plays off Colin, off the guest characters, and if you pay attention-a lot off the audience, so effortlessly. He can carry the desk by himself, but it may not be quite as funny. A mutual friend in Austin comedy, says that Mulaney still wants to go back and do Weekend Update for a couple seasons. FWIW Edited May 24, 20214 yr by Lobo
May 24, 20214 yr 1 hour ago, Lobo said: I'm sure it's lovely, but he's got too many jokes in his reservoir to hang it up and now and be her ornament. If he was a little more down the middle with his political humor (I get it these days, when the shit from one side practically writes itself...all you gotta do is leave your mouth agape and wiggle your pencil around as you read the quotes verbatim). And a little more empathetic and connected with others more, he could be the next Carson or Letterman. But late night doesn't need a Jost-type right now. Maybe not until the end of the decade actually. I could see him developing and running a political show for HBO or SHO in the vein of On the Brink, Veep, Last Week Tonight, etc. And possibly being on it himself. I have no idea what his plans are, just recently found out this year he was married to Scarlett. I love his sense of humor, but understandably it won't appeal to much of America so he'll have to narrow his next project which I suspect will be wildly successful. I think Che would do excellent at W/U on his own. He plays off Colin, off the guest characters, and if you pay attention-a lot off the audience, so effortlessly. He can carry the desk by himself, but it may not be quite as funny. A mutual friend in Austin comedy, says that Mulaney still wants to go back and do Weekend Update for a couple seasons. FWIW Does Mulaney do better or worse with his sobriety when he’s working a lot? Working one day at SNL wouldn’t be staying busy. Jost would be unwise to leave Weekend Update in my opinion. There’s really no late night spots available unless he wants to be on TBS.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.