NFT: Saturday Night Live

In comment 13969448 chiro56 said:

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What have I missed?

Best sketches of SNL's 40 years in under 4 minutes - ( New Window )

In comment 13969449 Face Pepler said:

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Downey, who is seen by some who know him as a conservative, had this to say about lampooning President Obama: "On Obama, he stated, "If I had to describe Obama as a comedy project, I would say, 'Degree of difficulty, 10 point 10.' It’s like being a rock climber looking up at a thousand-foot-high face of solid obsidian, polished and oiled. There’s not a single thing to grab onto — certainly not a flaw or hook that you can caricature.”

I guess I'm not "deaf, dumb and blind" after all - thanks for sharing. Bill Clinton had infidelity, Bush had his issues with the English language, Gore was boring as hell, Palin was a bimbo - all gold mines for comedians. I don't deny SNL's political agenda, but they need personalities to mock. Hell, I'm no fan of Hillary, but from a comedy standpoint she was as boring as watching paint dry.

Beyond that it's a pretty weak cast right now.

Last one i watched in full was Dave Chappelle after the election and I loved it but that was bc of Chappelle. The show in general is unfunny garbage. I used to watch every episode in the 80s/90s early 2000s

A sketch comedy show that they have one week to write, produce and act.

They have always been political, do people really blame them for making fun of Trump? What were you expecting?

I think the music acts are fine as well. They have pop acts, people who are popular... Who would you like to hear?

In comment 13969450 Anakim said:

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funny and talented), but she's INFINITELY more tolerable than Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Kristen Wiig. I mean it isn't even close. Fey is hot in a librarian type of way, but she's absolutely painfully unfunny as a comedic writer and her time on Weekend Update with Jimmy Fallon was the low point of the segment. I've never found Amy Poehler to be particularly amusing...actually, she's quite annoying. And Kristen Wiig is hit-or-miss, but way more often than not, she's a miss. I don't think I ever laughed at her on SNL. She was good in Bridesmaids but horrendous on SNL. I liked Cheri Oteri and Molly Shannon a lot more than the aforementioned three

Tina Fey is painfully unfunny as a comedy writer? She was a headwriter on SNL, she wrote Mean Girls, she created 30 Rock and won the Mark Twain Prize for humor And now she can't write comedy?

Amy Poehler, co-founder of Upright Citizens Brigade, beloved by many on SNL, highly acclaimed on Parks and Recreation.

Kristen Wiig carried the show for a short period and is considered by many as one of the best female castmembers ever and co-wrote Bridesmaids.

You might not like them, but to dislike them with such conviction is quite a bizarre take.

The fact is, by the standards of TV, it's incredibly inexpensive to produce. That's why it stays on the air.

There are funny sketches,shitty sketches,great hosts,shitty hosts,great musical guests,shitty musical guests. My suggestion would be to watch it on Hulu. No commercials,you can fast forward if you feel a sketch or performer sucks. It usually runs 1 hour,7 minutes. I usually watch the entire show in 30-35 minutes. It's a TV staple I've been watching since the '70's & I hope it stays on forever. Just pick & choose what you want to watch!

And thought most of it’s jokes were so forced, and just not all that funny.

I was a die hard MADtv fan. They produced the best sketch comedy, had the best comedians. Most of who went on to do other stuff. MADtv was more spontaneous and off the wall comedy, writing was really good for most of it and their were so many better characters Portrayed in it; Will Sasso as Steven Segal and Arnold, and Kenny Rogers. Mo Collins as Lorraine, Stewart’s Mom, etc, Bobby Lee as the Blind Chinese Kung-Fu Master, Debra Wilson as Oprah, and Whitney Houston, Frank Caliendo as Madden and Bush. I could go on and on.

I love SNL and watch religiously.

Was a sensational show, great cast characters and writers, in my youth. They lost it a decades ago and have gone downhill since. Sad. Those formerly addicted to SNL have had to move on. So it goes.

Sadly, I think it's spot on.

Sounds like a lot of grousing from people from the 'get off my lawn' or 'not my politics' crowd. They did this with Bush, they did it with Clinton. Maybe not as much with Obama, and I think that might have been more the fact that they didn't have someone to do a good impression of him more than anything else.

But when you give comedy writers an easy target, you can't be surprised when they shoot at it. I don't doubt for a second they lean pretty heavily to the left, but when they used to write Cops episodes starring Bill Clinton, claiming bias is misguided.

but the show is a cultural icon and will be as long as Lorne Michaels keeps doing it.

As far as the trump stuff goes it's brilliant and necessary. Just like Tina Fey exposing palin

The OP's rant is really funny even though he has no idea why. That's exactly what people like him said when Bill Murray replaced Chevy Chase.

is that there is nothing likable about him for them to key on. Dana Carvey did a mean George Bush, but he had some affection for the man. Same with almost all other political impersonations on SNL. It is hard to make fun of someone in a funny way if you can't hide your distaste for that person. It just comes off as mean.

Trump makes also makes it too easy so the comedy seems cheap. He provides plenty of material just by tweeting 9 times a day. It's uncharted waters.

SNL- Keep going with the politics...


goes to show you


but i find SNL funny for their original stuff. The politics are just becoming annoying and just constant.

stopped being funny years ago. Its amazing that it is still on the air.

but I really felt last year was funny. I agree with the concept that their skits have always been hit or miss going back to Belushi. Sure we all remember cheeburger cheeburger, and samurai, Mr. Robinson's neighborhood and Chevy Chase, "Jane you ignorant slut", in a van down by the river etc... but mixed in have always been skits that went on way too long and weren't funny. Musical acts are always going to be hit or miss based on your preference, but they've always gotten the cutting edge people. I felt some of the skits last year- The Kate Mckinnon Sessions Forrest Gump one as well as the Scarlett Johannson talking Trump supporting dog one were some of the best they've done in years. As previously stated their ratings are the best they've been in 20 years so the "sinking ship" characterization is nonsense. Oh and I'm not talking about her movies but purely on the show Kate Mckinnon is great. all of this is opinion.

So I remember very well the early days of the show, when there were nights that you laughed so hard tears would roll out of your eyes.

but this thread is pretty hilarious.

In comment 13969450 Anakim said:

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funny and talented), but she's INFINITELY more tolerable than Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Kristen Wiig. I mean it isn't even close. Fey is hot in a librarian type of way, but she's absolutely painfully unfunny as a comedic writer and her time on Weekend Update with Jimmy Fallon was the low point of the segment. I've never found Amy Poehler to be particularly amusing...actually, she's quite annoying. And Kristen Wiig is hit-or-miss, but way more often than not, she's a miss. I don't think I ever laughed at her on SNL. She was good in Bridesmaids but horrendous on SNL. I liked Cheri Oteri and Molly Shannon a lot more than the aforementioned three

The last female cast members who I really liked were Shannon and Oteri. McKinnon makes the same grinning vampire face in every impression she does and frankly I think she's bought into her own hype because she gives off this smug self satisfied "its funny because its me" vibe. I didn't like Wigg either, she also pretty much played the same ditzy character over and over again and was wildly overrated.

In comment 13969529 GMAN4LIFE said:

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SNL- Keep going with the politics... goes to show you but i find SNL funny for their original stuff. The politics are just becoming annoying and just constant.

this first sentence is more true than Oghwa's bullshit.

In an era where TV shows that suck get canceled quickly and many don't draw any noticeable audience ABC canceled Tim Allen's Last Man Standing, which is a very conservative leaning show, while it still was receiving consistent ratings. I have never seen the show, but from what I read based on the success of Roseanne they're bringing back Last Man Standing - but to Fox not ABC.

And when people try and spin things like Oghwa - totally ignoring occam's razor, it's how you wind up with the current administration.

SNL picked an audience, and by doing so, alienated another potential audience. it's that simple. President's have been lampooned forever, and they should continue to be, what we're seeing is beyond that. Is it warranted or antagonized, perhaps to an extent, but our current climate of late night talk show hosts and shows like SNL go beyond that IMO. It's real vitriol, deserved or not, it's not endearing to open audiences, it's only endearing to people who think the same way.

that it is strange that they have to announce who the impressions are now. And they probably have to do that because it isn't always easy to tell.

Back in the day, you didn't need to know who Phil Hartman was supposed to be. When he was Sinatra, you knew immediately. Darryl Hammond still did the best president impression. Even the Joe Pesci skits, while often unfunny, featured good impressions.

Nowadays, I feel like I'm watching the Kate McKinnon schizo show where they give he somebody to mimic and she often does a terrible job (outside of the Beiber impression). Alec Baldwin may as well be a regular now too.

When the best impressions in the past couple of years have come from the guest hosts or non-cast members, that's not a great sign. The Sean Spicer impression was awesome!

In comment 13969536 Motley Two said:

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but this thread is pretty hilarious.

That was my exact thought also..

and then agreed with me. But then again maybe I misunderstood what I think you thought I said.

when your country's leader is going around calling other countries shitholes and immigrants animals.

The impressions are mean spirited because the target is mean spirited. Didn't have that problem with any of the presidents up until that point. If anyone's impression was overly mean, it was probably that of GWB.

In comment 13969553 jcn56 said:

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when your country's leader is going around calling other countries shitholes and immigrants animals. The impressions are mean spirited because the target is mean spirited. Didn't have that problem with any of the presidents up until that point. If anyone's impression was overly mean, it was probably that of GWB.

+1

In comment 13969553 jcn56 said:

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when your country's leader is going around calling other countries shitholes and immigrants animals. The impressions are mean spirited because the target is mean spirited. Didn't have that problem with any of the presidents up until that point. If anyone's impression was overly mean, it was probably that of GWB.

Spoon fed, coin operated that's what your post is.

And this thread is likely headed for deletion.

but what the President said is that MS-13 gang members are animals. Though most (you can pick which one) "news" outlets conveniently ignored it and some later issues a retraction or correction, but people still believe what you wrote to be true.

It's like nothing I've ever seen.

If you don't think members of a gang who murder, rape and sex traffic young children (as a rule, not an exception or small percentage) then we're just different species. And I'm fine with where I am.

This is a gang whose members stabbed someone 100 times, beheaded him and then tore his heart out. I agree with the press secretary, animal didn't go far enough.

lets face it. He is making people rich.

Stephen Colbert is also number 1 for a reason. so lets cut the crap on that. Its great to make fun of the president. Most of which is fine.

but it becomes dull after awhile. I mean their original stuff is great but SNL reinvents itself every couple of years.

it is what it is.

In comment 13969456 Mr. Nickels said:

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Last one i watched in full was Dave Chappelle after the election and I loved it but that was bc of Chappelle. The show in general is unfunny garbage. I used to watch every episode in the 80s/90s early 2000s

Louis CK's monologue a few years back on racism in the 70s and the pervert in his neighborhood growing up was by far the most edgy and funny thing I heard on that show in many years