Saturday Night Live

Destroy: The writing staff.

Now *that's* funny.

I hate Jimmy Fallon.

D: Jaret's Room, Mango, Adam Sa...I mean, Jimmy Fallon's guitar parodies

I think Jimmy Fallon is rather funny, but not nearly as funny (nor original) as he seems to think he is.

Actually, I think the plight of SNL is that they have some extremely talented cast members, but don't have the solid writing to back it up like in some days of yore. There are sporadic bits of amazingly funny stuff ("I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!"), but it's just not SOLID.

Weekend Update is awful, sorry. There's no bite to the jokes. they seem happily surprised if a joke does well, and if it doesn't they lean reaaaal hard on the "it's not funny; isn't that funny!?" thing that is the death-knell of television comedy (cf Johnny Carson, Conan's monologue)

Everyone keeps banging on about SNL and I've never seen it - indeed, living in the UK with no Sky means I probably never will. Is there like a SNL Best Of DVD around? Or should I not bother - is it over-hyped rubbish?

I liked the bit about Larry David. The part with him and Dick Ebersol standing by the elevator sounded just like something out of "Curb Your Enthusiasm".

make talk about the old snl. converse about the dim bulb sketch.

The M'OD bio "Mr Mike" is worth a read. He bitched when the original cast started to do recurring characters, cuz he thought that was too much like Carol Burnett etc.

the writers' terror of offending anyone makes most of the sketches heavily dependent on unfunny gimmicks and repetition, much like conan o'brien's show these days.

(i ACTUALLY roffled the first time i saw this sketch)

-- joseph (joseph), Wednesday, 25 May 2005 04:22 (2 years ago) Link

was actually bumping thread to say i have a crush of shame on kristin wiig

why shame?

maybe shame bc she's totally annoying?

yeah, that

shes kinda horsey too

i dunno i used to get real madtv vibes & think she was really untalented but now i kinda think shes the funniest person on the show

she never tina fey

Yeah, the Beasties w/EC were one of the three musical guests (the others being the then-recently reunited Eurythmics--in camo!--doing a three-song medley, and Al Green coming on at the very end to do a quick stab at "Let's Stay Together"), which are all included on the DVD. However, because of rights issues they had to omit the three separate "Decades" montages of musical guest clips from the original broadcasts, which included in the '70s segment the original Costello performance of "Radio Radio", and thus setting up the new version which (IIRC) happened a segment or two later.

goggins episode disappointing across the board, just not many laughs and how can we not have gotten a baby billy sketch?

New Nora Dunn interview: https://www.cracked.com/article_46549_thirty-years-later-nora-dunn-is-still-paying-the-price-for-boycotting-snl-when-andrew-dice-clay-hosted.html

Cracked: "More recently, there have been hosts who have been met with some rumored behind-the-scenes objections from the cast, like Dave Chappelle and Donald Trump. I’m curious, how do you feel about them hosting?"

Nora Dunn: "With Chappelle, I do think he’s very, very smart, but when I saw that special he did, I was turned off completely. You can’t endorse that. I was really turned off by that, and I don’t think he should have been hired. It’s too bad, though, because I always thought he was great, but then he’s getting on the bandwagon and picking on people in this country who are about two percent of the population. Why are we picking on them? What have they done to you? Why do you say you hate them?

"As for Trump, they hired Trump after he came down that escalator. That’s not okay. And, of course, the show was terrible."

Nora Dunn rules

Joke Swap!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1uC5tBGlNg

afics, the joke swap each year relies almost entirely on forcing one another to say deeply humiliating, grotesquely racist & sexist things. the 'joke' content is vanishingly small. the laughter it provokes is purely based releasing on the discomfort of watching them humiliate themselves. it's like laughing at pratfalls, but waaaay uglier

yes.

and the best part of it is that there is absolutely nothing jost can write for che that is as humiliating as the stuff che writes for jost.

I dunno, the Kendrick/Drake and Jay-Z/Diddy stuff from the prior two looked really uncomfortable for Che.

Thought this was pretty cool.

https://bsky.app/profile/meninblazers.bsky.social/post/3lphifl35bc22

Screened The Panic In Needle Park on Criterion Channel tonight, and was amused to see a traumatic scene set on the MV JFK Ferry from Staten Island--currently property of Jost & Pete Davidson.

ha, I actually watched that the other night and did not make the connection. poor puppy. :(

xps While I have enjoyed some previous installments of the joke swap (including last year's -- the Kendrick Lamar jokes were truly inspired) I thought this one fell on its face as it repeatedly failed to get over the hurdle of... being actually funny. Idk maybe it's just the 2025 zeitgeist, where expressions of shocking cruelty and coarse ugliness are a dime a dozen.

I agree with you. The first couple of these were funny - and to Aimless' point, there were actual jokes! But this bit feels increasingly self-indulgent and unfunny to me, and not because I'm offended. They should retire it, imo.

I would love it if both of them would move on. I’ve never loved Che/Jost and feel they’ve always been a a big step down from the previous few eras. I can’t believe they’ve been at the desk as long as they have.

The longest!

In the season 40 finale of Saturday Night Live in May 2015, during the "Weekend Update" segment, Colin Jost delivered a joke with the punchline "jalapeño business," a pun sounding like "all up in your business." In a recent interview on the Fly on the Wall podcast with Dana Carvey and David Spade, Michael Che recalled his strong disapproval of the joke, even threatening to quit if it aired.[42] Despite his objections, Jost performed the joke, which received substantial audience laughter, intensifying Che's frustration.[43] Jost admitted he wasn't initially keen on the joke but felt compelled to perform it after seeing Che's upset reaction. Despite the incident, Che remained on the show.

It's interesting how long people stay on the show these days. Of the 16 cast members who've had stints of 9+ seasons (which includes Jost and Che), 13 started in 2000 or later.

There's not really a clear path off the show anymore. You can maybe get a steaming show. You can go back to stand-up/comedy clubs. You can do supporting work in movies. You can do cellphone commercials.

A steaming show = inadvertent accuracy

I assume Bowen Yang will eventually get his own show, but I wonder how many of the others on now have the profile to build a film/tv career away from SNL.

Chloe Fineman seems to be building a decent film career. Haven't watched it yet, but have heard really good things about her Summer of 69 film.

Fineman might do alright. Re: movies, I was thinking more of like peak Will Ferrell/Kristen Wiig-style superstardom.

It's not that there aren't as many post-SNL paths as there used to be -- in fact, there are probably more -- but that SNL isn't seen as a stepping stone to bigger things in the way it once was. The post-SNL opportunities are not necessarily bigger than SNL itself, even if you are working steadily.

the death of midbudget comedic films feels relevant here

^^THIS

It's not that there aren't as many post-SNL paths as there used to be -- in fact, there are probably more

Yeah, I forgot about Podcasts.

xp As well as the destabilization of an established hierarchy in which everyone understood that film was above prime-time TV, which was above late-night TV.

Pete Davidson didn't exactly set the industry on fire after he left SNL, but that might just be because he sucks.

How many of the current SNL cast members have enough of a distinctive skill set to potentially be stars outside of SNL?

Arguably the size of the current cast is also a problem for standing out, and maybe it’s a bit quantity over quality.

the death of midbudget comedic films feels relevant here

― kendrick lamaze "to push a baby out" (m bison), Thursday, May 22, 2025 1:27 PM (ten minutes ago)

The acting skills required for SNL skits are qualitatively different from the skills needed to carry a 90 to 120 minute comedy film or a television sitcom. It's fine that SNL cast members don't automatically transition to film or sitcom careers and might have to fall back on standup gigs. Just by spending some seasons on SNL they've risen higher up the acting career ladder than 99% of the wannabes who try to launch an entertainment career.

It's a good point re: stepping stones. Part of Melissa Villasenor's standup special is about how she spent her whole life building towards getting on SNL, which she did pretty much exclusively (not much outside acting) for six seasons, and then not knowing how to proceed in life after leaving the show. She compares it to Olympic athletes in sports that don't exist much outside of the games (gymnastics, track & field etc.).

whoops

what i was going to add to that was -- they've been replaced by midbudget comedic streaming shows (produced by lorne michaels). but where films like "macgruber" or "hot rod" can exist as standalone cult hit films, midbudget comedic streaming shows exist in a vast sea of content that make it difficult, imo, to feel like you're in possession of something special, this little trinket. there are "cult hit" streaming shows but the way they exist in culture -- "we got bought by a new network, and now there's new episodes, if anyone can remember to watch them!" -- is just not the same

xp to myself

There are a ton of SNL cast members who successfully transitioned to lengthy and viable careers in both television and film, I do think the difference these days is just the smaller number of major films being produced, we talk about the death of certain types of more refined, adult, mainstream films, but it’s also hard to imagine Billy Madison being made today.

Seems like voice-acting for animation is the main gig for a lot of comic actors these days

here are a ton of SNL cast members who successfully transitioned to lengthy and viable careers in both television and film

Sure. No one disputes that. Post-SNL cast members occupy every quadrant of a scatter chart of comedy acting careers, from stardom through a 'viable' television or movie career, occasional 'one-hour comedy specials' on cable, to no career at all. Some have the chops to grow new dimensions and move on, others don't.

Seems like voice-acting for animation is the main gig for a lot of comic actors these days

― Iza Duffus Hardy (President Keyes), Thursday, May 22, 2025 2:09 PM (three minutes ago)

yeah if you look at what adiy bryant has done after starring in three seasons of a lorne michaels produced hulu show the answer is... cartoons

I just noticed that Beck Bennett is in the upcoming Superman movie.

I saw Tim Robinson's mid-budget comedy last night. It was OK.

Actually a little better than OK but certainly not "one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my entire life" per the pull quote

maybe the pull quote should be "one of the funniest things made by a former SNL cast member I've ever seen in my entire life"

Def not as funny as Macgruber or PopStar or Step Brothers

that pull quote should say "one of the things that deeply online ITYSL meme regurgitators will say is the funniest thing they've seen in their entire life"

Popstar is far and away the funniest SNL related movie ever, IMO.

Popstar was Apatow not Lorne tho

Just using it as an excuse to post the Pancake Test scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAPrbiJaej4

Popstar was written by Jorma Taccone Akiva Schaffer who were SNL writers though.

^^AKA The Other Two Lonely Island Guys

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/45257341/ped-use-allowed-new-enhanced-games-set-2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAdG-iTilWU

Earlier this evening I attended a fantastic double bill live show of Holy Shit Improv & Comedians Clash, who are doing a mini-Texas tour this weekend. I was really stoked to see Chloe Troast perform as part of HSI (found out about it through her Insta) but weather issues left her and some others stuck in New Orleans, which was mega-disappointing. SNL writer Carl Tart, who was initially just going to be in the CC half of the show filled in and was funny as hell in both shows.

I guess we're sort of lucky we got the show at all: the show started 20-30 minutes late because--thanks to the weather--host Casey Feigh's flight was also delayed and he came straight in from the airport. Payam Banifaz arrived in time for the second half of the HSI set, which led to some fun moments where they threw some bizarre callbacks at him from the earlier set.

They're gonna be in Austin Friday and Dallas Sunday, presumably with Troast in tow (if she can escape NOLA).