Saturday Night Live (SNL) 2013-2014 Season thread

Oh, okay. Thanks. Yeah, that is an awful song.

 

It's the writing. When Jimmy Fallon hosted you could tell he had a hand in a lot of the writing, that's why it worked.

 

Was only marginally better than the last few dreadful episodes, and that isn't saying much really. I thought they at least made an effort though. The writers, who I blame for this entire problem, seem to come up with a premise for a good idea, but they don't seem to be fleshed out. I don't think this current group of writers can pull off this show in the week they have to do it. Like someone else said, are the decent writers with experience to execute their scripts in one week on strike ? Weekend Update is so painful since Seth left. Not funny....those two co anchors are terrible together. You wonder what the actors are thinking. What a huge fall from two years ago. That was my fear when the mass exodus of people left so many here thought that was a good thing. I think it could have been, but it sure isn't.

The show is in very serious trouble. No one is going to watch 90 minutes of crap for long....things are different...there are too many other viewing alternatives now than when they had stumbled in past years and people would hang in there. I liked Kendrick a lot, but you can only do so much with terrible material. When we are down to poop jokes and dong songs, the scent of desperation is in the air! I would feel like a complete ass if I were an actor having to perform most of those scripts. Getting decent guests is going to be an issue soon if they don't do something quickly. Lorne clearly has lost interest and is too busy with Seths show and whatever else he has going on. He needs to focus or give the show to someone else to produce.

 

While I was enjoying this episode (last night on our DVR) I kept thinking 'I can't wait to check the Hoffman forums to read about how much it sucked'.

I'll be the lone voice of dissent here and say it was a very solid episode. The GM CEO testimony bit was great, mostly thanks to McKinnon. I loved how they turned the 'Live from New York' line on its head!

The musical opening was expected but so awesomely staged and performed that it doesn't matter. Kendrick is so likable, she's got real girl-next-door star quality. Everyone seemed to be having fun and working hard. Solid.

Their Fox & Friends bits always crack me up, and this was one of the best ones. Sorry, these bozos are very worthy targets for parody. It's not even a partisan thing, anyone this smug and clueless deserves skewering (remember the brutal Olbermann skit several years back? I loved that one too. Just sayin').

The 'Dong' bit could've been better and shorter (pun!!) but I appreciate the feminist's response to the obnoxious sexed-up male thing. I laughed a few times, but it was a bit too drawn out.

LOVED the Little Mermaid bit. How couldn't you not? Why all the hate? Skewering the horrific state of pop music spot on, why is it no one on a music forum filled with aging Boomers and Xers enjoyed that?? I noticed a musical miscue that could've derailed it, but Kendrick and the cast recovered like real pros.

SNL's new king-of-weird Keven Mooney's work is usually saved to the end, but nice to see his work more prominently displayed in the awkward-first-date send up. My wife also loved this bit a lot.

Last thing I'll mention is the Weekend Update, which really worked. It was the first time Jost and Strong played well off each other (the memory bit, excellent stuff). Jost's confidence improved dramatically since just last week. The team is showing real potential this week. I liked featured player Brooks Wheelan's 'commentary', which seems like something from his stand up routine. No matter, funny is funny. He's really likable and I keep rooting for him, but I have to wonder if he'll make the cut next season.

A couple of clunkers but no disasters, and overall a great episode that seems to prove the newer writers and cast members are really starting to get their sea legs.

I seriously don't get all the hate.

dan c

 

I'm usually somewhere in between your gloom and Dan C's overwhelming praise. One thing I definitely disagree with you on is that the show is in trouble. It has been much worse and always come back. There is no other show like it on the air. A little tinkering is all that is needed among the writing staff and a slight trimming of wasted talent.

 

Well, this Vulture writer liked it even more than I did.
http://www.vulture.com/2014/04/saturday-night-live-recap-anna-kendrick-pharrell.html

Unfortunately the Little Mermaid clip isn't available, and probably never will be due to rights issues?

dan c

 

Does anyone think SNL has started to use a laugh track? I kinda thought so during the Weekend Update. The audience reaction sounded canned.

 

Just answered my own question (via internet search)- yes SNL is using a laugh track- mixing it in with the live audience... lame

 

The first thing I do now when I watch an SNL episode is scan it at fast speed before watching just to see what the topics are and the cast distribution. I have really been disappointed by the lack of Nasim lately. She always smiles at the end credits like a good team player. I imagine she is now more of a mentor to the new cast behind the scenes but I hope she lands something else and can use that as an excuse to leave. Her talents are being wasted at the moment.

 

Because IMHO that's not especially funny on its own, at least not the way they handled it. To find that skit funny I think you'd have to be more familiar with the source material, and I suspect teenagers who grew up with that Disney Princess stuff would've got the most out of it. As an aging X'er, I thought it was one step removed from Rappin' Granny territory. And that is so played out! [/aging-hipster]

 

I'm with you, Dan. I thought it was a decent episode and I enjoyed it. And I laughed at the Dong Song.

 

Link?

 

Nasim is awesome.

Evan

 

She has a lot going on outside of SNL right now. Could be she's just spending less time at the show, thus getting fewer pieces. I like her a lot too and I hope she comes back for another season, but I wouldn't be surprised if she moved on.
http://www.avclub.com/article/actually-nasim-pedrad-and-elliott-gould-are-going-106271

dan c

 

Found a couple references going back to 2012. All hearsay- but it really did sound fake.

 

Well,you know, The Little Mermaid is what I mean about effort. That is one that looked great on screen, and the premise was good. I bet it sounded hysterical when it was pitched. But then I just didn't laugh. My wife thinks almost all the skits are Jr. high caliber humor at best. I have no doubt a couple drinks just before watching would help immensely. People do like it..like you, so it am clearly missing something! I guess as long as people watch it they ate doing their job. I was amazed at all the hate around here when Wigg and that team were around. And I love Seth's show....a lot of people here don't. I would hat to be a comedy writer! A difficult job indeed.

 

Really?? As much as I despise the show lately, I never thought they would do that!

 

Having watched nearly every show since 1975 I can tell you this is FAR from as dire as they can get.

Nevertheless, this is a full rookie bench and it shows. A little cast pruning, more time spent focused on writing and less on fancy costumes and video tricks (Mermaid) and stop with the TV show parodies and the song and dance routines. Maybe a new producer too.

There will be new glory days, news casts, new stars born...it is a comedy farm, and it ALWAYS was uneven. 1975-1980 had the classic sketches...and a hell of a lot of dull, deadly quiet no-laugh crap. Memories can lie.

 

Seriously, there's no proof of that. If they did do this they're not doing a good job at covering up the dead laughter when jokes bomb (and Weekend Update had a few quiet moments last week). Show me real proof from an insider.

dan c

 

I thought it was a decent show, definitely a step up from the last few. It's the first time in weeks I didn't feel I had mostly wasted my time.

 

Cast pruning, yeah especially with Noel Walls, John Milhiser and maybe Sasheer Zamata none of them are that funny to me, perhaps they'll improve.

 

Yeah it 's really perplexing to me that Nasim isn't used more. She's so versatile and talented - I've always thought she should be the most prominent female player but the opposite seems to be happening.

 

But that isn't true. At all. The only time SNL has used a laugh track was reruns from 1985-86, where the audience was usually dead for the original broadcast.

 

Agreed. I have the box set dvds from that period and in fact there is a lot of crap between the good stuff. I would even go as far as to say a lot of those are difficult to watch....just like the recent eps. So, we'll hang in there and see how it plays out over time.