Saturday Night Live (SNL) 2016-2017 Season Thread

No comment on Louis C.K.?

I thought it was a good one.

 

Clown bit and opening monologue were great, IMO. The rest not, IMO.

Couches was OK.

 

I also thought the Facebook song and the Factor were clever.

 

They should have aired the Don Rickles/Billy Idol episode in the 10pm slot.

 

I don't recall a tribute to rickles during the show. Was there one?

 

I think they said something at the end.

 

Che gave a shout out at the end of Update, too.

 

I was thinking the same thing while enjoying Shakira shaking her hips. And I have never seen that episode except for a couple of highlights.

 

A controversy has come light over the clown sketch and whether the basis was lifted from a Tig Notaro movie short.

Something similiar happened last year (or was it two years ago) with a sketch that was heavily lifted.

Tig Notaro Also Thinks That One Louis C.K. ‘SNL’ Sketch Ripped Her Off | The Huffington Post

 

I didn't know of the Tig Notaro sketch until this story broke. It's worth watching as it's quite good IMO. Obviously longer and it is slightly different. But both sketches have the same premise, sad person calls clown. They just take it the idea into different directions. Notaro's short is in the link above.

 

I thought it was very good all the way through, save for the sectional chair commercial. And the music, which was awful.

 

I think it was one of the strongest shows this year: no petered-out sketches where they just flail to the end, the writing felt like Louis was very involved, and it seemed to me at the time that every bit was above average imagination (naturally soured by the Notaro indicent; it's a damn shame it's come to comedians ripping each other off then other comedians having to stand up for themselves. I understand from experience how personal pride of your work has to be defended, and if not by you, then who else). I know The Chainsmokers didn't earn too many new fans that night, but it was a good booking for SNL. And Weekend Update has gotten a lot of momentum going; I was delighted that none of the usual cast of recurring time-wasters weren't used...and the segment even ended on a real punchline instead of a stunt casting. Bravo!

Finally, I cannot say how refreshing it is to not force your host to say how delighted he is to be in New York City, tip the hat to SNL's illustrious, self-obsessed heritage, take some questions from some audience plants, do a song-and-dance number nobody asked for, or have a cast member come onstage to do a bit based on misunderstanding one bumpersticker-sized quirk about this week's host. And someday, I'd just like to hear the guest say, "We've got an adequate show, Nickelback is here...so stick around, and maybe you can get the DVR stopped before Nickelback shows up!" (How I wish they would have Norm McDonald host...because he would just make fun of the tropes).

 

I actually kinda liked the sectional chair commercial. Didn't love it, but I giggled a few times - which is more than I can say for 75% of some SNL shows.

 

I didn't hate it at all. I just thought it was the weakest bit of the night.

 

They need to send a truckload of money to Melissa McCarthy, pronto.

 

Comedians are almost always the best when it comes to the monologues. I remember having a similar reaction when Larry David hosted last year; it was great to have a host who seemed comfortable up there and was able just riff on stuff rather than follow the format.

 

Cool thread, but,,,, this is the cast I dig, and all ways will...

 

Your 12th bowl of your favorite ice cream is never as good as that first one; even though they're all the same ice cream...

 

Or Tina Fey.

Edit: Or Will Farrell.

 

First of all, to clarify, Chase and Murray were never in the cast at the same time.

Secondly, the first cast shows are much better left to your memory than actually rewatching. Yes, there are plenty of classic bits, but overall it doesn't hold up as well as you'd expect.

I've watched from day one as well, and IMO, the best cast was from the late-80s early-90s....Hartman, Carvey, Hooks, Lovitz, Nealon, Miller, Jackson, and young and hungry Spade, Meyers, Farley and Sandler, to name a few.

 

Without that cast, the new guys would be doing stand up comedy in some dives.... Farley was ok, Sandler is great, and hey its great to reminisce of greater times....

 

Keep in mind the Predators vs Blackhawks tonight on NBC could delay the start of SNL.

 

Of course the original cast was the most important, but that doesn't necessarily make them the best...

 

I hear you, sounds like a generational gap...... Any ways, its all taste young man, folks my age will say hell yah! to the original, and think what the heck are they talking about for the new crew anyways got to jet, you be careful out there sonny! lol