Saturday Night Live (SNL) 2017-2018 Season Thread

Shouldn't that be politician, singular? Aside from President Obama, I can't think of anyone else they've gone soft on.

 

I guess some might argue they took it easy on Hillary, but I think she got slapped around a fair amount - not Trump levels, of course, but it's not like they fawned over her.

Obama was simply a really tough person to parody. He rarely gave "SNL" and the like ammunition - he didn't act goofy in public or say stupid things or make glaring mistakes, and there were very few controversies across his 8 years...

 

Remember how much Bill Clinton they did back in the day. He got skewered.

 

Oh, yeah, though I think there was some affection to that parody. Heck, I think even W got a semi-affectionate treatment.

Bill Clinton was an easy person to parody due to his personality traits and proclivity to chase tail. W was easy to parody because of his malapropisms and verbal gaffes.

Both also had major scandals throughout their presidencies, too.

Obama? Just not much there for parody!

 

That's pretty much my first classic era as well (starting in 1980) but there were there were subsequent ones for me also.

I don't agree with the "softball" comment in general. However, "To Sir" was (in my opinion, and I'm a super lefty)

 

Interesting article about Darrell Hammond's reaction to losing the part of Donald Trump to Alec Baldwin and the aftermath:

Darrell Hammond was SNL’s best Donald Trump – and its best impressionist ever. So what went wrong?

 

Yeah, Obama is simply very difficult to caricature. He doesn't have an accent, but speaks in that bland, midwestern newscaster voice. He doesn't have any really distinctive mannerisms nor does he overuse any catch phrases. There's nothing particularly odd or quirky about him, and he seems to be pretty scandal and drama-free in his personal life. There's just nothing to latch onto in the manner of guys like Bush, Clinton, Trump, or Sanders. All of those guys can be reduced to cartoon figures pretty easily, whereas Obama would be about the most boring cartoon character ever.

 

It only took of year of being part of the Chicago comedy scene for me to 'know' someone who is on SNL. (Briefly met is more accurate, but I'll take what I can get.) Congratulations Chris Redd!!

 

McCarty's Spicer impersonation was the most original political satire SNL has done in a long time. I'll miss it!

I enjoy SNL still. I enjoyed it more when I was younger. But I'm far more world-wise and world-weary now and laugh less in general and SNL's humor hits me less. That's okay. Occasionally they hit one out of the park. That's all in the game.

 

I read this the other day. What an intense article. So sad for that guy. I didn’t realize losing the Trump impression affected his outside interests as well.

 

So the new season is underway. Pretty good so far. Particularly liked the #LevisWoke ad and the near-breakup during the "I saved jazz" monologue.

 

Kate McKinnon is killing it. She may be the next breakout.

 

I'm glad I'm recording this. I want to see what the response to Michael Che's piece on WU.

 

Papyrus

 

Funny guy. Too bad he's so troubled. I checked out his book last year. Good read.

 

I think anyone can be parodied... nicely or viciously. The variables of tone, mimicry, performer's relationship with his audience and what they will respond to determine how those parodies work out. They are literally sketches that the performer holds up. Interesting thing about Clinton and Obama are that multiple performers played them. Armisen couldn't get much from him but The Rock certainly did. Key and Peele got good comic juice by playing him as excessively ordinary with a rage filled alter ego. Wanda Sykes did a nice routine at the correspondent's dinner. You're spot on that he certainly didn't provide clear hooks but I think there was a good deal of humor in the fact that the first black President presented himself in a way that wouldn't have put him out of place in the company of mid century President's like Eisenhower, Kennedy, Ford or Nixon(who Obama actually sounded like!), whereas those sounding the alarm that islamofascistsovietilluminaticommieshriner takeover was at hand came off as eccentric characters out of an episode of the avengers Tre Gowdy with the hint of Robert E Lee whiskers, Gingrich, McConnell, Ryan, Orly Tait(!... complete with an incomprehensible accent from Moldova, where the famous dynasty massacre episode was based) was regularly featured on news shows wide eyed and babbling like a lost Gabor sister about how this outsider got in, and Dinesh D'Souza from India claiming Obama was harbouring a grudge against the west because his people were formerly ruled by the British Empire. Sure... this tested the outer limits of parody but still....

Also Clinton was parodied by Phil Hartman as a man of appetite in a well received parody that was only improved upon when Darrel Hammond made him more of an impish ne'er do well who never got too close to be caught and never spoke above his ingratiating growl. When the reality caught up with the parody it was smooth sailing for Hammond. I just think the Tina Fey -Seth Myers era SNL was quite open about being a post political show(Fey only did 5 Palin sketches and was reluctant to do more) Politics is greasy dirty personal stuff and is at odds with the gene that reaching an audience and keeping them with you requires. When you get a Trump, Kennedy or Nixon their flaws(accent, behavior, political history) are out in the open, at least half the country agrees with you and caricature is easy to draw. For Obama, Ford, or Kennedy(again) how far do you go into WHAT this person is(black messiah, midwestern backbencher, young vibrant guide to a "new frontier) to get laughs without going deep in attacking large numbers of his constituency(blacks, michiganders, Irish Catholics aspiring towards national leadership positions).

Sorry to hear about Hammond.. I don't see Baldwin's Trump going long term.. Hammond is greatness even his Jesse Jackson was hysterical!

 

True about the ratings.. but SNL doesn't have to be the best comedic operation because it is just about the only place where people just sit and riff on politics who aren't paid a quarter of a million to spin it just right. If even one or two stations out of the hundreds on cable and streaming services carried a live comic show every week that did topical comedy Im not sure the competition wouldnt best SNL in most ways. SNL is an exclusive long lasting brand. Budweiser is Budweiser.

 

I thought this ep was just okay. I only really laughed when the guest host, who I'm not familiar with and was not impressed with at all, busted up laughing during the alien episode. And that skit wasn't nearly as funny as when they did it last season Imo. Man, the last skit was horrendously bad. Almost like they had no material left so they must have thrown those guys on stage an told them to improvise. Which would likely have been an improvement. SNL really goes hot and cold depending on the host, and this weeks host just didn't resonate with me. I look forward to seeing mext week with a different one. And I loved Bawldwin as Trump last season. I think I'm officially burned out on it now, and didn't realize it until I watched the opening. Funny how a few months away can change things. Maybe because I have gone beyond thinking Trump is a bafoon amd funny to laugh at, and now gravely concerned about where things are going. I think they might need to rethink the mood of folks. Or maybe I'm misreading it. Time will tell, but I'm done laughing at it. And I suspect Trump supporters, and admittedly there are many and I respect that, are likewise not enjoying his being made fun of. I see no winners anymore with satirizing him.

 

Is "SNL" still sponsored by Budweiser?

 

I don't really get that vibe. In fact, quite the opposite. I very much feel like I'm ingesting a message while watching it, not listening to writers' independent views.

 

Well, that wasn't a very good episode. Again, the Baldwin Trump. We agree this is how we all see the character and how we feel about his demeanour. It doesn't matter that the skits have just become recaps of the week's actual events. We are laughing the moment we see him. Or we don't and aren't. It's entertainment based on agreement, not comedic values, and I don't see it ever changing. For a different take, as I mentioned earlier, "The President Show" is on Comedy Central.

At least it gives the viewer something to latch onto. Where they weren't topical, they fared worse.

The alien encounter sketch was only funny the last time because of the actors bursting out laughing, so they focused on deliberately repeating that. But if Ryan Gosling breaking character would automatically make a thing funny, that would have made all the other bits in the show funny too.

I like the pre-recorded bits the best, the woke jeans and the Avatar logo.

 

That's discouraging to hear you suggest the breaking out of character perhaps was planned. Maybe. The only reason that's funny to me is they arent supposed to. Thanks a lot....I think you just made sure I won't find that humorous next time...lol. They had that segment up on Yahoo today and I actually found it funnier the second time. She is a real gem!

 

I like to bring my cynicism to watching comedy, for sure, but just think of the things she was doing to the poor man's backside. He would've had to have been pronounced dead right there, with no questions asked, if he hadn't reacted. I recall the last time they did this bit as a bit that comes up when people discuss their favourite character-breaking moments on SNL, and I saw it coming the moment I saw the familiar setting. So maybe I saw what I looked for. (Looking up the previous time on YouTube, it has a ridiculous amount of views, by the way!)

 

Except for the Dick Ebersol years - 1981-1986 - because Ebersol refused to let them do political humor.

 

Well, she has already won two Emmy's for her work on SNL, so I guess she HAS become the next
breakout, and deservedly so. She's the best person on the show....by far.