Saturday Night Live (SNL) 2017-2018 Season Thread

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Turnaround, Aug 23, 2017.

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  1. Turnaround

    Turnaround Senior Member Thread Starter

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    For the upcoming 43rd season of Saturday Night Live, executive producer Lorne Michaels says they will likely continue broadcasting the show live coast-to-coast, which the show did for the last four episodes of the prior season.

    At the end of the prior season, it was announced that Vanessa Bayer, Bobby Moynihan, and Sasheer Zamata were leaving the show.

    Hollywood Reporter: 'Awards Chatter' Podcast — Lorne Michaels ('Saturday Night Live')
    'Awards Chatter' Podcast — Lorne Michaels ('Saturday Night Live')

    Saturday Night Live had so much success airing the final four episodes of its past season live coast-to-coast — something that the iconic NBC variety show never had done before in its 42-year history — that it may continue the practice when its new season begins this fall. There were "two significant reasons" for the experiment, the show's legendary creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels tells The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast as part of a wide-ranging interview, his first in a year. Speaking from his cozy 30 Rock office, with its window looking down onto fabled Studio 8H, from which SNL has always emanated (and where Tina Fey and the SNL band were rehearsing for a summer edition of Weekend Update), Michaels explains, "One was [NBC entertainment chief] Bob Greenblatt wanted it, and the other was that social media was so [focused] on the show that if you were following Twitter you were hearing about it before you could see it."

    Now the experiment, which initially caused Michaels "standards fears" (due to airing in primetime in some markets that might not be receptive to its cutting-edge humor), may become permanent. "Yeah, I think it is," he says, noting that the shift worked for the ratings. "We had the same number that we'd had when we were doing the Palin-McCain-Obama thing." In fact, the May 20 finale, hosted by Dwayne Johnson, capped off a banner season — the show's most-watched in 23 years — with an impressive 8.3 million viewers. An SNL-record 22 Emmy nominations followed, tying the series with HBO's Westworld for the most of any program this year.
     
  2. ailgin

    ailgin Forum Resident

    First Jay Pharaoh and Taran Killam, now Bobby Moynihan and Vanessa Bayer. I wouldn't mind if they were replaced with people who are good, but SNL seems to be moving in the direction of "meh." I started watching it regularly about 5 years ago, but it's been pretty inconsistent for a couple years at least. I think they really need some fresh blood in the writing department.
     
  3. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Sketch comedy is the toughest to write and produce. Much tougher than sitcoms or movies. You need 30 or so ideas every week. The funny depends on the performers finding a hook in the writing which is tough on a good day.

    If you expect any type of consistency from a sketch comedy show, you're watching the wring stuff. It's "throw stuff to the wall and see what sticks" type of writing.

    Mad TV or even the romantically overrated Chappelle Show had to fold due to stresses of quality standards. The fact SNL endured all this time is remarkable, even more so that they've pulled in their highest rated season in the past 23 years when people are canceling their cable subscriptions left & right to instead stream Netflix (SNL isn't on Netflix).

    I'd say 99% of people are way too hard on the show. Its comedy isn't the type I enjoy but the sheer mechanics of sketch comedy are much too demanding for anybody to scoff at so quickly, IMHO.
     
  4. Matthew Tate

    Matthew Tate Forum Resident

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    Richmond, Virginia
    hosts announced yet? new cast members?
     
  5. Matthew Tate

    Matthew Tate Forum Resident

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    Richmond, Virginia

    I've been watching for about 25 years. right around 2006 or 2007 as cast members left it seems they started getting replaced "meh" people.
     
  6. OldSoul

    OldSoul Don't you hear the wind blowin'?

    Location:
    NYC
    Hmm Should be just about time for that, if they're starting in September. We'll probably hear within a week.

    Edit: Shows how effective Weekemd Update: Summer Edition is as a placeholder, because this is probably the first August since I've been watching the show that I haven't impatiently been waiting for news on the new season.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2017
  7. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    I agree that the writers at SNL have a tough task, which is why they need at least a few pieces of top-notch talent in the cast. In my opinion, that is what's missing. Hopefully they will bring some good talent in this year.

    Leslie Jones and those two stiffs who do Weekend Update need to be shown the door. No comedic instincts at all and they can't even read a que card at times.
     
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  8. JoeD

    JoeD Forum Resident

    Chappelle's Show overrated....ROFL. Any of the Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories skits are better than any SNL skit from the last 25 years. And with Chappelle's Show, the viewer doesn't have to put up with cast members staring at cue cards like zombies reading unfunny lines.
     
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  9. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

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    Try fully reading every word of my post, understanding the meaning of those words, and *then* commenting on that.

    You clearly did not.
     
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  10. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
    There's a "get off my lawn" attitude on this forum re: SNL. Clearly what they are doing is working as the ratings speak for themselves. The show evolves and changes with the times and the revolving cast members but retains the structure from the 70's which is the only thing that's the same about this show. If people hate it almost EVERY week, why watch it? Of course there are episodes that fall flat but if it is falling flat practically every week for someone I am not sure why people tune into it rant about it?
    I watched the Simpsons (another legacy show) the first 15 seasons or so and had to bail at a certain point as most of the episodes were not good anymore to me. I don't watch weekly to complain about it. I just don't watch it and would rather know nothing about it. And if people are not watching and complaining about it, I don't get that either. I'm not pointing my finger at one particular person, it is just a general observation. I wouldn't hop into a Simpson's Season whatever thread to complain about every episode if I don't like the current state of the show.
     
  11. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    I want SNL to be good. Turning it on is just a habit and there is usually at least one bit that I find funny. I just wish there was more consistency and better talent in the cast.

    Much like albums sales, increased viewership does not mean that you are doing quality work. Bashing a certain someone has become a cottage industry and SNL, along with the TERRIBLE Colbert, have reaped the benefits.

    Satire should have wit. I think in their zeal to critique they rely too heavily on crass insults. When they DO hit one out of the park (Melissa McCarrthy's latest character) they milk to death and it becomes stale and predictable and once they get to that point they rely on absurdity instead of finding a clever twist.
     
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  12. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

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    Fort Worth, TX
    This happens too often. For the guests, I understand. But regular cast members should be embarrassed by doing this. Yet, it is routine.
     
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  13. MikaelaArsenault

    MikaelaArsenault Forum Resident

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    New Hampshire
    Is Kenan still staying on?
     
  14. Turnaround

    Turnaround Senior Member Thread Starter

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    After pitching ideas to the new host on Monday, SNL writers mainly write their sketches on Tuesday night through Wednesday morning. On Wednesday, they present 40 sketches, which get whittled down over the next couple days to the ones that air. They are constantly rewriting and bumping off sketches, so there is no way cast members can memorize lines. Lorne Michaels does not let the cast improvise while live on air. They are forced to read cue cards. As for why they always look offscreen during sketches, Aidy Bryant talks about why starting around 23:00 of this Nerdist podcast.



    SNL's thing is that they put together the whole show in less than a week. It's a high wire act with many spectacular falls as part of the game. They even rotate hosts every week, so it's constantly unstable. You can't compare it to a sketch comedy show that gets one year to create and film sketches, then distills that work down to 10 half-hour episodes for the entire year.

    Some seasons of SNL the cast is very good, but the writers are not so good. Other seasons, the writers are very good, but the cast is not so good. The best seasons are those where the cast and writers are both very good, and magic hits often during the season.

    I like SNL, but rarely watch it live these days. I usually catch up on what the Internet is buzzing about on Sunday or Monday (including in these forum threads), then check out those moments from the show.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2017
  15. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

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    CT
    Yes, he's still on.
     
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  16. MikaelaArsenault

    MikaelaArsenault Forum Resident

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    New Hampshire
    :edthumbs:
     
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  17. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

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    Fort Worth, TX
    I am aware that they have a Herculean task each week. Maybe it is just me, but the last couple of seasons I have really noticed the eye movements of the cast going between the cue cards and the other actors. I have seen the guest hosts do it forever, but it seems like it has been more noticeable among the cast as of late.

    I like Aidy. She is one of the better cadt members.
     
  18. OldSoul

    OldSoul Don't you hear the wind blowin'?

    Location:
    NYC
    9/30: Ryan Gosling and Jay-Z.
     
  19. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    They change things radically for each sketch, sometimes mere seconds before the cast goes on, hence the cue cards.
     
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  20. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

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    Fort Worth, TX
    Aidy said they are told to keep their eyes on the cue card and not dart back and forth between the cards and the other actors. She said it is counter-intuitive, but that is what they're supposed to do. I guess they place the cards where it appears on camera that you are looking at your castmates while actually reading the card.

    Like I said earlier, I have noticed the guest hosts dart their eyes back and forth forever. It seems, to me at least, that the cast members have gotten bad at this over the last couple of years. Leslie Jones is the worst "darting eye" offender.

    Or maybe the cue card holders are missing their spots.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2017
  21. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    I am glad he is coming back. He's funny and easily one of the most likable guys ever. He's been there over a decade, right?
     
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  22. MikaelaArsenault

    MikaelaArsenault Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire
    Yes.
     
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  23. MikaelaArsenault

    MikaelaArsenault Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire
    MMMMM... Ryan!!!!!:love:
     
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  24. Marry a Carrot

    Marry a Carrot Interesting blues gets a convincing reading.

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    And...

    10/7: Gal Gadot / Sam Smith

    10/14: Kumail Nanjiani / P!nk
     
  25. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    She has the most infectious smile I have ever seen. There is an outtake from WW where she looks right at the camera and gives this big smile and it's just amazing. She is quite the looker.
    [​IMG]
     
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