Nah.. they lost me WAY before that.. I’m not that simple man. It could be hit and miss sometimes, but in general several years of low mediocre skits. I generally like most anything Kennan does and McKennon was terrific. The music has been unbearable with very occasional exceptions, but then that’s what is out now.
Yeah, why base programming decisions on the ratings? They should decide which shows to cancel based on the opinion of some random old guy.
I’m not familiar with any of the new cast members. I do find it odd they are all stand-ups and none really have any sketch comedy background.
As much as I've been disappointed in the results of the process of making a weekly sketch show these past few years, I have to give SNL some slack here. Every season they face an indifferent audience who only knows what they've laughed at before. These same people will either laugh at the same thing because they've been trained to expect it, or resent that they are being expected to laugh at the same thing they already did. They have no patience for unfamiliar faces, they have no allegiance to unfamiliar (to them) unfamiliar musical guests representing "the best the music world has to offer right now", and the older the audience gets, they have no patience for an unfamiliar host having to work in a career reference in the opening monologue, to assure them they have a reason to be there - while trying to convince an indifferent audience that they are big enough to be there. Lorne is the glue that keeps the show together, and nobody really sees him at his job, year-after-year. The writers walk a fine line between making revolutionary entertainment, while not making network suits who work right upstairs, uncomfortable. The show is so old, they've become obsessed with their own self-image, and see it as something they have to rub in the audience's face every week. And let's face it...comedy for a nationwide audience this polarized and coming from so many age groups and demographics...is hard enough already. Yet every creative decision they make just to crank out 90 minutes of freshness on a regular basis, now has to contend with the whole of social media, second-guessing every choice they make...when it's not the critics whose jobs are at stake. It's like politics: half the world is in fear of a virtual spectre of "Comic Book Guy" making fun of something that's supposed to be fun all on its' own. As for me, I'm looking forward to October...besides already knowing, it's always my biggest hate-watch of the week.
Chris Redd is also leaving… has he really only been there for five years? SNL: Chris Redd Leaving After 5 Seasons in Latest Cast Exit
First three shows announced: 10/1: Miles Teller / Kendrick Lamar 10/8: Brendan Gleeson / Willow 10/15: Megan Thee Stallion (host & musical guest)
Chris Redd. Out of all the cast member exits, this one hurts the most. He improved year after year and became one of my favorites over the last decade. And he could do crazy eyes like no one's business.
They could get past all this just by focusing on the writing and the performing, instead of the regurgitating and the recognition factor. I don't need to see an old cast member to know what character he's supposed to represent. I need a performer who can pull off the material he's given. I will never forget the first time I became aware of Fred Armisen, playing a bird on the back of a sofa, getting between two people on a first date. Sadly, not everybody gets that sort of eye-opening breakthrough opportunity.
I saw a recent clip of Colbert and the crowd was masking mandatory. I was curious if SNL crowds will be the same thing as I think it affects their reactions. SNL link has a vax requirement but nothing about masks. Meyers and Fallon in the same building say no mask or vax requirement. https://www.nbc.com/tickets/pages/tickets-and-nbc-studio-tour#snl
New York Times interview with Lorne Michaels. Excerpts below, where they discuss this upcoming year being a "reinvention" year, and Michaels says he has no plans to retire. Michaels also mentions doing an episode of "Fly on the Wall," Dana Carvey and David's SNL podcast (no idea when that episode comes out). Lorne Michaels Discusses the ‘Year of Reinvention’ Coming to ‘S.N.L.’ Lorne Michaels Discusses the ‘Year of Reinvention’ Coming to ‘S.N.L.’ Going by your history at “S.N.L.,” is there also potential peril in these moments of reinvention? Rebirth, that period, it’s painful. I’ve lived through it five or six times. Most people haven’t lived through it more than once or twice. But it’s always bumpy. I did Dana Carvey and David Spade’s podcast while I was out in L.A. for the Emmys, and it was one of the first times I’d really gone through [that era of “S.N.L.”] with Dana and David and was able to go, Oh right, this was a remarkable period and a great deal of it holds up. But that period started in ’85, fresh out of the gate with a new cast, and ’86 added Dana and Phil [Hartman] and Jan [Hooks], with the best of the ’85 cast. Then there was a change in administration at the network, ’94, ’95. They didn’t like the choices and so there was pressure there. But then look where we were by ’97, ’98. That’s what we’re going through. When you hit a milestone like that, do you think of it as an opportunity to tip your hat and say goodbye? I have no plans to retire. I’m not a big person for celebrating. Even the 40th [anniversary show], in the end, the only way I got through it was because I knew I was doing a show, and at a certain point, the credits would roll and we’d be off the air. The 50th will be a big event. We’ll bring everyone back from all 50 years and hosts and all of that. It will be a very emotional and very strong thing. There won’t be as many plus-ones, I can tell you that much.
The ABC shows (Kelly & Ryan, the View) and CBS Paramount shows (Colbert, Trevor Noah) in New York City still require vaccination and masks for attendees. I think NBC Universal only dropped its vaccine and masks requirement for attendees at show tapings this past week. Broadway shows and music venues around New York City pretty much do not require vaccines or masks anymore. Different companies set different policies. Behind the scenes, they also need to deal with their trade organizations and unions. Some of the unions had been pushing for strong safety rules during the pandemic (e.g., some backstage crew member gets sick, he could be out and lose money). You could have up to a dozen different unions behind the entire cast and crew that works on a show. For the subways, the New York state governor only recently lifted the mask requirement, even though the New York City mayor already lifted mask mandates around the rest of the city. (Not that the subway mask rule was ever really enforced - probably half of riders and even most cops you'd see in the subways were already not wearing masks in the past few months, when it was still technically the law.) The subway system in New York City is mostly controlled by the NY state governor, not the city's mayor: the whole transit system covers suburban counties outside New York City, plus neighboring states New Jersey and Connecticut, so the transit system is governed by a bunch of people from all these different jurisdictions. There are just a lot of different hands involved in these decisions around the city.
Aside from SNL '80, the non-Piscopo or Murphy sketches during EbersolSNL, those '85 and '86 seasons were the worst. I'm hopeful this year doesn't fall to those depths. The 80s were probably SNL's weakest decade and I say this as someone watching since '77-'78. People complaining about latter day SNL should help themselves to a heaping helping of the majority of the fall 1980-to spring 1984: Brad Hall, Gary Kroeger, Robin Duke and Tony Rosato (odd since each were fine on SCTV) were just not funny and the writing was godawful in the non Joe or Eddie skits. I'm looking forward to see what rooks bring to the show!
After the past few months, Cecily Strong being M.I.A. from the intro is a weird way to find out she left the show.
Aristotle Athari, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffatt, Kyle Mooney, Chris Redd and Melissa Villaseñor are the cast members announced as leaving over the summer. Hadn’t heard about Mikey Day leaving (or Cecily Strong, for that matter).
The musical guests of the last 5 years have mostly been excellent - among the best in the show’s history.