Saturday Night Live (SNL) 2013-2014 Season thread

Actually, the way she was used this season she probably could.

It might be wise to remain an official cast member until the ratings come in for the pilot of the new sitcom.

 

This past episode was pretty bad. I had higher expectations with Andy hosting.

 

Not to be overly picky but I don't think SNL "looks" good either. Maybe it's my TV set even aesthetically speaking, the show is lacking to me.

 

Perhaps your television set is too old?

I bet the show "looks" hilarious on a new 55-inch Sony Bravia.

 

I stand corrected!

Look, I'm the first guy who will defend SNL in most circumstances. People tend to forget that all eras of the show are inconsistent and had crap episodes and sketches (some more than others, of course), and writing, staging, and rehearsing a live show in 5 days--with changes being made at the last minute--has to be one of the most difficult things to pull off in the entertainment industry. But as I said before, as of late, the show has been all about playing it safe. Number of cast members who stayed 8 or more years before 2000 (25 years of the show's history)? Three. Number of cast members who stayed 8 or more years since then (14 years)? Eleven. Almost every single week, one or more former cast members or hosts makes a cameo, and it's not like these are people surprisingly popping up for the first time in 5 years; Fred Armisen stopped by every other month. Recurring characters have always been a part of the show, for better or worse, but look at Wayne's World, or even one of the most annoying characters in SNL history, the Richmeister. When they brought back those characters, the sketches built off the previous ones. If you watch every Wayne's World sketch in a row, it might lose its charm after a while, but it's not going to feel like the same sketch over and over and over. Now watch every Blizzard Man sketch in a row. Once you get past the sight of Robert DeNiro in drag in one of the installments, you realize how the beats are exactly the same every single time. Kenan plays the producer who has apparently suffered memory loss because he has no recollection of Blizzard Man and his trademark "style." You can't even have him be like, "Oh, not this guy again!"? And while I give the ex-porn stars a bit of a pass because they at least switch up the jokes each time, they need to come up with a new twist for the whole "Did somebody say _____?" bit. [I'd be remiss, though, in not pointing out the most repetitive bit the show has ever done, News for the Hard of Hearing. Hysterical the first time, not so much when they repeated it every week.]

Like everyone else, I do sometimes look at the show nostalgically, but I never want to aimlessly complain about how it hasn't been good since ____. In fact, I thought last season was the strongest one in years (though the first half of 2008-9 was excellent as well). So I hope I'm being at least somewhat constructive in my criticism. If I didn't love the show so much, I wouldn't be bothered to say anything at all, but it means a lot to me.

 

I thought the confident hunchback was pretty good. One of the brighter spots of the episode. I also always get a kick out of the ex-porn stars Brookie and Cecily's never named character. Vanessa in a tight dress alone makes it worth it, imo, but they always have a few good jokes too.

 

Yeah....I mean the audience literally went into hysterics between every syllable Maya muttered as Beyonce. Made me suspicious of audience bribery....I mean, it wasn't that funny.....or am I just "an old fuddy duddy"? I'm 37 years old and clearly too unhip to see the genius at work in this late-night sketch comedy show. If I were in touch with what's hot I'd be rolling around on the floor laughing my....oh wait, I mean I would be ROTFLMAO at every rehash and game show skit that came along.

 

No, it wasn't. I'm a big fan of Maya, but I found it pretty annoying the way the crowd went apeschit every time an old cast member just appeared. I guess they don't have to write anything funny. Just appear and WHAMMO! - it's like girls at a One Direction show.

 

This is why we have "Transformers 6". America likes old familiar stuff.

 

We're only about to get 4, but you'll probably be right eventually.

 

"Looks" hilarious but still mostly unfunny. I don't know, I think I mean the production values. The show looked good during the late '90s up until maybe a few years ago. From stem to stern, the show needs help...

 

Just watched Women of SNL special. Some truly great stuff.

 

I don't mind seeing them return, especially after a truly awful season without them. But then we had to watch the skits. All I can say is that it is painfully obvious the problem is with the writing, not the cast! Agree that the digital skits, while well done, were not at all funny. And while the right host makes a big difference onWeekend Update, if the material is good I can still laugh. It isn't. Nothing about the show is good, imo. Here's hoping for a better reboot next season. I feel really bad for the cast. My assumption is many will be let go when, really, all the writers need to be replaced, not the actors. They never had a chance with that horrendous writing.

 

Ya, I kind of was blaming myself for a while, having that exact thought at 52. But cmon guys, really? The kissing sketch again? It was mildly amusing the first time, horrible each and every time after. If they have to keep recycling such a horrible idea, kind of points to the whole entire issue. The comments I have been reading here make me feel a bit better. I can recognize good music and writing even if I don't personally like it. I just don't see how anyone is laughing at any of that stuff.

 

This was the bright spot for me Saturday. I only caught their second song, but when I saw them I thought, "This could have been a band from the 80's (or whenever really) and I enjoyed them, even though I'd never heard them before.

It made me think that while the rest of the show sucks (is it my age?... no), this band is a reminder of what was good about past seasons.

 

I felt that way about every other musical guest they threw at me this year.

 

The point being, while the rest of the show sucked, the music was the highlight.

 

Worst season finale I can remember in some time. A few bright spots (it wasn't all awful), but I really didn't think this held a candle to Jimmy Fallon or Justin Timberlake's appearances.

 

Well, if you thought it had some bright spots you liked it infinitely better than I did! Other than that, I wholly agree with you. You know, it isn't like they aren't trying. It just feels more like they have an idea for something, but they just don't either have the time, or the experience, to flesh it out. It has to be incredible pressure to do what they do in such a short time, but as we know, they have done it before. My guess is a lack of experience by the writers.

 

Ouch, harsh. I love all that stuff, and miss her like crazy. So does the show

 

I miss her like crazy too. And the show would be better if she were still there.

 

The Target lady credit card breach sketch. Endless laughs.

Add a side of Gilly and no doubt why this current cast gets all the hate.

 

I got the biggest laugh out of the Entourage "Oh Yeah" impression.

 

Next season can only be better. They really should try something new-how many fake talk shows and game shows can they do? And stop dragging back the skits that short of worked once (the ex-p@rn stars bit, etc) and beat every molecule of funny that was once in them into the ground. Are these really the best performers and writers out there these days?

 

I think part of that has to do with the fact that cast members are all too aware that many of them will fall into a black hole career-wise after they leave the show. When is the last time you saw Cheri Oteri in anything?