Saturday Night Live (SNL) 2018-2019 44th Season Thread

It was a bad premise (the reason why it looked like a bad early 90s sitcom starring a second-string comedian is that it was meant to, right down to the "Mulaney is filmed before a live audience" opening voiceover) indifferently executed.

 

Most likely it's due to Spring Break when their main demographic, college kids? are not going to be watching. Just a guess though.

 

Pete Davidson needs the time to blow up his relationship with Kate Beckinsale so he has something to talk about on Weekend Update.

D.D.

 

I get the feeling that in his younger days he wasn't comfortable in front of a camera -- unless he was doing stand-up.

I still don't think he's that great of a "performer". He's just very good at recognizing what fits his style and what doesn't.

Nonetheless, there were plenty of opportunities for him to do a spot on Weekend Update before he left the show....and yet it rarely happened.

 

I won't miss Fallon's inability to adjust the intensity of what he laughs at. He laughs with the same intensity whether it's a mild gaff or an outrageously hilarious anecdote interviewing a guest .

I'm yelling..."Hey Fallon! That wasn't THAT funny! Not every joke or incident told by a guest is the same level of hilarity! You need a laugh meter to help you?!"

Carson and Letterman projected confidence with what comes across as a trained master of ceremonies professional. Letterman used that persona to contrast brilliantly against his snarky and backhanded jabs when interviewing celebrities.

Carson comes across as a dapper and kind "Rat Pack" showbiz insider with midwest charm while using his vulnerable boyish fixed gaze at the audience to deflect bad jokes and suggest he's just a regular guy on the street respectfully interviewing Hollywood royalty. Carson was the best at flirting with the audience without making it obvious.

 

Funny - I remember in the early years of "Late Night", Letterman received lots of criticism for his weaknesses as an interviewer!

The show got lots of praise otherwise but Dave's interviewing skills were viewed as a weak link.

Obviously he got better!

 

Does anyone here think the lack of "diversity" accusations and the fix that seems to be reflected in the new cast as an indicator to why it's not as funny comes across as a deliberate message from Lorne Michaels that a funny cast is funny not because it's an ensemble that reflects a diverse society? Funny is funny. That's it.

I mean Pete Davidson's mentioning his bipolar condition during his Weekend Update bits is funny and relevant how so? I think he's funny without mentioning this, but it almost comes across forced as if it's a PSA to the audience to prove how diverse the cast is.

SNL has two new women cast members one of which is an African American I have yet to find funny enough to laugh at and yet they stay on next season with the same level of not funny. I often change the channel when they show up as the main performers in a sketch.

 

Sounds like a "you" problem.

 

How is relaying an observation a "you" problem?

Do you ever examine and compare certain improbabilities against the pattern of randomness of life in general? Or do you just let it all pass by you without question?

 

Pete Davidson is almost like a coffee runner who for some reason gets a few minutes on each week's show. Certainly sorry for whatever issues he has in his personal life, but he usually just is not funny.

The appeal of Leslie Jones eludes me. They are WAY overusing her, IMO. Rarely funny.

Ego Nwodim seems like she has real possibility. Why she isn't used more as they run Leslie Jones out there again and again, I have no idea.

Kenan Thompson is used all the time but is very funny with sensational timing. His issue is that the material is often so bad there isn't much he can do with it. Similar challenge for Kate Mckinnon. She is clearly talented, but most of the writing around skits she appears in would make South Park look very mature.

 

Some say it's the Baltimore P.D. etc.

 

I see Pete Davidson as the impetuous, undisciplined youngster of the bunch similar to Fallon and Adam Sandler back in the day like Sandlers's Opera Man as an example which comes across as a kid badly imitating an opera singer in front of a mirror. But I feel Davidson is much more subtle and sophisticated in his comedy than Sandler. I like Pete's "uKAY" stoner/slacker teenager character where less is more in his responses to fantasy situations like the "Scream" styled masked slasher killer in the Mulaney host episode.

Agree with your points on Lesley Jones whose characters to me mostly come across as the stereotype street wise, dominant African American female similar to characters on '70's What's Happening sitcom and Madea movies. It's a characterization done too many times going back that far. But what material could be written for Leslie that went against that stereotype and still remain funny?

 

Pete’s a goofball so he gets a laugh for just being that, my teenage son loves him maybe he will grow from the one dimensional character, not sure about Ms Jones though. Kenan is a star same with Kate. Mikey and Beck are awesome and overall I like the current ensemble and look forward to every Saturday to see what it brings.

 

Yeah, and then he got worse again. He seemed mostly disinterested the last few years.

 

Couldn't agree more. I wish they'd start giving some of Leslie's parts to Ego.

 

Are they actually a couple??

 

I think Leslie is terrible. I can’t believe she still has this gig. She must have a lot of fans and Lorne must really like her.
I think Keenan is a gifted performer and always is really present and having fun with whatever he’s doing no matter how bad the material is. It’s going to be hard to imagine the show without him.

 

as i remember.. they are budgeted to do a certain number of shows a year... so it's like 12 shows or 16 shows in total.. so they spread them out trying not to do more than 2 in a row knowing that the last one is in april or may.

 

they do 21 shows a year

 

Historically (except for season 1, and maybe 2), there were only 19 or 20 per season. The year after the '08 writer's strike, they bumped up to 22, and it's been 21 or 22 ever since.

 

Yes. Second sign of the coming apocalypse.

Pete Davidson Breaks Silence on Kate Beckinsale Relationship on SNL


D.D.

 

Well he must have something goin on that I can’t see (other than looking like death warmed over) cause she’s whip smart and funny as hell.

 

Wait, what? Could you provide a link showing Kate being funny as hell? Or were you being facetious?

 

I stopped watching Letterman after about 1999 or 2000.

Not because of disinterest/dislike, but once I started reviewing DVDs, that took up all my TV time!

I stopped watching all non-disc-based TV after... 2001? "Simpsons" was the last to go!