Saturday Night Live

[HelloAngel]

OK - I realize I might be one of the few who still watches this show, but I'm getting so irate at the writing crew anymore. What the hell is wrong with these people? They had the hilarious Jason Bateman on last night - and what was the first (and generally presumed to be strongest) skit? "Monkeys Throwing Poop At Celebrities" a "game show."

It almost makes you miss the druggie years - when the skits were actually creative. (I wonder why.)

I've had issues with Tina Fey ever since Mean Girls which I felt was horribly overrated. In her speech to the crowd in the gymnasium at the end, you can just hear her trying to speak to all women about how to treat each other - jesus, I felt I was watching an after school special.

And now, Tina's in development for a show in which she stars as - get this - a hit comedy show writer.

So this is basically a thread to bitch and throw poop at SNL and mourn its creative past.

 

[U2Girl1978]

There are very few sketches that are funny anymore. It's gotten dull and repetitive really. I only watched it when U2 was on there..hehe

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

I turned SNL off after the first skit last night. I was disappointed.

 

[tiny dancer]

How much longer can this show last with show last? I stopped watching it in the last 2 years.

 

[BAW]

I've been watching SNL since 1975 and today's version does indeed deserve to be hit with poop. It IS poop! I only watch it when there is a musical guest I want to see and its torture to watch the skits in between.

 

[U2Girl1978]

I've heard that they plan on keeping this show on for quite awhile. They need better writers.

 

[Bbug]

Last night I got so caught up in a rerun of CSI that I've already seen a billion times, that I forgot to watch. How embarrassing. I only saw part of one sketch: "Gays in Space." It was sort of funny-- I can see where it could have been really good, but it was much too long and rambly.
I think that at this stage the performers are so in love with themselves that the skits suffer. They're always cracking up at their own jokes, and everything goes on for far too long. They need to tighten up the writing and stop with the stunt hosts. Jason Bateman was probably great, but Colin Farrell was awful, and Paris Hilton and the Lacheys are no-talent hacks.

 

[XHendrix24]

SNL really started losing it's edge for me when Will Ferrell left. His Bush impersonations were the highlight of the show for me most of the time. After Ferrell left, I really lost most of the incentive to watch.

The most talented cast member I think is on there nowadays is probably Darrell Hammond, which is kind of sad. I mean, he's a funny guy and does great impersonations, but he was never the highlight of the show. And the fact that he's one of the highlights now just shows how low the show has gotten in the past few years.

 

[fah]

I've been watching SNL since 1975 and today's version does indeed deserve to be hit with poop. It IS poop! I only watch it when there is a musical guest I want to see and its torture to watch the skits in between.

 

[deep]

they have been
outfoxed
by madtv

 

[U2Girl1978]

I like the guy that does the John Madden impersonations on MadTV..heh

 

[caisenma]

once ferrell left, it was over.

 

[ILuvLarryMullen]

I still like the show, though it is not as good as it used to be. The guy who does the bush impressions sucks at it so bad though . I still love weekend update though.

 

[indra]

I'm usually up so late I get to see the reruns of "classic SNL" shows. Now those are worth watching!

 

[ABEL]

i miss the old saturday night live

i hardly ever watch it any more. i did watch it when U2 was on, of course, but i was dissapointed in all the crap i had to sit through to get to U2

 

[Pearl]

I only watch it for the opening skit, Weekend Update and if there's anyone good performing.

But yeah, it has lost its creativity. I wish they could have Maya Rudolph play Donatella Versace again, that was always a highlight

 

[Mucca]

I only started watching SNL last year but I've noticed the skits aren't as entertaining anymore. I started watching a tape of the OC after 10 min and when I went back to SNL I ended up falling asleep...

I really liked Jimmy Fallon but after he left everything has really gone down hill for me.

 

[maro_chik]

The rare times that I do watch, I only really watch for Weekend Update. And even that has been getting pretty weak.

I'm not a big fan of the cast lately either.

I'm a Tina Fey fan though, so if she leaves the show will probably crap out. (moreso)

 

[isabelle_guns]

SNl seems to go in coasters, good one season, crap the next

 

[Carek1230]

It's back on tonite, peeps!! First episode after the end of the writers strike and the show is being hosted by TINA FEY!!!!!! They should have TONS of new material too so don't miss it tonite if you are a SNL fan!!!

 

[one4u2]

SNL hasn't been good IMO since the 80s....Miss the old, old casts..

 

[VintagePunk]

It's back on tonite, peeps!! First episode after the end of the writers strike and the show is being hosted by TINA FEY!!!!!! They should have TONS of new material too so don't miss it tonite if you are a SNL fan!!!

(That was for Tina Fey, not for the show.)


I have a theory about the suckiness of SNL. It seems that there is too rapid of a cast turnover, these days. Every time an era's cast seems to finally start to gel and the show gets good, people leave and are replaced by new people, and the show starts to suck again. I've watched this cycle repeat since the late '70's.

Like someone said earlier, I only tune in these days if there's a good host or musical guest I want to see, but the few times I have tuned in in recent years, I've noticed that the cast is HUGE. I think this does a disservice to the show, as sketch characters are spread out amongst way too many people, so it's less likely that individuals will develop comedically, and get a chance to shine. :theory:

 

[Lila64]

I think Carrie Underwood is the musical guest. I'll probably tune in for Tina

 

[Carek1230]

I love Tina Fey!

 

[maro_chik]

I'll be tuning in tonight. Only because Tina Fey is hosting. I haven't watched a full episode since she left.

 

[namkcuR]

There are only two SNL casts that are worth watching:

1.The original cast in the 70s, with Chevy Chase(for a year), Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtain, etc.

2.The cast of the late 80s and early 90s that basically had an entire generation's worth of brilliant comics in one cast: Chris Farley, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Phil Hartman, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin Nealon, etc.

Both of these casts were fucking mind-numbingly brilliant.

There are other periods here and there - Eddy Murphy in th early 80s, Will Ferrall/Norm McDonald/Chris Kattan/Cheri Oteri/Molly Shannon/Ana Gastayer in the late 90s - that put out some good stuff from time to time, but only the previously mentioned two casts put out truly great material on a consistant basis.

 

[No spoken words]

The 80's cast that had just Carvey, Hooks, Hartman, Lovitz, Nealon, Jackson, Dunn and Dennis Miller was phenomenal. Eventually Myers became a featured player and blended in nicely. This was a group that wrote well, and all had great improv backgrounds, and it showed. So, yeah, they were worth watching long before Sandler or Farley arrived as the show transitioned away from strong improv actors and into stand-up comedians.

 

[namkcuR]

The 80's cast that had just Carvey, Hooks, Hartman, Lovitz, Nealon, Jackson, Dunn and Dennis Miller was phenomenal. Eventually Myers became a featured player and blended in nicely. This was a group that wrote well, and all had great improv backgrounds, and it showed. So, yeah, they were worth watching long before Sandler or Farley arrived as the show transitioned away from strong improv actors and into stand-up comedians.

Are you calling Farley a stand-up comedian? 'Cause he wasn't. His specialty was physical comedy.

 

[No spoken words]

Are you calling Farley a stand-up comedian? 'Cause he wasn't. His specialty was physical comedy.

I know about Farley, thanks. He trained here in Chicago and had an improv background, he was discovered by Michaels while a part of Second City.

But Sandler, McDonald, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock etc, all came from stand-up.

 

[LMP]

The 80's cast that had just Carvey, Hooks, Hartman, Lovitz, Nealon, Jackson, Dunn and Dennis Miller was phenomenal. Eventually Myers became a featured player and blended in nicely. This was a group that wrote well, and all had great improv backgrounds, and it showed. So, yeah, they were worth watching long before Sandler or Farley arrived as the show transitioned away from strong improv actors and into stand-up comedians.

I loved that cast, but my other favorite cast that's never mentioned (from the '84-'85 season):

Martin Short, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, Billy Crystal, Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Two of the best skits ever came from that group: Jackie Roger's 100,000 Jackpot Wad and the Synchronized Swimming bit. Oh man.

I love SNL.