After suffering through more than three hours of “Saturday Night Live” unfunnyness on Sunday night, I’ve come to the sad realization that “SNL” was never that funny.
I grew up with Saturday Night Live and it was always hit and miss. Moments of comedic brilliance and moments where the sketch just ended and you were left scratching your head.
Lately, they have gone all-in on a super progressive, woke agenda, where they pick on Jews and Trump voters.
I stopped watching since the disgusting sketch parodying Elise Stefanik's lambasting Harvard's now-disgraced, yet still-employed, DEI hire, Claudine Gay. The sketch focused on making fun of representative Stefanik, rather than the totally obvious comedy gold of poking fun at Gay's inability to answer a simple question.
Lorne Michaels has become the Joe Biden of late night comedy.
The late Norm MacDonald, one of the truly funny comedians who appeared on SNL regularly (and who, of course, was fired) quit joking about politics in the latter stages of his career. He considered making jokes about contemporary politics in order to cater to an audience as a sign of intellectual laziness. That pretty well sums up SNL.
You are 100% correct. I don't know why you would spend 3 hours watching SNL, I stopped watching it 40 years ago, never to return. I had no desire to watch this one. Late night shows I stopped watching them after Ferguson, Letterman and Leno retired, the new ones not funny or even interesting, just plain political hatred, quite disgusting and insulting really. Of course Carson was always classy and great, the best Late Night Show host of all time. Most stand ups these days are not funny, just spouting swear words and crass vulgarities, potty humor is not funny, unless your are 12 years old. Seinfeld still the old style comedian, witty observational humor, not political, no vulgar potty or graphic sexual jokes, no swear words, no cheap props, just great intellectual humor.
SNL was written for an audience that was getting high and in college. I know ( and I remember) this because I was in my first year of college when it came out. It was funny, but not the same "funny" we were used to. Watching SNL was kind of like watching Monty Python or Cheech and Chong. You had to have smoked some terrible weed to watch it.
SNL was post-Watergate, and Nixon and we were the counter-culture post-hippie pre-yuppie generation.
You are right. In the first year or two, the show caught on because it was different and mostly made fun of the prevailing culture of the times. It got old pretty quickly as the stars flamed out. There was never clever, good writing because you don't need to when you write for a show to entertain high people.
I think the original cast was very funny and I'm disappointed that because SNL is so terrible now, people are revising their view of the shows entire history to proclaim it was never funny.
Thr orig SNL had it's moments, Da. Ackroyd as Julia Child, Gilda as Rosa Rosanna Danna and later, Dana Carvy as the Church Lady, but it was always hit and miss. I never thought the Cone Heads were funny. I but did enjoy the impression of the ClarenceThomas hearings when the audacity of Senators from both parties was pooned.
I am amazed that you could watch 3 hours of the crap that was on. I lasted for less than a half hour. That was too much time spent on shitty music and terrible comedy. Miley Cyrus wasn't bad after that it just got worse. I switched channels.
I agree with you as of now. Both SNL and most late night comedy is tedious and unfunny. SNL's version of humor (beyond political unfunniness) is to parody Robert DeNiro and then have the real one show up. HOWEVER, the original show in the 70's was brilliant and sharp and regularly hillarious.
I don't think that it is just us aging. Late-night talk shows have become angry attacks on anybody they don't like - mainly anyone not a socialist. I only watch for a minute or two now which is about how long it takes me to realize what I'm watching! I think Mr D left out some good people from earlier SNL. Chris Farley. Phil Hartman. And some others. But the left-wing slant is really disappointing.
I agree 100, SNL has lost it. SNL became extremely political and vicious. We use to look forward to SNL , now we don’t even DVR it for the last 4 or 5 yrs. Sad.
I quit SNL about the time of Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell. I thought they were horrible. I believe I only watched 2 episodes since. One Daniel Craig hosted (I like him but it was total cringe) and the last was when Donald Trump hosted.
SNL is just like The View…they’re hardcore, brain dead leftists and have lost their base…and they refuse to face themselves for it💀
This is a great comparison!
I grew up with Saturday Night Live and it was always hit and miss. Moments of comedic brilliance and moments where the sketch just ended and you were left scratching your head.
Lately, they have gone all-in on a super progressive, woke agenda, where they pick on Jews and Trump voters.
I stopped watching since the disgusting sketch parodying Elise Stefanik's lambasting Harvard's now-disgraced, yet still-employed, DEI hire, Claudine Gay. The sketch focused on making fun of representative Stefanik, rather than the totally obvious comedy gold of poking fun at Gay's inability to answer a simple question.
Lorne Michaels has become the Joe Biden of late night comedy.
I would add, wishing the skit had ended at the 1 minute mark! Far too often the milk a dry cow!
It became increasingly cruel, sarcastic and political. You are right!
The late Norm MacDonald, one of the truly funny comedians who appeared on SNL regularly (and who, of course, was fired) quit joking about politics in the latter stages of his career. He considered making jokes about contemporary politics in order to cater to an audience as a sign of intellectual laziness. That pretty well sums up SNL.
You are 100% correct. I don't know why you would spend 3 hours watching SNL, I stopped watching it 40 years ago, never to return. I had no desire to watch this one. Late night shows I stopped watching them after Ferguson, Letterman and Leno retired, the new ones not funny or even interesting, just plain political hatred, quite disgusting and insulting really. Of course Carson was always classy and great, the best Late Night Show host of all time. Most stand ups these days are not funny, just spouting swear words and crass vulgarities, potty humor is not funny, unless your are 12 years old. Seinfeld still the old style comedian, witty observational humor, not political, no vulgar potty or graphic sexual jokes, no swear words, no cheap props, just great intellectual humor.
Yes. Carson was a great show & never bitter. They are all bitter today.
SNL was written for an audience that was getting high and in college. I know ( and I remember) this because I was in my first year of college when it came out. It was funny, but not the same "funny" we were used to. Watching SNL was kind of like watching Monty Python or Cheech and Chong. You had to have smoked some terrible weed to watch it.
SNL was post-Watergate, and Nixon and we were the counter-culture post-hippie pre-yuppie generation.
You are right. In the first year or two, the show caught on because it was different and mostly made fun of the prevailing culture of the times. It got old pretty quickly as the stars flamed out. There was never clever, good writing because you don't need to when you write for a show to entertain high people.
I think the original cast was very funny and I'm disappointed that because SNL is so terrible now, people are revising their view of the shows entire history to proclaim it was never funny.
Thr orig SNL had it's moments, Da. Ackroyd as Julia Child, Gilda as Rosa Rosanna Danna and later, Dana Carvy as the Church Lady, but it was always hit and miss. I never thought the Cone Heads were funny. I but did enjoy the impression of the ClarenceThomas hearings when the audacity of Senators from both parties was pooned.
I am amazed that you could watch 3 hours of the crap that was on. I lasted for less than a half hour. That was too much time spent on shitty music and terrible comedy. Miley Cyrus wasn't bad after that it just got worse. I switched channels.
I agree with you as of now. Both SNL and most late night comedy is tedious and unfunny. SNL's version of humor (beyond political unfunniness) is to parody Robert DeNiro and then have the real one show up. HOWEVER, the original show in the 70's was brilliant and sharp and regularly hillarious.
❤️ Joan Rivers❤️
And don’t forget the standup comedians at the Borscht Belt venues—they were always funny!
Great article. I just recently came across Groucho Marx playing "You Bet Your Life" and was surprised and loving all that great improvisation.
I don't think that it is just us aging. Late-night talk shows have become angry attacks on anybody they don't like - mainly anyone not a socialist. I only watch for a minute or two now which is about how long it takes me to realize what I'm watching! I think Mr D left out some good people from earlier SNL. Chris Farley. Phil Hartman. And some others. But the left-wing slant is really disappointing.
Phil for sure.
Your expectations are set too high! Consider the SNL target audience: masses of common folks whose brows aren’t set as lofty as yours.
Not true.
I agree 100, SNL has lost it. SNL became extremely political and vicious. We use to look forward to SNL , now we don’t even DVR it for the last 4 or 5 yrs. Sad.
Probably the best moment of SNL was the first show after 9/11 when Mayor Rudy G. did the open.
Lorne Michael's stepped up to Rudy and asked him, "Can we be funny now". Rudy shot back "Why start now?"
I quit SNL about the time of Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell. I thought they were horrible. I believe I only watched 2 episodes since. One Daniel Craig hosted (I like him but it was total cringe) and the last was when Donald Trump hosted.
I absolutely agree!
Jackie Mason
Mel Brooks
Rodney Dangerfield
…and so many more “old timers”