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YouTubeWas anyone else disappointed (again)? I had hoped this season would be different, but it just wasn't funny; the only bright spot was U2. The writing continues to be pretty lame.
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » TV
Saturday Night Live
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Full Frontal Notary
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Posted 2 years ago # -
sixby9is42
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Anyone expecting a quality episode of SNL every time is not thinking realistically. There will be a few good or great episodes each season, and each bad episode may have a few bright spots. One problem is trying to write 90 minutes of material for each episode.
I thought the best parts were Burnin' Up the Bedsheets and Weekend Update. I think Kenan was one of the best parts of the show, but I think I'm in the minority on that one; most of the comments I read about him say that he's consistently one of the worst parts of the show.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Tigertree
771 N. High St.
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I don't know what impressed you about that U2 performance. Aside from turning into a horrible band, those big arena bands never translate to smaller stages. I thought the same thing when Coldplay did SNL last year, the front man antics just look silly in a room like that.
As for the actual show, what a huge mistake picking her as the season premier host.Posted 2 years ago # -
scottlitch
Southwest Hilltop, Columbus
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sixby9is42 wrote >>
Anyone expecting a quality episode of SNL every time is not thinking realistically. There will be a few good or great episodes each season, and each bad episode may have a few bright spots. One problem is trying to write 90 minutes of material for each episode.
I thought the best parts were Burnin' Up the Bedsheets and Weekend Update. I think Kenan was one of the best parts of the show, but I think I'm in the minority on that one; most of the comments I read about him say that he's consistently one of the worst parts of the show.Kenan cracks me up. I thought he had the funniest skits.
Posted 2 years ago # -
colinpperkins
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I am a huge fan of sketch comedy. And I DVR Saturday Night Live every week, yet I rarely laugh at it - and typically just complain about it. That show has some very unique aura about it where you expect great things every week - in spite of the fact that it never delivers that.
A lot of that expectation, at least for me, has been shaped by years and years of watching best of DVD's and clips of selected sketches form throughout the years and probably reaching the incorrect conclusion that there was ever a time where it was consistently really, really good. I have been going back recently and watching the first season on DVD and it is so sporadic and spotty and weird - yet most people talk about it being this amazing show from day 1. The truth is it's probably always been really hit and miss.
For what it's worth, Kenan has really grown on me. Kristin Wiig, while very naturally talented and funny, is massively overused IMO.
Posted 2 years ago # -
colinpperkins
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Also, this is quite funny. I was pretty pissed that they fired Michaela Watkins - who was extremely funny. Last night, one of the girls replacing her accidently dropped the F-Bomb. Check the video:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/27/snl-premiere-f-bomb-video_n_301081.html
The funniest part is her reaction when she realizes what she just said. Probably bound to happen when you're in a sketch that uses the word "frickin" so many times.
Posted 2 years ago # -
honavery
Arizona
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colinpperkins wrote >>
I am a huge fan of sketch comedy. And I DVR Saturday Night Live every week, yet I rarely laugh at it - and typically just complain about it. That show has some very unique aura about it where you expect great things every week - in spite of the fact that it never delivers that.
A lot of that expectation, at least for me, has been shaped by years and years of watching best of DVD's and clips of selected sketches form throughout the years and probably reaching the incorrect conclusion that there was ever a time where it was consistently really, really good. I have been going back recently and watching the first season on DVD and it is so sporadic and spotty and weird - yet most people talk about it being this amazing show from day 1. The truth is it's probably always been really hit and miss.
For what it's worth, Kenan has really grown on me. Kristin Wiig, while very naturally talented and funny, is massively overused IMO.+1. The show has always been hit or miss. People remember the highs and not the lows. For example when Will Ferrel was new everyone bitched about that cast. Now they've all been replaced, all you hear is how people miss that cast. It's a never ending cycle. I watch SNL every week and have for the last 15 years, and I'm an unabashed fan of the show. Yes there are several bad episodes per year, but people couldn't get enough of the Sarah Palin stuff last year. It's just the nature of the beast IMO.
Totally agree with you on Michela Watkins, I can't believe they got rid of her so soon. Was watching live last night when the new girl dropped the F-bomb. Pretty funny, but I don't think anything will come of it.
As for last nights episode it wasn't great, but it had a few laughs. 2 digital shorts and 3 U2 performances is pushing it though. Megan Fox was actually better than I thought she would be to be honest.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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mpandey wrote >>
John Heder is really funny and talented though. Underutilized in my opinion.I think you mean Bill Hader, right?
If so, I agree.
I also agree with everyone saying that the show has always been hit or miss, so having some sort of high expectations for 90 minutes of solid belly laughs is a bit unrealistic.
Honestly, watching the show the following week on Hulu is really the way to go. That way you can watch the clips that people are talking about and ignore the rest that wouldn't be worth your time.
Personally, I really really wish they would kill Weekend Update. Between The Daily Show and Colbert Report, you've got 4 solid hours of news-comedy throughout the week, both of which are more entertaining (and sometimes more informative) than the one-liner jokes and faux special guest routine of Weekend Update.
I don't often find Keenan to be very funny, but I also don't think he's as awful as some of the recent cast members (I'm looking at you two, Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sans). Honestly, I think Seth Meyers is probably the weakest link from a performance perspective. I'm probably overlooking something, I can't recall a single sketch where he's ever made me laugh. Not sure what influences he has one which specific sketches in his role as head writer, but I guess I am thankful that he at least keeps himself out of the rest of the show.
The high ratio of hits out of the Digital Shorts somewhat makes me wish that the Lonely Island never joined SNL and instead Awesometown became a real show.
Get the Video Player I'd rather watch 30 minutes of that each week than SNL at all.
Posted 2 years ago # -
TaraK
probably at the coffee shop
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Personally, I really really wish they would kill Weekend Update.
Definitely. The only time it has ever been funny was when Amy Poehler did the pregnant Palin rap last fall.
We haven't watched SNL in a long time because it hasn't been funny in a long time. If anything, the humor just seems really, really dated. TV audiences have evolved and so has TV humor, and they just got lost in there somewhere.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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TaraK wrote >>
Personally, I really really wish they would kill Weekend Update.
We haven't watched SNL in a long time because it hasn't been funny in a long time. If anything, the humor just seems really, really dated. TV audiences have evolved and so has TV humor, and they just got lost in there somewhere.Yeah, my favorite TV comedies are the character-driven shows that reward long-time viewers with additional laughs to those who take the time to really get to know their characters (Arrested Development, The Office, etc). Which is pretty much impossible to do with a sketch comedy show format like SNL.
That being said, if there's any one SNL sketch you should see from the past few years... it should be this one:
The Japanese Office:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/20337/saturday-night-live-digital-short-the-japanese-office
Posted 2 years ago # -
ChrisSunami
King-Lincoln District
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I enjoyed it. Maybe I'm just starved for entertainment, but I thought it was a pretty good episode --relative to SNL standards.
I'll add my vote to the Bring Back Michaela camp. I don't like Bobby Moynihan, Abby Elliot is more pretty than funny and the new girl just plain sucked --in addition to not being able to handle live TV. I haven't enjoyed Weekend Update since the Tina Fey/Jimmy Fallon teamup, but I think it could be funny again if they got someone other than Seth to do it.
As far as U2, I think it's amazing that they're still producing new sounds and still hitting the charts. They weren't new back when I first discovered them in the early 90's. Who else from that era is still relevant?
EDIT: And it's true -- Andy Samberg's shorts are keeping the show afloat. Everything funny last season was either a Palin skit or a Digital Short
Posted 2 years ago # -
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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I frequently watch the show but I missed most of it. What I did see was not impressive at all, particularly the airplane sketch.
The only part of the show I consistently enjoy is Weekend Update. It's funny that people think it should go away when it really was the original news spoof, way before the Daily Show et al. I always laugh at Jean K. Jean (Zut da lour!) having learned French, and I love Kristin Wiig as Judy GrimesjustkiddingIreallyhateherjustkidding IjustsaidthatbecauseIkneweverybodyherehatesherjustkidding she'sthebesttravelexpertwhengoingtotheMoonjustkidding LaurenceWelkiswaybetterjustkidding WalkerEvanslivestheresomaybeI'llaskhimjustkidding Walkerismyfriendandheneverliesjustkidding heliedoncebutIwasn'ttherejustkidding we'renotreallyfriendsweworktogetherjustkidding Iworkbymyselfjustkidding Iworkoutbymyselfjustkidding Idon'tworkoutcauseIwaskickedoutofmygymjustkidding itclosedjustkidding
Posted 2 years ago # -
joev
Merion Village
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I end up watching mostly on Hulu. I agree on Bobby Moynihan - not funny - really amateurish, really. I actually liked Casey Wilson, though she was a frequent overactor. I think they should just give the whole show to Jason Sudeikis and Kristin Wiig. The rest of the cast is pretty expendible.
Posted 2 years ago # -
colinpperkins
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I end up watching mostly on Hulu. I agree on Bobby Moynihan - not funny - really amateurish, really.
The funny part is that Bobby Moynihan is/was really well-known in NY comedy circles because he is a really, really funny guy and a brilliant improviser. Just goes to show that SNL doesn't always use people correctly.
Posted 2 years ago # -
colinpperkins
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I have thought for a while that what they should really do is make the show a lot more encompassing of different types of comedy. They should have a stand-up comedian on every once in a while, maybe do some improv, have more video sketches (which they thankfully have been doing now). I wouldn't be a bit bothered if they did away with the music guest. And honestly, a lot of the hosts they have are dead weight. It doesn't make a ton of sense to have people that aren't really funny come on and be in every single segment of a comedy show.
But beyond my pie-in-the-sky ideas about changes they could make that they never will, there is one thing they should do to add variety - stop making every sketch a TV show parody. It seems like every other thing they do is a talk show sketch with some lame characters (Biker Girls, Cougar's Den, etc.) or a parody of The View or Oprah or Lawrence Welk or some other show on TV. On top of that they do a bunch of commercial parodies. Why not more sketches that just take place in normal settings - work, parties, people's homes, etc.
Posted 2 years ago #
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