There was a time, only a few years ago, when I had a pretty low opinion of Saturday Night Live. I've never been fanatical about the the show, but I remember it fondly from back in the days of Kevin Nealon (Mr. No Depth Perception anyone?). We know all the big names from SNL in the 90s, and to me, those were the glory days of the show.
Like I said, I never really watched the show religiously, but I remember well when Will Ferrell left the show, and I thought to myself things were going downhill. I don't think I watched the show at all between about 2002 and 2006.
Unless you've taken residence in a cave for a few years, you probably saw Lazy Sunday, which I thought was... kind of funny. Then, along came more digital shorts, and as soon as I saw all this great stuff, I was convinced that SNL was still good. When my brother linked Dear Sister for me, I laughed so loud while my roommate was talking to his mom that he had to leave the room. (By the way, what's up with hulu.com and nbc.com not having that video on their websites?)
I remember watching Sloths at some point and reading the viewers' comments. I was surprised to see a few people that were very critical of it and one person specifically of Kristen Wiig. Now, however, I realize that those are mostly bitter old people that think it's still the same show it was back in World War I, or whenever it was that it started.
Face it, SNL haters. Saturday Night Live is as good as ever. Of course the digital shorts have been genius. But there's some pretty good other stuff too. Kristen Wiig is pretty dang funny (way better than Molly Shannon ever was). Bill Hader, Jason Sudekis, and Andy Samberg hold it down pretty well. (The show really needs a new black guy though. Ugh. Can someone please "fix it"?)
I guess what I'm trying to say to all the SNL haters out there is: You're not going to win. These guys are making movies now. And they're pretty dang funny.
I am a very big SNL fan and always have been. I agree with some things you said, but to say "Saturday Night Live is as good as ever" is absolutely nuts! Okay, The digital shorts are awesome. Andy Samberg is one of the best cast members they have had in the last decade. Kristen Wiig is funny, but I wouldn't go as far as saying she was better than Molly Shannon. And how about Cheri Oteri? She was one of the best female cast members ever! She doesn't often get the respect she deserves. Fred Armisen is funny too. I cannot say that about any other of the current cast members. Don't get me wrong, they can be funny occasionally, and produce some funny skits, but there are equally terrible skits too! The Digital Shorts are all SNL has which is sad!
ReplyDeleteSo we are comparing this to previous casts which produced some of the most successful comedians of all time. Will Ferrell, Dana Carvey, Mike Meyers, Adam Sandler, Dennis Miller, Phil Hartman, Chevy Chase, Chris Farley, Tracy Morgan, and Tina Fey. That is a small handful. And how about Chris Kattan, Rob Schneider, Chris Parnell, Kevin Nealon, Norm Macdonald, and John Belushi...
Sorry, I love SNL, I still watch every Saturday, but it is not as good as it has ever been!