Poll of the Day > Watching SNL for the first time.

(+) Yeah! (+)

It's okay. Maybe I'll start watching it more if there are people I like as music guests or hosting. They harp too much on Trump for a show that advertised his campaign and had him host.

How old are you?

It's pretty terrible and always has been. One generation insists it was better with Will Ferrel and Tina Fey. The previous said it was better with Adam Sandler and Chris Farley. On and on back until the originals. Fact is that the show has never been good. It's had some talented actors start there, and some skits had memorable jokes, but people forget that it always had skits that ran on too long, numerous jokes that fell completely flat, and was mostly unwatchable save one or two skits an episode.
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Trump is how they make their money. The show had been pulling in shit ratings before it started to have stuff to do with Trump.

Haven't watched lately, but it's had some okay gags in recent years. Some of the most interesting ones aren't always funny, but they're kinda endearing (Mokiki and David S Pumpkins for instance). Most of it is pure shit, though.

MadTV was more consistently funny but even that was more miss than hit. Humorously there were a ton of YT takedowns of the song "Lucky" right around when Hillary was running

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sipld8W3egw" data-time="
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BADoglick posted...

It's pretty terrible and always has been. One generation insists it was better with Will Ferrel and Tina Fey. The previous said it was better with Adam Sandler and Chris Farley. On and on back until the originals. Fact is that the show has never been good. It's had some talented actors start there, and some skits had memorable jokes, but people forget that it always had skits that ran on too long, numerous jokes that fell completely flat, and was mostly unwatchable save one or two skits an episode.

Yeah, people basically only remember the good skits from older episodes. That and any time I've seen reruns outside of its normal NBC slot (like they used to be on Comedy Central and VH1, no idea if it's on cable anymore), they're an hour long, so it cuts out a lot of the worst stuff. It begs the question of why the show isn't just an hour to begin with, I guess they don't know which sketches suck until after the fact? But I mean that's not totally true, cause the weirder shit or the stuff with less popular cast members usually ends up on the back end of the show.

Chewster posted...

I guess they don't know which sketches suck until after the fact?

Supposedly there's also a lot of infighting on the show and everybody tries to push their own material rather than actually looking for quality. Keep in mind that the show can be a vehicle to bigger and better things.
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That would be true regardless of the show's length though. And if it was shorter, i.e. less material to push, then people would have to be a bit more on their A-game to make it in.

I kinda doubt that would be a greater guarantee of quality, given backstage politics. We'd probably see fewer gems and more passably funny comedy. And, as somebody who doesn't regularly watch the show but tunes into the better skits, I think I'd rather have some gems and a lot of absolute crap then just a lot of mediocre (and presumably safe) comedy.
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The show has always been three or four hilarious sketches, one or two good ones, and twelve unfunny ones that you end up not even getting the joke to

MICHALECOLE posted...

The show has always been three or four hilarious sketches, one or two good ones, and twelve unfunny ones that you end up not even getting the joke to

Which is why its better to just watch clips later instead of the entire show
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Mead posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

The show has always been three or four hilarious sketches, one or two good ones, and twelve unfunny ones that you end up not even getting the joke to

Which is why its better to just watch clips later instead of the entire show

To be completely fair

Monty Python was the same way

Zeus posted...

Trump is how they make their money. The show had been pulling in shit ratings before it started to have stuff to do with Trump.

Haven't watched lately, but it's had some okay gags in recent years. Some of the most interesting ones aren't always funny, but they're kinda endearing (Mokiki and David S Pumpkins for instance). Most of it is pure shit, though.

MadTV was more consistently funny but even that was more miss than hit. Humorously there were a ton of YT takedowns of the song "Lucky" right around when Hillary was running

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sipld8W3egw" data-time="

Oh wow. I actually don't remember that Hillary song and I watched MadTV since I was a kid (back when they were doing stuff like Spy vs. Spy and Clops). I do remember this one, however.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOTAfGuLA-0" data-time="

MICHALECOLE posted...

Mead posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

The show has always been three or four hilarious sketches, one or two good ones, and twelve unfunny ones that you end up not even getting the joke to

Which is why its better to just watch clips later instead of the entire show

To be completely fair

Monty Python was the same way

No.
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I mean

Its true

I got tired of its "comedy" years ago... I think Lorne Michaels nailed it though: your favourite seasons are from when you were in high school (approx., anyway).

The last time I really liked it was 2004~
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I feel like SNL's golden period was the early-mid 90's. While I technically wasn't watching it live then (too young) I pretty much caught all of the re-runs on Comedy Central. Around 96 - 97, I would only watch it for Weekend update, and when Colin Quinn left I stopped watching entirely.

I loved MadTV though, probably one of my favorite sketch comedy shows (2nd to Monty Python)
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TheCyborgNinja posted...

I got tired of its "comedy" years ago... I think Lorne Michaels nailed it though: your favourite seasons are from when you were in high school (approx., anyway).

The last time I really liked it was 2004~

Mostly disagree.

My favorite was in the early 80's till early 90's- and I definitely wasn't in high school. I think it started really going downhill starting with Will Ferrell ( ~ 1995 - right when I was in high school). The only thing good about SNL at that point was Norm McDonald's weekend update and him as Burt Reynolds in celebrity Jeopardy.

kukukupo posted...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

I got tired of its "comedy" years ago... I think Lorne Michaels nailed it though: your favourite seasons are from when you were in high school (approx., anyway).

The last time I really liked it was 2004~

Mostly disagree.

My favorite was in the early 80's till early 90's- and I definitely wasn't in high school. I think it started really going downhill starting with Will Ferrell ( ~ 1995 - right when I was in high school). The only thing good about SNL at that point was Norm McDonald's weekend update and him as Burt Reynolds in celebrity Jeopardy.

See! Like I said: "it was better when such and such actors are the main comedians but then it started to go downhill"

People have been saying that since it started. Nostalgia for the occasional good scene makes you forget the garbage but 99.9% of SNL has always been and always will be straight garbage.
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BADoglick posted...

See! Like I said: "it was better when such and such actors are the main comedians but then it started to go downhill"

Gee, it is almost like some comedians are liked more then others by people with different opinions on what they find funny.

Weird concept, I know...
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Back in the Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, Jane Curtin days it was funny. Then it lost its sense of humor and just turned stupid.
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It was really good in the 70s with Chevy Chase / Dan Ackroyd, etc

Then it slumped as everyone left for film careers and it sucked.

Then it made a comeback in the 90s with Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, etc.

It wasnt even so bad in the early 2000s

But current SNL isnt very good at all

The best thing to do is watch best of from the best actors like Will Ferrell and Chris Farley. Its like an hour+ worth of their best stuff. Those are fantastic
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Dikitain posted...

While I technically wasn't watching it live then (too young) I pretty much caught all of the re-runs on Comedy Central

Lol way to prove my point. You were missing the worst third of every episode in your "golden period".

Also, MadTV sucked. It had some funny moments sometimes too but it was too, I don't know... lowbrow? Not that SNL is all that highbrow either, that's why I have a hard time describing it. But SNL is more fun. There's more structure to the show and they have a host and it's live. MadTV was just a bunch of pre-taped sketches thrown together.

dancer62 posted...

Back in the Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, Jane Curtin days it was funny. Then it lost its sense of humor and just turned stupid.

I don't know how it's possible to not like the chris farley, adam sandler, mike myers, norm mcdonald, etc era of saturday night live

I havent watched enough SNL to really form definitive opinions but I feel like theres good stuff from every era that ive seen, though it seems like in recent years its more hit or miss. From what ive seen though its still watchable and funny for the most part.

but yeah, i havent watched a full episode and am basing this off of heavy youtube clip watching.

There's good stuff and boring stuff from every era. I find it's much better to look up skits after the fact than try to watch it live these days. It's overall very enjoyable that way.

Honestly, everyone talks about golden ages and better actors leaving the show leaving it going downhill, but my favorite SNL actor has always been Kenan Thompson and he's still there.
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an example of this i feel is the black jeopardy skits. They are funny, but not like ROFTLMAO funny, and they could be written a bit better and keenan isnt the funniest man as host. But still gets a few chuckles and laughs and is worth watching.

but compared to(not an honest comparison because the only similarity is the jeopardy theme) celebrity jeopardy with will ferrell as host and those were damn funny...even more so than just the "your mother, trebek" line. The actors playing French Stewart and Kathie Lee Gifford deserve academy awards for their impressions.

Chewster posted...

Dikitain posted...

While I technically wasn't watching it live then (too young) I pretty much caught all of the re-runs on Comedy Central

Lol way to prove my point. You were missing the worst third of every episode in your "golden period".

2/3 of the show being good is still better then all of the show being horrible (like it is now).

Also, MadTV sucked. It had some funny moments sometimes too but it was too, I don't know... lowbrow? Not that SNL is all that highbrow either, that's why I have a hard time describing it. But SNL is more fun. There's more structure to the show and they have a host and it's live. MadTV was just a bunch of pre-taped sketches thrown together.

Sketch comedy should be lowbrow, that is what makes it good. SNL was great when it was lowbrow, once it became mostly political (and not in a Dana Carvey doing a lighthearted impression of George Bush Sr way) I stopped caring. Political comedy is the cheapest form of laughs, it is the adult equivalent of playing peekaboo with a toddler.

Part of the problem with SNL is that it is basically a brand new show every 5 years or so. Most sketch comedy shows have a steady cast for their entire lives (maybe a bunch of people swap out from time to time but the core cast remains steady). If the major actors that make the show what it is leave, the show ends. As a result, the shows are overall even in quality and don't have "eras".

With SNL they change the cast all the time, so it is hard to stay a fan of it for more then one or two "eras". Add on to the fact that they have a host that has to be in every skit and it is absolutely a hindrance. One bad host ruins the entire show.
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