Worst SNL ever.

[kevin_]

the cussing was in the last sketch of the night anyway, right? close to 1am.

the second unofficial digital short (with almost nsfw blurred out bits) and your mom talks to meghan fox while you get ready were great. even in softball stuff like the stewardess one kristin wiig is awesome. same with hader.

[Christina]

It baffles me why people bother watching SNL.  Wait for a compilation DVD of the 45 funny minutes from one of the cast member's careers or something.  You'd be better served polishing off any random selection from your Netflix queue than watching that unfunny junk.

I just want to say, I don't really hate the show - some awesome people have written for it and/or been cast members. It's just the nature of the beast - topical content=short shelf life, live, one week to pull it off, etc. that the show has always been very uneven in terms of laffs.

a group of pals o' mine came up with the theory that any given SNL sketch is always funnier when you try and tell someone who didn't watch the show what the premise of the sketch was. it takes 30 seconds or less to explain what the cast members have to play out for 5 interminable minutes.

"Belushi is Yojimbo, and he runs a delicatessen ... "

[Gilly]

She should be given a bonus for letting that slip because otherwise people would be either talking about how awful the episode was or not talking about it all. That it was hidden at the end of an episode that delivered zero laughs gives a person the idea that it was planned. I mean, there can't be anybody on the writing staff who were pleased with what they came up with... but they didn't have a whole lot to work with. Who's the genius who decided Megan Fox and U2 would start the season off with a bang?

[jamesp]

It baffles me why people bother watching SNL.  Wait for a compilation DVD of the 45 funny minutes from one of the cast member's careers or something.  You'd be better served polishing off any random selection from your Netflix queue than watching that unfunny junk.

My friends always say the same thing and I try defending SNL, mainly because I know a lot of funny people are writing there (Simon Rich, John Mulaney) and there are many great performers, but I'm thinking everything about the format and process behind SNL restrict the show from being any good.

Being a live show isn't very appealing, especially since the only sketches people remember from the past few years (aside from the Palin stuff) were taped digital shorts by the Lonely Island guys.  I also never got why the show had to be live if Lorne Michaels would freak out if people improved. If it's going to be live, I'd want spontaneity. And having a 65-year old as your show runner doesn't help things either.

[Christina]

I also never got why the show had to be live if Lorne Michaels would freak out if people improved. If it's going to be live, I'd want spontaneity. And having a 65-year old as your show runner doesn't help things either.

Yabbut imitations of him have lead to pure comedy gold! (Dr Evil & Pharmaceutical CEO in Brain Candy, too lazy to look up character name)

[gravy boat]

I'm really upset Studio 60 is not around anymore. I would have enjoyed seeing this kerfuffle eventually dramatized into a 60 minute arc, with several monologues on free speech and our collectively inconsistent morality.

[nec13]

I'm really upset Studio 60 is not around anymore. I would have enjoyed seeing this kerfuffle eventually dramatized into a 60 minute arc, with several monologues on free speech and our collectively inconsistent morality.

Eh. I wasn't a fan of Studio 60. IMO, it was excruciatingly preachy, condescending, and unfunny garbage masquerading as "sophisticated" drama. I say good riddance.

With regards to SNL, I think jamesp summed up my feelings on the show pretty well. I think as long as Lorne is running the show, I wouldn't expect things to change too dramatically.

On a side note, I've caught reruns of some Dick Ebersol-era episodes and they really aren't that bad as people say.

[todd]

I'm really upset Studio 60 is not around anymore. I would have enjoyed seeing this kerfuffle eventually dramatized into a 60 minute arc, with several monologues on free speech and our collectively inconsistent morality.

Eh. I wasn't a fan of Studio 60. IMO, it was excruciatingly preachy, condescending, and unfunny garbage masquerading as "sophisticated" drama. I say good riddance.

That was gravy boat's point.

[nec13]

I'm really upset Studio 60 is not around anymore. I would have enjoyed seeing this kerfuffle eventually dramatized into a 60 minute arc, with several monologues on free speech and our collectively inconsistent morality.

Eh. I wasn't a fan of Studio 60. IMO, it was excruciatingly preachy, condescending, and unfunny garbage masquerading as "sophisticated" drama. I say good riddance.

That was gravy boat's point.

You're right. Unfortunately, the sarcasm detector doesn't seem to be working tonight.

Sorry for misinterpreting your post, gravy boat. 

[dave from knoxville]

I apologize for laughing a couple of times during the stewardess sketch. I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to.

[JP]

I apologize for laughing a couple of times during the stewardess sketch. I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to.

 Kristen Wiig was spectacular during that bit and I laughed too.

[David]

Yeah, I enjoyed Wiig in the flight attendant bit as well, and it reminded me of that Air Traffic Controller bit with Neil Patrick Harris in drag last year, which was funny, or maybe it just reminded me of Kids in the Hall, I don't know. Either way, not a great first episode, but I think people are being to hard on SNL as a whole. After all, the last few seasons have built up some goodwill for me, even if I've never seen a completely funny episode. It's still one of the more interesting ninety minutes of comedy on the air each week.

[AllisonLeGnome]

My grandmother knows Jenny Slate (or her grandmother, at least) and asked if I could find if she appeared and where online for her and my grandfather. I'm going to hope they don't think to Google her on their own.

[Sarah]

They'll probably survive even if they do.

[wwwes]

How sad that Daveheart was by far the best sketch of the night. Although that seemed awfully Jack Handey-ish, is he writing occasionally for the show?

Even that sketch was overshadowed by some of the outtakes of great episodes past.