So on Saturday, I watched Saturday Night Live for the first time in a long time. This used to be something I did far more regularly, but haven't been doing as of late. Mostly, because the show has lost something somewhere along the line. Not only do I not find it funny anymore, but it feels almost depressing to watch, because it makes me feel old and out of touch, or it makes me feel sad that a once decent quality show that I could rely on for an escape and for at least a few laughs per viewing is now...well, just not much fun, and certainly not all that funny anymore.
But I still gave it a shot. Maybe this one would be an exception. So I watched it.
And you know what?
It really wasn't funny.
Now, I know that this is a common complain. It seems to be particularly prevalent among Trump supporters, who claim that SNL is politically biased. I never really want to associate myself with King Con Don or Cult 45, so I will avoid delving into those complaints, which tend to be exaggerated and of the whiny, entitled crybaby variety, in my opinion. Still, SNL just does not feel like it can hold a candle to the older shows, when as a fan, I could rely on it being...well, actually funny.
Before I go on, I should say that many of the really old skits from the earliest years of SNL also were a bit...well, not really that funny. Admittedly, I rarely find the very old skits particularly funny. But then again, I am not alone. Apparently, Jane Curtin, a former star of SNL from those earliest days, also doesn't find them funny either. But there used to be a time when it actually was funny. When I was growing up, this definitely felt like the case. I'm talking about from the mid-eighties through the nineties and perhaps into the early 2000's.
There were some now largely forgotten skits which absolutely cracked me up, and which I admittedly wished that SNL might bring back from time to time. One was done by Tom Hanks, with his portrayal of Mr. Short Term Memory. There was one with Leslie Nielsen where he played an old school detective from the 1940's and 1950's, who gave his opinions on everyone who would come to his office, even though the whole bit was that this was not commentary for a movie, but descriptions which he was actually speaking out loud. For some reason, I never did find out the name of that one, although I remember that one made me laugh, as well. Sharon Stone imitating her famous sexy scene from "Basic Instinct" with the members of Pearl Jam acting spellbound was quite funny.
Those were not the only ones, either. There was the "Big Red" Viking toy, which splattered blood on everyone. "Deep Thoughts" with Jack Handy was consistently funny. Al Franken had some funny moments as Stuart Smalley, particularly the one when he hosted Michael Jordan.
Some individuals who hosted could be surprisingly funny. I remember the Michael Jordan one being memorably funny, as was the one with Joe Montana, even though sports figures often aren't known for being particularly funny. Who knew? Then there were other guests who you could bet were going to be really funny, such as Robin Williams, Leslie Neilsen, Tom Hanks, and Jim Carrey. Probably forgetting a few, for that matter.
Some skits really were funny, and often still make me laugh. Massive Headwound Harry. Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley having that sexy, half-naked dance off during the Chippendale's rehearsals. Lyle, the Effeminate Heterosexual (although I am guessing that might be considered not politically correct or woke enough anymore these days). Sprockets made me laugh, more often than not. Joe Montana as the clueless guy who's head is so empty, that his mind is literally on whatever topic of conversation is being discussed, and who has no thoughts beyond what he just said. The Love Toilet was so absurd, it was funny, as was Schmitt's Gay, the imitation beer commercial, complete with a rocking Van Halen tune. Or Alec Baldwin as baker Pete Schweddy, trying to promote his baked goods, his famous "Schweddy Balls," to female admirers on NPR. Some years later, the Christmas version of "To Catch a Predator," trapping Santa Claus as some kind of sick and twisted sex criminal was absolutely hilarious.
Mike Myers was pretty damn funny. Dana Carvey was among the funniest cast members at his best. Phil Hartman could floor me at times. David Spade's trademark sarcasm made me laugh numerous times. Jan Hooks I found both sexy and funny. Melanie Hutsell could be funny, especially when she imitated Tori Spelling. Victoria Jackson could be funny at times., although she was kind of hit or miss Jon Lovitz was usually pretty funny. Even Adam Sandler had some really funny moments, even though I admittedly find him rather annoying than anything else these days. But he had his moments as the overgrown spoiled and petulant man-child on the show, as well as Opera Man. Kevin Nealon was great as Mr. Subliminal, and he could be quite funny at other times, as well.
Years later, SNL could remain funny. While my first impression of Will Ferrell was admittedly that I found him annoying with that frankly stupid and unfunny recurring skit that he did with Cheryl Oteri. Not only was that one not funny - and what I mean by that is that it did not make me laugh even once that I can remember, and was in fact intensely annoying, all the more because they did it week after week after week. Yet, Ferrell proved to be funnier as his tenure with the show went on. His George W. Bush impersonations were one of the few bright spots of the actual George W. Bush years. The commentaries of Jacob Silj, a man who could not control the volume of his voice, and would always get offended when people asked him to stop shouting, also usually made me laugh. And of course, who could ever forget the Cowbells? There were others who could be funny, as well. Night at the Roxy was funny. Mango could be funny. Chris Katan as the semi human Mr. Peepers was often very funny.
Personally, I enjoyed the mock political debates and impersonations. Some of the funniest were during the 1988 and 1992 elections. Jon Lovitz as Michael Dukakis, using a lift to make himself appear taller. Then, after listening to Dana Carvey's version of George H.W. Bush stumble during the debate, saying simply, "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy." Or Dan Quayle struggling through the swearing in oath, having to do it word by word. Or Carvey's double role in 1992 as George H.W. Bush and as the annoying Ross Perot. Phil Hartman's Bill Clinton, which was hilarious, although Darrell Hammond may even have been better. And one of the ones which I thought was both hilarious and a bit edgy was when then President-elect George W. Bush (played by Ferrell) and his father, George H.W. Bush (played by Carvey) went on a hunting trip together. Tina Fey was hilarious years later as Sarah Palin. Even a few years ago, Alec Baldwin playing Donald Trump was hilarious. I do enjoy James Austin Johnson's interpretation of Trump, although they did not have him on this past episode.
There were some really unforgettable moments, as well. One that everyone seems to remember was the first one after the September 11th attacks. As much as I can't stand Rudy Giuliani these days, he was pretty funny when asked by Tina Fey if it was okay yet for SNL to be funny, and he responded with, "Why start now?"
Unforgettable.
Not all of the skits were funny. Again, though, I could pretty much count on at least a few decent laughs, even if not all shows knocked it out of the park.
Yet, this latest SNL really did not make me laugh much. The show was half done before I found myself actually laughing, and that was during the Weekend Update, which is the one aspect of the show where I can usually rely on at least a few laughs. Also, there was another skit very late in the show about Hooter's which was, at best, mildly funny, but which got a chuckle out of me.
And that was pretty much it. No major laughs. Nothing I will really remember a few days from now, let alone a few years. It's no longer a show that allows me, personally, to escape the world for a little while, and just enjoy myself. Now, it feels rather lame.
At first, I was wondering if it was just me. I remember my mom saying once that when you get older, you feel that things, popular trends in society and such, have passed you by, left you behind. Was I already starting to reach that point?
When I Googled "SNL Not Funny," however, I got some results which, in fact, seemed to validate my own feelings. Most people just don't find SNL funny anymore. And it's not just Trump supporters. According to one article in Newsweek from about a year and a half ago, only one in five people still found SNL funny. So it's not just me, and I don't think that I can be lumped in with the whiny Cult 45 crowd on this one.
Indeed, Saturday Night Live really has lost something. It just isn't really that funny anymore.
Below are the links to the two articles I found about SNL. The first confirms my suspicions that the first few years of SNL weren't all that funny, or at least haven't aged very well, in terms of being funny. The other article is the already mentioned Newsweek article, which suggests what I felt during my recent viewing of SNL, that it really isn't funny anymore:
Saturday Night Live star Jane Curtin says she didn't laugh rewatching old sketches: 'It wasn't funny' by Shania Russell Published on August 21, 2023:
"I think it was just one of those ‘you had to be there in the moment’ things," Curtin said. "That's what happens with live TV, and with topical TV. It gets dated after a while.
https://ew.com/tv/snl-jane-curtin-didnt-laugh-rewatching-old-sketches/
Is 'SNL' Considered Funny? Only One in Five Thinks So by Megan Cartwright Deputy Entertainment Editor, Nov 22, 2022:
https://www.newsweek.com/saturday-night-live-funny-snl-poll-results-1761414
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