TV: Saturday Night Live 40 years live? and beyond -MOD 724

[Ralph]

I know HF loves Norm MacDonald, so he's recapping his week of working on SNL 40 on twitter (The writer's room, the Celebrity Jeopardy, and others)

https://twitter.com/normmacdonald

 

[discostu]

I know HF loves Norm MacDonald, so he's recapping his week of working on SNL 40 on twitter (The writer's room, the Celebrity Jeopardy, and others)

https://twitter.com/normmacdonald

Some great nuggets in there:

-it's interesting that McDonald never really wanted the sketch to be a impression showcase. Good insight about how it's really about Trebek, who carries on despite the hostility and indifference.

-Too bad Murphy didn't want to do the bit, but, completely understandable that he felt uncomfortable with it.

-Also interesting that even with all the spotlight on the show, it sounds like they started Monday morning like any other week.

I know there are a few documentaries on SNL that I really should watch. Having a show like this come together in a week, every week, is a phenomenonal undertaking.

 

[Stylizer1]

Some great nuggets in there:

-it's interesting that McDonald never really wanted the sketch to be a impression showcase. Good insight about how it's really about Trebek, who carries on despite the hostility and indifference.

-Too bad Murphy didn't want to do the bit, but, completely understandable that he felt uncomfortable with it.

-Also interesting that even with all the spotlight on the show, it sounds like they started Monday morning like any other week.

I know there are a few documentaries on SNL that I really should watch. Having a show like this come together in a week, every week, is a phenomenonal undertaking.

Much respect for Murphy. Instead of doing Cosby he should of done Buckwheat.

 

[Stylizer1]

They do play classic episodes most weeks now. All the ones I've seen have been very good, and they're truncated to an hour too. I assume this means they're taking the best episodes and using the best sketches from them.



You nailed it.

Phil Hartman was one of the best.

 

[Better Call Sal]

I wish Eddie did Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood

 

[donghabs98]

I wish Eddie did Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood

One of my favourite sketches of his. Just gold.

 

[Brodeur]

Seth Meyers did a podcast with Grantland's Bill Simmons. More or less a rehash of other recaps, but Meyers had a funny story about Bill Murray's Jaws bit. Whoever the writer was insisted that they should have a TV in the background showing clips of Jaws while Murray was singing. Lorne thought it'd be distracting, plus he wasn't sure if NBC would want to deal with paying royalties for showing Jaws. The writer then (playfully?) yelled at Lorne and told him just to ask Spielberg (who was in attendance) for a favor.

 

[NyQuil]

LOL, the film partially made the joke work because it was the same clip over and over again.

I was mesmerized.

 

[JDinkalage Morgoone]

They used to have edited episodes on Netflix. If I get the DVDs, are they full episodes?

 

[hototogisu]

I know there are a few documentaries on SNL that I really should watch. Having a show like this come together in a week, every week, is a phenomenonal undertaking.

Have you read the book? Live from Saturday Night: An Oral History I think it's called? Essential for any SNL fan.

They used to have edited episodes on Netflix. If I get the DVDs, are they full episodes?

What was the rhyme and reason on the editing for those episodes? Some were full length, some were half, and some were like 13 minutes long. It was bizarre.

The DVDs are all full episodes to my knowledge. I bought my brother Season 1 and they didn't seem to be edited (not like I saw the original broadcasts to be able to compare though).

 

[Ralph]

Thought it was all the sketches, but the musical guests were removed.

 

[hototogisu]

Thought it was all the sketches, but the musical guests were removed.

According to the Amazon descriptions they all have the musical performances too.

 

[discostu]

Have you read the book? Live from Saturday Night: An Oral History I think it's called? Essential for any SNL fan.

I read it a few years ago. Great read.

 

[RockLobster]

Watching last Saturday's show.

Leslie Jones on Weekend Update was cringe-worthy...absolutely terrible

 

[seventieslord]

Watching last Saturday's show.

Leslie Jones on Weekend Update was cringe-worthy...absolutely terrible

Three screwups. About par for her.

Don't worry. Enjoy the screwups. She won't be here long. She's brutal, she's not cut out for SNL at all. She's so one-dimensional too. She won't be here next season and will be known as the worst cast member ever.

There are some cast members who just don't distinguish themselves, and then there are some that distinguish themselves as awful. She is the latter. That list that came out last month, ranking all 140 cast members in order, when it lumped all the current featured players in one bunch, it made me cringe. Because some of them are awesome, some are meh, and she's god-awful. In a few years if they re-did that list they would have her down with Jay Mohr.

In unrelated news, Sasheer Zamata is outstanding, and Taran Killam has managed to completely replace Jason Sudekis.

 

[JDinkalage Morgoone]

I hate to crap on someone so much, but she really is bad. I at least see some glimmers from cast members I'm not fond of, I don't think I have with her. Her whole intimidation thing is more scary than funny

 

[bohlmeister]

Three screwups. About par for her.

Don't worry. Enjoy the screwups. She won't be here long. She's brutal, she's not cut out for SNL at all. She's so one-dimensional too. She won't be here next season and will be known as the worst cast member ever.

There are some cast members who just don't distinguish themselves, and then there are some that distinguish themselves as awful. She is the latter. That list that came out last month, ranking all 140 cast members in order, when it lumped all the current featured players in one bunch, it made me cringe. Because some of them are awesome, some are meh, and she's god-awful. In a few years if they re-did that list they would have her down with Jay Mohr.

In unrelated news, Sasheer Zamata is outstanding, and Taran Killam has managed to completely replace Jason Sudekis.

To me it is unsettling watching her perform on the show. It is bad, everyone knows it is bad, but they let it continue. Not sure why.

 

[discostu]

To me it is unsettling watching her perform on the show. It is bad, everyone knows it is bad, but they let it continue. Not sure why.

Obviously, not everyone agrees. She's not hurting for screen time, and landing the Ghostbusters role is pretty indicative that she has some fans.

I'm not one of them, but, anyone hoping she'll be off the cast next year might be disappointed.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

I stopped watching SNL probably around 03 or 04 after the last cluster of 90's people left (The Kattan , Ferrell , Fallon , etc's). Everytime I have tried to watch newer episodes they are cringeworthy and Weekend Update seems terrible

Going to watch this special after ignoring it for weeks. Hopefully all the newer cast people stay off the screen thru it

 

[JDinkalage Morgoone]

I stopped watching SNL probably around 03 or 04 after the last cluster of 90's people left (The Kattan , Ferrell , Fallon , etc's). Everytime I have tried to watch newer episodes they are cringeworthy and Weekend Update seems terrible

Going to watch this special after ignoring it for weeks. Hopefully all the newer cast people stay off the screen thru it

The special is 90% cast members from the Wiig Sudeikis era and before.

 

[kurt]

All eras of SNL have had their strengths and weaknesses. I love the current cast.

 

[JDinkalage Morgoone]

All eras of SNL have had their strengths and weaknesses. I love the current cast.

I like the cast, I think the writing is weak.

 

[Pilky01]

Leslie Jones is okay under the right circumstances, in the right sketch, but her appearances on Weekend Update are just god awful.

It seems like her only character is 'angry black woman'....that might have been edgy like 15 years ago. Now it is just annoying.

 

[Pilky01]

I like the cast, I think the writing is weak.

The writing is terrible.

I can't understand why the writers seem to have completely given up on writing a proper intro sketch that ends with a "LIVE FROM NEW YORK ITS SATURDAY NIGHT". It seems like they just write their sketch, finish it, and decide "okay, when it is done somebody just yell the intro".

The intro is supposed to be part of a line....not just yelled completely unprompted and completely out of context once the intro sketch has finished.

This part actually bothers me more than anything else on the show. It's just lazy writing.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Watched part 1 of 40 anniversary and was not impressed

Some parts involving Martin/Old cast were funny. Hammond + Ferrell + MacDonald on Jeopardy were ok (Carrey was amusing as well)

I did enjoy the tryout clips they showed. I forgot Carrey was rejected by SNL before landing on In Living Color

Not sure I want to watch part 2 though ,, Every time a new cast member came on they were not funny

The 2 people speaking before the tryout clip part from new cast were terrible. The black chick was not funny at all