TV: SNL Season 48

[Transplanted Caper]

Really weak season so far.

1. I think the stunt casting hurts. You can't really satirize Trump, the real thing is the satire. Carrey's Biden is too much Carrey, too little Biden. To be fair, Rudolph is very good as Harris. Like Fey, on top of being brilliant, probably helps she's an alum. They've completely messed up the Biden thing. Sudekis did it back in the day - and once last season. John Mullaney did it when he hosted, Woody Harrelson did it for a bit, then they got Carrey for some reason.

2. The cold opens are way too long. They've topped ten minutes each episode, I think the debate one in the premiere may have topped 15. That's too long when they ARE funny, let alone when they're not.

3. The sketches are too confused and convoluted. The Jack Flatts bit had a good premise, but too many people were in it, and it was unfocused, making the original point of the bit fall flat.

They've got a more than capable cast, performers who have been funny before. Issue really is the writing.

 

[Jussi]

Flyers and Bobby Clarke reference by Carrey.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Adele hosting next week with H.E.R. as the musical guest.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Pretty much most of the SNL guys who end up doing movies/other TV shows all had a unique identities. One of my favorites is Will Forte.

I didn’t fully appreciate Forte when he was in the cast. Now I realize he’s pretty damn good.

 

[Stylizer1]

I didn’t fully appreciate Forte when he was in the cast. Now I realize he’s pretty damn good.

I find this cast don't play characters convincingly.

 

[Langdon Alger]

I find this cast don't play characters convincingly.

Kate certainly does.

 

[Jussi]

Adele hosting next week with H.E.R. as the musical guest.

That'll be interesting. She's lost a LOT of weight and looks completely different now. I know tabloid medias will be interested in that.

 

[Jussi]

This was hilarious.

Drake Watch

 

[Langdon Alger]

That episode was a big old meh for me. Cold open was better than the week before, but the monologue was weak for me. The sketches weren’t anything special, and update was ok. Didn’t watch Bieber.

 

[Hasbro]

I didn’t fully appreciate Forte when he was in the cast. Now I realize he’s pretty damn good.

He was always good for outre sketches like NASA Potato Chips and Closet Organizer. Also great at playing a pervert.

 

[Stylizer1]

He was always good for outre sketches like NASA Potato Chips and Closet Organizer. Also great at playing a pervert.

You can tell he probably wrote this sketch.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

1. I think the stunt casting hurts. You can't really satirize Trump, the real thing is the satire. Carrey's Biden is too much Carrey, too little Biden. To be fair, Rudolph is very good as Harris. Like Fey, on top of being brilliant, probably helps she's an alum. They've completely messed up the Biden thing. Sudekis did it back in the day - and once last season. John Mullaney did it when he hosted, Woody Harrelson did it for a bit, then they got Carrey for some reason.

The key to the political impressions is you need to play an exaggerated character. You can't just do a straight-up impersonation because, what's the point? The gold standard for Trump was Anthony Atamanuik (UCB-alum) on The President Show, because he took a driving characteristic of Trump's personality (that he's essentially a big baby / petulant child) and exaggerated the hell out of it. The build into the conclusion of this bit is just brilliant.

Carvey's Bush Sr was a character, Ferrell's Bush was a character. Even Hammond's Clinton is in that territory. When you just try to copy someone who doesn't have much personality (see: Obama, Biden) you come up with nothing (the "Anger Translator" from Key and Peele was a great workaround of Obama's blandness).

This is why Rudolph, who doesn't even make an attempt to mimic Harris, is still fun to watch as Harris. She's just doing her thing (if anything, she's playing her more how we'd like her to be. Interesting!). There's nothing really inherently funny about Biden, he's just a bland old guy. So, Sudeikis remains the most entertaining Biden because he was doing a huge character. If anything, I wish Carrey went more off-book. Right now he's just straddling the line between the two, which isn't appealing to anyone.

 

[NyQuil]

I actually liked Fred Armisen's Obama.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

I actually liked Fred Armisen's Obama.

This is a good bit that works because they (literally) jazz up a trait of Obama. None of the straight Obama stuff they did (cold opens, etc.) moved the needle much for me, but stuff like this works because they're actually flirting with exaggeration (with the proof being the biggest laughs coming from the rhyming sections).

 

[Langdon Alger]

Yeah, I love Carrey, but I can’t say I’m loving him as Biden. I think Baldwin doing Trump is funny. Carvey as Bush Sr. was so great because it was completely exaggerated and just really funny. Same with when Carvey played Ross Perot. Hilarious.

 

[Jussi]

 

[Langdon Alger]

John Mulaney and The Strokes next week!

 

[Hasbro]

Yeah, I love Carrey, but I can’t say I’m loving him as Biden. I think Baldwin doing Trump is funny. Carvey as Bush Sr. was so great because it was completely exaggerated and just really funny. Same with when Carvey played Ross Perot. Hilarious.

Norm's Bob Dole might have been their best.

"That's Bob Dole's chair!"

 

[NyQuil]

I liked Phil Hartman’s Clinton.



Not as good an impression as Hammond but the spirit is good. Like Ferrell’s Bush Jr.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Disappointing how fast this show went downhill over the last 1-2 years. Used to love watching it.

 

[NyQuil]

This season has been pretty weak but I still like Update in general and Kate McKinnon is pretty good.

 

[Langdon Alger]

I liked Phil Hartman’s Clinton.



Not as good an impression as Hammond but the spirit is good. Like Ferrell’s Bush Jr.

“Just don’t tell Mrs. Clinton.”

“Jim, there’s gonna be a lot of things we don’t tell Mrs. Clinton.”

Classic.

 

[Jussi]

 

[hoglund]

I pvr SNL and the next day watch the opening skit and weekend update and that's all that's worth seeing.

 

[NyQuil]

I pvr SNL and the next day watch the opening skit and weekend update and that's all that's worth seeing.

Sometimes the pre-recorded Digital Shorts and ads are still worth a viewing.

Last week's ad about what a Biden victory will do to people who are addicted to hating Trump was amusing.