Stop Complaining about SNL

From Botox to booties, a lot of people in this county are concerned with maintaining the appearance of youth. Yet however you might look on the outside, don’t forget that your thoughts and opinions about popular culture might give away your true age. For example—no matter how much you love our Bedford neighbor Richard Gere—if the movie Nights in Rodanthe appealed to you in any way, there's no way you're under 40. (If you're the type to lie about your age, lie about your movie choices, too: say you saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist instead.) Similarly, if you saw Beverly Hills Chihuahua—currently the No. 1 movie in America—I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt for all our sakes and assume that you went with your children, who are under the age of 12.

So let's say your game and you want to reflect your new age-is-but-a-number taste in popular culture. What do you do? Here's one thing you don't do: Don't complain about Saturday Night Live.

It's easy to fall into that trap; a lot of people complain about Saturday Night Live. Everybody has their favorite cast, and it seems like when you ask for a favorite season, nobody ever says "the current one." But if you go around saying that the show hasn't been the same since Dan Akyroyd and Gilda Radner left, that's like letting your gray roots show. But even people who fondly reminisce about the days of Dana Carvey and Adam Sandler will grudgingly admit that Will Ferrell was is one of the funniest men alive, and those who peg the Ferrell years as SNL's golden age will admit to watching "Lazy Sunday" 1,000 times.

The truth is, SNL is as it's always been: a mixed bag. Producing 90 minutes of live comedy every week is hard, so, inevitably, there are going to be some lousy sketches mixed in with some pretty funny ones. Whether you prefer Akroyd, Murphy, Carvey, Sandler, or Samberg says more about you than about the show.

The current cast—which includes Eastchester native Bobby Moynihan—has some pretty talented members, including some alums from the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in the city, who hone their chops doing on-the-fly improv for comedy-savvy audiences. The show's ratings are up, which means that at least some people are watching (and on old-fashioned TV sets, no less.) While I wouldn't say that this makes every sketch a winner, it's definitely worth checking out the highlights on Hulu—even if it's just to lower your average pop-culture age. Even if you don't like the bizarreness of the digital shorts or the random humor of sketches like "Mark Whalberg Talks to Animals," you can't deny the hilarity of Tina Fey's dead-on Sarah Palin impression.

Reader Comments:

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Oct 8, 2008 05:52 pm

Posted by btempleton

I couldn't agree more - I've been hearing that SNL isn't was it used to be since I was 10 and wanted to watch it but my dad didn't. And since then, there have been so many quality sketches and great actors. Right now, Amy Poehler is the funniest woman on television (even if Tina has deservedly taken away the spotlight).

Oct 8, 2008 10:46 pm

Posted by Marisa LaScala, Associate Editor

I love Amy Poehler, and I hope she makes it to the election! She looks like she could give birth at any moment. Once she does, she's off SNL and is moving on to a new sitcom. Who will be Hillary Clinton? As someone who covers Westchester pop culture, this weighs on me heavily.

Oct 10, 2008 02:21 pm

Posted by Anonymous

I'm not sure i agree here. while you're right that people always seem to recall prior seasons as funnier than the current incarnation, there is not arguing that this one is worthwhile. tina fey is great behind the scenes, but intolerable in front of a camera. her sarah paylin gimmick is so poor it drives me insane. "look at my hair, i don't wear my hair like this. my accent sounds funny." for a politician that is just begging to be lambasted, they have really done a poor job with great material.

andy samberg started out doing viral videos that aren't fnny, and he is proof that those people should stay in their arena. no on wants to see chocolate rain guy on mtv, why is this douche on nbc?

i feel like people are getting swept up in the show for its nostalgia but not judging it on its true merit. it's not funny. that mark wahlberg skit was just devoid of humor. i understand the punchline was in the impression and the overall stupidity of mark wahlberg, but it was just terrible. the impression went in and out and it completely derailed with that line about entourage. the moral of the story: don't be afraid to call a classic a piece of garbage.

Oct 10, 2008 02:40 pm

Posted by Marisa LaScala, Associate Editor

Since SNL has debuted their digital shorts, they've become my favorite part of the show. My favorites are the most absurd ones, like "Andy Popping Into the Frame" (http://www.hulu.com/watch/1408/saturday-night-live-snl-digital-short-andy-popping-into-frame) or "People Getting Punched Right Before Eating" (http://www.hulu.com/watch/1415/saturday-night-live-snl-digital-short-people-getting-punched-right-before-eating). I can't say why or how, but they crack me up.

I guess that's another reason why SNL gets brushed off by a lot of people. With 90 minutes each week, they can try out a lot of stuff, but it's rare that someone will love everything. (I can't stand any of Kristen Wiig's recurring characters, which you might like.) It's uneven to different people in different ways.