Saturday Night Live discussion

[slamtheking]

hadn't seen a topic like this posted yet so figured I'd see if there was interest in the offseason to kill time.

Who's your favorite SNL member of all time, male and female and what are/were some of your favorite skits/recurring characters?  I think this show is driven mostly by the quality of the writing (what show isn't really?) where no matter how funny/talented the actors may be off the show if the writing stinks in that timeframe the actors still can't salvage it.

My favorite was Eddie Murphy.  His ability to improv and become completely over-the-top characters hasn't been met since.  I'll give Will Ferrell a nod as the second best at this. 

For female cast member, I think my favorite was Cheri Oteri with Amy Poehler a close second. 

My favorite recurring skits were Mr Robinsons Neighborhoo, Buckwheat, the Cheerleaders and my all-time favorite - Celebrity Jeopardy.


Despite all the obvious talent in the original cast, I never found those years particularly funny.  Maybe
it's because they a were a tad before my time when I could actually watch the show live or it was perhaps humor relative to the times but those early years never really did it for me for the most part. I know, sacrilege but I'm open to comments from those that 'get it' when it comes to those early years.

[blink]

I would say guys:
Bill Murray, Eddie M, Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell

girls:
jan hooks, molly shannon, tina fey, kristen wiig

i loved skits with molly shannon and will f.  they seemed to really be into that odd-ball humor that sometimes is just more odd than funny.

[slamtheking]

I would say guys:
Bill Murray, Eddie M, Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell

girls:
jan hooks, molly shannon, tina fey, kristen wiig

i loved skits with molly shannon and will f.  they seemed to really be into that odd-ball humor that sometimes is just more odd than funny.

forgot Kristen.  she carried that show for a couple of years too.  excellent point - TP for jogging my p---poor memory

[indeedproceed]

When I was a kid, and before my family was wealthy enough to afford cable, and when I didn't really know what SNL was except for this thing people talked about sometimes, long before VH1's incessant reruns of syndication or anyhting like that, there were video sets.

And my library had the first 3 season on VHS.

I'm not one of those guys who thinks that everything that came before was better than what came next, or someone who is unwilling to even allow for the idea that this thing is better than that thing, when that thing is national treasure like Citizen Kane or Larry Bird.

But nobody, NOBODY, no cast ever in the history of ever, EVER, can compare to the star power there with Dan Akroyd, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and Diane Curtain (I know I'm omitting Garret Morris and Loraine Newman...they'd have a negative WARP). I do think you could argue that Bill Murray and the cast's improved chemistry was better in the 2nd and 3rd seasons, but no matter what, its those old skits that'll always be my gold standard.

In the current cast, I like Tarran Killiam, Bobby Moynahan, Kyle Mooney, pretty much all the guys and most of the girls. No, I like all the girls. I like the cast. 

[slamtheking]

no question the original cast was the most talented cast overall but for me the writing wasn't very good.  I look at Chevy, Dan, Bill and John as so comedically gifted that each show should have had me at least laughing most of the time but other than a handful of skits over 5 years, I just didn't find it funny.

(by the way, it's Jane Curtin who I didn't appreciate until her time on 3rd Rock from the Sun)

[Quetzalcoatl]

Following SNL is exactly like following a sports team, except you can't really tell if they won a championship in a given season until a few years after it happened.  Watching the bad casts is like watching a rebuilding team basically down to the smallest detail.

I also find myself rooting hard for people like Will Forte in the same way I rooted for Al Jeff, for instnace.  Both were great when on SNL/The Celtics, but only hardcore fans and savvy front offices/producers took notice.  They're both blooming now (Nebraska, The Last Man on Earth / The Bobcats w/Stephenson) and getting wide appeal and it's really fun to see them develop like that.

[slamtheking]

just to throw another thought into the discussion, are there any cast members anyone enjoyed that you felt were underappreciated or underused?

I loved Piscopo with Murphy.  Surprised his career didn't go better. 

I also think the 'Sandler' years should have been so much better with the comedic talent on for those years: Sandler, Spade, Rock, Schnieder and Farley should have been so much funnier but I just keep coming back to poor writing those years which was so disappointing.

[slamtheking]

Following SNL is exactly like following a sports team, except you can't really tell if they won a championship in a given season until a few years after it happened.  Watching the bad casts is like watching a rebuilding team basically down to the smallest detail.

I also find myself rooting hard for people like Will Forte in the same way I rooted for Al Jeff, for instnace.  Both were great when on SNL/The Celtics, but only hardcore fans and savvy front offices/producers took notice.  They're both blooming now (Nebraska, The Last Man on Earth / The Bobcats w/Stephenson) and getting wide appeal and it's really fun to see them develop like that.

love the analogy.  TP to you and IP for giving me more to think about.

[indeedproceed]

Duhdooy...Jane Curtain. I kept saying, "Diane, you ignorant.." Iknew it sounded weird.

Ro-ad. Ruuuud...

[blink]

just to throw another thought into the discussion, are there any cast members anyone enjoyed that you felt were underappreciated or underused?

I loved Piscopo with Murphy.  Surprised his career didn't go better. 

I also think the 'Sandler' years should have been so much better with the comedic talent on for those years: Sandler, Spade, Rock, Schnieder and Farley should have been so much funnier but I just keep coming back to poor writing those years which was so disappointing.

oh i agree on the SSRSF crew.  They had a lot of talent, but wasn't always used to the max.  The context of other performers is pretty important on that show as well.  I always liked Chris Kattan as well.  He seemed to pair well with a lot of different cast members.

[2short]

men in no order:
bill murray, john belushi, eddie murphy, will farrell, phil hartman, jimmy fallon (mainly because he was not only funny but couldn't keep a straight face)
women:
gilda radner, kristen wiig are the two well above all else then molly shannon, tina fey anna gastiere and cheri oteri (that was a great group)


best hosts?
steve martin, chris walken, alex baldwin, ben affleck off the top of my head

[Donoghus]

just to throw another thought into the discussion, are there any cast members anyone enjoyed that you felt were underappreciated or underused?

I loved Piscopo with Murphy.  Surprised his career didn't go better. 

I also think the 'Sandler' years should have been so much better with the comedic talent on for those years: Sandler, Spade, Rock, Schnieder and Farley should have been so much funnier but I just keep coming back to poor writing those years which was so disappointing.

Bill Hader is criminally underappreciated when you consider casts of recent memory. 

Always though Kevin Nealon was a bit underused but that may have been on purpose the years he was doing Weekend Update.  That bit alone is a whole different animal to write for.

[sofutomygaha]

I love the thread.

As far as casts go, there have been a few that really stood out as working well together and having star power. The nucleus of Wiig, Hader, Armison, Myers, Samberg, Sudeikis, and Thompson might be my favorite ever. It was definitely the best to come along since the early nineties cast.

My favorite cast member is definitely Wiig, but you could make the argument that Tina Fey had the biggest influence of any female cast member.

From the 70's Belushi is the most iconic and consistently funny player. Nobody stuck around for very long back then, though. In terms of lifetime achievement, Phil Hartman and Bill Hader are the two "glue" guys who have carried the show at it's peaks.

[Quetzalcoatl]

The most underrated right now is Bobby Moynihan, although he is starting to break out.  He even goes on random comedy/improv podcasts and is just such a force of nature.  I heard Chozen sucked, but I didn't actually see it.

I also really like Aidy Bryant, she goes all in on basically every bit.  Still a little raw, though.

I also think that Taran Killam is going to be a star someday.  He is starting to get a lot of cameos/bit roles and he def gets the most screen time on SNL right now.  Funny dude.

[bdm860]

Daniel Tosh pretty much nails it when it comes to my view of SNL, it was never  really funny. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfuVB7oTlP0

Granted I wasn't even alive for the first several seasons, but here's how I view SNL from at least the 90's on (though I've seen plenty of shows and skits from the 70's and 80's too).  Sure they have some funny skits, but no where close to being able to support 20+, 90 minute episodes a year. SNL rarely delivers.

What drives SNL is the 13-15 year olds watching it because it seems hip and they're happy to be up that late, makes them feel like adults.  And just like your favorite song you had in junior high that you must of played a million times, same goes for that SNL skit that you thought was so funny and constantly referenced with your friends.

Watch any of the Best Of sets have, even the funniest guys that have ever been on that show (Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Chris Farley, John Belushi, Chris Rock, etc.), watch those with adults with a sense of humor that have never seen them and I bet they're not laughing through most of it, and those are for the Best Of sets!  SNL survives out of nostalgia rather than actual humor.