There had been a lot of excitement when it was announced that Anne Hathaway would be hosting Saturday Night Live for the third time on Nov. 10. On Nov. 11, the mood was decidedly less upbeat.
According to reviews, it was another in a long line of (dare I say?) flops for the show – the previous week notwithstanding. But most reviews gave the cast points for simply showing up given that Sandy had just trashed their town.
Every week, bloggers, reviewers and even viewers themselves complain about the show. “Poor writing.” “Uninspired characters.” “Nothing new to offer.” And worst yet, “not funny.”
Makes you wonder what backdoor deal saves it from cancellation.
For me, SNL is still those two wild and crazy guys, the Land Shark’s candy gram, the Samurai and the Blues Brothers. Ed Grimley, the Church Lady and Coffee Talk influenced my teen language.
“Jane, you ignorant slut” still makes me blush as I giggle. And I can’t order a pop without thinking “No Coke. Just Pepsi.”
So what the heck happened since then? And don’t say Belushi died.
In 1975, NBC needed something to fill the void on Saturday late-night. They brought in Lorne Michaels to create a comedy and variety show. And a few beers later, NBC’s Saturday Night – renamed Saturday Night Live one year later – was born.
SNL was an immediate hit. But five years in, Michaels left, claiming exhaustion. In reality, he was trying to break into movies and failed.
But alas, so did SNL without Michaels at the helm.
Returning in ’85, Michaels rebuilt his flailing show. A lot of its “Best Of” sketches came out of the next five years.
Then it hit another comedic lull until bouncing back between ’95 and 2000. So SNL has always had a creative ebb and flow.
And problems. The show has been sued for stealing sketches (Jay Mohr’s Irish Bartender), fined for language (Jenny Slate’s biker babe), boycotted (Rage Against the Machine, Nora Dunn) and censored for controversial topics and talent (too many to name).
But that doesn’t explain why SNL stinks now. Unless it doesn’t.
Even the original cast didn’t hit it out of the ballpark every time.
In fact, considering the number of shows Curtin (107) and Belushi (84) appeared in and the number of “best ever” sketches beside their names, their stats really aren’t that much better than today’s cast.
And back in the day, they were pioneers in social and political humour. They had no competition.
Today, SNL is up against Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and 22 Minutes with a much more selective and sophisticated audience.
Would the old classics play well for today’s viewers?
I doubt the Coneheads or Roseanne Rosannadanna would satisfy today’s critics.
So perhaps the show is better than its reviews would suggest. Or maybe its time really is past.
But Schwetty Balls? They’ll live forever.
