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simone54's avatar

Is the SNL the worst it's ever been?

Asked by simone54 (7642points) January 26th, 2014

I’m trying to watch the latest episode with Jonah Hill. It’s pretty much unwatchable. Now, I watched it growing up in 90s with people like Mike Myers, Chris Farley and Adam Sandler. For me, it was great!

I’m trying figure out, does it just suck now or I am the one who is out of touch?

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22 Answers

simone54's avatar

I’d have to think it was just better back then. If you look at the success of the people after they left compared to recent times, the former are more successful.

Judi's avatar

I haven’t watched it in years but it sure was great back in the 70’s when it first came out. A fixture of my adolescence.

Coloma's avatar

Yep, I was there for the premiere SNL in 1976. It has gone downhill ever since the amazing original cast moved on, died, or otherwise evaporated Haven’t watched in in years now.

Blondesjon's avatar

The mid eighties was the worst. I’m still surprised that SNL survived. Last night’s episode was marginally better the the previous two. It’s a small ray of hope.

Remember, everyone hated the new cast when Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon, and Will Ferrell first joined.

jca's avatar

I love Jonah Hill and I DVR’d the episode from last night. I hope it’s decent. I liked Jonah Hill in Superbad and Wolf of Wall Street.

I loved the Will Ferrell/Cheri Oteri years. Recently there are a bunch of comics that I enjoy seeing. I will let you know after I view last night’s episode!

ARE_you_kidding_me's avatar

There was a period in the 80’s where it was about as bad.

flip86's avatar

Mad TV was funnier than SNL while it was still on. Fox was evil for canceling it. I haven’t watched SNL regularly since the Will Ferrel era.

SwanSwanHummingbird's avatar

It all depends on who you talk to. I though Jimmy Fallon hosting was good and so was Bruce Willis. There is never an episode that doesn’t have unfunny skits.

hey_now's avatar

No, it’s not the worst. I never miss an episode.

I think Taran Killam and Kate McKinnon will become household names. Cecily, Bobby, Kenan, Jay and Vanessa are funny. Every skit isn’t funny, but I have seen worse.

simone54's avatar

It’s definitely the hottest cast of women.

Strauss's avatar

Korean has come a long way from “Keenan and Cal”

TheRealOldHippie's avatar

It hasn’t been worth watching since Eddie Murphy left!

Blackberry's avatar

I always wondered why people liked SNL. I did tend to like MAD TV more, but I’m probably biased. It seems like no one really even laughs on SNL. A lot of the sketches aren’t funny, or are over people’s heads with the references.

Buttonstc's avatar

It’s clear that the glory days are over for them.

I’ll usually tape it and fast forward through most of the skits if the premise is boring. I pretty much watch it for the news segment usually at 12:00 and the music acts.

The satire on current news is usually worth catching as it’s mostly the purview of head writer, Seth Myers, and I like his brand of cheerful snark.

The rest of it is usually forgettable unless they have a really talented guest host. (An example would be the brilliant collaboration of Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake on the ”**** in a box” song”.)

The occasional classics like that make it worth scheduling it to tape but unfortunately they’re few and far between.

rockfan's avatar

I haven’t seen any episodes from the 80’s or 90’s, but the early 2000’s SNL skits bore me to death. Everything about the humor is so excrutiatingly tedious.

Although I think some of the guest host’s monologues to be funny.

SadieMartinPaul's avatar

@Judi ”...it sure was great back in the 70’s when it first came out”

My TV OnDemand service shows every year of SNL. Believe it or not, the early years really weren’t as golden as people’s sentimental memories. Yes, the show was original and innovative, and it had some wonderful moments, but there were plenty of dud segments and episodes. Chevy Chase hasn’t simply become unfunny as he’s aged; he really wasn’t very funny back then.

The worst host during that era? Jodie Foster. Everyone likes to forget this, because Jodie’s such a great actor and a movie icon, but at age 14 she did an abysmal hosting job. She was awkward, had no comedic timing, and flubbed most of her lines. It’s painful to watch.

dxs's avatar

Most skits are blahhh for me. Then there’s that one diamond in the rough that I find hilarious. Kristen Wiig and Rachel Dratch were my favorites from this era. Too bad they left. And Maya Rudolph was hilarious, too.

jaytkay's avatar

@flip86 Mad TV was funnier than SNL while it was still on.

This is true.

But I like Saturday Night okay lately. When they are writing original skits and creating characters, instead of merely mocking other shows and movies or some celebrity, then I like SNL.

The very worst was when they obviously had no writers, so every skit was just imitating another TV show or commercial.

They would use prosthetics to make up (pun intended) for the actors’ lack of mimicry skills. “Ha ha look that guy is wearing a Bryant Gumbel mask and saying things Bryant Gumbel says. Ha ha!”

Gahhh, that sucked.

I haven’t seen the new episode, can’t comment on that specifically.

Blondesjon's avatar

@SadieMartinPaul . . . I’ll see your Jodie Foster and raise you a Nancy Kerrigan.

SadieMartinPaul's avatar

^^^ Steven Seagal, anyone? A 90-minute lesson in how to read directly from a cue card yet still get every line wrong.

Darth_Algar's avatar

Probably not. Granted I haven’t watched in years, but a lot of the 80s shows were so torturous they should have been declared human rights violations.

janbb's avatar

Never have thought much of it.

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