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erichw1504's avatar

What are your thoughts on Saturday Night Live as of recently?

Asked by erichw1504 (26453points) October 4th, 2010

“I sent a bottle of sparkling apple juice to your house, did you get it?”

So, I was watching Saturday Night Live the other night and couldn’t help thinking about how funny this show used to be. You can agree or disagree, but the writing seems to be suffering and the cast has, for the most part, been lackluster. There are at times some decently funny skits, but SNL just isn’t the same as it used to be.

This being said, think back to your favorite SNL skit(s). What was it and who starred in it? What year did it air? Why was it so funny? Please provide a YouTube link if you can find it.

Who is your favorite cast member (current or past)? Favorite host? Favorite musical guest?

Do you think SNL can come back and provide the laughs it used to? Or do you still enjoy it just as much as you always have?

If you don’t watch SNL, what other sketch comedy shows do you or have you watched (Mad TV)?

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19 Answers

Loried2008's avatar

Only two epic skits come to mind.“More Cowbell” with Christopher Walkin and Will Ferrell. Also, Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze’s “Chippen Dales”. I cannot find decent version of either on Youtube sorry. I watched SNL last Saturday and I was extremely disappointed. Mad Tv has it’s good skits, but often they cater to a different kind of humor.

Trillian's avatar

Cowbell was great. I think you can only get that on the SNL greatest moments anymore. Jimmy Belushi did kind of a funny rap long ago with some female and they were “rich white people”. I can’t remember it except that they held their jaws tight in imitation of “rich white people’s” way of speaking and the line ”...and we hold our buttocks very tight.”
Will Ferrell and whever the female was also had some really funny moments as cheerleaders. And basically anything with David Spade…
And weekend report has generally managed to keep up the funniness.

kevbo's avatar

Someone just posted the “apple juice” bit on their fb. What did I miss?

Reluctantpopstar's avatar

I grew up with the original cast of SNL in the first five seasons. I was only 10 when the show first went on the air, but I watched it almost every week. That stuff is in my blood and in my genes. Since they started releasing that stuff a few years ago on DVD, I went back and for the first time in decades watched it unedited. And guess what? There was lots of funny stuff, but also lots of stuff that just FELL FLAT. Only with time, you don’t remember the unfunny stuff, and you do remember the funny stuff, because you repeat it to your friends and it sticks in your mind through the years. So, I don’t think SNL is less funny now that it has been. It has always been rather hit-and-miss. The original cast did have the advantage of “being there first” and innovating the show and its format.

Loried2008's avatar

I seem to also remember something about “Chopping Broccoli”

erichw1504's avatar

@Loried2008 Dana Carvey! That was hilarious!

Loried2008's avatar

@erichw1504 lol that’s right I still hear that darn song in my head lol

troubleinharlem's avatar

I don’t know if I was alive when all this other funny stuff was happening… there hasn’t been much that was funny, to me, since I’ve been alive and was actually interested in it.

The only thing that I found funny on there was the whole Tina Fey/Sarah Palin bit…

Trillian's avatar

Um…oh yeah, Church Lady in particular was really funny, and so was Ed Grimley.

erichw1504's avatar

Great, all this SNL thinking has gotten the What Up With That theme song stuck in my head…

“OOooOOooOOooOOOWEEEEEE!!! What up with that? What up with that?”

Brian1946's avatar

I don’t watch it that much now because we’re almost always out on SN.

Even in the beginning, SNL had skits that weren’t that funny.

I remember the loss some us felt concerning SNL at the end of 1980.
By then, Bill Murray, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and Gilda Radner had left the cast.
We felt that the SNL with which we began and had grown to love was gone.

My favorite Weekend Update segments were the ones with Dennis Miller, and later with Tina and Amy.

Here’s one of my favorite skits.
Sorry about the wobbly quality; dude should learn to use a tripod.

tinyfaery's avatar

SNL goes through phases. It is currently in a slump. Though, the Amy Poehler episode was pretty funny, this Saturday was pretty bad.

We’re in post-Tina Fey mode. The show needs to get it’s groove back. I always watch it. Good or bad.

CMaz's avatar

Back in the day. Many topics were taboo. Making them funny to poke humor at.

Today, you have to shit on a baby to get people to laugh.

UglyShirts's avatar

The problem with SNL is that no matter what era it’s in, people complain about how bad it is compared to how good it used to be. People watching it now say it’s crap compared to when Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan were on. But when they were in the cast, people used to pine for the days of Chris Farley, Adam Sandler and David Spade…even though at the time, they were compared unfavorably to Phil Hatmann, Dana Carvey and Mike Meyers. Who of course, could never stack up to Bilkl Murray, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Eddie Murphy, and Chevy Chase.

In terms of the popular opinion, the general rule of SNL in is always, “It used to be so much better.”

ubersiren's avatar

SNL is just okay for me recently. The “apple juice” skit from last episode wasn’t funny initially, but my husband kept singing it, and now my 3-year-old sings it and it’s become a thing. The last few seasons have been pretty lame, in my opinion, but there are a few shining moments. My favorite recurring sketch is the “What’s Up With That” show with Keenan Thompson. I really enjoy it for whatever reason.

Probably my favorite episode is the one where Paul McCartney was the musical guest and Alec Baldwin hosted.

Chris Farley hilariously interviews McCartney for this sketch here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNBIyGxV7Ek

Alec Baldwin and Adam Sandler in “Canteen Boy” which I can’t find on youtube, but it’s a classic.

Adam Sandler sings “Red Hooded Sweatshirt” on Weekend Update with Kevin Nealon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eUay8e7SOI

wundayatta's avatar

Jane, you ignorant slut!

This is hysterical (at least, to me). Better now than ever. And kind of relevant once again.

However, I wanted to say that SNL has always had its down periods. Usually they find a way to regroup and become relevant and funny again.

And then there’s Roseanne Roseannadanna

tinyfaery's avatar

@UglyShirts FTW

@ubersiren I like “What’s Up With That”, too. I laugh so hard at the way Jason Sudeikis looks when he dances.

le_inferno's avatar

Currently… I freakin love Kristin Wiig, and Jenny Slate is pretty funny too.
Love these skits:
1
2
3

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