Saturday Night Live discussion

[Neurotic Guy]

I was the perfect age (17) when SNL began.  It was an absolute phenomenon. A must watch in high school and even in college where we'd gather in front of the only TV in the dorm in the common room -- hoping we'd get good reception.  Nothing could ever match the greatness of the original cast (plus Bill Murray).  There undoubtedly were future players who had equal or greater talent, but I could never vote anyone ahead of the original cast members.  Everything felt unique and new, really felt 'cutting edge' and almost rebellious.  Even unfunny on-going lines like "I'm Chevy Chase and you're not" brought a chuckle. 

[greg683x]

I cant believe we made it almost a whole page worth of posts before someone mentions Chris Farley.    .....unless I missed it

My two favorites are Farley and Will Ferrell

Matt Foley motivational speaker, The Roxbury Guys (Ferrell and Kattan), Will Ferrell as Harry Carrey were three of my favorite sketches.

[greg683x]

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.

I could not disagree more with this post.

[bdm860]

You're telling me this is really funny?  (It's the "living in the van down by the river" skit).

http://www.hulu.com/watch/4183


It may have been funny when you were 13, but come on now, do you still think this is legitmately funny?  Or do you just enjoy it because you remember how much you loved it when you were a kid?

And this is considered to be one of the funniest sketches ever too.

SNL is like the Simpsons, it's still going on, but people that are honest with themselves admit it's not even close to the same thing anymore and stopped being a good show a long time ago.

[blink]

You're telling me this is really funny?  (It's the "living in the van down by the river" skit).

http://www.hulu.com/watch/4183


It may have been funny when you were 13, but come on now, do you still think this is legitmately funny?  Or do you just enjoy it because you remember how much you loved it when you were a kid?

And this is considered to be one of the funniest sketches ever too.

SNL is like the Simpsons, it's still going on, but people that are honest with themselves admit it's not even close to the same thing anymore and stopped being a good show a long time ago.

cmon, we get it, you aren't a fan of snl.  i think that skit was / still is sooo stupidly funny that I still laugh every time I see it. 

[D.o.s.]

Not a Tosh fan, personally.

The only SNL skit I really enjoy isn't really a skit at all, it's the super short 'Suicide Prevention Hotline' bit with Chevy Chase. Unfortunately it's not on Youtube.

[Beat LA]

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.

When did Blake Griffin get his own show?  

That aside, I never thought that the Simpsons, Spongebob, or Daniel Tosh were funny.  Admittedly, I haven't seen many episodes of any of them, but Tosh made a joke about rape once, and that was it for me.  That's one thing that you never joke about.  EVER.  Plus. his uber laugh-tracked show (by the sounds of it) is really no different from Planet's Funniest Animals, imo.  He's not writing anything new or commenting on an issue, he's relied on other people's videos for his 'success.'  That's where the fake laughs come from as much as his comments on those same clips.

Now, while I do like snl, I must admit that they really are hit or miss.  I love Seth Myers and Weekend Update, in addition to the political sketches most of the time (Tina Fey is amazing, and Ferrell is incredible as Bush.  I never thought he was funny until I saw him as W.  Movies like Anchorman were, to me, meh, at best.  I know that everyone loves them, but I just don't find them funny at all, like the Simpsons.  Yeah, I know, I'm weird.), but a lot of the skits they do are for things I've never heard of, so I don't understand the joke.  The characters are meh, for the most part, like when Kristen Wiig and the guy who plays Obama (I can't remember his name right now so you can tell how often I watch the show, haha) came on in matching sweaters and 'sung' about crap.  That was awful.  Some of the worst attempts at comedy I've ever seen (well, except for mine).  Drunk uncle?  Pass.  Stefon?  Pass.  I loved Bill Hader as Dr. Oz, though.  Now that was awesome.  Every time I see Dr. Oz now all I can think of is, "crawl in your rectum,"   If you haven't seen it, you'll really enjoy it.  I believe it was on the episode with Charlie Day.

Currently, my favorite is Jay Pharoah.  His impressions are incredible.  Stephen A. Smith, Will Smith, and his depiction of the guy in the 'what does the fox say' (whatever the hell that was), were phenomenal.  I'm with IndeedProceed on the vh1 stuff, btw, although, in fairness, unless they're doing an 'I love the...' or a funny countdown, their programming sucks lol.

[D.o.s.]

Spongebob is fantastic. I will abide no other opinion.

[Celtics4ever]

Their good SNL stars leave to make bad movies all too often.   Eddie Murphy was great on SNL, Will Ferrell was great.   I think Dana Carvey was excellent as well.   Adam Sandler was great as well.  Bill Murray  and Belushi were great.  I liked Michael McKean and Christopher Guest too. Mike Myers was great as well.  Chris Farley was brilliant.

I think this is greatest skit all time though, if you never seen it, your missing out.

https://screen.yahoo.com/chippendales-audition-204009746.html

But all too often SNL guys make a hit or two then fade hard or crank out bad movies.  My hats go off for the writers who make the show.

[obnoxiousmime]

You're telling me this is really funny?  (It's the "living in the van down by the river" skit).

http://www.hulu.com/watch/4183


It may have been funny when you were 13, but come on now, do you still think this is legitmately funny?  Or do you just enjoy it because you remember how much you loved it when you were a kid?

And this is considered to be one of the funniest sketches ever too.

SNL is like the Simpsons, it's still going on, but people that are honest with themselves admit it's not even close to the same thing anymore and stopped being a good show a long time ago.

Wow, I thought the Matt Foley sketch was beyond criticism. I feel bad that you don't find it hilarious but maybe it's a generational thing? Do you also dislike the other Farley bits where he incorporates physical comedy?

Also, the underrated Hartman is in the sketch: CRACK, ICE, BOOM, POW.

[Beat LA]

Spongebob is fantastic. I will abide no other opinion.

Are you being sarcastic?  Like I said, I tried watching it, tried laughing at it, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't.  This is the perfect explanation of that cartoon, imo -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiZjE5mFr1c

[D.o.s.]

No sarcasm. Love Spongebob.

Interestingly, the mom's scripted reaction to Spongebob is my real life reaction to Two and A Half Men.

The Chevy Chase bit, by the way, is one where he struggles to get to a ringing phone, answers it, is in the middle of saying "Suicide Prevention Hotline" when he's interrupted by a gunshot.

[Beat LA]

No sarcasm. Love Spongebob.

Interestingly, the mom's scripted reaction to Spongebob is my real life reaction to Two and A Half Men.

The Chevy Chase bit, by the way, is one where he struggles to get to a ringing phone, answers it, is in the middle of saying "Suicide Prevention Hotline" when he's interrupted by a gunshot.

Ha, that's pretty funny.  Personally, I loved that show until Charlie left, but I always felt like it should have been called what it really is - Charlie Sheen's Autobiography   Out of curiosity, what makes you like Spongebob so much? 

As for Chevy Chase, man, I never would have thought that he was a racist.  What happened to that guy?  Doesn't everyone hate working with him now or something?

[davemonsterband]

Well, the reason why I've more or less left Celticsblog since the championship is because I've taken up standup comedy, sketch comedy and comedy writing. I have attended The Second City Toronto - a vast majority of the talent has and does come from The Second City, and of course, The Groundlings. By no means am I saying I know anything other than some party stories about people (which I won't share on a public forum) but I have had the privilege of speaking to some of their instructors over the years, it's been pretty cool to hear.

The SCTV cats all originated from the Toronto school. I should acknowledge that before the SNL discussion occurs that one has to be addressed first. It's too bad they've never really found a way to syndicate it for today's younger audiences.

When it comes to who I like male and female, first thing's first, I'm only 34 so I don't think my opinion counts for much. Anyone that hasn't seen it since the beginning isn't qualified to answer the question. No different than anyone who didn't watch Bill Russell live isn't qualified to answer that question.

Anyway, so going forward from my personal memories:

Male

1. Chris Farley - he is the funniest, ever, period. Every cast member, crew member, anyone that ever touched man knew, straight up, he was the one. He is the guy that Rock, Sandler, Spade, etc. went to when they wanted to laugh their butts off. In terms of funny, he's in the Michael Phelps realm of dominant.

2. Norm MacDonald - I'm Canadian, I know the sidekick of his weekly podcast (I mention this because he confirms the man on screen is the man off screen) and either I grew into his or just fell onto having the same sense of humor as him. It's an acquired taste. All I know is his obscure stuff is untouchable and my absolute favorite. Watch out for his son, he's going to the light the world on fire soon enough.

3. Eddie Murphy - the most talented. Hands down. If I grew up with him I'd probably hold him in the untouchable esteem, that being said, he had a Jimi Hendrix type of comedy career and the body of work is a little unfulfilled.

4. Phil Hartman and Dana Carvey - the voice guy and the everything else guy of their era, the glue.

5. Jon Lovitz - that was a joke.

As for the darlings of Hollywood, Farrell, Sandler, Spade, etc. No one gave a [dang] about them when they were on. Most people were absolutely sick of them by the time they left. They were all very good with some quality characters, but I think those lines are much too blurred these days and people forget what the show actually was back then. Wait for Farley, then Update with Nealon or Norm and wait for Timmy Meadows to knock the O.J. stuff out of the park.

Women

1. Jan Hooks

2. Ellen Cleghorne

3. Mya Rudolph

I didn't get to see Radner, Curtain, Newman, etc. so I'm not qualified to comment on them. Phoeler annoys me to death, Fey is cool but I see her as a writer, just like Mike Myers. I have never fallen in love comedically with a female talent in standup or on SNL and I can't wait for the day that I do. I'm just being real, the odds are much lower just strictly playing the numbers game. I don't know why, but Jan Hooks was the one that easily made me laugh the most frequently.

[2short]

mike meyers skit when he was a kid who wasn't supposed to eat chocolate with nicole kidman being a little girl in the park, simple but amazing
 

As for the darlings of Hollywood, Farrell, Sandler, Spade, etc. No one gave a [dang] about them when they were on. Most people were absolutely sick of them by the time they left. They were all very good with some quality characters, but I think those lines are much too blurred these days and people forget what the show actually was back then. Wait for Farley, then Update with Nealon or Norm and wait for Timmy Meadows to knock the O.J. stuff out of the park.

I agree with spade and to a point sander but no way on will farrell I think you can easily argue he is one of the most talented guys to ever be on snl