- The appalling lameness of the writing. What used to be the most cutting-edge work on television now resorts to five-minute/one-joke sketches, and at this point one good sketch a night is a good night. They’ve got to hire some writers away from “The Daily Show” and “Chapelle’s Show,” pronto.
- The punchlines are months, if not years, old. Remember the great Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill sketch, with Carvey as Strom Thurmond and Hartman as Ted Kennedy? All they could come up with for the Condi Rice hearings was Janet-as-Condi flashing a boob- hilarious, especially three months after the Super Bowl.
- The utter unprofessionalism- it was funny to see Jimmy Fallon start giggling halfway through a sketch the first time he did it, but now that it happens every week it’s just become irritating- and he’s even started to drag Horatio Sanz down with him. Bill Murray and John Belushi never cracked up during their sketches- and unlike Fallon and Sanz, they were actually working with funny material.
- No male on the show, except for Darrell Hammond, can do varied impressions; neither can any female, except for Maya Rudolph. And the only impression Amy Poehler can do is of a male, Michael Jackson.
- The Fallon/Fey “Weekend Update,” so great when it debuted four years ago, is now beyond stale. I love Tina, and can’t wait for her “Mean Girls” movie, but Fallon at this point is like an albatross around her neck.
- No good recurring sketches to speak of.
- The show never recovered from Will Ferrell’s departure two years ago, and no centerpiece star has stepped up to take his place. There’s also currently no President Bush, after unsuccessful stints by both Parnell and Hammond.
- Once counted upon to “rise to the occasion” whenever a major news story occurred (the first Gulf War, Clinton/Lewinsky, the 2000 recount, etc.), SNL has flubbed the ball several times in a row now- from Fallon-as-Bin Laden to Sanz’s laugh-free Saddam Hussein to the flatlining coverage of the campaign so far, I can’t think of anything memorable the show has come up with for any world event of the past two years.
- The most talented young cast members- Fred Armisen, Will Forte, Seth Meyers- are given almost nothing to do, while sketch after sketch is clogged with Chris Parnell, Sanz, and Fallon.
- And it seems like more non-actors (Trump, Al Sharpton, Nick/Jessica, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake) than actors have hosted this year.
Speaking of SNL Sheila, who likely knows at least a couple of the people I just bashed, has a story about SNL in a better time- and yes, it involves Will Ferrell.
Posted by Stephen Silver at April 14, 2004 06:51 PMI know most of those people. :)
I'm looking forward to Mean Girls, too. Tina Fey is going to be around for a long long time. And I remember her when she was a pudgy (yes, very pudgy) girl doing improv in a dingy club in Wrigleyville. She was OBVIOUSLY brilliant, and obviously better than everyone around her. Improv in Chicago is such a boy's club - but she beat them all at their own game.
i agree about the show, though. It's just not funny. Nothing sticks.
Darrell Hammond is hilarious, though. I loved his Al Gore.
Posted by: red at April 15, 2004 10:50 AMJimmy fallon is very talented, and funny! I think he deserves to be in all those skits! though, i hafta admit that seth meyers should be in some more. Now that Jimmy left though, (very very very sad about this...) im sure that the rest will be given a chance!
Posted by: elle at July 6, 2004 06:43 AMI have watched the show and many re runs ( from the VERY old show) for about two years. So I may not know as much as you hard time fans. So.... yeah. My fav guy since Jimmy Fallon left has to be Will Forte. I just love his Tim Calhoun character. He is so funny and I just love his voice. Plus he has the perfect look for the show and his roles. I dont really like Rachel Dratch but she can keep a straight face when she does a skit. I'm not saying I'm annoyed at Jimmys inability, actually that is one of the things that make him.... wel... him. And most of the time I find myself lauging along. Will Forte makes Bush FUNNY. I dunno, I didnt like it much when Ferrel did it.
Posted by: smallfry at December 8, 2004 12:11 PM