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Lorne Michaels Is the Real Star of "Saturday Night Live"
- PittleyDunkin 2y agoI can't wait to see what the show looks like without him.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- EA-3167 2y agoI agree with this entirely, and I think if you've watched some of his other shows you'll understand why. Some of the most consistently funny, well cast comedy on TV has had him behind it. Kids In The Hall, 30 Rock, A.P. Bio, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, Documentary Now!, Portlandia and so on and so on. I'm sure he's quite a handful to deal with, but whatever that entails the end result of his presence on a project is that the project is often a good idea and well run. Don't get me wrong, he's had his money grabs and failed concepts, but the sheer number of hits he's involved with boggles the mind. He's willing to put money behind concepts few others even consider.
- johnneville 2y agowhat his involvement with comedians in cars ?
- jakubmazanec 2y agohttps://archive.ph/j4Oi5 https://archive.ph/j4Oi5
- steveBK123 2y agoPete knew - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BgvxLd7G0Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BgvxLd7G0Y
- bugglebeetle 2y agoGiven the state of comedy on SNL, I’m not sure that’s a mantle I’d want to claim.
- bluedino 2y agoI find it amazing it's been on for 50 years. It's one of those shows that's really never good, if you're lucky there's two decent skits a night. Once in a while you get a one that goes for a while, and spawns off a mediocre movie. I know the thing to do is say "oh it was good when x and y were still on there", but going back and re-watching episodes with my favorites, they are still full of duds. Sure, there are a handful of classic skits and characters but I just don't see how it lasted this long. Is it the timeslot? Is it incredibly cheap to produce? Is it just a tool for NBC to push whichever stars have a new movie or what not out?
- steveBK123 2y agoexactly - and this is why YouTube clips of each skit exist
- Hikikomori 2y agoThey didn't until very recently, at least if you don't live in the US or use a VPN. Always had to go to some alternative where they hadn't been DMCAd yet to get my celebrity jeopardy fix.
- vondur 2y agoBack in the day they had some tremendous comedy talent such as Jim Belushi, Gilda Radner, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy.... Most of the shows were pretty good.
- imiric 2y agoNot just back in the day, but tremendous talent has passed through SNL throughout its existence. 90s: Dana Carvey, Chris Rock, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Phil Hartman, Robert Smigel, Sarah Silverman, Norm Macdonald, Will Ferrel 00s: Tina Fey, Kenan Thompson, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader 10s: Jay Pharoah, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, ... 20s: ? OK, I was intending to point out that it has maintained its cast member quality, but I'm struggling to name more people from recent decades. But then again, I haven't watched SNL in years, so I'm certainly out of the loop. That said, I think Kate McKinnon is one of the funniest people alive, and her alone makes up for it. The Close Encounters sketches bring me to tears every time.
- sdwr 2y ago> Michaels compares the show to a Snickers bar: people expect a certain amount of peanuts, a certain amount of caramel, and a certain amount of chocolate. Sketch comedy is broad by necessity. There isn't much time to set the scene, so characters have to be easily-digestible. The SNL formula is something like: - a race sketch - an office power dynamics sketch - a "couple learning about each other" sketch - and one off-the-wall absurd sketch I think it lost its way a few years ago, best shown by Bowen Yang's haughty affectations. Comedy works when the performers are victims of fate, underdogs trying to flip the script. If you're above it all to begin with, there's no room for the funny.
- jakubmazanec 2y agoDon't forget: - sketch with some animals (usually dogs or cats, they're cute) - sketch with some fluid sprayed over a cast member
- BMc2020 2y agoand -- the punch repeated three times -- the pulled punch -- the actors age inappropriate punch
- maxerickson 2y agoCelebrity jeopardy is one of their more popular sketches over the last 20 years and is exactly above it all affectation.
- acheron 2y agoThe Celebrity Jeopardy sketch started in the mid 90s and was done by 2005 other than a couple reunion special occasions. It’s not from the last 20 years anymore, you may be getting old.
- maxerickson 2y agoYeah my skin gets really dry in the winter. I'm not sure how intentional I was, but I didn't actually say it was one of the most popular sketches performed in the last 20 years. People love the Connery.
- mjfl 2y ago[flagged]
- beanjuiceII 2y agoi try to watch SNL,but its just not funny 99% of the time, weekend update is the only thing that could get a half chuckle anymore most of the times
- thebiglebrewski 2y agoLorne is great and the heart of the show. I also think The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers were part of an Golden Era, for the record.
- eco 2y agoI think it was in an interview on Norm MacDonald Has A Show that Lorne was asked what the best era of SNL was, and he said the best era for SNL is just whatever one you grew up with. I think he's right about that.
- thebiglebrewski 2y agoFair point. I'm mostly just making a reference to the Lonely Island + Seth Meyers podcast. Every few episodes they joke about being in "an Golden Era" of SNL :). But they also do point out that people tend to idolize the folks from the era they grew up in for sure as well!
- mattbrewsbytes 2y agoSNL is more like an improv/skit talent show where a successful outcome is becoming a household name movie star. Lorne is more of the person running the talent show, selecting people, and then reaping rewards with the spin offs rather than the star. If you think of SNL like that, then there are others that could likely take the helm and keep it going once he’s gone.
- dccoolgai 2y agoI was recently watching a short history piece about some of the attitudes/egos Lorne had to deal with (e.g. Chevy Chase) and it struck me how similar some of them are to certain "rockstar engineers" I've worked with.