It’s Saturday Night!
For the last passion post of the semester, I wanted to talk about one of the most well-known and long-lasting comedy series on television: NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Since 1976, the show has produced dozens of stars, hundreds of memorable sketches, and thousands of funny moments. Each show follows a similar format: a celebrity host will star in the night’s short comedic sketches and a musical guest will perform two songs, sometimes appearing in a sketch as well.
The sketches vary widely from music videos to commercial parodies to political skits. The latter is often a source of criticism, especially from those on the right who say SNL has become too left-leaning and biased in its critiques of President Trump (for what it’s worth, I don’t really like the Trump sketches much either, but it’s only because I find Alec Baldwin extremely annoying).
However, what makes SNL unique and what has kept it on air for over 40 seasons is its talented staff of writers, costume and set designers, performers, special effects artists, and everyone else on staff who work throughout the week to get the show completed by Saturday night. SNL publishes a YouTube series called “Creating Saturday Night Live” where the audience is given a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show. Everyone plays a crucial role in preparing the final product, which they sometimes work on right up until air. This weekly time frame pushes SNL staff members to be as creative as possible during a limited amount of time. Occasionally, this leads to sketches that flop, but usually, SNL’s writers create fairly funny content, and sometimes, it is even hilarious.
With SNL now in its 45th season, there is no doubt that it has gone through many changes over the years. From creator Lorne Michaels’ departure in season 6 (and his eventual return in season 11) to the numerous eras of casts, there have been plenty of shake-ups that have made the show go through ups and downs. While some people long to go back to the “good old days” of SNL, others say this is the best its been in years. And what does that phrase even really mean? The 70s? The 90s? Whenever Tina Fey was on? (Obviously.)
There are plenty of sketches in every era of SNL that have been hilariously memorable, and others that have just fell flat. But it is a testament to the hard work of everyone at Saturday Night Live that the show has become the cultural influence it is today.
So, that’s it for my semester of passion blogging. To end, I’ll leave with a few of my favorite SNL sketches over the years 🙂
Nasim Pedrad as Shallon gets me every time.
Mom jeans are making a comeback, and so should this sketch!
Bill Hader + John Mulaney surprising him with random jokes = hilarious Weekend Update segment
Wonderfuull! i Like it!
I like to describe this show like a on and off relationship because one year this show is funny and the next it sucks and it’s like that year after year. Still it always manages to make you laugh and it has been the breakthrough show for some of the greatest comedians of all-time. This deserves to be seen accompanied with delicious food from the mcdonalds menu. https://jojorecipes.com/mcdonalds-menu/
What is patriotism but the love of the food one ate as a child?
LIVE FROM VIENNA
Ah, Vienna, the city of music, culture, and apparently, a secret Saturday Night Live spin-off! That’s right, folks, get ready for “Saturday Night Wiener”! Picture this: the waltzing comedians performing hilarious sketches while balancing a tray of Wiener Schnitzels on their heads. The musical guests? None other than a yodeling boy band called “The Melodic Strudels”! It’s a show that will make you laugh, dance, and crave some delicious Austrian pastries. So grab your lederhosen and get ready for a wild night of laughter in the Viennese style, where the punchlines are as sweet as Sachertorte! Or Move with Umzug Wien ðŸŽðŸ˜‚🎶