SNL Cast Overhaul?

[AUChizad]

I'm one of the few people who have always loved every incarnation of SNL since I started watching it in the late 80's/early 90's (I wasn't around for the much-celebrated original cast), and have never stopped.

I'm sure when that original cast gave way to the Eddie Murphy/Joe Piscapo days, there was much flak about how the show had jumped the shark. I know this to be true of the 90's Adam Sandler/Chris Rock/Chris Farley/David Spade/Mike Myers/Dana Carvey/Rob Schneidder/Kevin Nealon/Norm MacDonald/Phil Hartman/Tim Meadows days, which was what I consider to be the golden era. When that cast gave way to the late 90's/early 2000's cast (Will Ferrel/Tina Fey/Ana Gasteyer/Cheri Oteri/Chris Kattan/Tracy Morgan/Chris Parnell/Molly Shannon/Jimmy Fallon/Jim Beuer/Horatio Sanz/Amy Poehler) people were saying the current era couldn't compete with the previous one. Same for the cast members of this season. You could say (and I'm sure many will) that the cast and writing has just gotten progressively worse, but I disagree. I think this is a cast that time will look back fondly on as well. Yet every era is the era people want to pin for jumping the shark. The nostalgia of past cast members is too much for most people to not hold it against the current cast.

All that being said, it was implied heavily that this weekend's episode will be the last for Kristen Wiig , Jason Sudeikis and Andy Samberg.

Usually when they lose that much star power in one season, they do a relatively clean swipe and reboot. They may hang on to one or two of the other workhorses like Bill Heder, Keenan Thompson, or Fred Armison. But I think it's likely this will represent the end of an era, and they'll want to start fresh. Taran Killam has stepped up to the plate and become a central force in the show in his short time as a cast member. I expect him to be the next big star of the show.

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/kristen-wiig-jason-sudeikis-andy-samberg-ve-bid-bye-saturday-night-live-article-1.1081636?localLinksEnabled=false

Lorne Michaels says he won’t officially announce changes in the cast of “Saturday Night Live,” but Kristen Wiig , Jason Sudeikis and Andy Samberg left little doubt that this past weekend’s season finale was their last.

Unless the three mirth makers are playing a brilliantly executed joke on the media, each dropped clues that they are departing.

While Wiig’s emotional last dance with her colleagues — as host Mick Jagger performed the Rolling Stones’ gem “She’s a Rainbow” — was the most obvious, and Samberg’s closing rhyme in “Lazy Sunday 2” was comic poetry, Sudeikis’ show-closing behavior was the most surprising — and poignant.

The funnyman looked like he was losing a fierce battle to rein in his emotions as he danced with Wiig, his castmate since 2005.

Sudeikis looked pasty and practically despondent as he hugged Wiig, while the “Bridesmaids” star rubbed his back and whispered something in his ear.

After Samberg cut in to give Wiig a much more energetic spin — nearly exposing her derriere in the process — Sudeikis slunk off to the back of the stage where he appeared to be choking back tears as he fidgeted with his suit.

As Jagger segued into “Ruby Tuesday,” Sudeikis was the only cast member not clapping or singing along with a starry crew that included Jon Hamm , Amy Poehler , Chris Kattan, Steve Martin and Chris Parnell .

By the time the credits were rolling, Sudeikis had disappeared from the stage.

Samberg dropped a hint that his “SNL” days were over in “Lazy Sunday 2,” a sequel to the Digital Short that first made him a breakout star on the NBC comedy show.

At the clip’s end, Samberg rapped: “On these New York streets, I hone my fake rap penmanship ...”

“That’s how it began,” interjected Parnell, who reprised his role from the original short.

“And that’s how I’ma finish it,” rhymed Samberg, leaving the impression he’d come full circle.

Sudeikis apparently rebounded for a seriously fun after-party on the ice rink at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Jagger and the Foo Fighters, who’d performed together on “SNL,” continued to rock the crowd with versions of the Stones’ “Bitch” and “Miss You.”

Dave Grohl and his band also accompanied current and former “SNL” cast members. “(Will ) Forte sang Sabbath. Poehler just sang Joan Jett ,” tweeted Seth Meyers and in a later post, he reported that Sudeikis handled vocals and Fred Armisen tackled drums on a Cheap Trick number.

Although no mention was made of departing cast members, one source at the soiree noted that, one point during the festivities, a wet-eyed Wiig, Sudeikis and Samberg joined each other onstage to “the loudest applause of the evening.”

A spokeswoman for Wiig and Sudeikis declined to comment.

[GH2001]

I thought this past weekend's show was the best Ive seen the last 3 months. Jagger was great.

[Kaos]

I'd be happy with jettisoning all but Abby Elliot, pharaoh (only because of his Denzel impression)  and Seth Myers.

Keenan is a fucking good burger dud. 
Bobby M is painfully unfunny. 
Tired of Armisen who was marginal at best.
Hader is worn out. 
Wiig was never as good as she got credit for (neither was the shitty bridesmaids clunker)
Samberg was okay but when compared to past cast is a pale shadow.

When the "star" of your show is Sudekis?  It's time to clean house. 

The show has had ups and downs.  Murray, Curtain, Belushi, Akroyd, Morris, Radner. That was great.

Sucked with crystal and Meyers and carvey and spade.

Was good again with Shannon, ferrel, gastmeyer and all the way through Fallon, fey and poehler.

Now sucks again with the rare exception. 

Burn it down.

[Kaos]

I'm one of the few people who have always loved every incarnation of SNL since I started watching it in the late 80's/early 90's (I wasn't around for the much-celebrated original cast), and have never stopped.

I'm sure when that original cast gave way to the Eddie Murphy/Joe Piscapo days, there was much flak about how the show had jumped the shark. I know this to be true of the 90's Adam Sandler/Chris Rock/Chris Farley/David Spade/Mike Myers/Dana Carvey/Rob Schneidder/Kevin Nealon/Norm MacDonald/Phil Hartman/Tim Meadows days, which was what I consider to be the golden era. When that cast gave way to the late 90's/early 2000's cast (Will Ferrel/Tina Fey/Ana Gasteyer/Cheri Oteri/Chris Kattan/Tracy Morgan/Chris Parnell/Molly Shannon/Jimmy Fallon/Jim Beuer/Horatio Sanz/Amy Poehler) people were saying the current era couldn't compete with the previous one. Same for the cast members of this season. You could say (and I'm sure many will) that the cast and writing has just gotten progressively worse, but I disagree. I think this is a cast that time will look back fondly on as well. Yet every era is the era people want to pin for jumping the shark. The nostalgia of past cast members is too much for most people to not hold it against the current cast.

All that being said, it was implied heavily that this weekend's episode will be the last for Kristen Wiig , Jason Sudeikis and Andy Samberg.

Usually when they lose that much star power in one season, they do a relatively clean swipe and reboot. They may hang on to one or two of the other workhorses like Bill Heder, Keenan Thompson, or Fred Armison. But I think it's likely this will represent the end of an era, and they'll want to start fresh. Taran Killam has stepped up to the plate and become a central force in the show in his short time as a cast member. I expect him to be the next big star of the show.

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/kristen-wiig-jason-sudeikis-andy-samberg-ve-bid-bye-saturday-night-live-article-1.1081636?localLinksEnabled=false

Weird about perception. 

What you consider the "golden" era, I consider the stinky brown era.  Sandler sucked. Schneider sucked. Spade sucked. Nealon sucked. Meyers sucked and sucked. Carvey sucked. McDonald sucked.   The only saving grace of that era at all was Chris Farley.  Chris Rock was given little to do and wasted.

There was never a sense of "the new cast can't live up to the old" it was more "thank GOD those shitbags are off there, now maybe the show can get out of the rut. 

The worst time, though, was the season six abortion that very nearly caused the cancellation of the show. 

Damon Wayans was on there for part of a season before he got fired for changing the script during the live performances.  He then helped start In Living Color, which during its run was way the fuck funnier than SNL was.  Much better cast. 

For a time, Mad-TV was also at least as good if not better than SNL. 

[AUChizad]

Burn it down.

I've got a feeling you will be disappointed.

I believe the show has become an institution, and unless they start getting rid of The Today Show, The Tonight Show, Late Night, NBC Nightly News, etc., this one's going to be right along with it until the end of time.

[AUChizad]

For a time, Mad-TV was also at least as good if not better than SNL.

In Living Color - Yes.
MadTV - No.

[Jumbo]

In Living Color - Yes.
MadTV - No.

Homey don't play that. I also enjoyed watching the state.

[GH2001]

I'd be happy with jettisoning all but Abby Elliot, pharaoh (only because of his Denzel impression)  and Seth Myers.

Keenan is a fucking good burger dud. 
Bobby M is painfully unfunny. 
Tired of Armisen who was marginal at best.
Hader is worn out. 
Wiig was never as good as she got credit for (neither was the shitty bridesmaids clunker)
Samberg was okay but when compared to past cast is a pale shadow.

When the "star" of your show is Sudekis?  It's time to clean house. 

The show has had ups and downs.  Murray, Curtain, Belushi, Akroyd, Morris, Radner. That was great.

Sucked with crystal and Meyers and carvey and spade.

Was good again with Shannon, ferrel, gastmeyer and all the way through Fallon, fey and poehler.

Now sucks again with the rare exception. 

Burn it down.

Almost totally agree with these exceptions:

I think Sudekis and Wiig are good enough. They have their moments. The 2 aholes skit is/was a good one IMHO. A lot like Samberg, they have good moments.

I liked Norm McDonald.

Other than those, I agree with you.

I thought I was the only person who hated Dana Carvey. Nice to see there is at least another person who shares that feeling.

When MADTV first came out it was pretty funny. It seemed like it lost a step after a few years. I always thought Misses Swan was hilarious.

[Kaos]

Almost totally agree with these exceptions:

I think Sudekis and Wiig are good enough. They have their moments. The 2 aholes skit is/was a good one IMHO. A lot like Samberg, they have good moments.

I liked Norm McDonald.

Other than those, I agree with you.

I thought I was the only person who hated Dana Carvey. Nice to see there is at least another person who shares that feeling.

When MADTV first came out it was pretty funny. It seemed like it lost a step after a few years. I always thought Misses Swan was hilarious.

I liked several of the skits on MadTV.  Some talent there. 

[GH2001]

I liked several of the skits on MadTV.  Some talent there.

Stewart?

Look what I can do.

[Kaos]

I've got a feeling you will be disappointed.

I believe the show has become an institution, and unless they start getting rid of The Today Show, The Tonight Show, Late Night, NBC Nightly News, etc., this one's going to be right along with it until the end of time.

I damn sure don't want it cancelled. 

I watched the very first one the night it debuted.  George Carlin.  And it was uneven and sloppy and ridiculous.  I watched the one where damn Paul Simon sung through most of the show.  That one almost killed it for me.

Went back not too long ago and watched some of those old ones again.  They were really pretty bad as the show struggled to find its place.

One piece that made me laugh?  Fake commercial for razors.  Showed the (then new) twin-blade razor and how it pulled the hair and let the second blade cut closer... BUT WAIT ... now there's a THREE BLADE razor that will cut even closer!!! The tag line?  "Because you're stupid enough to believe it."

That cracked me up as I pondered my six blade razor.  Five up front and one on the back for cleanup. 

I've watched a couple of shows at least of every season it's been on. 

It should remain on as long as I'm around.  I want them to burn it out from the inside and revamp it.  I'd be okay with starting completely new with people we don't know at all.  But not that Taran Killian douche.  Not like him at all.  I'd also be okay if they closed the books on Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks or any of the other legacy hosts for a while. 

Let it grow some. 

[Kaos]

Stewart?

Look what I can do.

Yeah, I liked Stuart.  Those were mostly funny. 

They had a few parodies, like the Ecstasy one:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QHG8cjI5B-w&rel=1

Kenny Rogers Jackass made me laugh for no reason.

Dot could be pretty funny:
 

Phil LaMarr, Aries Spears, Nicole Sullivan, Michael McDonald, Mo Collins, Will Sasso, Stephanie Weir, Nicole Parker, Ike Barinholtz.. all of them were just as good or better than anybody SNL had at the time, SNL just had more money and better production values. 

It rode off the rails when Bobby Lee was on there. I wanted to strangle him myself.  And the stupid Lillian Verner skits. 

[GH2001]

Yeah that Kenny Rogers skit used to make me guffaw and I can't tell you why.

[Vandy Vol]

YOU GOT EGGNOG IN MY GOAT MILK!

[Kaos]

From the WTF department, Taran Killam impregnated and is engaged to this hot ass piece from The Avengers:



For the record, Killam is this goofy bastard, who I always assumed was gay:

[AUChizad]

I am currently in the process of downloading all 37 complete seasons of Saturday Night Live.

About to start watching Season 1 now.

Fun fact I just learned: Robert Downey Jr. (also a former SNL cast member) is the nephew of a long-time writer, Jim Downey. Jim was one of the replacements for Akroyd & Belushi for the 5th season, but he was also a writer from the very beginning until today with only a few brief hiatuses in between. His brother is Robert Downey Sr.

You may know him as this guy.

[AUJarhead]

About to start watching Season 1 now.

The Chevy Chase/Richard Pryor "Word Association" skit is my all time favorite SNL skit.

[AUChizad]

I got distracted and didn't finish that episode. I'm finishing it up now.

Many things haven't changed. Shouting "Live from New York, It's Saturday Night", although instead of being worked into the sketch, it was Chevy Chase playing a stagehand with a clipboard and earphone-mic stubling onto the stage and yelling it. Having a fake commercial right after the initial monologue.

Many things have changed, though.

It was weird how the actual cast, the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players", played such a minimal part. Lots of random actors with speaking parts in the sketches. The players all shared a title card in the opening credits that flashed by super quick, and was listed last. Especially in the short films, which there were several of, instead of just one. The host didn't appear in any sketches. Carlin just did his standup at the opening, and at random points throughout the show. Some female comedian who wasn't funny at all had a spot too. And the infamous Andy Kaufman Mighty Mouse thing, which I thought was one of the funniest parts, just seemed random as hell. And there was a weird, completely out of place Muppets sketch (which, although abnormally adult-themed, was not very funny), which apparently was originally a standard part of the show every week. Also two musical acts played two songs each, which was weird.

The Triple Track razor sketch is almost an eery glimpse into the future. It's pretty much exactly the Mach 3 commercial played straight.

The song at the end when the credits start rolling was basically the same. The funniest part to me was how they inserted "Bud" into about 80% of the names in the credits, for example, Lorne "Bud" Michaels.

Starting the second one now. Paul Simon was the host. Still, there was two additional musical guests. Also, the opening sketch wasn't a sketch at all, but Simon playing "Still Crazy". Chevy Chase stumbled on the stage to yell "Live From New York, It's Saturday Night". Then opening credits, then instead of a monologue, another Simon song. Then the fake commercial...then Simon singing again...

I think if you watch it like I did with no nostalgia attached, there's no way you can think it was funnier than the modern incarnation. At least not so far. I'm sure compared to other things on TV at the time it was edgy and irreverent, although Monty Python predates it by several years, and in my opinion was much funnier. Gonna definitely watch the first five seasons in its entirety, though.

[AUChizad]

About 90% of this second episode consists of musical performances, mostly by Simon and/or Garfunkle.

They did include Simon in a Weekend Update skit where he played Connie Hawkins in basketball and kicked his ass, which was actually pretty funny.

[Kaos]

About 90% of this second episode consists of musical performances, mostly by Simon and/or Garfunkle.

They did include Simon in a Weekend Update skit where he played Connie Hawkins in basketball and kicked his ass, which was actually pretty funny.

I remember that from when it first came on. That show nearly killed it for me. 

It was very uneven the first year, but by the second and third?  It's so far superior to the garbage of the 90s and the crappy fizz of the last few seasons there is no comparison. 

Belushi, Murray, Morris, Radner, Curtain, Newman, Danny boy.... all icons. 

It was so subversive back then. Parents would have killed me if they'd known I was watching it.