Saturday Night Live: Discussion Thread

[Toups]

Thoughout the whole song, I couldn't figure out what the song was. I just knew it sounded familiar. LOL

[Toups]

This is probably the best Debbie Downer sketch because of everyone breaking.

https://vimeo.com/41787619

[Khan]

Another potentially good sketch tanked by Horatio Sanz and Jimmy Fallon's absolute inability to refrain from breaking. I was so happy when the two left the show.

[quartermainefan]

I thought it was a really good show and for me it was Dan Ackroyd who was my favorite. No one has ever been able to duplicate or imitate him but he's just the best.

i liked the Wayne's World and I thought it was endearing that Kanye played along. Sarah Palin was a good sport, as was Alec Baldwin. I liked the opening with Fallon and Timberlake and it was nice to see Jane Curtin, Garret Morriss and Laraine Newman again (although in her case it is tough to recognize her). Joe Piscopo too even though his bit fell a little flat.

Paul Simon was the best musically but I thought Miley Cyrus did a good job covering his song earlier. I do wish more time had been spent reflecting on John Belushie, Gilda Radner and Jan Hooks.

[Mr. Vixen]

I was so so SO happy to see JANE CURTIN back at the weekend update table.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

UGH to Sarah Palin, Kanye West, Miley. The skits were way to long.

No mention of Robin Williams?!

[quartermainefan]

I don't even remember if Robin Williams ever hosted the show and not sure in what capacity they would remember him. If they did a tape of dead hosts and musical guest they probably would have needed another hour.

I wonder if Buck Henry is not well enough to attend. He must be quite old by now but he was a major presence on the show during the original cast years.

[DRW50]

He hosted twice, but was never a major part of the show. (Robin Williams)

[Soapsuds]

The show averaged a 7.8 in the 18-49 demo …peaking at 8.3 for the first two hours of the show. SNL had 23.1 million viewers for last night's special.

[Gray Bunny]

Wow! Well done, NBC & SNL!

[BKuzak]

I liked the begining with Timberlake and Fallon. I felt sad for Carvey. his song just lost something and i think he knew it too. It just wasn't as good as it was when he originally sang it. He probably would have done better doing a church chat. He did good as Garth from Waynes World. I was never into the Calfornia people (whenever it came on). I liked Betty White and Bradly Coopers part, and loved seeing Laurine Newman on it but i was never a fan of the sketch.

I think they could have done more with Eddie Murphy. And Candice Bergen. She was the first woman host of the show but they just had her "co-host" the introduction to one of the singers (i think it was Miley.) I loved how they put the two newest cast members together to show audition tapes of the cast. And Jane Curtin on weekend update was good but i wasn't into those celebrities paying old characters.

Most of it was good. The musical guests were OK. It's sad that they didn't think much of Victoria Jackson. I don't know if she came late but they put her in another room with people and she ended up taking someone's seat in one of the top floors to watch the last hour of the show. Very sad. I really missed seeing Dennis Miller. I thought Nora Dunn would have shown up, but she might have been like Victoria and had to sit away from everyone. I guess you can't have everyone but for what it was, it was pretty good.

[DramatistDreamer]

Here's a clip with Robin Williams portraying a William F. Buckley type and Eddie Murphy playing a sociologist PhD of some sort. They're talking pure nonsense but sadly, not out of line with many cable chat shows:

https://screen.yahoo.com/firing-line-000000469.htmlhttps://screen.yahoo.com/firing-line-000000469.html

Today, SNL pretty much shies away from this incendiary type of humor that it once did during an earlier time, which is probably why neither Garrett Morris nor Eddie did much during the SNL 40.

On another note,

I think Dana Carvey's song fell flat because there was no Phil Hartman to react with those hilarious facial expressions.

That seemed to be much of the problem with some of the sketches-- they seemed to be performed in a vacuum and to me, many fell flat because of this.

Edited February 17, 2015 by DramatistDreamer

[Mr. Vixen]

Wait, Victoria Jackson was there?

[Khan]

I think it's no secret that Lorne Michaels lost much of his autonomy to NBC at some point during the mid- or late-'90's, when SNL's ratings were REALLY anemic. That's why, for example, many musical acts that have appeared on the show in recent years have been the kind who, in a different era, would never have been invited; and why, despite what many critics say, I believe their political content during the last several election cycles has been toothless (Tina Fey's appearances as "Sarah Palin" notwithstanding).

That's why the 40th anniversary special last night seemed bittersweet to me. Yes, forty years on the air is a significant accomplishment...but look at the sacrifices they've made along the way.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Khan

[Khan]

Oh, and I call bullshit on Lorne secretly loving it when actors "break.".