# Eddie Murphy's SNL return **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2019, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224 "2019-12-22T05:15:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/21 "2019-12-22T23:02:58Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Does Pete Davidson do anything besides make fun of himself for being Pete Davidson? That’s all I’ve ever seen him do (in my admittedly limited recent viewings). He had a recurring character a while back that was a kind of clueless stoner type that inexplicably had lots of sex. It was amusing to me in limited doses. OH…that _was_ Pete Davidson making fun of himself for being Pete Davidson! ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/22 "2019-12-22T23:11:41Z")
[Chad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7fRA65t7Hg) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/23 "2019-12-22T23:38:24Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > I thought the rules didn’t apply to USA Network since they are cable only, not broadcast. Same as for HBO. There have been at least six instances of SNL dropping the f-bomb during a broadcast (including by cast members Charles Rocket, Paul Shaffer, and Jenny Slate.) Years and years ago the FCC threw up its hands and basically said, “We’re gonna look the other way unless we actually get complaints about it.” I suspect people who want to complain about SNL’s use of questionable language quit watching after the Martin Lawrence feminine hygiene monologue of 1994. Note to **Arkcon** : That’s not a surly teen on the phone in the luxury car in that commercial. That’s the family’s Mom taking refuge in the luxury car. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/24 "2019-12-22T23:59:19Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > “Shit” is apparently OK to say, at least after 10pm or so. A couple of the USA Network shows, like Suits, seem to make a point of saying it several times each episode. > > I thought the rules didn’t apply to USA Network since they are cable only, not broadcast. Same as for HBO. I think you’re correct that there is a big difference between cable channels and broadcast TV. Still, there should be looser standards for a show that airs as late as this does. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/25 "2019-12-23T00:44:25Z")
I hope they have David Spade on next week for another Hollywood Minute. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/26 "2019-12-23T00:54:08Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Does Pete Davidson do anything besides make fun of himself for being Pete Davidson? That’s all I’ve ever seen him do (in my admittedly limited recent viewings). Sorry to post again about Pete in an Eddie Murphy thread but searching for the Chad video I posted above, I found another one of my favorite Davidson sketches. Not playing Chad but still…[Pete doing Pete.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6uvv1aS5_I) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/27 "2019-12-23T00:58:08Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > I hope they have David Spade on next week for another Hollywood Minute. For those unfamiliar with the reference, when he was on SNL in the 1990s, David Spade had a bit on Weekend Update where he’d make snarky jokes about celebrities. Once he put up a picture of Eddie Murphy, as he said, “Look children, it’s a falling star!” (Murphy had a couple of unsuccessful movies at that time.) Murphy was _really_ pissed. He called up Spade and told him off. Murphy also stayed away from SNL for over _thirty years_ as a result. [Here](https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/david-spade-recalls-intense-eddie-murphy-feud-in-memoir-excerpt-193175/)’s a Rolling Stone piece about it. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/28 "2019-12-23T01:07:51Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > … Murphy was _really_ pissed. He called up Spade and told him off. Murphy also stayed away from SNL for over _thirty years_ as a result. [Here](https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/david-spade-recalls-intense-eddie-murphy-feud-in-memoir-excerpt-193175/)’s a Rolling Stone piece about it. It’s also the case that Eddie Murphy was hired during the short period of time in which Lorne Michaels wasn’t in charge of SNL. The fact that Murphy isn’t either beholden to Michaels or particularly friendly with Michaels probably has something to do with the long absence, too. > [@](#): > > In 1980, Michaels left the series to explore other opportunities. He was replaced by Jean Doumanian, who was replaced by [Dick] Ebersol after a season of bad reviews. Ebersol ran the show until 1985. > **[Saturday Night Live](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live)** > > Saturday Night Live (often abbreviated to SNL) is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and streams on Peacock. Michaels currently serves as the program's showrunner. The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. The show's comedy sketches, which often parody contemporary American culture and politics, are performed by a large and... Murphy’s years on the show (1980 - 84) fall within that ‘no Lorne Michaels’ period. ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/29 "2019-12-23T04:41:53Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > I thought the rules didn’t apply to USA Network since they are cable only, not broadcast. Same as for HBO. USA could show the exact same content as HBO if they wanted to. The difference is that they rely on advertisers. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/30 "2019-12-23T05:08:55Z")
I thought the show (and indeed the individual sketches) had good parts and slow/bad parts but overall, I thought that Eddie Murphy truly does still have _it_. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/31 "2019-12-23T05:37:09Z")
They don’t normally curse on SNL, and Murphy’s immediate reaction right after saying it seemed to me more like it was something he accidentally let slip, rather than intentional dialogue. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/32 "2019-12-23T05:59:53Z")
It had all the originality and “lightning in a bottle” excitement of the Lion King remake. If there’s one type of art where noatalgic by-the-book re-treads are absolutely the least interesting or useful, it’s comedy. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/33 "2019-12-23T06:08:14Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > “Shit” is apparently OK to say, at least after 10pm or so. A couple of the USA Network shows, like Suits, seem to make a point of saying it several times each episode. It’s been allowed for some time now—South Park did a whole episode celebrating it when it happened. They made a point of saying “shit” exactly the maximum number of times you can say it per episode, with a counter on the screen that incremented every time a character said it. That’s how I know it’s been allowed for a long time—it was allowed back when I still watched South Park. I haven’t watched it in ages. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/34 "2019-12-23T07:15:05Z")
> [@planetcory](#): > > USA could show the exact same content as HBO if they wanted to. The difference is that they rely on advertisers. What I meant is that it is a commercial decision rather than FCC regs because they are not a broadcast station. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/35 "2019-12-23T08:48:56Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I thought the show (and indeed the individual sketches) had good parts and slow/bad parts but overall, I thought that Eddie Murphy truly does still have _it_. thats pretty much every snl show even when i watched it during its second coming in the 90s tho i still say the best “no michaels” era host was jesse jackson … ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/36 "2019-12-23T11:12:18Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > SNL related question: Again, not having watched the show in years, is it a running joke to call Colin Jost racist or make him say racist things? You can obviously tell they’re sending him up and it’s not serious, but it also seemed to be something they do a lot. It was pretty funny and the way Michael Che set up the jokes reminds me a ton of what my best friend would always do to me back in college. It’s a running joke for Michael Che to constantly call Colin Jost a racist while Colin just sits there haplessly being the most uncontroversial nice white guy. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/37 "2019-12-23T11:36:09Z")
The line between broadcast TV and cable has blurred quite a bit considering how many people in this thread have cited cable stations as proof of relaxed language rules on TV. I guess everyone has cable now and basic cable feels like network TV. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/38 "2019-12-23T13:53:10Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Tinga Nadies is the new Wookin Pa Nub Eptuse me?:dubious::p:p:p I somehow had no idea Eddie Murphy was hosting and I tuned in to see if it was a rerun. What a great surprise! As soon as The Masked Singer bit started I knew it was gonna be Buckwheat. I too wish they hadn’t rushed through it. A great show overall. I even enjoyed Lizzo in a trainwreck sort of way. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/39 "2019-12-23T14:51:53Z")
Really enjoyed seeing Murphy doing his old characters. Note: that’s just _seeing_ them again. All too often the jokes themselves weren’t really fresh enough. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224/40 "2019-12-23T14:56:41Z")
Murphy’s announcement for the show listed some of the characters he would do and ended with “and maybe Bill Cosby.” I laughed long and hard at that thought. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eddie-murphys-snl-return/845224.md?page=3)