# On the baffling cultural relevance of SNL (Saturday Night Live) TV SHOW **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [May 25, 2021, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845 "2021-05-25T00:48:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/61 "2021-05-27T15:39:18Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > It occured to me, that you might not know I was referring to the SNL Season 1 only recurring segment with Muppets. They were horrible. And such large portions! > > I have nothing against The Muppet Show, the Muppets film series, Sesame Street or Muppets in general. But I think you had to be stoned to like the SNL muppets. Or maybe 11. 🙂 The Mighty Favog! Yeah, I was 12, and I definitely liked it…. Here’s a good article on the topic. > **[The Land of Gorch: The Forgotten Muppets Sketch That Ran During SNL’s First...](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/633717/jim-hensons-land-gorch-muppets-snl)** > > “I don’t write for felt,” writer Michael O'Donoghue said, and John Belushi often called them “mucking Fuppets.” ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/62 "2021-05-27T15:54:13Z")
Yeah, Scred and all them. My dad got me up to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/63 "2021-06-05T06:17:59Z")
This year, for the first time, _Saturday Night Live_ was the most watched (non-sport) show on American television: > **[‘SNL’ Finishes Atop Demo Ratings for First Time in Its History](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/snl-ratings-no-1-2020-21-season-1234963138/)** > > NBC's late night institution beats all other entertainment shows among adults 18-49. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/64 "2021-06-05T07:57:58Z")
No matter how many people I see talking about disliking it, I always later see people (including some of those same people) talking about a particularly good or memorable moment, one that appeals beyond 15 year olds (or whatever the target demo is). As long as that continues, so will the show. And, yeah, Baldwin’s Trump fit how Trump acts now better than Darrell Hammond’s more goofy portrayal. Complexity is not necessarily a good thing in a portrayal, as it can engender sympathy. Granted, it does seem that he didn’t get a chance to try out as the more hostile Trump, so maybe his would have been good to see. But I suspect there was also pressure to have it not be a current performer, perhaps to add limits to how often Trump would actually be shown. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/65 "2021-06-05T14:04:13Z")
In some sense he did try out for it. Lorne Michaels looked at his portrayal of Trump and Alec Baldwin’s portrayal and decided he liked Baldwin’s better. Incidentally, Hammond apparently still works at SNL as the announcer. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/66 "2021-06-06T17:55:33Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > It’s managed to find a middle position well enough that it’s lasted for 46 years. > [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > This year, for the first time, _Saturday Night Live_ was the most watched (non-sport) show on American television: There sure a lot of long-lasting, popular McDonalds locations too, but I would question the qualifications as a food critic of anyone who thinks they make good hamburgers, either due to their popularity or for any other reason. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/67 "2021-06-06T18:07:51Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > There sure a lot of long-lasting, popular McDonalds locations too, but I would question the qualifications as a food critic of anyone who thinks they make good hamburgers, either due to their popularity or for any other reason. Someone who wanted to explain why McDonald’s is mediocre fast food could actually do that with reference to facts, though, and could construct a logical argument. I’ve never really heard anyone complain about SNL in the last ten years who complain wasn’t just “it sucks” or “it was better when I was a teenager/young adult.” ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/68 "2021-06-06T18:09:58Z")
SNL was originally a throwback to the 1950’s live TV (but with post-1960’s subversive humor). Half the appeal was that 50’s nostalgia, half the pushing against Standards & Practices 50’s sensibilities. Every generation has its medium, allowing for some overlap and later renaissance. The Lost Generation had Hollywood’s Golden Age, The Greatest Generation was radio at its greatest. Network TV at its best was the Silent Generation at their best. Lorne Michaels had to beg a condescending Johnny Carson’s permission to go into production, but if he’d waited a few months, cable TV would provide him the natural home it gave to the rest of the Boomers. My point being: SNL was always an anomaly in American culture. That’s made its survival, inimitability; as well as it always being a little bit “off.” ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/69 "2021-06-06T18:10:54Z")
I don’t see any real difference between the aesthetic evaluation of a hamburger versus a comedy show. You’re not going to convince anyone of what “objectively” tastes better or is funnier. But among people who are credible on either topic, there is a pretty clear consensus. And personally, I’m just not interested in further recommendations from anyone who thinks that McDonalds makes a great burger or that Elon Musk repeating the word “bestie” for 5 minutes constitutes great comedy. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/70 "2021-06-06T18:18:49Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > But among people who are credible on either topic, there is a pretty clear consensus Professionals in comedy are generally quite impressed with SNL, though. The consensus among people with knowledge of the craft is not at all that it sucks. It’s that it’s good. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/71 "2021-06-06T18:46:12Z")
Again, what comedy sketch show do you think is better? I gave you some lists of some of them in a post above. What other comedy sketch shows have you watched? In what way were they better? Also, give us a link to something that ranks a lot of comedy sketch shows that considers SHL low on the list. I suspect that SNL is at this point just about the only show on broadcast television in the U.S. (maybe the only one on any cable network too) that is the thing that people always stay home on that night to watch. Can you even list individual comedy sketches from other comedy sketch shows that you consider better than every SNL one? What do you want us to watch other than SNL? ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/72 "2021-06-06T18:55:19Z")
Mr. Show was better, The State was better, the sketches on Conan O’Brien’s NBC show were better, Inside Amy Schumer was better, the Tim and Eric show was better, I Think You Should Leave was better. It’s particularly interesting that Tim Robinson never did anything of note on SNL and ended up making the most recent acclaimed sketch show; that suggests that Lorne and the SNL environment are a major part of the problem, which seems very likely for other reasons. There are no other sketch comedy shows on network TV right now that I know of, because actual comedy is a niche product that most people are either too stupid or too easily offended to want to watch. That’s why SNL’s pink slime comedy-like substance goes over better with the same people who keep McDonalds in business and why it and the late-night talk shows pivot more towards “isn’t it fun to watch celebrities do stuff” and away from even attempting jokes with each passing year. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/73 "2021-06-06T19:24:02Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > most people are either too stupid or too easily offended If that’s true, then there will never be nor will there ever have been any good comedy sketch shows. And yet there have been some, I think. I’m really suspicious when anyone’s reasons for disagreeing with everyone else is that everyone else is stupid. Would you like to submit to us a copy of the I.Q. score that a qualified psychologist got when they gave you an I.Q. test? On the other hand, if your definition of “stupid” is how much someone’s opinions disagree with yours, then you’re not using a good definition of the word. I liked _Inside Amy Schumer_. It didn’t run that long. I have no idea whether it could have run for 46 years. I never watched _Mr. Show_, _The State_, or _Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!_. (I’m not sure about those Conan O’Brien sketches.) Could any of them have lasted 46 years? In any case, SNL is and has always been extremely variable. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/74 "2021-06-06T19:26:02Z")
There can be shows on cable channels and streaming platforms that don’t need to bring in as many viewers as a major network show to be profitable. Comedy is a niche thing. If you want to keep flogging that we know McDonalds is good because they sell the most hamburgers, that’s up to you, but don’t expect everyone else to praise your culinary discernment afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/75 "2021-06-06T19:37:39Z")
Well, if SNL is to Comedy what McDonalds is to food, then Tim and Eric are to comedy what a fresh, moist steaming turd are to food. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/76 "2021-06-06T19:39:36Z")
Please note that I never mentioned McDonalds. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/77 "2021-06-06T19:44:48Z")
If comedy is a niche thing, then there’s no reason to expect a broadcast television comedy sketch show to ever be good. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/78 "2021-06-06T20:00:53Z")
Right. I though Belushi with Samurai whatever was hilarious, along with Landshark, the fake ads, and all the rest. However, other than weekend update “Jane, you ignorant slut.” they didn’t try as hard to be "current and relevant. " They are not aiming at me today, however. There are still bits that my friends refer to me on YouTube, etc - some are horrifically NOT funny, others are good. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/79 "2021-06-06T20:25:48Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > For every good skit that you can remember all these years, there were three that completely fell flat and we no longer remember. (yes I know there are people that liked the Muppets. They were probably stoned. 🙂 ) Dregs and Vestiges? I loved that, and no, I was not stoned. However, I agree- each show had maybe a couple great skits and mucho crapola. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845/80 "2021-06-06T21:28:53Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Please note that I never mentioned McDonalds. If SNL’s success as a financial product (its ratings and longevity) prove that it’s funny then why doesn’t the same principle apply? Isn’t McDonalds the best burger, the Ford F150 the best vehicle, and JK Rowling the best author? Or is it incredibly obvious that popularity not only has nothing to do with quality but in fact often indicates that something is removed of anything challenging or risky that would appeal to a discerning consumer? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-baffling-cultural-relevance-of-snl-saturday-night-live-tv-show/942845.md?page=5)