# SNL's change of tone for me.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snls-change-of-tone-for-me/777219>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 15, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snls-change-of-tone-for-me/777219 "2017-01-15T14:06:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snls-change-of-tone-for-me/777219/1 "2017-01-15T14:06:20Z")

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With more recurring cameos and some players being there so long, self-referencing bits…SNL has become, for me, more of a “comfortable sitcom” then what it used to be.

Which is good!

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snls-change-of-tone-for-me/777219/2 "2017-01-15T15:49:37Z")

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Yeah, occasionally I sort of miss the countercultural, edgy, not-ready-for-prime-time feel of the show’s early years.

Nowadays it’s slick and professional and fairly formulaic—but that’s at least potentially a good thing, as long as the writing and performances are up to par. It’s become a Cultural Institution, with 40 years of history, and alumni and friends of the show they can draw on—sometimes to good effect, sometimes just as a cheap gimmick.

I’m pretty sure there’s no one who’s had a greater overall effect on American comedy than Lorne Michaels.