# Was the '22 SNL season opener as awful as it appeared? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** talk-variety-show\ **Created:** [October 2, 2022, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590 "2022-10-02T19:49:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**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:** [October 23, 2022, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/101 "2022-10-23T07:05:44Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > 58 seasons Aaaaahhhhh!!! I mean 48 seasons of course. Why can’t I do a better job of editing my posts? ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/102 "2022-10-23T14:17:31Z")
OK, it seems starting the season with 3 new episodes followed by a re-run is the (sort-of) traditional pattern, but considering they’ve barely introduced the new cast members, it might have been better to do another new episode before a repeat. Especially since that first episode was rather weak, based on the comments on this board (and just about everywhere else.) Just my 2 cents. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/103 "2022-10-23T14:37:18Z")
Taking every 4th Saturday off has been Lorne’s SOP for several years now. ---
**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:** [October 23, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/104 "2022-10-23T15:02:43Z")
My guess is that every week that ends with a new episode on Saturday night is exhausting for the entire cast and crew, so asking everyone to do too many in a row is asking too much. ---
**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:** [October 23, 2022, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/105 "2022-10-23T15:04:28Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > A re-run!??? Only three weeks into the season!??? You can’t be serious! As others have noted, that’s pretty typical. Because it’s live and because of all that goes into it, it takes a lot out of the people who put it together (cast, crew, writers). I assume they need a week off sometimes, and that’s why there are seldom more than three or four new shows in a row. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/106 "2022-10-23T17:22:19Z")
I’m pretty sure that the entire year’s schedule is fixed before the season starts. Nobody is going to disrupt that just because the first episode was weak. And it wasn’t anywhere near as weak as the third episode, which was among the weakest in history. How should they change the schedule for that? ---
**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:** [October 23, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/107 "2022-10-23T17:44:02Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I’m pretty sure that the entire year’s schedule is fixed before the season starts. What do you mean by the schedule being fixed? The guest host and musical guest aren’t fixed, since there have been times when they were changed because they couldn’t make it because of sickness or because the show didn’t want them because of something they did. I wonder if they have to change them because a film won’t premiere until later than planned or an album won’t drop until later than planned. Occasionally the time slot is taken because a major world sports event usurps it. Can you cite anything that says the schedule is fixed? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/108 "2022-10-23T18:23:19Z")
The schedule is made ahead of time in the same way that, say, the NFL schedule is made ahead of time. People need to know in advance when they will be working. In the NFL, some game times might be changed but you can look at the schedule before the season starts and know who will be playing who before the first game. This is even more important for the crew than for the players. The NBC technical crew doesn’t work only one evening a week. They have full-time jobs. Wally Feresten holds the cue cards on _SNL_. He’s done that for ten years and did an earlier ten year stint. He also does cue cards for _Late Night with Seth Meyers_ Monday-Thursday and for the _Amber Ruffin Show_, produced by Meyers. Both _Late Night_ and _Ruffin_ share Studio 8G, which is next to _SNL’s_ 8H. Other programming is occasionally set in those studios. Changing one show’s schedule on a whim impacts all the other shows. ---
**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:** [October 23, 2022, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/109 "2022-10-23T20:16:35Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > And it wasn’t anywhere near as weak as the third episode, which was among the weakest in history. That episode was unwatchable. As I was fast-forwarding, it seemed the Un-funny just went on forever. I skipped to Weekend Update, watched that then turned it off. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/110 "2022-10-23T23:43:14Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I assumed that sketch (The Californians) is funnier if you’re used to the way that people from California (at least Southern California) constantly talk about which route they took to get someplace. I’m not from that area, so the whole thing doesn’t entertain me at all. I’m from the area, I haven’t ever found the sketch funny. It’s just dreck. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/111 "2022-10-24T00:31:04Z")
I though Girl Talk was good. But otherwise yeah pretty weak. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2022, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/112 "2022-10-24T01:53:11Z")
The number of episodes before the first rerun has actually gone up on average over the 48 seasons that SNL has been on the air. 48 had 3. 47 had 4. 46 had 6. 45 had 3. 44 had 3. 43 had 3. 42 had 4. 41 had 3. 40 had 3. 39 had 3. 38 had 2. 37 had 4. 36 had 3. 35 had 4. 34 had 4. 33 had 3. 32 had 2. 31 had 2. 30 had 2. 29 had 3. 28 had 3. 27 had 3. 26 had 3. 25 had 1. 24 had 2. 23 had 2. 22 had 2. 21 had 2. 20 had 2. 19 had 3. 18 had 3. 17 had 3. 16 had 2. 15 had 2. 14 had 3. 13 had 3. 12 had 2. 11 had 3. 10 had 3. 9 had 3. 8 had 3. 7 had 3. 6 had 2. 5 had 2. 4 had 3. 3 had 1. 2 had 3. 1 had 3. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/113 "2022-10-24T16:51:23Z")
And I believe the only reason Season 46 went six episodes was because it had a later start (because of Covid) than previous seasons, and the buildup to the 2020 Election. [Looking at the schedule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live_(season_46)), the show then took three weeks off after the November 7 episode. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/114 "2022-10-27T16:18:42Z")
Melissa Villasenor shares why she left SNL this season. (Hint, it’s for mental health reasons). > **[Melissa Villaseñor shares she left SNL for her mental health](https://www.avclub.com/melissa-villasenor-left-snl-for-her-mental-health-1849706218)** > > Melissa Villaseñor left SNL this year alongside Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, and more ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/115 "2022-10-27T16:27:56Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > I hated the Californians. I resented that they wasted time that could have been spent on a GOOD sketch. Are you from Los Angeles? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/116 "2022-10-27T19:05:20Z")
I am. The accents were ridiculous but the obsession with traffic directions were spot on. Also, our use of THE before numbered highways is apparently hilarious outside of Southern California. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/117 "2022-10-27T19:32:34Z")
I liked Californians but I also thought it suffered from being used without adding something to the concept. The hyperspecific driving directions are funny and the fun the participants have with each other is apparent, but it seemed like that was the whole point of the sketch. I feel like a lot of sketches at that time were like that and many of them were Kristen Wiig centric – The Target Lady and Gilly are two more examples of that “Hey, here’s a funny character let’s do funny stuff with it” kind of concept. I think other characters were overused but the best ones used the concept of the funny character as a launching point for the sketch, not the point of the sketch itself. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2022, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/118 "2022-10-28T03:16:18Z")
Same as us. The Californians is hysterical to anyone from Los Angeles. Kind of like how if you’re not from L.A. then the movie _L.A. Story_ makes no sense to you. ---
**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:** [October 28, 2022, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/119 "2022-10-28T08:22:06Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > I noticed Cecily Strong was not listed in the credits. I hadn’t heard she had left too. She’s back this weekend. Here’s the promo for the show. As usual, it’s a short bit with the guest host, the musical guest, and one of the regulars. If the guest host is also the musical guest, it’s just two people. As usual, they make snide comments about each other: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/syGJHEkyzYE/maxresdefault.jpg "Jack Harlow Turns On The Charm for Cecily Strong - SNL") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syGJHEkyzYE) ---
**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:** [October 30, 2022, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590/120 "2022-10-30T02:09:48Z")
Here’s another parody of the AMC bit with Nicole Kidman which runs between the trailers and the beginning of the film at all AMC theaters: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/om-uUpU6NB4/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AGqA4AC8gGKAgwIABABGHIgSShDMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCjjJSwokwSlH7iQBBjsQ6v1JSqiA "AMC Ad but it's a Bit Different...") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om-uUpU6NB4) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-22-snl-season-opener-as-awful-as-it-appeared/972590.md?page=7)