# When is SNL going to outgrow its "one-joke skit" phase? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 21, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106 "2005-02-21T03:33:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/41 "2005-02-21T22:20:33Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > In other words — you can’t? You brought it up, you suggest something. We like the word. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/42 "2005-02-21T22:24:08Z")
I think I’ve put my finger on why I despise Rachel Dratch. She’s like that goofy kid in school who’s always doing stupid and/or embarassing things, but everybody’s afraid to say anything to her because you swear somebody told you she was retarded (or “mentally challenged” depending upon when you grew up) and you were afraid or upsetting her or bringing the teacher’s wrath down upon you. When in reality, she’s just a spastic idiot who likes to annoy people because she has no social skills and it’s too late to teach her any. Just a theory. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/43 "2005-02-21T22:31:26Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > What I hate about mostly all humor in the media today is that it’s based around laughing at stupidity - and that’s mostly it. Generalization aside, I think this is pretty close to the truth. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/44 "2005-02-21T22:40:22Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > In other words — you can’t? In other words, we have: that you’re having too much fun acting superior to us and ignoring the substantive comments on the show’s humor is your problem, not ours. If, however, you think that the substantive criticism of the show is inadequate, we wait with bated breath for you to demonstrate the standard of critique which we should all evince. Lead onward, Great One! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/45 "2005-02-21T22:41:14Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > And I’m getting reeeeeeeally sick of Horatio Sanz breaking character and cracking up at himself. (c.f. Jimmy Fallon) He must be a good writer or a good salad tosser, cause he’s a lousy actor. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/46 "2005-02-21T22:42:33Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Does anyone know any more sophisiticated critical terms than “sucks”? Or have we all turned into potty-mouths? Sucks, in this case, means “not funny and/or stupid.” I don’t think I really know any “sophisticated critical terms” anyway. Maybe we could all whine about how nothing has human scale anymore? Oh wait, that’s from the architectural blowhards, not the television ones, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/47 "2005-02-21T22:43:16Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > He must be a good writer or a good salad tosser, cause he’s a lousy actor. Great drug dealer. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/48 "2005-02-21T22:45:34Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > And I’m getting reeeeeeeally sick of Horatio Sanz breaking character and cracking up at himself. (c.f. Jimmy Fallon) Denny Dillon (remember her?) is funnier than Horatio Sanz. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/49 "2005-02-21T22:50:36Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Skits where you learn the joke first thing in are much harder to pull off. Sure, there’s land-shark, but that seems to be an exception. Far too many of them just can’t sustain the initial joke. > > That’s one thing I love about Kids in the Hall: each skit has a central joke, but likely as not they’ll twist it around on you halfway through. > > Daniel I saw the documentary _Life of Python_ – Eric Idle said that the Monty Python team used to have a joke: “What’s the difference between life and a _Saturday Night Live_ sketch?” “Life doesn’t go on forever!” When they were flming a Monty Python sketch, often as not they’d stop halfway through and say, “You know, it’s not funny any more, let’s change it!” ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/50 "2005-02-21T22:52:19Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > In other words — you can’t? Well I’d hate to try another word, only to fail your Superiority Test. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/51 "2005-02-21T23:19:48Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > In other words — you can’t? You know what kind of person tries to force a product onto a free market that doesn’t want it? A COMMIE!!! ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/52 "2005-02-21T23:27:55Z")
It’s almost like SNL keeps getting worse, so when the re-runs – even those from three years ago – are better in comparison. Even the re-runs aren’t on as often as they should be because of E! hardly running them, and Comedy Central stupidly opting for Mad TV. Some of the older SNL episodes have acts that aren’t part of the show anymore. I’ve seen some re-runs with the magician Rick Jay, a music video of Bob Seger’s “Night Moves,” and little videos of eccentric people. What happened that those aren’t part of the show anymore? > [@Dooku](#): > > Another sad fact I realized after last week’s show is that the “commercials” now suck too. What the hell was that really unfunny old man giving bad investment advice? Good premise, horrific execution. It was even worse than you think: it was like a bad rip-off of a Dean Witter mock commercial from the early-to-mid-90’s. The first time they did it, it was mocking a Dean Witter commercial that was being run at the time. Black-and-white footage of Old Guys sitting around a table in suits talking about how they would take care of customers. The fake commercial had the same actor as the one from last week. He talks about how they will have a list of customers, and keep it in a safe place. If a customer is saying something, and you aren’t listening, and they catch you, then you should act like you know what they’re talking about. It’s funnier in-person. Yeah, it was a rip-off of an old SNL commercial, so it was doubly disappointing for me. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/53 "2005-02-21T23:42:27Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > And actually, my favorite sketch of all time, the cowbell sketch, was also a one-joker. So they’re not _always_ bad. Yeah, but the cowbell sketch had Christopher Walken in it, and Walken can make anything work. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/54 "2005-02-21T23:58:27Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > I think Mrs.Swan on Mad TV is just about all we can take of a funny talker. Then again, Mad TV seems to be headed to where SNL used to be a long time ago. -Wish I was around to see the “classics” first run. (Before 82) Do people actually watch Mad TV? As far as I can tell, the show follows the same premise as that old MAD Magazine piece about “no-liners” (“I grew up in a town so small, the hooker wore a helmet!”): it has all the structure of a sketch comedy show, but without the actual humor. It’s easy to tell which lines are supposed to be jokes, but I don’t think I’ve even cracked a smile while watching Mad TV. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/55 "2005-02-22T00:10:57Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > In other words — you can’t? :dubious: Not monoverbally, no. You’ll find lots of incisive and insightful criticisms of SNL in this thread. They all take at least a complete sentence to put across. If you want to pack all your disparagement into a single snarl-world, “sucks” serves as well as any. I defy you to improve upon it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/56 "2005-02-22T21:35:52Z")
> [@Dewey Cheatem Undhow](#): > > Yeah, but the cowbell sketch had Christopher Walken in it, and Walken can make anything work. “I got a fever and the prescription is… MORE COWBELL!” To me, the quintessential Walken sketch will always be “Pranksters”, with “The Continental” series close behind. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/57 "2005-02-22T22:14:58Z")
I have a soft spot for Rachel Dratch b/c she hails from my hometown in Taxachusetts and spoke at my sister’s graduation as the keynote speaker simply b/c her mom is friends with a kid in my sister’s class and said kid’s mom asked her mom and she said yes (this was after she made it on to SNL). You gotta love a celebrity who gives in to Mom-pressure. IRL she came off as a really cool person. I think she is hysterical with Will Ferrell as the “luuuuuuvers” but I hate that Debbie Downer skit. I didn’t even think the first one was all that funny. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106/58 "2005-02-22T22:19:45Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I saw the documentary _Life of Python_ – Eric Idle said that the Monty Python team used to have a joke: “What’s the difference between life and a _Saturday Night Live_ sketch?” “Life doesn’t go on forever!” When they were flming a Monty Python sketch, often as not they’d stop halfway through and say, “You know, it’s not funny any more, let’s change it!” That’s great! Yeah, Monty Python often does the same thing (think of the Holiday sketch, for example), which is part of why they’re funnier than SNL. But it seems like every KitH sketch I’ve seen–not very many, mind you, but a few episodes’ worth–had multiple jokes and changes in it, which kept me laughing throughout. Daniel [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-snl-going-to-outgrow-its-one-joke-skit-phase/291106.md?page=2)