This season has been pretty bad to say the least. Most of what I read about Saturday Night Live recently seems to think so too. So I had been thinking that maybe it was again time for the cast to be overhauled. Not just some new paint or a couple of cool accessories but an almost complete scraping and then rebuilding.
This has been done a few times over the history of SNL. Not always with great success but a change is needed. So the thought was that they should get rid of most of the cast and start over. Fresh faces, fresh ideas and hopefully fresh comedy or at least something that is funny.
Then the big hype of the show being hosted by a stand up comedian, Dane Cook is bandy about. This guy is supposed to be one of the hottest stand ups out there right now. I hadn’t recalled hearing of him before but his voice and delivery sounded familiar. Well maybe a stand up as host can inject some fresh funny into the show.
The show has always been insert star plugging something into comedic situations that you normally don’t see them in and see how they do. This is what has not been working very well as of late. The cast and writers really have to work at making some of them funny. With a comic as host there should be less that is needed of the cast and writers to come up with as the comic inserts his or her ideas. Giving the show a new perspective on a weekly basis. This sounds like a good idea.
So About the Show
It started off pretty well. The Re-lighting of the Tree sketch was funny. I always love a good song with new laugh inducing lyrics. Pretty good start to the show I thought. At least they didn’t have a press conference sketch, as those have been pretty weak.
Then Dane Cook comes out as host and does a good five minutes of his stand up stuff. It was pretty funny. Much better than the lame question and answer bit they like to do a lot with hosts. This is usually because these people are usually not all that funny. The rock quotes and looking through the window with jazz hands was funny. The show is off to a good start.
Next we have the drama team at West Bedford High doing the announcements. This was well done but maybe a little long. I laughed a few times and by the end of it at least I was smiling. Good effort. The momentum the opening and monologue had built slows just a tad but I like what I am seeing so far.
Then they replay the Taco Town commercial. It is really funny even though I have already seen it. The taco wrapped in a bean smeared shell, wrapped in another cheese taco shell, wrapped in a pizza and a blueberry pancake and then battered and deep fried and served in a bag of salsa is a great spoof of the Taco Bell commercials. Still having a good time.
Then it happens. A run of sketches leading up to Weekend Update where I never laughed and barely cracked a smile at anything that went on. Watching the Giants team flight home after last weeks loss because the kicker missed three straight field goal attempts that would have won them the game had to be worse than how a Giants fan felt after watching the actual game. Then the Christmas Party Wool Sweater sketch was a step up from the previous but not much. Then we stepped back down with the Ad for Lettuce digital short. Unbelievably we dug the not funny hole a little deeper with the Target sketch. I just kept saying to myself it is almost time for Weekend Update. Just hang in there. It is almost time for Weekend Update.
Weekend Update finally arrives. It was decent. The Rachel Dratch in the fat suit was really funny. By far the bright spot of this segment. It was worth staying with the show for. Now I am invested in this show and I decide to watch the rest of it. It couldn’t get any worse, right!
Which with the Hospital Coma sketch was true. This was a good idea and executed pretty well. The man wakes up to find out that his woman is married, has sold his car and broke all his records. Then he finds out that he has only been under for 24 hours.
Then I found out I was wrong. It could get worse. This was quite possibly one of the worst sketches that has ever been on SNL that I have seen, The Fight Back Sketch. This was really, really bad. Talk about saving the worst for last.
The show closed with the funny Morgan Stanley commercial spoof but come on people this is like the fifth time I have seen it this season already. How about coming up with some new ones. They seem to be the only consistently funny thing about SNL except a Robert Smigel cartoon.
The first third of the show was good, the rest not so much. Maybe the idea of bringing in a comic is not the way to save the show. Although maybe they should give it a few more tries. At least the monologues will be funny.
At the end of this season they need to do another the set is on fire show closings and when they come back next season practically everybody is new. I nominate Amy Poehler to play the Jon Lovitz role.
