Has Saturday Night Live Run Its Course? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

howilu · 10-08-2006, 03:28 PM

In 2006, 31 years after Chevy Chase exclaimed for the first time "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" the show kicked off it's 32nd season with a reduced cast. I have felt that Saturday Night Live had run its course after the original cast and Lorne Michaels (who eventally returned) left in 1980. NBC shouldn't have recast the show with people like Gilbert Gottfried, Ann Risley and Charles Rocket, who used the "f word" on an episode. They should have cancelled the show. Instead, the network left it on and gave us some quality talent such as Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, Mary Gross, Phil Hartman and Billy Crystal. In recent years, the show IMHO hasn't been as good and I don't even watch it. Do you think SNL should have been cancelled years earlier?

TV Knowledge Fan · 10-16-2006, 05:26 PM

....there are still some great sketches amongst the "dross". And every once in a while, some newspaper writer or critic will pose that deathless qusetion, "HAS 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' RUN ITS COURSE???". I say not. If it had, NBC wouldn't have scheduled "STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP" or "30 ROCK", would they? {In the case of "30 ROCK", Lorne Michaels shares the same attitude the late William M. Gaines observed when he began publishing "Panic" in addition to the original "Mad" comic in 1953- "Everyone else is doing it [copying our format], why not us?"}. There's still life in "SNL"- would you shut down a major league "farm team" because very few people come to their games? No, there's a lot of "unknown talent" on the field...same as on "SNL". Take a good look, 'howilu'....and pay no attention to those who say otherwise.

Ireneparalegal · 10-16-2006, 10:39 PM

about 20 years ago...

caladon · 10-17-2006, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

about 20 years ago...

Right on target.

snl 70s show fan · 10-17-2006, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TV Knowledge Fan

....there are still some great sketches amongst the "dross". And every once in a while, some newspaper writer or critic will pose that deathless qusetion, "HAS 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' RUN ITS COURSE???". I say not. If it had, NBC wouldn't have scheduled "STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP" or "30 ROCK", would they? {In the case of "30 ROCK", Lorne Michaels shares the same attitude the late William M. Gaines observed when he began publishing "Panic" in addition to the original "Mad" comic in 1953- "Everyone else is doing it [copying our format], why not us?"}. There's still life in "SNL"- would you shut down a major league "farm team" because very few people come to their games? No, there's a lot of "unknown talent" on the field...same as on "SNL". Take a good look, 'howilu'....and pay no attention to those who say otherwise.

i agree 100 precent

Lamont · 10-24-2006, 09:57 PM

id say it ran its course even longer, they should have ended in when the original cast left
its never been the same sense
every now and then u get a breakout star
but most of it is crapola

Lamont · 10-24-2006, 09:57 PM

id say it ran its course even longer, they should have ended in when the original cast left
its never been the same sense
every now and then u get a breakout star
but most of it is crapola

Mr. Television · 10-24-2006, 10:24 PM

When Dana Carvey left I stopped watching. I don't even know who's on it anymore.

Janice · 10-24-2006, 11:53 PM

SNL jumped the shark in the late 80s, in my opinion.

soulbrainsfan · 10-25-2006, 01:59 AM

I have you know that Saturday Night Live was cancelled about three times. First in 1981, then in 1986, and later in 1995.

Ant-Lox · 10-25-2006, 12:21 PM

I only watch when An actor or actress I like is the guest host.....i think thats why most people watch it anyway..

Dr. Thong · 10-25-2006, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulbrainsfan

I have you know that Saturday Night Live was cancelled about three times. First in 1981, then in 1986, and later in 1995.

It was not cancelled. It was on the verge of being cancelled in 1986, but Lorne Michaels convinced the network he could retool it...and he did. He brought in Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks and Dana Carvey and brought the show back creatively.

In 1981, Jean Doumanian, the producer who initially replaced Lorne Michaels after his departure the previous year was fired and deservedly so. She did not know how to produce a comedy show and it was painfully obvious, with diminishing viewership and scathing critical reviews. The show did go off the air for a month in March 1981 - reruns from the classic years (1975-1980) were shown during the hiatus - and returned in April with a new producer, Dick Ebersol, who remained the show's producer until Lorne Michaels' return in 1985.

The 1994-1995 season was generally considered to be a creative disaster by many - especially the critics - and at the end of that season, Lorne was ordered to make some drastic changes and clean house. He let go several cast members and for the 1995-1996 brought on new cast members such as Cheri Oteri, Will Ferrell and Darrell Hammond, which spearheaded yet another creative revival that lasted through the end of the decade.

fox3eyes · 11-27-2006, 02:38 PM

It will always be the best at what it does. Just wait and see. I wish they could have kept Chris Parnell. And let him do his thing. He is as funny as Ferrel. Yet no one knows who he is. Bill Hader is excellent. Kirsten Wigg too.
Jason Sudakus is George Wendt's nephew he is great. Andy Samberge the jury is still out.

Dr. Thong · 11-28-2006, 10:04 AM

They shouldn't have replaced Will Forte as Dubya. He was doing a decent job. No one will ever top Ferrell's Bush, but Forte carved his own niche as a whiny, childish Bush.

Tweety · 12-04-2006, 07:57 AM

SNL has had its ups and downs over the last 30+ years...

I actually think that the original group is a bit overrated by SNL historians... yes, they did some brilliant things, but I think that when the full season 1 comes out soon, people will realize that there was a lot of crap in there together with the brilliant things they did...

The worst period was probably the Charles Rocket period... which I think is one of the reasons that the original cast is more highly rated than they really should have been... they were just so much better, by comparison, than the group that followed them...

I think the best years of the show were actually the Hartman/Carvey/Lovitz/Hooks/Jackson/Dunn etc years... From top to bottom, I think that they were more talented than the original cast. They were better with impressions of famous people... I frankly didn't see a lot of comic talent in Jane Curtain and Lorraine Newman, but I thought Gilda Radner was great...
that could have had something to do with the fact that the men were unquestionably in charge in the early days, and really wrote for themselves, not the females in the cast..

I'll still try to catch a SNL every now and then these days, and I still see some funny stuff... I liked the show that was hosted by the Olsen twins (can't remember if it was this season or last season)...they had a couple of great sketches for them...the one where they're photgraphers outside an awards show and are trying to get pics of the arriving celebrities...and the other skit where one of them played a girl who had been made over into a supermodel, and they used the other sister to be her "reflection" in a mirror...

I liked the ep hosted by Lindsay Lohan as well, when they did the Harry Potter spoof... I've never seen the Potter movies, but this scene took place after summer vacation when Harry and his friends return to school... Harry and his friend couldn't believe how much the girl character (played by Lohan) "developed" over summer break...that was funny!

And I still like the way they do "Weekend Update" these days.

SNL had down periods in the early/mid 80s and mid 90s...but they ususally come back...

Some of people's attitudes about the show depend on when they started watching it... everyone has their favorite group of players, and thinks the show hasn't been the same since their group left...

While I wouldn't be sorry to see it go, I also don't mind if they keep bringing in new players...there's always a group of people out there who will watch...

10-08-2006, 03:28 PM	#1
howilu Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 20, 2003 Location: St. Louis Park, MN Posts: 1,959	Has Saturday Night Live Run Its Course? In 2006, 31 years after Chevy Chase exclaimed for the first time "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" the show kicked off it's 32nd season with a reduced cast. I have felt that Saturday Night Live had run its course after the original cast and Lorne Michaels (who eventally returned) left in 1980. NBC shouldn't have recast the show with people like Gilbert Gottfried, Ann Risley and Charles Rocket, who used the "f word" on an episode. They should have cancelled the show. Instead, the network left it on and gave us some quality talent such as Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, Mary Gross, Phil Hartman and Billy Crystal. In recent years, the show IMHO hasn't been as good and I don't even watch it. Do you think SNL should have been cancelled years earlier?

10-16-2006, 05:26 PM	#2
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	Too bad you're not watching it, 'howilu'... ....there are still some great sketches amongst the "dross". And every once in a while, some newspaper writer or critic will pose that deathless qusetion, "HAS 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' RUN ITS COURSE???". I say not. If it had, NBC wouldn't have scheduled "STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP" or "30 ROCK", would they? {In the case of "30 ROCK", Lorne Michaels shares the same attitude the late William M. Gaines observed when he began publishing "Panic" in addition to the original "Mad" comic in 1953- "Everyone else is doing it [copying our format], why not us?"}. There's still life in "SNL"- would you shut down a major league "farm team" because very few people come to their games? No, there's a lot of "unknown talent" on the field...same as on "SNL". Take a good look, 'howilu'....and pay no attention to those who say otherwise.

10-16-2006, 10:39 PM	#3
Ireneparalegal LEGAL SPICE ;) Forum Legend Join Date: Jul 25, 2005 Location: OXNARD, CA - WHERE THE DALLAS COWBOYS TRAIN & PRACTICE Posts: 38,689	about 20 years ago...
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10-24-2006, 09:57 PM	#6
Lamont Lamont says Smile! Forum Veteran Join Date: May 28, 2005 Location: Deep in the Heart of Nowhere Posts: 5,217	id say it ran its course even longer, they should have ended in when the original cast left its never been the same sense every now and then u get a breakout star but most of it is crapola
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10-24-2006, 10:24 PM	#8
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,128	When Dana Carvey left I stopped watching. I don't even know who's on it anymore.
	__________________ Sonny

10-24-2006, 11:53 PM	#9
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	SNL jumped the shark in the late 80s, in my opinion.

10-25-2006, 01:59 AM	#10
soulbrainsfan Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 19, 2005 Posts: 19	I have you know that Saturday Night Live was cancelled about three times. First in 1981, then in 1986, and later in 1995.

10-25-2006, 12:21 PM	#11
Ant-Lox Cloud Watcher Senior Member Join Date: Feb 18, 2004 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 1,824	I only watch when An actor or actress I like is the guest host.....i think thats why most people watch it anyway..
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11-27-2006, 02:38 PM	#13
fox3eyes fox3eyes Occasional Poster Join Date: Nov 26, 2006 Location: ohio Posts: 25	Give SNL a chance It will always be the best at what it does. Just wait and see. I wish they could have kept Chris Parnell. And let him do his thing. He is as funny as Ferrel. Yet no one knows who he is. Bill Hader is excellent. Kirsten Wigg too. Jason Sudakus is George Wendt's nephew he is great. Andy Samberge the jury is still out.

11-28-2006, 10:04 AM	#14
Dr. Thong a/k/a "ACK!" Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 10, 2001 Location: New Hampshire, USA Posts: 5,546	They shouldn't have replaced Will Forte as Dubya. He was doing a decent job. No one will ever top Ferrell's Bush, but Forte carved his own niche as a whiny, childish Bush.

12-04-2006, 07:57 AM	#15
Tweety Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 18, 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 6,804	SNL has had its ups and downs over the last 30+ years... I actually think that the original group is a bit overrated by SNL historians... yes, they did some brilliant things, but I think that when the full season 1 comes out soon, people will realize that there was a lot of crap in there together with the brilliant things they did... The worst period was probably the Charles Rocket period... which I think is one of the reasons that the original cast is more highly rated than they really should have been... they were just so much better, by comparison, than the group that followed them... I think the best years of the show were actually the Hartman/Carvey/Lovitz/Hooks/Jackson/Dunn etc years... From top to bottom, I think that they were more talented than the original cast. They were better with impressions of famous people... I frankly didn't see a lot of comic talent in Jane Curtain and Lorraine Newman, but I thought Gilda Radner was great... that could have had something to do with the fact that the men were unquestionably in charge in the early days, and really wrote for themselves, not the females in the cast.. I'll still try to catch a SNL every now and then these days, and I still see some funny stuff... I liked the show that was hosted by the Olsen twins (can't remember if it was this season or last season)...they had a couple of great sketches for them...the one where they're photgraphers outside an awards show and are trying to get pics of the arriving celebrities...and the other skit where one of them played a girl who had been made over into a supermodel, and they used the other sister to be her "reflection" in a mirror... I liked the ep hosted by Lindsay Lohan as well, when they did the Harry Potter spoof... I've never seen the Potter movies, but this scene took place after summer vacation when Harry and his friends return to school... Harry and his friend couldn't believe how much the girl character (played by Lohan) "developed" over summer break...that was funny! And I still like the way they do "Weekend Update" these days. SNL had down periods in the early/mid 80s and mid 90s...but they ususally come back... Some of people's attitudes about the show depend on when they started watching it... everyone has their favorite group of players, and thinks the show hasn't been the same since their group left... While I wouldn't be sorry to see it go, I also don't mind if they keep bringing in new players...there's always a group of people out there who will watch...