After 38 Seasons Should SNL stick a Fork in it?

[Swordmaster1982]

Last time i watched it was arounf 1993 or so but last best season i think was 1994-95.Should of ended then.

[JoeTheDestroyer]

They have the occasional funny sketch these days, but not often enough.  It seems like they get one outstanding cast member, where previous seasons had many, and then the cast member realizes he/she can do better than a washed up sketch comedy show and moves on. 

The only thing SNL seems to have going for it anymore are the digital shorts.  Anything that can manage to be funny while featuring Shia Lebeouf is definitely worthwhile.

[Flangepart]

Original cast, brilliant.
Second cast, not too bad.
after that...why bother?

[66Crush]

I agree that the best cast was the original: Dan Akroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtain, Garrett Morris, Loraine Newman and Gilda Radner. And continued to be funny when Bill Murray replaced Chevy Chase. It started to suck when Akroyd and Belushi left, but was redeemed when Eddie Murphy came in a couple of years later. Murphy WAS the reason to watch in the early 80's, the rest of the new cast were just OK and they had some new ideas which were cool. The late 80's were still pretty good, a bit shaky between 84-86, but came back strong in 86/87 season, which had the second best cast IMO: Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, Victoria Jackson, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Dennis Miller, Kevin Nealon and Nora Dunn. Everyone was either brilliant on they're own or was a good team player. It was still OK when they brought in Mike Myers, but started to slip after that. Each new season saw some new stars emerge, but most of them like Will Ferrell or Chris Rock, did they're best work after leaving the show. I've not watched much in the past 10 years and I have hated just about everything I've seen of it lately. I think Jimmy Fallon is one of the un- funniest comedians I've ever seen and this idiot got his own show. It's all about looks anyway now. If Fallon looked like Belushi do you think he would have his own show?

[HappyGilmore]

The Lonely Island crew has been on SNL the past couple years.  They gave us gems like these:
Jack Sparrow, with a Michael Bolton cameo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI6CfKcMhjY

Great Day, with appearance by Tom Petty and Alec Baldwin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLd9MZYQwy0

[66Crush]

I'm sorry dude, I guess I'm old and just don't get it. But those clips show everything that I think is wrong with the show. Bad hipster comedy. These guys are trying way too hard to be cool instead of funny. They are a bunch of hipsters too scared to be self deprecating. At least when Farrell and Katan did the Roxburry guys, they looked like geeks and that's why it was funny. Also SNL is way too safe now. I know that dropped the F bomb in that video but big deal. They used to be merciless in imitating people like Micheal Bolton, now they have him in a video name dropping Jack Sparrow. The old SNL would be poking fun at what a real douche bag Johnny Depp is.This show has lost everything that made it edgy.

[ChaosTheory]

Louis CK is hosting on November 3rd, which is probably of interest only to me, but I'm putting it out there anyway.....

[Swordmaster1982]

Never even heard of Louis Ck.

[Swordmaster1982]

Only cast member i know today is Kenan from Kenan and Kel.I guess hes still on it.

[AndyC]

I'm sorry dude, I guess I'm old and just don't get it. But those clips show everything that I think is wrong with the show. Bad hipster comedy. These guys are trying way too hard to be cool instead of funny. They are a bunch of hipsters too scared to be self deprecating. At least when Farrell and Katan did the Roxburry guys, they looked like geeks and that's why it was funny. Also SNL is way too safe now. I know that dropped the F bomb in that video but big deal. They used to be merciless in imitating people like Micheal Bolton, now they have him in a video name dropping Jack Sparrow. The old SNL would be poking fun at what a real douche bag Johnny Depp is.This show has lost everything that made it edgy.

What strikes me, especially with the first video, is the amount of production going into something so thin on actual humour. Mostly it isn't funny, and the parts that are funny aren't especially clever or creative. But a huge amount of time and effort has obviously gone into it. Classic SNL was really the opposite - everything pretty basic with regard to sets, costumes, etc., with the comedic talent being the main ingredient. It all rested on the performances and the quality of the jokes.

That's really the measure of whether SNL is still any good. How well can the cast make you laugh and keep you laughing with their performances alone? And are they giving you gags that are fresh and inventive, or doing comedy by the numbers? If those two clips are typical of the best on offer, I'd have to say no.

[ulthar]

Classic SNL was really the opposite - everything pretty basic with regard to sets, costumes, etc., with the comedic talent being the main ingredient. It all rested on the performances and the quality of the jokes.

Right...classic hit hard and fast, and often made you say "what did I just see" while you were laughing at it.

Anyone that thinks modern SNL is anything but a smear of what it once was needs to check out clips of Aykroyd doing Julia Childs or any of a hundred other skits from that era.  To even have the contemporary stuff given the same name is an insult - there is NO comparison.

I think they should have stuck a fork in it 20 years ago ... at least.

[HappyGilmore]

I worry about that Louie CK episode unless CK is actually writing for himself.

I watch the show but even I admit it isn't what it was.