SNL's not funny anymore Options

[OOyl]

Can we PLEASE get some new writers and actors who know how to be funny and not just fat and/or ugly? SNL hasn't been funny for a long time, and they ought to be doing a search for truly gifted comics/ comedians. Your audience deserves performances that are written well or improv'd well.

[unfabulous386]

SNL IS HILARIOUS!! i love it just the way it is.


-Megan L.

[No_Conclusion]

SNL was so much better when the writers had to find ways to get past the censors. Now, SNL is blatent crap. Take Bitchslap for example. How creative is that? Not. It's degrading and offensive.

[nihobbs]

SNL is back on an upswing and is getting better each week. The show does this type of thing. If you don't like it and think the cast and writters should be fired you should just probably go back to watching the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Get ir done Jackass!!!

[farleyrules]

Take Bitchslap for example. How creative is that? Not. It's degrading and offensive.

Yeah, Bitchslap was horrible, but so was the entire show. I don't think it sucked because it was too offensive. I think it sucked because it was totally uncreative. Bitchslap had the collective creative wit of a group of 8th graders. And dumb ones at that.

[cementdolphin]

Totally agreed the show sucks now.

Here's the email I just sent them:

I'm 31 years old. I grew up watching SNL. I can quote random lines from sketches in the 70s. I can name just about every cast member that's been on the show. I'll rewatch old episodes and enjoy them every time.

I may stop watching the show all together.

I've been sadly disappointed with the show the past few seasons, but not laughing is different than being offended. There is NOTHING funny about spousal abuse. Your ***** slap sketch was in the worst possible taste, and it saddens me that the writing has gone so sour. There are talented funny minds out there. Why is it you can't seem to hire them any more?

You owe your audience an apology. You should especially apologize to the long time loyal fans out there ? if there are any left.

[OOyl]

Thank you all, it's good to know I am not alone. I turned off SNL about halfway through the Bitchslap sketch. It wasn't funny. Maya Rudolph's face showed she didn't think it was funny either.

[boognishman]

Can we PLEASE get some new writers and actors who know how to be funny and not just fat and/or ugly? SNL hasn't been funny for a long time, and they ought to be doing a search for truly gifted comics/ comedians. Your audience deserves performances that are written well or improv'd well.

Then dont watch!

[OOyl]

Then dont watch!

You're absolutely right, Boog. I won't.

[leef]

I agree SNL is horrible and has been for the past few years. What happened to memorable comedians like Chris Farley, David Space, Adam Sandler...ones that their presence alone would make you laugh. It just seems to me like everyone on the show is trying very hard to be funny, but they are not. They are following a script and not building of their own. Now, MadTV. That show is hilarious. Nearly all comedians on that show are amazing and full of life.

[boognishman]

You're absolutely right, Boog. I won't.

I didnt mean to offend you and i agree the b!tch slap sketch was bad.

[Annoying Man]

Hey Boog: Notice how people say the show sucks and then watch it every week to say it's not funny?!

I've had plenty of times where I was disappointed, to be sure, but what I do is watch the show along with banging on my bass or playing Nintendo DS games. If a sketch turns out funny, I watch. If not, cest la vie.

I watched the opening skit with Nancy Pellosi played by Kristine Wiig and watched the rest of the night. Digi cable is paid insomnia, dig? But the point is that before dawn. The major cable news networks were all over it.

[Eagle105]

SNL is definatly not as funny as it use to be, instead of having atleast a couple of funny skits an episode they are now lucky to get one skit out of an episode. The funniest thing about tonights show was the budwiser commercial with rubber floors, maybe the SNL needs to hire some better writers they need some of the budwiser commercial writers to start writing SNL skits.

[CampbellChunkies]

Distastful and unbearable to watch, I have never hated anything so bad in my life. Jimmy Fallon left the show and he sucked. Keenan....Kel misses you in the Nickelodeon Vault, get you're fat, unfunny Good Burger @$$ back in the past with Hey Dude and Salute Your Shorts...

Honestly, worst casting move ever...the man is like 27 now and still when I see him on SNL I think I watching an old episode of All That.

Screw this show...

[Michael Scorn]

How do you think they would decide to hire Keenan or Kel? Is one better than the other? They just wanted to save money so they made the fat guy and the black guy as one charactor. I think that the ladies are alll pretty funny, other than that, I'd get rid of them all except Samburg, Armesin and Hader. Where's Darrel Hammond been?

[TheVillageofHarmony]

Well Justin Timberlakes episode was good.

[farleyrules]

How do you think they would decide to hire Keenan or Kel? Is one better than the other? They just wanted to save money so they made the fat guy and the black guy as one charactor.

Unfortunately Kenan is a 2-for-1 bit player especially now that he is the only remaining African American and resident lard a$$.

*Note to producers: Belushi's and Farley's comedic brilliance was not defined by their belt size. Granted, Farley did use his weight to great effect (Chippendale's dancers, for instance), but he had a lot more to offer than an enormous belly. Since that time, Sanz and Thompson have thoroughly disproved the FAT = FUNNY theory.

Where's Darrel Hammond been?

Waiting in the wings, hooked up to respirator, for his opportunity to put us to sleep with his 2 minutes of "I've seen this a million times before" impersonations.

[yeoldesnlfan]

Can we PLEASE get some new writers and actors who know how to be funny and not just fat and/or ugly?

They just wanted to save money so they made the fat guy and the black guy as one charactor.

Unfortunately Kenan is a 2-for-1 bit player especially now that he is the only remaining African American and resident lard a$$.

Waiting in the wings, hooked up to respirator, for his opportunity to put us to sleep with his 2 minutes of "I've seen this a million times before" impersonations.

Where's the love? Did the holidays with its cocktail of booze-filled eggnog (just curious to know what the heck nog is), fruitcake, and all those effects unleash the pure unadulturated bigotry? Season of peace, love, and joy, my butt. Looks like all that holiday cheer has been savagely sucked out of this topic. There's post centering out subjective characteristics of people. I guess being politically correct in our modern society got tossed slap out of the window. Fat, black, old? What's so bad about either of those.

SNL's standard of token black castmembers (none in excess of three) is bound to incite some racial comparisons but give the whole "the only reason Kenan is still on there is because he's black" routine a break. This came up during Meadows's and Morgan's time on the show and it has some ground but not much. Then insulting his weight is just cold. Belushi, Sanz, Farley, and Thompson comparisons are completely unfair. Though one's sense of comedy is subjective, these are four different guys. Be it that Farley and Belushi were much more revolutionary and stand out, (this goes to every retrospective post) time changes and it would foolish to entirely emulate the past because the whole point of satire is make light of current issues.

From the last few posts, Keenan's progression past "All That", his comedic partnership with Kel, and the question of his talent capabilities have seriously been called out. While I don't think he's the best current cast member, I think he's the easiest target. One of SNL's errors has been to always do impressions without some of the characters actually bearing any resemblance or voice recognition to who they're portraying. He's the character most often assuming the brunt of this burden tossed in drag, effeminating gay characters, racial stereotypical (come-to person for weed, lazy or some backhand servant/menial labor guy, loudly ghetto speaking) and to put the icing on the cake he and Maya must ineptly assume every role of an African-American celebrity or character.

As for Hammond, getting rid of him would cripple further their dying political presence. With his departure there would only be one capable male impressionists, Hader. Armisen (with the exception of his Prince Charles) and Samburg though hilarious in most sketches are not compatible with politics. Meyers had his time as John Kerry but he does the "Update" number as most of the anchors hardly ever leaving the desk. That leaves Forte, who had an okay Bush but is hardly seen as anyone else, and Sudeikis with his less-gratifying and emotionally bankrupt Bush. I do think he should appear gradually less though phased out until a replacement is found.

Jeez, I don't understand why you watch the show if its vomit-inducing torture because there are many things you could be doing. Your life is either so unfulfilling that you're looking for something to crap on or you're so afraid that if you stop watching you're going miss out on that rare mind-blowing comedy moment that everyone is talking about.

[farleyrules]

I guess being politically correct in our modern society got tossed slap out of the window. Fat, black, old? What's so bad about either of those.

Nobody is saying there is anything wrong with any of those attributes. The problem is that SNL has NEVER taken a serious look at diversity and how it could be used to help SNL. With the exception of Eddie Murphy, black characters on the show have always been the token player that South Park loves to mock so much. Up until Sanz there had never been any Hispanic cast members. There has never been an Asian cast member.

As far as politically correct goes, SNL built it's empire out of NOT being PC, both onstage and off. Admittedly, times have changed and the cast members should be chosen solely on their comedic talents. Not on their ethnicity or size.

And Hammond? Well, let's just say he is past his expiration date. How can you contribute original material in a sketch comedy show when you're in your 12th season?

I hope you hope not misinterpreted any of my comments as racist or bigoted because I couldn't be further from those things. I think it's a travesty that SNL still continues to be a white-boy dominated club for Harvard educated writers. Where in the comedy bible does it say that Harvard produces the best comedy writers? I guess somebody forget to tell Dave Chappelle about that.

And why do I watch? Because SNL is part of my life, even during it's down swings. You don't just abandon your brother because he's going through problems with drugs. You give him straight talk and try to help pull him out of the morass. Say thing with SNL.

[boognishman]

It's unfair to compare Kenan to Faerly and Belush. Belush was one of a kind; wild and unrestrained. He was the first big great and he had no boundries or limits. He was a joy to watch. Faerly was a great actor when he was in character you believe him to be the man or woman he was playing. He was not afraid of adding a giggle or yell. Kenan says his lines with a smile which is nice but overall I've never seen him to go all out. I think that's because I think he hasn't had a charater where he could go all out or may be has but he passed on going all out. Also The two big greats (Belushi and Faerly) had a distinguished movie career. Belushi was in Animal House (which I got for Christmas) and Faerly was in Tommy Boy. I dont think the largness of your body constites your humor. Kenan is overall okay but he is not one of a kind. If you go to any comedy club odds are you would see one like him.
Kenan saddly will be kept on to play the minority characters. Hammond is not a break out talent. Most cast members are not overlly talented but they are funny.