Why is SNL so unfunny?

[CubsFan1982]

So far, the only thing that doesn't suck ass about this show is Hilary Swank's monologue. Ugh.

[Radical Activist]

1. They've had some good episodes lately

so far, this isn't one of them. Hillary Swank has given a couple good reasons to watch though.

[coloradodem2005]

2. It has been almost consistently bad for the last 10 years nearly.

Will Ferrel is pretty funny, and the political stuff is still pretty good most of the time, but I can't tell you why it's bad.

[ashmanonar]

4. cuz they haven't had anyone actually GOOD on the cast for years now.

will ferrell can't stand alone, and do the whole show by himself. about 10 years ago, there was a pretty good cast: mike myers, tim meadows, the whole shabang.

and way earlier than that, in it's beginning, snl was fantastic. lots of funny stuff. funny cast. great show.

somewhere along the line, they've lost that...

[NurseLefty]

27. Will Ferell isn't even on the show anymore!

And Darrell Hammond pops up in a good skit once in a blue moon!

[Fenris]

3. Bad writing.

I mean BAD writing. These sketches don't have anything funny about them.

[terrya]

34. Bingo.

That's a big part of it. There's simply nothing funny about this show anymore. And the writing is a part of it.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

5. They try too hard, and they have some really giant ghosts

in that studio to placate.

It is a tough gig.

[Vektor]

6. No Gannon jokes?

Come on!

[tinfoilinfor2005]

7. Tonight was very disappointing

it is unfair to their audience to build a reputation on political satire and then to ignore a huge political faux pas such as Gannon. It makes you wonder if someone isn't nipping it in the bud. Oh, there I go again with the tin foil. Silly me accusing NBC of something that despicable.

[CubsFan1982]

9. I don't care so much about Gannon.

Gannon I could care less about, SNL-wise. It's just the crappy writing and material they've been churning out for years now.

[Arugula Latte]

10. C'mon -- GE would never have an agenda!

How dare you even SUGGEST such a thing! :eyes:

[Arugula Latte]

8. It seems like now they think of the tag line first ...

"Okay, here's the latest catch-phrase we want to hear around the water coolers -- uh, how do we get there?"

Before, they had great characters (remember Gilda's "The Judy Miller Show"?) and everything came AFTER the great character. Now it's just formulaic.

However, I have to say I haven't watched all that much of SNL in recent years (I just can't sit through all the bad, cringe-worthy clunkers) so I may not know what I'm talking about.

[blueblitzkrieg]

11. The writing SUCKS!!!!

Hilary is doing her best with some lousy material though. Love her.

[underpants]

32. WINNER!- it is all about the writing

always has been. Sure the performances can improve on the writing (Hartman) but without good jokes on the printed page you are starting with nothing.

[bif]

12. It's sucked since Belushi left

Move on.

[intrepid_wanderer]

14. sucks most of the time.. but it will make you laugh

...if you watch through the entire thing.


sad, but even with content that would include XXX situations, they'd still have a mediocre offering... rejuvenate someone says... ugh... SNL needs a bit more than that!

[Mike Niendorff]

13. It's still on?

Sorry, didn't notice, I was busy watching Mad TV ;)


MDN

[realisticphish]

15. blech

i dont like snl much, but i like madtv even less :shrug:


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[CalebHayes]

16. I think a lot of it is very racist too.

[bloodyjack]

17. Worst episode of the season thus far

[Hardrada]

18. They had a lot of chances to make us roar

at the Bush Admin follies this week and blew them all off for some obvious crap about Michael Jackson. I think they were told not to get anywhere near Gannongate, or Social Security or anything else of political significance. I kept going back up the channels to a movie called Goodbye, Lenin! and it was so superior to SNL I just watched the flick (in German with subtitles yet).

[CubsFan1982]

21. They won't do Gannongate.

I hate to burst your bubble, but SNL (especially) won't poke fun at anything that hasn't been broken by the mainstream media. I've heard that they're picking up more on it, maybe next show.

[Hardrada]

25. I watched Bill Maher also

and he of course brought up this stuff just about the first thing. I guess that is the show that makes me laugh now, biting and cynical as it may be.

[Telly Savalas]

30. If the mainstream media haven't broken it yet...

then almost nobody will know WTF they're talking about, and it will lose some of its comedic effect. They have an audience that's much, much, much broader than DUers, ya know.

[terrya]

36. They know where their paychecks come from.

Since NBC is owned by General Electric, a big supporter of the Bush Administration, you are never, ever, going to see any kind political stuff against this President on SNL. Period. Just boring, safe material like Michael Jackson.

[omega minimo]

19. Mean + Stupid = Not Funny

Mad TV picked up the ball SNL dropped years ago.

[mahina]

20. It may have, but it's too gross to watch

half the time. Seems like they really hate women.
It's been a while, can't remember what it was, but it involved beating and murdering a woman. Ha ha.
That was it for me. Hey I love to laugh more than almost anything but violence like that is not for me.

[giant_robot]

40. I can't watch Mad TV anymore, either.

It used to be better than SNL back in the Nicole Sullivan/Debra Wilson days, but before I stopped watching it all it was was over-the-top silliness by the same handful of recurring characters.

[last_texas_dem]

22. It's not horrible, at least in my opinion

I've only been watching it (off and on) for about four years now, and it's been about the same quality level since I've been watching. Maybe it's gone downhill a little, but it's always been hit-and-miss. A few good sketches will usually at least redeem the worst ones. Plus, different people like different sketches. I thought the "hot plate" sketch sucked but was cracking up at the "Judge Aaron Neville" one, while my brother-in-law responded in just the opposite manner.

I will say that I don't think "Weekend Update" is quite as funny as it used to be. And I don't even like Jimmy Fallon much. I just though he and Tina Fey were funny together.

[SideshowScott]

23. SNL + Comedy that kisses powerful butt and plays it safe = Not funny

GOD SNL is as much a bore as Leno is..I guess they fiannly broke it now its nothing but a mill horse..Going around and around

[SoCalDem]

24. Because it's forced and over-scripted

In its "day" , it was funny because it appeared spontaneous (and lots of it WAS adlibbed)..

The people on it are all trying-out for future work, and it shows..

It lacks cohesiveness, the sketches are painfully "over-long", and most of the cast are just not funny..

Funny is when someone trips, looks around to see if anyone noticed...
UN-funny is when someone yells.."Hey look, I'm gonna trip".

[Vektor]

26. I found "HOT PLATE" to be pretty funny...

and the crying soap opera lady got a few laughs out of me too. That may be because I have a similar very comical, over exaggerated weeping act with the racking sobs and the distorted face that I use to torture my husband when I am "upset" about something. As soon as we saw that we both lost it, because I DO THAT!

[ghostsofgiants]

28. The [pinnacle of sketch comedy right now is Chapelle's Show

SNL has been weak for a while now and I've never been a fan of MadTV.

[HughBeaumont]

29. Tina Fey absolutely SUCKS as a head writer

They also employ over-emotive hams that try way too hard to make bad material funny.

Really, this show hasn't been good enough to suck since around 1996.

Not to mention they have really REALLY shitty musical guests around 95% of the time. Remember when they used to have bands like Fear, Elvis Costello, Madness and Captain Beefheart on that show?

[Stop_the_War]

37. I disagree...Tina Fey rocks!

[sffreeways]

31. Agree

the writing seems to have taken a dive lately. Too bad they were on a roll for a while there.

Even Debbie Downer wasn't funny and that's one of my favorite bits.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[DS1]

35. And my question was - why did they try to make her as ugly as possible

in all the "skits" I watched?

And they should just drop the Weekend Update bit, it sucks no matter who does it.

[GalleryGod]

38. The Best Part Was Hillary's Overflowing Decolletage!

Sorry! That's it and That's that!:smoke:

[pinellas]

39. Is it because they're on a major network....

.....not cable?

i.e. they have to play it safe.


Haven't watched (or wanted to) since the 80s.:thumbsdown:

[ScreamingMeemie]

41. Umm, in my opinion, it's the same as it ever was. People have been

saying this since its first season.

[twenty2strings]

42. Sooo dumbed down...Below Mad TV...

The reality is so absurd now that it takes a lot of energy just to process it and squeeze out something funny. Americans have let them selves go pretty bad and serious mental illness is pervasive now. Cultural decline is making EVERYTHING crummy. :crazy: