Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars
HARDBALL WITH CHRIS MATTHEWS
Michael Isikoff (CHP) & Condoleezza Rice (MAR) on media ethics
— It appears to be a tradition in this era for the seasons finale’s cold opening to be a Hardball sketch, as this is the third consecutive season finale in which that’s happened.
— I’m tired of Darrell’s Chris Matthews always making analogies to some celebrity.
— A cheap laugh from the “Lard Ball” newspaper photo.
— There’s our obligatory reliable appearance from Will’s Zell Miller. And unlike the last time he appeared, we get Will’s actually turning red-faced during his yelling this time. However, I feel like the writing of his dialogue in these Hardball sketches have been getting weaker and weaker lately. It feels like these last two or three Zell Miller appearances have just been relying on the strength of Will’s great yelling, without giving him any actual good dialogue.
STARS: ***
MONOLOGUE
host’s future self (AMP) advises her to slow down & lay off the partying
— Was that awkward opening joke from Lindsay Lohan about hosting SNL as a blonde even supposed to be a joke?
— Not a bad premise of Lindsay being visited by her future self. However, I recall never liking this monologue much.
— When Lindsay incredulously asks “Are we doing porn?!?” after Future Lindsay tells her she’ll be hosting a Cinemax show, I got a laugh from Future Lindsay saying “No, we’re introducing porn! It’s totally different!”
— I’m not getting many laughs here, and this feels kinda uncomfortable to watch in retrospect, knowing how on-point this monologue was in predicting a very trashy and troubled future for Lindsay, which is something I can’t even laugh at anymore. Making this monologue even sadder in retrospect is the fact that, immediately after tonight’s episode ended, Tina and the rest of the cast reportedly staged an intervention for Lindsay backstage, due to so many issues Lindsay was going through (Lindsay would later publicly admit she had a drug and bulimia problem during this period). My details of that intervention and when exactly it occurred may be a little off, as I’m going by my memory of what I once heard years ago, but if I’m correct that the intervention indeed took place right after tonight’s season finale ended, then the fact that, instead of the cast ending a season in a very celebratory manner backstage, the cast ends THIS particular season holding a very somber intervention for a host, is YET ANOTHER sign of what a crappy, troubled season this has been for SNL.
— I got a chuckle from Future Lindsay revealing at the end that she’s only from the year 2007.
STARS: **
WOOMBA
Rerun from 12/18/04
AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL
one-legged Amber loses to insecure (host)
Britney And Kevin: Chaotic- Britney Spears (RAD) & Kevin Federline (SEM) mug & make out
— Much like Hardball, Amy’s one-legged Amber character appearing in the season finale seems to have become a season finale tradition around this time, as this is the second consecutive season finale to have one.
— I never realized until now how impressive it is that Amy can stand on just one leg for such a long time in these Amber sketches without needing to lean on something.
— I got a laugh from Amber confidently telling her opponents “Take a walk, bitches!……cuz I can’t.”
— Boy, is Lindsay looking unhealthily skinny here.
— Both the camerawork and the performers’ timing feel a little off throughout this sketch.
— Rachel as Britney Spears in the pre-taped “Britney and Kevin: Chaotic” promo? Doesn’t Amy usually play Britney? Even though the Chaotic scene is pre-taped, maybe SNL didn’t want Amy having two lead roles in the same sketch.
— They are overdoing the hell out of the “Amber falls over after dancing” gag.
— Ugh, there goes the obligatory farting from Amber. And, man, they’re going really heavy on it here.
— Overall, some laughs, but nothing great as a whole. These Amber sketches have seen better days.
STARS: **
MOVIE THEATRE
costumed Star Wars fans deal with failure to get into Revenge Of The Sith
— Lindsay’s timing during her opening long-winded angry spiel seems off.
— I like the bit with Rob revealing that his excessive back hair is all him and not part of his Chewbacca costume, and then saying “Why do you think I identify with the Wookie as a race?”
— Some funny lines throughout this sketch.
— The “Take it easy, Lando” “How’d he know your name was Lando?” exchange between Seth’s character and the black guys behind him was possibly a hacky joke, but it made me laugh.
— Odd use of Darrell here.
— Not sure how to react to the racial gag with Kenan and Finesse at the end of this.
STARS: ***
TV FUNHOUSE
“Divertor” by RBS- superhero distracts media to nullify political flak
— The voice for Jay Leno is hilarious.
— Ha, the voice for Sinbad is so bad, it’s funny.
— Isn’t Charles Rangel black? Why is he animated as white in this? He’s also given an odd white voice here, though I’m not too familiar with the real Charles Rangel’s voice.
— I’m enjoying the satire in this cartoon, and the celebrity scandals that are created in an attempt to take attention away from national crises.
— Now Bob Dole is the next celebrity in this cartoon to be given a very odd voice. Must be a theme throughout this cartoon.
— The Jenna Elfman scene is a good and much-needed dig at SNL’s corny and sometimes-annoying “sneaker-uppers” (where a cast member impersonating a celebrity suddenly gets confronted by the real celebrity they’re playing). This also may possibly be specifically spoofing the unfunny Paula Abdul/Amy Poehler mess of a cold opening from two episodes prior.
— The ending line about Mike Tyson was very funny.
— The closing credits of this TV Funhouse misspell Kenan’s first name as “Keenan”.
STARS: ****
APPALACHIAN EMERGENCY ROOM
hayseeds seek treatment for strange maladies
— Lindsay is wearing the same cheerleader outfit that Paris Hilton wore in a Merv The Perv sketch earlier this season (side-by-side comparison below).
I get the feeling there’s yet another sketch I’ve seen that same cheerleader outfit in too.
— For the second time tonight, Lindsay has a hard time delivering a very long-winded spiel. Her flubbing her long spiel in this particular sketch causes it to fall badly flat.
— Lindsay did get a laugh from me just now with her anguished line “I think I popped my cooter bone out!” after her character’s failed attempt to display some cheerleader moves.
— Ugh, not only did the “drawing with a sharpie pen stuck in his butt” gag with Chris’ character not work for me, but did they have to throw in an unnecessary fart sound effect during it, especially given the fact that we just had an excessive fart gag in that Amber sketch earlier tonight?
— Overall, with this being the second consecutive Appalachian Emergency Room sketch that I wasn’t too impressed with, I think it’s safe to say I’ve finally officially gotten tired of this recurring sketch after liking its first few installments. Luckily, there’s only two installments of this sketch remaining, and IIRC, the next one in the following season’s Jack Black episode is actually pretty solid.
STARS: **
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Speed Of Sound”
WEEKEND UPDATE
lesbian partners (RAD) & (MAR) exhibit typical marriage-induced foibles
Vicente Fox’s (FRA) apology to Al Sharpton (KET) leads to racial jokes
— Jesus Christ, Tina’s execution of that opening Saddam Hussein headline photo bit was TERRIBLE. The camerawork was also very awkward during that part too (which is my second time tonight pointing out the camerawork being off during something in this episode).
— I’m pretty sure Rachel’s wearing the same wig she wore in the famous Key Party sketch earlier this season (side-by-side comparison below).
— Ugh at the joke of Tina mistaking Maya and Rachel’s lesbian couple for men, a joke that not only hasn’t aged well at all, but was cringey and hacky even back in 2005.
— Ugh again, I can see this Maya/Rachel commentary is going to be a parade of bad lesbian stereotypes. Then again, what else do you expect from season 30, a season hyperfocused on hacky gay stereotype humor?
— Overall, not a single laugh from me during the Maya/Rachel lesbian couple commentary.
— Ugh yet again, this time at Tina and Amy’s clapter-inducing anti-War In Iraq jokes throughout this Update.
— At separate points in tonight’s Update, both Tina AND Amy have flubbed their delivery of a joke. For Amy, it unfortunately happens during what was her final joke of this season, which she comically lampshades in fake frustration during an ad-lib. Her screwing up her last joke of the season is an unintentionally perfect way to sum up just how horrible of a season she’s had during her first year as an Update anchorperson.
— Fred’s Vicente Fox telling Kenan’s Al Sharpton an offensive pizza-related joke about black people gave me a good laugh, and strangely feels like a joke that would’ve fit perfectly in an Update commentary from Ritchie B & Marcus (Fred’s deaf comedian character and his interpreter, played by Kenan), which is funny, because, like this Vicente Fox/Al Sharpton commentary, the Ritchie B and Marcus commentaries pair Fred and Kenan together.
— I’m actually really liking the touchy racial jokes from Fred’s Fox and Kenan’s Sharpton about each other’s culture. Racial humor like that can be hard for SNL to pull off without crossing a line, but I feel this is finding the right balance.
STARS: **
PRINCE SHOW
Nick Lachey (WLF) & Jessica Simpson (host) pop in
— Ugh. I am so tired of these overly formulaic Prince Show sketches.
— Aaaaaand there goes season 30’s obligatory weekly instance of Maya singing.
— Yet another sketch tonight where Lindsay’s unhealthy-looking skinniness is bothering and distracting me.
— Lindsay and Will are coming off so ill-fitting in the role of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. Will in particular. I couldn’t in a million years buy him as Nick Lachey.
— Ugh, why does Kenan play almost EVERY single black female role exactly the same? The real Wanda Sykes has a very distinctive voice, but of course, Kenan’s just playing her the same way he plays Star Jones and almost every other black female celebrity he’s impersonated up to this point in his SNL tenure.
— They are overdoing the fucking HELL out of the cutaways to Prince’s “laughing” at Wanda Sykes’ jokes.
STARS: *½
ITALIAN FAMILY
(HOS)’s enraged moll (host) destroys furnishings of his gangster hangout
— Oh, no. This feels like an indirect sequel/variation of that awful sketch from this season’s Robert DeNiro episode where Horatio was a cop going undercover in the mafia.
— Aaaaaand there goes Horatio’s awful habit of awkwardly pausing for a long time before delivering a line.
— Speaking of awful Horatio Sanz habits, he’s, of course, smirking his way though this entire sketch when his character is supposed to be upset. (*sigh*) Only one season left to put up with Horatio’s typical bullshit on SNL.
— A very weak and one-note premise with Lindsay breaking every object in the room.
— I got a cheap laugh from Rachel’s VERY broad Italian stereotype performance, even though her and Darrell’s scene came off pointless and awkwardly staged.
— SNL’s really wasting Jason in this sketch, his only appearance of the entire night.
— All of the gangsters pulling a gun on Lindsay when she’s about to break a photo of Frank Sinatra was the first genuinely funny gag in this otherwise bad sketch.
— Oof, that “They’re gettin’ along a lot better these days” punchline was AWFUL.
STARS: *½
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Fix You”
RIDE HOME
tipsy lech (CHP) fails to arouse interest of teenage babysitter (host)
— Aaaaaaand the final live sketch of the troubled season 30 just so happens to be a sketch that is eerily similar to a VERY notorious, off-putting, and punchline-less sketch from the also-troubled season 20, in which Chris Elliott as a sleazy husband drives his family’s underage babysitter (played by Mark McKinney in drag) home, and, during the car ride, gets her drunk and eventually has his way with her.
— Yeah, so far, this sketch is giving me WAAAAYYYY too many reminders of that horrible Elliott/McKinney sketch, and the similarities are very unsettling to me. How the holy fuck do you end a season like this, SNL?!?
— I do kinda like Chris’ singing of Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”.
— This sketch at least ends on a twist that DOESN’T involve Chris getting Lindsay’s underage character drunk and having sex with her, as Maya suddenly pops up from under the backseat as Chris’ wife. Aside from the dirty deed this thankfully prevented Chris from doing with Lindsay, that twist did nothing for me.
STARS: *
BEAR CITY
by T. Sean Shannon- an anthropomorphic ursine watches porn
— This ends up being the final appearance of Bear City.
— A hilarious extensive, lengthy gag with a teenage bear’s mother walking in on him…uh…enjoying himself while watching a bear porno.
— An overall great way for the Bear City shorts to go out. I’m glad that I’ve come around on these shorts, given my very low opinion of them back when they originally aired.
STARS: ****
GOODNIGHTS
— Horatio can be seen holding up a sign that states “Good luck P P”, referring to SNL writer Paula Pell, who we then get a special close-up of onstage. She’s departing from the show to work on a then-upcoming new NBC sitcom called, I think, Thick And Thin. However, the sitcom (who’s cast was to include SNL’s own Chris Parnell, who actually misses a few early SNL episodes in the following season to film some Thick And Thin episodes) would end up never making it to air.
IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A fitting way to end a lousy season, as this was a lousy finale. The post-Weekend Update half of this episode was particularly terrible, aside from the fun final Bear City short. Add in some off performances from a troubled and unhealthy Lindsay Lohan, and you have a very rough season finale.
— Good freakin’ riddance to this wretched season. It was hell for me to review, and I reviewed seasons 6, 11, and 20, all very infamous as the three “disaster seasons” of SNL, yet none of which made me as miserable to review as THIS season did. I absolutely believe this season NEEDS to be universally recognized by people as being right down there with seasons 6, 11, and 20 as one of the worst seasons of the show, even though the media, SNL books, etc. never acknowledge it as such, thus letting this season undeservedly go scot-free in terms of its reputation. Before covering this season in this SNL project of mine, I personally have always strongly disliked season 30, but definitely didn’t feel it was comparable to seasons 6, 11, and 20. After doing these episode reviews, however, I was surprised to discover that this season was even worse than I had ever remembered. Just…“oof” is all I can say after reviewing this season. Though I don’t know if I would say this THE worst season ever, I wouldn’t be surprised if my total rating average for this season as a whole ends up being the lowest ever.
MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS
HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Will Ferrell)
a big step down
MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS ENTIRE SEASON, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS
HOW THIS OVERALL SEASON STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING SEASON (2003-04)
a mild step down
My full set of screencaps for this episode is here
TOMORROW
Season 31 begins, with Steve Carell as a host, two new cast members, and the debut of SNL airing in High Definition and widescreen
I am curious as to which one you’d still choose as your ultimate least favorite.
I, too, always forget to bring up this season 30 but this reminded me of what a dire year it was. Even season 20 had a couple of strong episodes (Carvey, Travolta, Newhart) amongst the mess.
I feel like 20 is more infuriating because you don’t exactly understand why it got so bad.
You can understand it with 6 and 11 but not as much with 20 or 30.
I still feel like 11’s lethargic energy makes it the season of the four that I find it the most difficult to revisit.
Man I can’t wait for season 31. Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudekis and Kristen Wiig helped breathe new life into the show after this disastrous season. Hader, Sudekis and Wiig with their impressions and original characters and Samberg with his digital shorts, they’re a match made in heaven. A new SNL era is about to begin. I like to call this era “The Digital Short Era” because of its importance to this show. The era lasts from 2005-2012 but could also be 2005-2013 because Hader and Sudekis both stayed for an additional year after Samberg and Wiig left.
Quite a great cast in the Divertor cartoon. You’ve got impressionist Jim Conroy (who I remember best from his role as the title characters of Kenny the Shark, and Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman), sound effects maestro Fred Newman, Paul Christie (best known as Nickelodeon’s Stick Stickly), and Gary Yudman (former DJ and participant in Pink Floyd’s The Wall tour).
S30 definitely gets an “oof” out of 5. I feel like I’m a broken record in your comments section, but this is the worst season of the show. S11 at least has a curio value, and I honestly think the first half of S6 (sans McDowell) isn’t even bad. A lot of people I’ve talked to in groupchats say that they either stopped watching during this period, or that they find these episodes the least fun to revisit. Again, it’s telling that the most memorable moment from this season was Ashlee Simpson f-ing up.
There’s a lot of unfortunate parallels between this season and the non-quarantine portion of S45. Hopefully the show can turn around the same way they did back in S31.
You thought Season 45 was bad?
Could slimming down the cast for S47 help?
Slimming down the cast for S47 is guaranteed to happen: willing or forced. Lorne and Co cannot hold off a transition. Keep an eye on the writers room for a real difference in quality. Will Jost stay? Will they keep Drezen?
@Joaquin Sharpe Jr It was better than season 44, but it reminded me of 30 because most of the high points were just okay and the bad sketches were really, really bad imo.
@SNLLover: “Could slimming down the cast for S47 help?” Bad news…
Yay! One more season with Horatio! I hate how Jimmy get’s the most flack for breaking and being a jackass when Horatio was just as bad, if not worse.
Divertor is one of my favorite TV Funhouses. It’s so prescient and true, the “sneaker upper” part in particular.
I rank Year 30 just above 6, 11, 19, and 20, but just below 7, 35 and 39. It was an underwhelming season with a lot of mediocre and uneven shows, but not quite the fiasco 20 was. Indeed, Lohan/Coldplay was a fittingly “meh” end to the year, and another show where the pre-recorded material was stronger than the live sketches. The monologue is indeed too prescient for its own good.
I thought “Thick and Thin” received a six episode order, but I guess they only shot the pilot. I’ve seen that episode, and it’s fucking terrible. Poor PP and Parnsy.
This was my last TV Tome review, so from here on out I’ll just use my TV.com screen name.
Yeah, this season was really bad. S30 should be up there with S6, S11, and S20.
A lot of it is the writing. Same tired tropes that were repeated every week. Some of the hosts and musical guests were extremely underwhelming. Many of them never came back, except for a few.
Some of the cast performances were not that great, and made some of the sketches worse than what they were.
I think what also prevented S30 from getting the “worst season” treatment was the fact that with MADtv on the air, viewers can avoid SNL for another option. The suckiness of S20 would help lead to MAD’s debut.
As for Lindsay, she was much better in her first episode and in Colin Farrell’s episode.
Man, just looking at the screen captures from this season makes my eyes hurt. I can’t imagine the agony of actually rewatching it in its entirety. If nothing else, 6 and 11 were shorter.
While I remember watching LiLo’s second “SNL” hosting stint, I really don’t remember what I watched during the show so most of the sketches drew a blank from me. I remember enjoying the first season of “Weekend Update” with Tina and Amy but since it’s been 15 years, I don’t know if I’d still like them now…
I’m surprised that Deep House Dish didn’t originate in this season. It feels like something that was supposed to start here but got CFT at some point.
The Best of Saturday TV Funhouse’s DVD commentary mentions “Divertor”‘s farm-out to an outside studio, leading to Wachtenheim/Marianetti (and I assume 8 Hats High) taking the reins after animation files weren’t saved/got messed up the Friday before “Divertor” aired. “Divertor” actually airs in an unfinished state, which the commentary doesn’t explain well – the main problem mentioned is the lower thirds, which are animated inconsistently. Smigel’s outright saying “tap tap tap” is deliberate, and ties into the sneaker-upper. I assume swapping what isn’t a temp track is the post-air “fix”, but the DVD keeps the Smigel in-joke.
I remember people finding “Divertor” mediocre after TV Funhouse’s then-recent hot streak, and at the time I was surprised it made the cut for next season’s special. It ages well, especially in 2020. Mike Tyson’s even in the news for something this year – thankfully, just a feud with Chris Jericho in AEW.
For me, this season is a study in disconnects. The media are enamoured with WU despite it being a clapter-reliant mug-fest. NBC relies more on the show for specials and nostalgia, so there’s no Brandon Tartikoff or Warren Littlefield to look at the current era and say “this is shit”. SNL thinks character breaks and mugging is suddenly OK, despite that clearly affecting the on-air product. There’s some great material buried in a parade of “lolgays”-type sketches, and SNL’s response to a growing interest in more-absurdist humour (see: [adult swim]) is…token gestures until SNL enlists The Lonely Island’s services. While SNL placates the media, at this time, it’s a show out of step with its target audience.
You make good points, Cameron. There is a bit of a shift in SNL’s ethos with this season: character breaking isn’t a taboo anymore, comedic crutches that ’70s Lorne would’ve frowned on become frequently used, the fact that they became an institution protected them from having to up their game, and there’s a sort of fascination with celebrity culture rather than outright satirization of it. Without a Will Ferrell or an Adam McKay there, this season (and S29) just felt edgeless and aimless.
Ahh I remember watching this live in our dorm’s community room on an old fake counsel TV with the worst reception possible. I usually can remember these shows, but this one draws a blank. All I know is we knew this would be the last SD episode. Nothing is memorable from it when usually there was at least one thing to quote from each show this season.
I remember big talk around “Thick and Thin” and whether or not Parnell would stick around for the entire next season.
This is also SNL Band Bari Sax player and arranger Lew Del Gatto’s final episode (hence the focus in the band shot and credits)
Here are the five star sketches from the 04-05 season:
Pepper Grinder (Will Ferrell)
One. Just the one. And an extremely generous one at that. This is our lowest total ever. I would have had one less. There’s strong enough material through the season, but nothing that feels like a classic to me. Poehler enjoys some strong performances and Forte’s B+ material (and an A+ Zell Miller performance) are better than most people’s A material, but yeah, this season peaks in the second tier for me.
Huge fan of Forte, but this season was so awful that even he didn’t release his best material (though I LOVE his Zell Miller and The Halloween Song). I remember reading that he almost didn’t get hired back, which is insane when you think about it, but to be fair he does operate in a bubble at this point in his tenure. His absurdist/silly sensibilities would gel much better in the Digital Short era.
And now the ****½ sketches:
The Adventures of Peter O’Toole and Michael Caine (Jude Law)
The Falconer (Luke Wilson)
Business Trip (Luke Wilson)
Key Party (Colin Farrell)
Season’s Greetings (Robert DeNiro)
Stunt Double (David Spade)
Sean Penn’s Celebrity Roast (David Spade)
UPS Guy (David Spade)
The Falconer (Tom Brady)
TV Funhouse (Tom Brady)
Domino’s Commercial (Johnny Knoxville)
It’s funny you mention Forte being in a bubble, as earlier I was thinking again about the strongest players for season 30 and it took me a bit to remember him, even though I enjoyed everything he did this season minus some of the W/Bush material. Both Forte and Fred have their own lanes to the point where it’s difficult to completely evaluate their work as part of the show. A big part of that is down to the male cast being so very poorly structured and utilized. If Forte hadn’t been stuck playing W he probably would have happier – later seasons didn’t have him in that type of role, and he can just spend that time knocking out lots of offbeat, generally compelling material. (I do think Fred is better off in this era of the show, as he later ends up being stuck in some very unfortunate impressions alongside way too many self-indulgent performance pieces).
I find Forte’s Bush to be somewhat underrated, and actually shows that he could give it his all in a sketch not written by himself. The Bush sketches were lazily written but it wasn’t from a lack of trying on his part. But yeah Forte was best used as the cast’s resident wild card and not as an impressionist. John, you’re totally right about Armisen. His tenure on the show can be almost divided in two. His first half, he was writing and performing some of the most creative material the show had seen in years but then later on he was doing a lifeless Obama impression and shit like Garth and Kat (*shudders*)
Would the fact that Sudeikis came on the show as a writer and then joined the cast have helped him more than other new cast members? I’m not certain how many other cast members have made that transition–Mikey Day did, right? I’m sure others. I would guess that’s helpful because they are already plugged into the style of humor the show values.
S31 is definitely a big improvement to S30, although it takes a while–there’s still a number of crap episodes on the docket that year (32 is when I felt like things, for better or worse, stabilized to a very solid format, although we’ll see if my memories are correct).
I think Spade and Schneider also started as writers (although I’m not sure if they were writers as long as Sudeikis and Day were). It does seem to help make stepping into the show easier – Day and Sudeikis both arriving at a time when the male cast was aimless probably didn’t hurt. Day in particular just put himself right out from his first episode as a cast member as if he’d been in front of the camera for years – I guess his years of oncamera experience helped stop him from being, say, another Mike O’Brien.
Does anyone know who wrote the movie theater sketch? Is it Seth? It’s clunky, especially the ending, but overall I enjoy the piece – it’s the rare SNL sketch that doesn’t just double down on “lol gawk at that stupid nerd” stereotypes but instead tries for some more complicated dynamics. Seth plays the sketch in just the right way, and I love the bit with Will and Fred bickering over both cosplaying as Anakin. Rob also gets a few funny jokes to end his tenure.
This is a wonderful TV Funhouse – one of my favorites. I agree it’s not quite perfect, but is very ahead of its time. The part where the talking head argues back against the point that no one wants to be mutated by saying “you don’t get to speak for all mutants” is depressingly ahead of its time…and the Elfman-and-Amy wink wink routine is priceless. I’m always surprised at how many in-house jabs from Smigel that Lorne let through.
The rest of the episode isn’t really worth caring about, although I do think Lindsey (who looked so much more frail in this episode than I’d initially noticed) is fun in the mafia sketch. She takes a weak premise and adds some life.
The Prince sketch is just about as lazy and dead as you can get, and Kenan as Wanda Sykes is downright insulting. You can see why, when SNL had a black woman playing her in a sketch again for the first time in 25 years, Whoopi Goldberg took time to express her happiness.
Maya and Rachel on Update reads like one of those well-intended liberal arguments which was especially prevalent in these years – “straight people have no room to talk about sanctity of marriage” and “gay couples are just as boring as straight couples.” The idea is nice, and it’s pretty gutsy on SNL’s part considering this was only a few months after W won reelection based in part on opposing gay marriage and civil unions. But, as you say, it isn’t particularly funny, and beyond that, starting the piece with a joke about how they both look just like men is so tin-eared that it never fully recovers (the hair and wardrobe also didn’t seem to get the memo, or quietly rebelled, as neither Rachel nor Maya looks particularly manly here). Oh well.
Even if her returning does make the whole thing feel very awkward, seeing Paula Pell, cast member in all but title, finally getting to stand on the stage, flanked by her colleagues and good friends, is a touching sight. A more moving image than such a rough season probably deserved.
Everyone else has already summed up how I feel about this being the worst season (the answer being HELL YES), so I will just add that I feel like this wasn’t something that appeared in season 30 as much as something that gradually built due to the departure of Adam McKay from headwriting duties, due to an increasing lowest-common denominator writing style (excessive focus on grimy tabloid coverage and hosts, homophobia, fart jokes, fat jokes, etc.), due to an ill-conceived decision to keep pushing heavy political content even though no one at the show by this point was particularly good at writing or performing it, due to an unstable, squandered cast from season 27 onward, especially on the male side, etc. Everything had to come to a head. In many ways the show was lucky that it never truly crashed and burned.
I don’t believe SNL has ever really been the same since the changes NBC forced onto the show after season 20, but even if the last 25 years have not been the same for me, there are still ups and downs in that time period. There’s also been a lot of gunk in the last 15 years, but I don’t think they’ve ever gotten as low in the gutter as much of 30 (and to a point 27-29). And hopefully they never will.
I’m looking forward to how you cover season 31, as it’s a season I’m mostly fond of (it helps that I tend to enjoy weird hybrid passing-in-the-night casts). I’m not sure if my opinion will change watching it day-by-day though.
Anyway, I just wanted to say kudos to you for slogging through these last 2-3-4 seasons, especially this last one, which was clearly a big drain. Getting to see the various remarks from you, and the increased comment sections, adds a lot of insight into what would otherwise just too often be dross.
As Barry Manilow would say, we made it through the rain. Now it’s time for daybreak – just the type that involves Andy Samberg aw-shucksing his way through changing the show forever, rather than Kathleen Turner chasing us down in her car…
For every Mikey Day or Jason Sudeikis or Spade/Schneider who went from spending a few seasons as writers before joining as successful castmembers, there’s also Mike O’Brien and Fred Wolf who fit in as cast members pretty awkwardly. I guess not always a sure thing.
O’Brien was the worst. I still remember how bad he was in S39, especially in the premiere when Fey hosted. Yet, the show hung onto him like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I thought Tim Robinson from S38 deserved another shot instead of all of those males (including O’Brien) brought in for S39.
I also remember all of the praise Mike Ryan wrote about O’Brien in all of his articles. That always annoyed me, even to this day, when SNL article writers and authors seem to want to defend the show from S28 through now, making it seem like anyone that wants to criticize the show is not allowed to.
There was a Deadline article from the S40 premiere with Chris Pratt that slammed the show, only for there to be a follow-up one that praised it. That was another uneven or mediocre season (well, at least to me).
In the cases of O’Brien and Wolf, they seemed to realize their talents were more as writers than performers, as they’ve mostly gone back to being behind the scenes guys ever since.
If SNL would have cleaned house (and frankly, they should of – maybe hang on to Forte, Kenan, Jason and Amy) I think this season would be more remembered as a dismal year, along with the “Bad three.” Honestly, it’s shocking that Riggle was the ONLY one to leave.
I also agree with John, that this season might get lost in the “bad year” conversation because it comes at the end of a slow, gradual descent in quality from Will Ferrell’s departure. The new batch that comes in improves things, but it made for a bloated cast, it took a few seasons for Digital Shorts and Tina’s Sarah Palin to make SNL a “water-cooler” show again.
Anyway, farewell to Rob Riggle. Unfortunately, another cast member in a long line of talented comics on the show, but just never really got a chance.
It seemed that a lot of males from 2000 through now got shafted from the show a lot. Several should have stayed longer than a season or two (Minor, Riggle, Brittain, Robinson, Edwards, Mitchell) but some should never have seen the light of day.
Ruby’s comment made me realize I didn’t know how many cast members have been hired from 2000-01 onward. It’s 21 from Seasons 26-35 and 29 from Seasons 36-45.
Riggle bounced back pretty quickly, getting hired as a new Daily Show correspondent less than a year after his SNL firing. At the time that was considered almost a more desirable path to stardom than SNL was at the time. With the success Carrell, Colbert, Corddry, Helms, etc were all starting to have around that period.
Riggle did a couple of audition episodes less than a year later, he was officially hired as a correspondent in September ’06
I like Tina Fey mostly coz of 30 rock and think she seems like a level-headed no-bullshit kind of person but the fact that she may have staged an intervention on Lohan seems really patronising. I’m not American so I didn’t grow up with Snl but I always thought that the early-mid 2000s seemed like a good time because of the people involved but after reading loads of reviews on this site I’m not sure. Surely Horatio should have been fired a lot sooner? Seems like they didn’t know what to do with Parnell in these later years of his. Forte is great and Rachel Dratch is probably one of my favourite people that has ever been associated with the show and certainly the best in this cast. It seems like a shame that Tina Fey got into doing Update when in an alternate universe she could have been appearing in lots of sketches, which she was mostly solid in. Maybe these really bad sketches is where she got the inspiration for the live show within 30 rock.
By comparison:
Seasons 1-5: 20
Seasons 6-15: 45 (I didn’t recount people who came back, like Harry Shearer, Brian Doyle-Murray and Al Franken)
Seasons 16-25: 38
I left this comment on the Jason Bateman show
“…complaints of this year was the show’s attempts to make Seth the new face/star. Now that we’re halfway through the season I think it’s fair to say that hasn’t entirely been true. I actually feel like theyre pushing Horatio as the face/star, hard. And the overall quality of the show is suffering because of that push.“
Horatio’s extended unprofessionalism should have been an immediate dismissal.
Here are the average ratings for Season 30:
*may not represent review’s perception*
3001: 5.3 (Ben Affleck)
3002: 5.7 (Queen Latifah)
3003: 5.5 (Jude Law)
3004: 4.3 (Kate Winslet)
3005: 5.1 (Liam Neeson)
3006: 5.6 (Luke Wilson)
3007: 4.9 (Colin Farrell)
3008: 5.5 (Robert DeNiro)
3009: 6.1 (Topher Grace)
3010: 7.0 (Paul Giamatti)
3011: 5.4 (Paris Hilton)
3012: 5.2 (Jason Bateman)
3013: 3.6 (Hilary Swank)
3014: 6.5 (David Spade)
3015: 4.6 (Ashton Kutcher)
3016: 4.9 (Cameron Diaz)
3017: 5.3 (Tom Brady)
3018: 4.7 (Johnny Knoxville)
3019: 6.6 (Will Ferrell)
3020: 4.7 (Lindsay Lohan)
Best Episode: 3010 (Paul Giamatti)- 7.0
Worst Episode: 3013 (Hilary Swank)- 3.6
Season Average: 5.3
I went back and looked. The season average of 5.3 puts this season a little bit below S20 (94-95) season average (5.6) and ties with S6 (80-81) for dead-last.
Season Averages Ranked Best to Worst
#14 – 7.2
#15 – 7.1
#18 – 7.1
#17 – 7.0
#21 – 7.0
#22 – 7.0
#24 – 7.0
#16 – 6.9
#23 – 6.9
#26 – 6.8
#13 – 6.7
#25 – 6.7
#3 – 6.6
#4 – 6.6
#27 – 6.6
#2 – 6.5
#12 – 6.5
#1 – 6.3
#10 – 6.3
#5 – 6.2
#9 – 6.1
#28 – 6.1
#8 – 6.0
#19 – 6.0
#7 – 5.8
#11 – 5.7
#29 – 5.7
#20 – 5.6
#6 – 5.3
—> #30 – 5.3
For those interested: Highest Ranked Shows
1718: 8.9 (Jerry Seinfeld/Annie Lennox)
1518: 8.8 (Alec Baldwin/The B-52’s)
1804: 8.8 (Christopher Walken/Arrested Development)
1401: 8.5 (Tom Hanks/Keith Richards)
1608: 8.4 (Tom Hanks/Edie Brickell)
1511: 8.3 (Christopher Walken/Bonnie Raitt)
2108: 8.1 (David Alan Grier/Silverchair)
2120: 8.1 (Jim Carrey/Soundgarden)
318: 8.0 (Steve Martin/The Blues Brothers)
1505: 8.0 (Chris Evert/Eurythmics)
1508: 8.0 (Robert Wagner/Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville)
1601: 8.0 (Kyle MacLachlan/Sinead O’Connor)
2415: 8.0 (Ray Romano/The Corrs)
2516: 8.0 (Christopher Walken/Christina Aguilera)
1719: 7.9 (Tom Hanks/Bruce Springsteen)
1807: 7.9 (Sinbad/Sade)
2210: 7.9 (Kevin Spacey/Beck)
2317: 7.9 (Steve Buscemi/Third Eye Blind)
2813: 7.9 (Christopher Walken/Foo Fighters)
For those interested: lowest ranked episodes
2015: 2.9 (Paul Reiser/Annie Lennox)
2005: 3.4 (Sarah Jessica Parker/REM)
2013: 3.6 (Deion Sanders/Bon Jovi)
3013: 3.6 (Hilary Swank)
2916: 3.7 (Donald Trump/Toots And The Maytals)
2009: 4.1 (George Foreman/Hole)
417: 4.2 (Milton Berle/Prime Time)
610: 4.2 (Deborah Harry/Funky 4 + 1 More)
2811: 4.2 (Matthew McConaughey/The Dixie Chicks)
608: 4.3 (Robert Hays/Joe Carrasco)
3004: 4.3 (Kate Winslet)
2606: 4.4 (Tom Green/David Gray)
1915: 4.5 (Nancy Kerrigan/Aretha Franklin)
2019: 4.5 (Bob Saget/TLC)
2903: 4.5 (Halle Berry/Britney Spears)
602: 4.6 (Malcolm McDowell/Captain Beefheart)
611: 4.6 (Charlene Tilton/Prince)
2910: 4.6 (Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey/G Unit)
3015: 4.6 (Ashton Kutcher)
609: 4.7 (Sally Kellerman/Jimmy Cliff)
1106: 4.7 (Teri Garr/Dream Academy)
3018: 4.7 (Johnny Knoxville)
3020: 4.7 (Lindsay Lohan)
403: 4.8 (Frank Zappa)
604: 4.8 (Jamie Lee Curtis/James Brown)
718: 4.8 (Robert Culp/Charlie Daniels)
1110: 4.8 (Jerry Hall/Stevie Ray Vaughan)
1905: 4.8 (Christian Slater/Smashing Pumpkins)
2909: 4.8 (Jennifer Aniston/Black Eyed Peas)
1618: 4.9 (Steven Seagal/Michael Bolton)
2001: 4.9 (Steve Martin/Eric Clapton)
3007: 4.9 (Colin Farrell)
3016: 4.9 (Cameron Diaz)
714: 5.0 (Robert Urich/Mink De Ville)
814: 5.0 (Beau and Jeff Bridges)
1910: 5.0 (Jason Patric/Blind Melon)
2816: 5.0 (Bernie Mac/Good Charlotte)
Lindsay returns to host in Season 31. How much of a trainwreck will she be by then?
Here are all the sketches under 2 stars from the last five years
Season 26
PET CHICKEN SHOP (Dana Carvey) *1/2
BALD EAGLES (Tom Green) *1/2
LORNE AND TOM IN A TUB (Tom Green) *1/2
TV FUNHOUSE-SEX AND THE COUNTRY (Tom Green) *
DOG SHOW (Tom Green) *
ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK (Tom Green) *
PRICELINE.COM (Lucy Liu) *
PRETTY LIVING (Lucy Liu) *1/2
AUDITION (Mena Suvari) *1/2
MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE VALENTINE (Jennifer Lopez) *1/2
APOLLO AMATEUR NIGHT (Julia Stiles) *1/2
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY (Julia Stiles) *1/2
AUDITION (Lara Flynn Boyle) *
Season 27
GASSY BABY (Reese Witherspoon) *1/2
JEFFREY’S (Seann William Scott) *1/2
ACTION TALK SHOW (Drew Barrymore) *1/2
MANGO (Ellen DeGeneres) *1/2
MONOLOGUE (Josh Hartnett) *1/2
EXTREME WEDDING (Jonny Moseley) *1/2
MISS PEEPS (Cameron Diaz) *1/2
MONOLOGUE (Kirsten Dunst) *1/2
MANGO (Winona Ryder) *1/2
Season 28
SWIFFER SLEEPERS (Sarah Michelle Gellar) *
DENTIST (Sarah Michelle Gellar) *
CORONA I (Sarah Michelle Gellar) *
CORONA II (Sarah Michelle Gellar) *
TALARICO FOR CONGRESS (Eric McCormack) *
AMERICAN MORNING WITH PAULA ZAHN (Eric McCormack) *1/2
VERIZON (Eric McCormack) *
MONOLOGUE (Robert DeNiro) *
PETER PAN REHEARSAL (Robert DeNiro) *1/2
MALL SANTA (Robert DeNiro) *1/2
SLAPPING SALESMAN (Robert DeNiro) *
COLD OPEN-ADDRESS (Jeff Gordon) *1/2
AQUARIUM REPAIRMEN (Jeff Gordon) *
CHARLIE ROSE (Jeff Gordon) *1/2
STRIPPER POLE (Jeff Gordon) *
COLD OPEN-U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL (Matthew McConaughey) *1/2
CLUB TRAXX (Matthew McConaughey) *1/2
STORIES (Matthew McConaughey) *1/2
SECOND TIME AROUND (Matthew McConaughey) *1/2
MCCONAUGHEY’S RED HOT TEXAS CHILI (Matthew McConaughey) *
COLD OPEN-PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS (Jennifer Garner) *1/2
INVITATION TO LOVE (Jennifer Garner) *
106 & PARK TOP TEN LIVE (Queen Latifah) *
HOT SAUCE CARRY PURSE (Bernie Mac) *1/2
MOVIE THEATRE (Bernie Mac) *1/2
SECOND TIME AROUND (Bernie Mac) *1/2
BRIEFING (Bernie Mac) *1/2
CLUB TRAXX (Ray Romano) *1/2
COLD OPEN-USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (Ashton Kutcher) *1/2
COUNT CHOCULA SILVER (Ashton Kutcher) *1/2
LENSMASTERS (Adrien Brody) *1/2
Season 29
THE DON ZIMMER SPORTS SPECTACULAR (Halle Berry) *1/2
JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE (Halle Berry) *1/2
THE BEST OF KLYMAXX (Halle Berry) *1/2
BROKAW VOICEMAIL (Halle Berry) *
ASHFORD & SIMPSON (Halle Berry) *1/2
COLD OPEN-WEAPON DISCOVERIES (Kelly Ripa) *
ACCESS HOLLYWOOD (Kelly Ripa) *1/2
CRYOGENIX (Andy Roddick) *1/2
JOCK TALK (Andy Roddick) *
COLD OPEN-THE NEW IRAQI GOVERNMENT (Alec Baldwin) *
MONOLOGUE (Alec Baldwin) *1/2
ROY RETURNS (Alec Baldwin) *1/2
MICHAEL JACKSON IN A ROLLER COASTER (Al Sharpton) *1/2
THE LATOYA JACKSON SHOW (Al Sharpton) *1/2
TOWN CAR (Al Sharpton) *
UNEARTHED (Al Sharpton) *
COLD OPEN-A MESSAGE FROM DONALD TRUMP (Jennifer Aniston) *1/2
PAPARAZZI (Jennifer Aniston) *1/2
VEGAS WEDDING (Jennifer Aniston) *1/2
COLD OPEN-CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS (Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey) *1/2
TYLENOL EXTREME (Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey) *1/2
WEEKEND UPDATE (Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey) *1/2
THE SHARON OSBOURNE SHOW (Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey) *1/2
NUTS JINGLES (Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey) *
A VERY SPECIAL VALENTINE’S VERSACE (Drew Barrymore) *1/2
YOU GOT SERVED (Christian Aguilera) *
DON’S APOTHECARY (Christina Aguilera) *1/2
ACCENTS (Colin Firth) *1/2
HOTEL WILSON (Colin Firth) *
MONOLOGUE (Donald Trump) *
LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY (Donald Trump) *1/2
VIP SEATS (Donald Trump) *1/2
THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER (Donald Trump) *1/2
FATHERS AND SONS (Donald Trump) *
9/11 HEARINGS (Donald Trump) *
APPRENTICE BAND (Donald Trump) *
CLUB TRAXX (Lindsay Lohan) *1/2
PAT ‘N PATTI’S BACKPACK SHACK (The Olsen Twins) *
Season 30
COLD OPEN-FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE (Ben Affleck) *1/2
DR. PORKENHEIMER’S BONER JUICE (Ben Affleck) *1/2
DEBBIE DOWNER (Ben Affleck) *1/2
NINTH PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE (Jude Law) *1/2
PARIS HILTON APOLOGIZES (Jude Law) *1/2
MONOLOGUE (Kate Winslet) *
RAP NIGHT WITH CHUBB HOTTY (Kate Winslet) *
MRS. DR. FRANKENSTEIN (Kate Winslet) *
ELECTORAL MAP (Kate Winslet) *1/2
PRE-WEDDING NIGHT (Liam Neeson) *1/2
WAKE UP SAN DIEGO (Liam Neeson) *1/2
MONOLOGUE (Luke Wilson) *1/2
DEBBIE DOWNER (Luke Wilson) *1/2
TV FUNHOUSE-THE HOMOCRANIAL MIND MIXER (Luke Wilson) *1/2
BEST BUDS (Luke Wilson) *
ROACHES (Colin Farrell) *1/2
PAT ‘N PATTI’S SLACKS, SNACKS, & KNICK KNACK SHACK (Colin Farrell) *
PRINCE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (Robert DeNiro) *1/2
ITALIAN STEREOTYPES (Robert DeNiro) *1/2
MONOLOGUE (Paris Hilton) *1/2
VERSACE SKIING (Paris Hilton) *1/2
TRUMP FAMILY (Paris Hilton) *1/2
COLD OPEN-PRESS CONFERENCE (Jason Bateman) *
ME-HARMONY.COM (Jason Bateman) *1/2
WEEKEND UPDATE (Jason Bateman) *1/2
GAYS IN SPACE (Jason Bateman) *
RAP NIGHT WITH CHUBB HOTTY (Jason Bateman) *
COLD OPEN-MICHAEL JACKSON IN NEVERLAND RANCH (Hilary Swank) *1/2
HOT PLATES (Hilary Swank) *
DEBBIE DOWNER (Hilary Swank) *
AFTER THE GRAMMYS (Hilary Swank) *
PROJECT RUNWAY (Hilary Swank) *1/2
JINGLE SINGERS (David Spade) *
OPRAH (Ashton Kutcher) *
PUSH-UP CONTEST (Ashton Kutcher) *1/2
GAYS IN SPACE (Ashton Kutcher) *
WEEKEND UPDATE (Ashton Kutcher) *1/2
NEBULZITOL (Ashton Kutcher) *1/2
COLD OPEN-THE PAPAL DEBATE (Cameron Diaz) *1/2
HOTEL (Cameron Diaz) *1/2
WOO! THE MUSICAL (Cameron Diaz) *1/2
COLD OPEN-A MESSAGE FROM TOM DELAY (Tom Brady) *1/2
MONOLOGUE (Tom Brady) *1/2
THE OAK ROOM (Tom Brady) *1/2
COLD OPEN-PRIMETIME LIVE (Johnny Knoxville) *1/2
VERSACE MOTHER’S DAY SPECIAL (Johnny Knoxville) *
CHANNEL 5 LATE NIGHT MOVIE (Johnny Knoxville) *
MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH (Johnny Knoxville) *
YOU MIGHT BE A GAY REDNECK IF… (Johnny Knoxville) *
GOING 2 C MOVIES (Will Ferrell) *1/2
PRINCE SHOW (Lindsay Lohan) *1/2
ITALIAN FAMILY (Lindsay Lohan) *1/2
RIDE HOME (Lindsay Lohan) *
Here are my rankings of Stooge’s five star sketches from 00-05. 37 total sketches here, I would give five stars to just less than half. There’s a few at the tail end that I’d probably have below four stars. Sorry about my long-windedness on entry 3.
1. Music International (Jack Black) 01-02
At some point over the last 30 years, the 10-to-one slot of SNL stopped being a dead zone and started to become the hot spot for high-risk/high-reward comedy. From Polar Bear Cage to the Brasky Boys to Will Forte’s oddities to the Good Neighbor pieces, the 10-to-one spot has developed a rich tradition of being the most reliably interesting part of any SNL. The slot has an undeniably rich and fruitful legacy, but only one sketch gets to claim the status as “Best 10-to-one Sketch Ever.” The Birthday Song is about as perfect an SNL sketch I’ve ever seen. It’s ambition is significant, but it’s comedic conceit is even weightier, with it’s simple, stupid concept escalated past the point of reason. You absolutely know the cast and host (the ONLY host who could pull this off) believed in the power of this sketch as the performances are up to the task, as laughs cascade down from every possible nook of the sketch. I can watch this over and over without it losing steam.
2. Astronaut Jones (Britney Spears) 01-02
When watching Tracy Morgan’s first show in 1996, I’m guessing that nobody would that have predicted that his departure seven years later would be deemed a significant blow, but here we are. Tracy Morgan was a raw, severely unpolished standup prone to severe cases of marble mouth when he first entered 8H, but by the time his tenure was complete, he was a singular comic presence – the kind of guy a writer utilized to illicit some guaranteed laughs. Astronaut Jones is where the persona had reached such a flow state that the show could really go off the rails playing exploiting it (see also, Talkin’ To The Stars With Rachel And Tracy from two episodes later). What’s especially amazing is that SNL was able to return to this well again and again without the piece losing steam. Even with the element of surprise completely removed, Morgan’s charisma and impeccable timing kept this one dumb meta-joke afloat over and over again. This one still amazes me.
3. The Coconut Bangers’ Ball: It’s A Rap! (Charlize Theron) 00-01
So…let’s talk about ironic racism. Twenty years is a long time, and nothing really hammers home the passage of time like a white guy using the N-Word for comedic purposes with little to no push back. Now replay this sketch in 2020. No way would this work, especially since there really is no strong social impetus behind using it.
Let’s look at SNL’s history of white guys using the N-word. Basically, it’s four pieces (remind me if I’m missing anything): Word Association with Richard Pryor, the Burt Reynolds Cold Open, Commie Hunting Season from 80-81 and this sketch. The first sketch was written by Paul Mooney and clearly is confronting racism head on. We don’t really use depiction as a satirical tool in 2020 – you can see that in the recent satirical blackface erasure (30 Rock, The Sarah Silverman Program) – but in 1975, just a year after the monumentally important Blazing Saddles, it was not only a common practice, it was an actively progressive methodology in some cases. Mooney’s piece is simple and lacking nuance, but it makes its point largely knowable – the audience relates to Pryor’s defensiveness, not Chase’s racist attacks. SNL’s race relation material has had to be more finessed in the modern era (think of that wonderful news anchor piece from the Phoebe Waller-Bridge episode), but largely Word Association is making the right point.
On the other side is Commie Hunting Season, a tonal disaster from an untrusted cast that absolutely bathes itself in the filth of what Al Franken once coined “Kidding on the square,” which basically means joking about something, but also, you know, kinda meaning it. This is basically the tricky distinction that shakes the foundation of ironic racism – you might be making a progressive point by donning blackface, but you’re also perpetuating an intrinsically racist practice. It doesn’t matter if you’re a good liberal if you’re still in the habit of racist action. Commie Hunting Season can’t even get the irony part right; it’s a total miss by any metric imaginable and managed to alienate audiences in a completely unwoke 1980. That’s quite the achievement.
Which brings us to this Robert Goulet piece which I think falls somewhere in between these two poles. It is like the Burt Reynolds piece in that the N-Word used is a direct quote. The Reynolds piece kind of flows by without incident. A part of it is Reynolds’ incredulous response to Garrett Morris. A part of it is the fact that Morris said it first. A part of it is the fact that it’s 1980 (but as Commie Hunting Season proves, a less progressive era does not insulate you from awful material). The Goulet sketch has a bit less of an excuse. Yes, part of the joke is Goulet’s cluelessness in feeling free to fully quote Sisqo and Notorious BIG, but that facet of the joke is not necessarily made explicit. The sketch is more about its own absurdity, not satire. So that is a major sticking point. As funny as the piece is (and it’s hilarious), it’s undoubtedly a matter of kidding on the square. Like the Reynolds piece and unlike the other two, the sketch is in no way a commentary on racism, it’s simply a context-free epithet (or two), which really doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.
But this was 2000. It was another time…
Of course, it’s hard to know when this cultural pivot occurred. Sarah Silverman and Stephen Colbert each got into some trouble for the use of ironic racism but experienced no lasting fallout. Shane Gillis, who, it should be noted, is far less famous and thus far less powerful than Colbert and Silverman, was several days late and several dollars short to the consequence-free ironic racism table. His reputation and career prospects within a broader cultural circle, took a major, perhaps fatal, hit. But as recently as 2020, this extra scrutiny no longer just targets a lower strata of celebrity. Recently, Fallon had to apologize for applying blackface to play Chris Rock in 2000 (not the sketch’s writer though), and one wonders if Ferrell will have to publicly reckon with this piece (something I always found interesting is that when Ferrell showed up on Conan as Goulet shortly after this sketch, the “Big Poppa” clip was shown with the N-Word intact much to the audience’s delight).
As a fan, the sketch still tickles me. All the Goulet sketches do. The troubling aspects are only a small fraction of the piece as a whole but they cast a large shadow. If SNL ever re-airs the Charlize Theron, one wonders if this, the only funny sketch of the episode, would make the edit. For full transparency, I was all about kidding on the square as a young man – believing fully in the infallibility of really really funny comedy. Time has proven, though, that some of that edgelord shit ages like a fart. Check out some Dice or late-era Kinson standup today. It’s fucking abysmal. So if I’ve had to personally park some of my comedy taste because of a broader understanding of humanity and empathy (like letting go of SNL’s rich tradition of homophobia), I also need to accept that some of my all-time favorite pieces simply cannot exist anymore. I’m largely past the point that I need to feel rueful about this, it’s just life’s reality. Adapt or die. I will hold on to what I love about these Goulet pieces (and try to lift up subsequent, non-problematic editions) and accept that part of a piece I love includes a particularly curdled timestamp.
4. The Presidential Couple (Calista Flockhart) 00-01
SNL came into the Calista Flockhart episode with a comedic Royal Flush on their hands. Responding to the absurd outcome or lack thereof of the 2000 Presidential election was an incredibly exciting opportunity for SNL. They were basically guaranteed laughs, but SNL’s goal was to maximize the value of the situation. I don’t think there is another episode of SNL that so effectively and completely takes advantage of a single news story, where it permeates not just the cold open and Update, but also an additional three sketches through the night. The Cold Open comes in hottest and strongest, setting the tone for the night. By tucking their political satire into a playful pop culture bubble, SNL finds itself in its absolute comfort zone, hitting on a sketch that is immediate, silly and inspired.
5. Wade Blasingame (Val Kilmer) 00-01
Probably the ad parody with the best execution of small details since Shirt In A Can. Seeing Parnell running around in shiny blue swim trunks is great fun, but I still laugh most at the piece because of details like Will Ferrell’s facial scar and especially Chris Parnell’s almost plastic looking face when he’s shown at the desk.
6. Box (Selma Hayek) 02-03
God, how I adored this piece. When Ferrell left, it felt like SNL lost its compass. SNL circa 02-03 was so piecemeal and cobbled together, with only Tracy Morgan being 100% established as a comedic sure thing. Forte quickly filled a vacuum on the post-Ferrell show, his cleverness and creativity completely unprecedented. Those early characters like Tim Calhoun and The Falconer are amazing, but this one-off felt truly special, Forte’s weirdness finding a home within the regular framework of the show. Having a game Jimmy Fallon giving as good as he’s got certainly didn’t hurt.
7. Moleculo (Conan O’Brien) 00-01
Absolute giddy silliness that still hits the mark for me. Very few SNL sketches have universal appeal AND manage to be fully hilarious. This sketch does it all thanks to a perfectly suited host.
8. Evil Boss (Pierce Brosnan) 00-01
I did a consensus poll on the old Voy and Sean Bradley forums of the best sketches of this era in 2005 and this one, the Will Ferrell showcase to end all Will Ferrell showcases, won out. It’s almost certainly the kind of piece the uber-commenter John would poo-poo (he sidesteps it altogether in that episode’s comment thread), but there is something thrilling about pure, unbridled Asshole Ferrell – even if A LOT of this is pretty damn problematic. The heightened absurdity of the abuse is a huge thrill with the 33 stabs of the trident being a wonderful crescendo, but my favorite part will always be the silly little jig Ferrell does to try to reset with Pierce Brosnan.
9. Show Your Patriotism (Seann William Scott) 01-02
Will Ferrell in a thong as SNL’s first effective foray into parodying post-9/11 America. That checks out. It’s slight, but it will forever be funny.
10. TV Funhouse (Ellen Degeneres) 01-02
When Smigel pulls out the stop motion, you know it’s going to be a killer. This belongs on the Mount Rushmore of biting TV Funhouses.
11. Rainbow Connection (Justin Timberlake) 03-04
From the very beginning, Will Forte carved a niche for himself of saving terrible SNL episodes from the brink of disaster (think Speed Reader capping off the lamentable Halle Berry episode) and subtly stealing great SNL episodes (spoiler alert: Spelling Bee > Lazy Sunday). The inaugural Justin Timberlake episode has a lot of well-remembered pieces and the general aura of an emerging superstar taking flight, but this unassuming little piece is the absolute gem of the lot, and possibly still the best piece Timberlake ever appeared in.
12. Palm Beach (Val Kilmer) 00-01
A spiritual sequel to the Presidential Couple, so I’ll give the edge to the original, but Palm Beach is really no less terrific. Like I’ve said in previous posts, SNL is always more comfortable with pop culture than they are with politics. When they marry the two is when they have their best success. Ana Gasteyer’s Katherine Harris was one of the forgotten breakouts of that era.
13. Gigli (Ben Affleck) 03-04
OK, it’s absolutely impossible to do this sketch today (though Frondi at no point is the butt of the joke), but I still find this sketch deeply deeply funny and a great showcase for Ben Affleck’s value as a relentlessly self-effacing host.
14. Bearologist (Winona Ryder) 01-02
Just delightfully silly nonsense, with ridiculous performances all around. The turn with the bear shooting Gasteyer (who is ridiculously funny here), is one of the great laughs I’ve had watching SNL.
15. Summertime (Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen) 03-04
Up there with the Polar Bear Cage sketch as my favorite season ending sketch. This captures all the “finality” of an end of season piece without sacrificing the comedy (don’t get me started on Kristin Wiig’s farewell). Love him or hate him, this kind of piece is absolutely pitch perfect for Jimmy Fallon’s brand.
16. Hardball (Sen. John McCain) 02-03
I never really loved the Hardball sketches before this one. They were all just kind of decent-ish time fillers. Everything was solid but perfunctory – the Darrell Hammond guarantee. Adding Tracy to the mix was the jolt of life that this piece needed and it would sustain for another edition too. Added note: it makes me sad that the non-Zell Miller parts of the first Zell Miller Hardball aren’t better (in fact, they’re pretty lousy), because they would have had another classic on their hands. The non-Tracy moments of this edition are still really strong.
17. Monologue (Christopher Walken) 00-01
I always found Walken’s singing and dancing to be good, non-comedic fun. By retaining all the good parts, but upping the comedic elements, they basically created the ideal Walken monologue.
18. Talkin’ To The Stars With Rachel And Tracy (Jon Stewart) 01-02
I really enjoy the 2001-2002 season and even though I would have this one just outside my top 10, I was really tickled by the entire structure of this piece. I wish SNL better understood how fertile it is to pair clashing comedic voices and personalities. I had never considered Dratch and Morgan as existing on the same plain, despite them being in the cast together for four seasons. This one-off was heaps of fun and I wouldn’t have been upset with them returning to this well.
19. Centaur (Christopher Walken) 00-01
This is tricky to explain, but I think somewhere in the middle of Walken’s 1999-2000 episode (definitely by the Census sketch), SNL reached a sort of self-aware Mendoza Line with Christopher Walken – where Walken’s weirdo energy was being used to almost cartoonish degrees. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but before 2000, you could still expect Walken to be the straight man in a sketch (think the first T-Bone piece from 96). After that, no way. Centaur is a really fun piece with a masterful performance from Chris Parnell, but it really gives me that tinge of the show trying to write weird for Walken instead of letting Walken simply be weird. It’s a miniscule distinction, but it’s always been a niggling one for me.
20. Debbie Downer (Lindsay Lohan) 03-04
A corpsing masterpiece – although there are others that I prefer – from a group who knew a thing or two about corpsing. I think the original piece, as written, is decently strong, though not incredible. The only sin is SNL trying to recreate the moment, which came off particularly sweaty. I think the sketch sort of settled into a groove as a passable trifle, but hindsight still says that this would have been best left alone.
21. Mom Jeans (Adrien Brody) 02-03
The second of the big “Ladies of SNL” commercial parodies. Also my second favorite. Lots of fun performances here. This one is popular because of the universality of the conceit, but I still find Kotex Classic to be funnier.
22. Tennis Talk With Time Traveling Scott Joplin (Andy Roddick) 03-04
The only thing lacking about this piece is audience buy-in, as they seem particularly cool on Rudolph’s performance. I can’t really figure out why, either. There are much more popular Rudolph pieces that are far worse than this clever little oddity. An underrated gem.
23. Monologue (Conan O’Brien) 00-01
Exactly as fun as I expected a Conan O’Brien monologue to be.
24. Dissing Your Dog (Derek Jeter) 01-02
I strong Ferrell piece that I probably enjoy less than most. It’s actually a lower-key performance from Ferrell, which is very nice, but I always felt the writing left a little bit on the table. Great concept though.
25. Cracklin’ Oat Flakes (Calista Flockhart) 00-01
I remember loving this one at the time as it really carried the momentum of the cold open and monologue. It’s a little thinner in retrospect and lacks a lot of the fun details of better commercial parodies like Wade Blasingame, Kotex Classic and even Homocil, but I have no considerable complaints.
26. Vice Presidential Address (Calista Flockhart) 00-01
I think I’m naturally dis-inclined to direct-to-camera addresses by Darrell Hammond and on maybe the richest episode of the era, it’s easy to overlook this piece. But Hammond’s performance here is easily one of his finest and the writing, while slightly drawn out, maintains its momentum.
27. Monologue (Ellen Degeneres) 01-02
A very solid monologue that hints at the malevolent streak that exists under Degeneres’ surface. She makes it really work here.
28. Der Lacheln Beherrscht (Julia Stiles) 00-01
As thrillingly bizarre as I remember. A great outlet for Ferrell, Parnell and Sanz (00-01 really was a strong year for Sanz). This is a great reminder of how wild the Adam McKay era of SNL really was in terms of writing. I don’t know if the sketch is so much hilarious as it is self-consciously dark (the O’Donoghue Conundrum), but it’s still a nice representative of a long-forgotten era when SNL dared to alienate viewers.
29. Colonel Angus (Christopher Walken) 02-03
It lacks the long-range buildup that the Delicious Dish sketches that led up to Schweddy Balls had, but in terms of this string of naughty pun sketches, this is still a lot of fun, if a little, you know, one note. Walken is terrific, no doubt.
30. No Taint (Conan O’Brien) 00-01
There are two major taint-based pieces in the world of sketch comedy. Though a lot of silly fun, this one is a distant second.
31. Oprah’s Favorite Things (Megan Mullally) 03-04
A piece I always liked just fine. I didn’t ever think of it as a classic, but I could see why it would develop that reputation. A very strong showcase for that era’s female cast.
32. Pranksters (Christopher Walken) 02-03
I could quibble about Seth Meyers’ too-broad-by-a-hair performance, but really the main issue with this sketch is just how telegraphed it is. The turn is solid, but with Christopher Walken hosting, I saw it all coming from a mile away. The sketch hinges on an element of surprise, but I never really found it surprising. Other than that, it’s a good, funny piece. But as the Walken episodes became increasingly self-aware and deliberate in their zany weirdness, Pranksters just seemed sort of run of the mill.
33. Monologue (Jon Stewart) 01-02
I’m not a huge Jon Stewart guy. I don’t despise him or anything. I think he’s thoughtful and a force for good, but I also think he is prone to some pretty mundane avenues of comedy and that the Daily Show did as much comedic harm (the rise of clapter, the notion of comedy having to be anything more than just a vehicle for laughter) as good. I feel like this monologue finds Stewart reaching back into his 90s standup catalogue for material that even seemed outdated in 2002 (gays in the military? Really?). It solidly performed, but a little tepid for my taste.
34. First Presidential Debate (Rob Lowe) 00-01
A super highly regarded debate sketch that I like far less than most (all?). It’s good, but it seems like the first debate sketch that is more intent on parodying a real debate than simply creating a comedic world of its own. The sketch created some deathless catchphrases, but I always preferred the heightened lunacy of the 88 and especially the 92 debates.
35. Celebrity Jeopardy (Lucy Liu) 00-01
The last regular Celebrity Jeopardy to be any good. I can take it or leave it at this point, but I recognize it as a part of the elite set of Celebrity Jeopardies.
36. Give Up The Ham (Queen Latifah) 02-03
I think it might be a five star piece on paper and I certainly love the back half of this sketch, but my God, I cannot STAND the front half of the sketch, which includes one of my least favorite Maya Rudolph performances of all time. I guess it kind of evens out in the end. I’ll give the edge to the quirky writing, but I still can’t fully settle in with the sketch’s front half.
37. Pepper Grinder (Will Ferrell) 04-05
I love Wills Ferrell and Forte as much as anyone else and the very idea of a team-up thrilled me to no end. Think of the possibilities! When the moment finally came, I was satisfied with the results, but far from thrilled. This was a solid, steady, B+ effort from two individuals who could steadily deliver A+ material. Pepper Grinder is more Dog Show and Oh No Guy than it is Angry Boss or Dancing Coach.
I enjoyed going through these, Carson. Have you thought about doing them for the next two sets of seasons?
Almost done the 05-10 list. I’m just slow. Thanks btw.
This was my 100th straight review, so I decided to make my review 100+ pages long.
I think I was a little self indulgent back then.
I wonder if any of the people who HATED Fallon and Sanz for “breaking” which never really bothered me, Loved or even liked this season?
Also I think I know why this season fell flat for me:
– No Go To Cast Member to save sketches
– Gay Jokes/Sketches every single episode
– No Recurring sketches to fall back on
– Very Mediocre Update especially compared to Fallon/Fey
Hey, another one of these! My favorite sketches from 2000-2005 to NOT receive five stars from Stooge:
1. CBS Sports (Calista Flockhart) 00-01
The Calista Flockhart episode is a minor miracle of SNL meeting the moment. The 2000 election fiasco required a major response from the show and it’s one of the few times they completely, thoroughly rose to the occasion. Everyone’s mileage may vary, but I still view this clever skewering as being at or near the top of the heap. SNL repeated this kind of joke in the current season (20-21) with the alt-right sports network and that kind of gag still holds up. This one has been forgotten to time a bit, but the satire is as fun and clever as anything SNL has ever done.
2. Kournikova Vs. Penthouse (Kirsten Dunst) 01-02
I don’t know if this sketch arrived at read through with the Laugh-In portion written in or if that came about thanks to a rewrite, but what a brilliant little stroke that was to this lively farce. Everyone is having an absolute blast here and I’m somewhat stunned the sketch has generally been lost to time.
3. Religetables (Brittany Murphy) 02-03
Religious satire is such a high wire act. People’s sensitivities are inflamed, blunt force satire is more aggravating than insightful, and too much inside baseball can be alienating to everyone on the outside of the target. Religetables is guilty of a few of these sins, but it’s redeemed nonetheless. Religetables is pretty inside baseball and none-too-subtle, but my god (sorry, God), is it funny. Robert Smigel’s TV Funhouses could succumb to crass gross out humor, but Religetables was the first to show that there was another level that he could scale up to. It’s still quite possibly my favorite.
4. Firing Sandy (Christina Aguilera) 03-04
Firing Sandy looks less weird than something like Centaur Job Interview, but it plays much wilder. With a steady string of killer jokes (“Stop using my first name, it’s disrespectful”), a tight runtime and an all-timer pairing of Will Forte and Chris Parnell, this is as timeless as any SNL sketch I’ve ever seen and one of the troubled 03-04 season’s absolute best.
5. MTV Spring Break (Cameron Diaz) 01-02
Ask me what I thought of Maya Rudolph’s SNL tenure and I’ll simply answer “Which season?” If you had asked me after the 2001-02 season, though, it would have been an easy, emphatic “Yes!” After grinding through a mostly uneventful rookie season and change, Rudolph found her voice in her first season as a full-fledged castmember, delivering freakshow showcases like her Donatella Versace (which was great during its early incarnations) and this giddy physical showcase. Stooge points out that the Maya’s weirdo “sexy bus driver” dance makes a few frequent returns after this, but I can’t stress enough how much I was tickled by my first exposure. Throw in a Shania Twain reference that landed in the sweet spot of the left field reference window and a great appearance from Tracy Morgan (who was like a steroid injection to sketches in 2002) and you’ve got an easy five star classic in my book.
6. Benny Hill’s Passion Of The Christ (Colin Firth) 03-04
The reviews didn’t bear this out necessarily, but I hold the 03-04 in higher esteem than both 02-03 and 04-05 for the simple fact that is peak early Will Forte. This absurdist premise is a gem and like Firing Sandy (from the week earlier no less), is an efficient and punchy highlight and further proof of Forte’s brilliance.
7. Kotex Classic (Sir Ian McKellan) 01-02
Star Wars to Mom Jeans’ Empire Strikes Back. I like it just as much.
8. The Girl With No Gaydar (John Goodman) 01-02
When is “playing gay” OK and when is it not? Or is it ever OK? I think this sketch provides a pivot point. While sketches like Christmas Kangaroo were a favorite of 19-year-old Carson, it’s easy to see that, without my edgelord goggles, Christmas Kangaroo is decidedly NOT OK. The Girl WIth No Gaydar, however, is one I still feel like I can go to bat for (even if Stooge places it in the “lost to time” trash heap). Perhaps the performances are a little “of their time” but I think the concept remains a rich one even 20 years later. The world of 2021 is a more nuanced place in terms of gender and sexual identity, but c’mon people, gaydar is still a thing. And if you’re playing with this kind of premise, you have to play it broad and, yeah, perhaps a little campy. Does it play in 2021? Probably not with the likes of Beck Bennett and Pete Davidson mincing around (though a modern version of this sketch would actually include some fascinating turns). But even as is, this sketch would have held its humor for another decade-plus.
9. Zinger Vs. Burns (Alec Baldwin) 03-04
The best of Seth Meyers’ coterie of middling recurring characters thanks to a dynamite Alec Baldwin performance and *just enough* writing quirks. I knew this one wouldn’t hold up to multiple iterations (though the second and third editions seem to be more popular around here for some reason), but the inaugural edition zips right past its one-dimensionality with an energetic punchiness that still charms me.
10. WUUB Prime Time Theatre (Drew Barrymore) 01-02
Listen, I know the sketch ultimately falls apart and fails to deliver on its promise, but my God, what promise! If we were just ranking premises, I think this would be No. 1 with a bullet. There’s a true classic in here somewhere. Though it settles for far less, I’m still very into what this sketch is going for.
Always glad to see these from you, @Carson. Usually by the time I want to reply the comments bar has moved on and I forget where the reviews were.
I don’t think about it much but I do wonder what a list would be of some of SNL’s best-ever sketch premises that don’t quite land.
My main issue with the Gaydar sketch is the bad attempts at “acting” gay, more than anything else. With subtler performances and tighter focus this could have worked as a one-off. Unfortunately Rachel was, as was often the case, just sort of there to prop up other people getting the laughs.
I’m one of the people who preferred the last two Zinger sketches but I think Stooge and others likely agree more with you.
Never mind – I forgot Stooge liked some of the later Zinger sketches more. Hadn’t gone back and read this era recently.
Thanks as always for the kind words, John.
Best premises with just so-so execution…that’s a great question. Look to the loser seasons for some good examples of the kinds of sketches that would likely kill in a more lively setting, 94-95 in particular. Like, I could see a way that something like Time Boxer with George Foreman could almost kind of work.
Yes, the “gay-face” performances are…a lot. By design, yes, SNL didn’t really get that fully out of their system until Hader and Armisen left. Maybe later. That said, if you have a castmember like Bowen Yang and a host like Dan Levy, I think there’s a way to approach the premise again without the more lamentable elements.
I’ll be honestly, the only Zinger performance I ever really enjoyed was Baldwin’s so…
Re: Appalachian Emergency Room – I assumed the squeaking sound was supposed to be the sound of a sharpie pressed against a surface, not the sound of a fart.
This season intrigues me so much by how bad it is. And the fact that no one writes about it (or remembers it for that matter) adds to the mythology behind it. I always had a hunch that this year wasn’t that good when I first started getting into the history of the show, but it wasn’t until I saw the full episodes a few years ago when I realized how ghastly this season was.
Tina has proven herself in the past to be a strong writer. The female players are some of the strongest women to ever grace sketch comedy. The male players make up for their lack of versatility with their individual uniqueness. The writing team is filled with stalwarts such as Lutz, Sudeikis, and Spivey. And yet, they all pull off the some of the worst material in the show’s fifty year history. It’s remarkable. I don’t understand how so many extremely funny people can repeatedly tank harder than AMH/RDJ making raspberries on Update.
There have been theories galore about why this season sucks so hard that it’s impossible to point to one singular issue. There’s much to unpack: from obvious stuff like the free rein that Horatio has to minor things like the visual look (seriously, the over-saturation looks disgusting but on par for this season).
I’d like to know who at the time of the finale thought that they were a part of something awful, or looks back at it now and regrets the stuff they put on the air. Only Seth has seemed to hint at that, but I believe that has to do more with him feeling dissatisfied about being a sketch player than the overall contributions of the staff.
I hope that one day this season gets the reputation it deserves, but I don’t see that happening as long as the higher ups on the creative side are still around. I’m just happy I wasn’t a fan watching at the time, because this year would’ve pushed me away for good.
I hate the colour of this season