Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars
COMPTROLLER RALLY
unpopular George W. Bush (WLF) is sidelined at minor GOP campaign event
— Hmm, an unexpected way to open a new season.
— Fred and Maya even manage to get laughs just from the simple way they nod their heads lightly and smile politely when they’re introduced by Jason’s character.
— Oh, so we get a random inclusion of Will’s President Bush, which I guess is why this is the cold opening.
— A good way to work almost the entire cast into the season premiere’s cold opening (I think only Darrell and Kenan are missing from this, not counting the now-Weekend-Update-only Seth), immediately showing how much smaller this new season’s cast is compared to the preceding season.
— This odd use of Will’s Bush could, in retrospect, be seen as a sign of the beginning of the end for Will’s run as Bush. He makes only one more appearance as Bush two episodes later (in another odd usage of him) before the Bush role is given to a certain other cast member.
— I love Will-as-Bush’s delivery of “Taliban is back, that’s a burn.”
— A funny reaction from Will’s Bush to Andy’s “Politics” line.
STARS: ***
OPENING MONTAGE
— New montage.
— We get a new SNL logo for the first time in 11 years. As you might have noticed among the above screencaps, the words in this new logo are displayed differently from how it would soon go on to be, as the words are displayed horizontally tonight instead of vertically. This 2006-2014 SNL logo will be going through some noteworthy changes the next few episodes before SNL settles on the now-familiar style of it.
— Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, and Kristen Wiig have all been promoted from featured players to repertory players.
— No new cast members this season.
— The final shot of this opening montage, with the camera showing a tilted shot of the NBC Studios sign (the last above screencap for this opening montage), seems like it might’ve been inspired by a shot shown in the cold opening from the preceding season’s Steve Martin episode (side-by-side comparison below).
MONOLOGUE
host does stand-up about negative people, liars, suicides, car wrecks
— The monitors on the left and right side of the home base stage still display the preceding season’s SNL logo and a still from that season’s opening montage. This would eventually be changed to reflect this season’s new logo and montage.
— Welp, here comes another round of Dane Cook stand-up I have to endure in this SNL project.
— Like I said in my review of Dane’s last monologue, I really dislike his trademark stand-up delivery.
— The suicide bits about “Karaoke Kevin” and “Limbo Linda” are decent.
— The bit about how everything is on YouTube now (and to think, this was before our more current days, where truly almost everything CAN be found on YouTube) is memorable and funny, mainly the “A:F6” part.
— A laugh from Dane’s “Ma’am, you can drive through ghosts” comment.
— Overall, I’m surprised by how much I laughed at this Dane Cook stand-up monologue, and this thankfully lacked some of the more annoying aspects of Dane’s previous monologue.
STARS: ***
SIDE NOTE: No post-monologue fake commercial in tonight’s season premiere? Can’t remember the last time prior to this where a season premiere went without one.
AIRPORT SECURITY SEMINAR
(host) & (JAS) instruct airport security workers regarding liquids & gels
— A fun ensemble piece for the lead-off sketch of the season.
— Dane and Jason make a good duo here, and I’m really liking Jason’s delivery.
— A good laugh from the whole bit with Fred trying to claim that a turkey sandwich can count as a liquid.
— I love Will and Kenan simultaneously saying the same answer to the question of why someone would put a turkey sandwich in a blender: “Well, if your jaw was wired shut–”
— All of the asinine questions the employees are asking are very funny.
— Maya seems like she’s playing a variation of her Jackie character from season 26, who, in one of her appearances, actually did work at an airport (she worked at a post office in her other appearance).
— The “You mean producing a liquid?” “Or a gel” exchange is a particularly hilarious and memorable part of this sketch, made even funnier by Kenan making a classic “Kenan reacts” face in the background.
— A great stern and blunt delivery of “No” from Dane in response to Maya asking if a meatball can count as a liquid.
— Here’s the first sign that I noticed tonight’s episode has a new director (Don Roy King): this sketch ends with a cutaway to an exterior shot of an airport, which I remember feeling was an odd choice when this episode originally aired, especially given the fact that this sketch didn’t open with an exterior shot of anything.
— Overall, a very strong sketch, and a promising way to lead off the new season.
STARS: ****½
HUGO CHAVEZ POLITICAL ROUNDUP
heads of state bash USA & its leader
— Right out of the gate, Fred’s exaggerated gestures and facial expressions as Hugo Chavez are freakin’ slaying me. I can definitely see some people being annoyed by this, but it has me practically on the floor.
— The debut of Amy’s Kim Jong Il, my first reminder that Horatio Sanz is no longer in the cast, as he used to play this role.
— I recall an online SNL fan back at this time (possibly fellow SNL reviewer and fellow SNL blogger The Doc, but I can’t remember for sure) pointing out Amy’s voice and accent as Kim Jong Il in this sketch sounded like the character Dexter from Cartoon Network’s 90s animated series Dexter’s Laboratory.
— The performances in this sketch are very fun, and that, coupled with the silly atmosphere of this sketch, is making the dialogue much funnier than it actually is.
— Holy hell at Dane’s Saddam Hussein voice. Is he attempting to imitate the gruff voice Alec Baldwin used as Saddam the preceding season? I recall an online SNL fan back at this time (not sure if it was the same fan I mentioned above) saying Dane’s Saddam voice sounded like Cookie Monster with a foreign accent.
STARS: ***½
CUBICLE FIGHT
(host) fiercely guards territory from new employee (BIH)
— Funny “Cubicle Fight” reveal.
— Jason is great as the boss with his occasional interruptions during Bill and Dane’s wild fight.
— Solid bit with Bill using Dane’s tongue to lick an envelope.
— Good bit with the pencil sharpener.
— I love the little strut Dane does when he’s turning around as he’s about to stab Bill with a knife.
— Uh…okay. A very odd, speechless, abrupt ending to this short after Dane’s violent and very bloody off-camera stabbing of Bill. Half of me actually kinda loves that, as a Michael O’Donoghue-esque weird, dark, and disturbing way of ending this short, while the other half of me is just left baffled.
STARS: ***½
AL PACINO CHECKS HIS BANK BALANCE
operator (KRW) helps excitable Al Pacino (BIH) check his bank balance
— Fun concept for a sketch showcasing Bill’s killer Al Pacino impression, which we last saw a year prior in Bill’s breakout performance in his very first episode.
— A lot of funny lines from Bill’s Pacino throughout his phone conversation, helped by his very funny delivery.
STARS: ***½
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “When You Were Young”
NEW CO-ANCHOR
crestfallen Brian Williams [real] learns that SEM is AMP’s new co-anchor
— Wow, a change of pace, with a pre-Weekend Update intro segment, or a Weekend Update cold opening.
— I see we have a new Update set.
— Very strong premise of the real Brian Williams mistakenly thinking he’s Amy’s new Update co-anchor.
— I love Brian’s reactions to finding out SNL decided to go with Seth as the co-anchor instead of him. We’re seeing early signs of the surprisingly solid SNL host Brian would be the following season.
— Great exit line from Brian, and I love the detail of how he gives Seth a rude, dismissive shoulder bump as he walks past him.
— Odd how the show has gone back to a commercial break right after this short piece, instead of immediately cutting to the Update opening title sequence. However, the copy I’m watching of this episode cuts out all the commercial breaks, which makes it look like SNL does go immediately from this Brian Williams piece to the Update opening title sequence.
STARS: not sure this segment even warrants a rating, but if it does, I’ll give it a very high ****½
WEEKEND UPDATE
Bill Clinton (DAH) refires passion of old flame Condoleezza Rice (MAR)
George Allen (JAS) says he’s an inventor of silly words, not a racist
Dustin Diamond (ANS) hopes to raise money with his unappealing sex tape
— A new Update era officially begins.
— I’m not crazy at all about Amy’s opening joke. Feels like nothing has changed with her from the dire Fey/Poehler era that preceding this.
— A better second joke from Amy tonight.
— Right out of the gate, I’m finding myself liking Seth’s delivery as an Update anchor. His opening joke deserved a much better audience reaction.
— We’re already getting our first Update commentary, after only about three Update jokes?
— Interesting how Darrell and Maya are paired together in this Update commentary in the season premiere, because I remember how, after the somewhat large exodus of season 31 cast members over the summer of 2006, I was disappointed to learn that Darrell and Maya survived the purge, as I was of the opinion that, of all the returning cast members for season 32, Darrell and Maya were the ONLY two that should’ve went out the door with Horatio Sanz, Finesse Mitchell, etc. In hindsight, I’m now aware that season 32 ends up being Maya’s best season in a long while. Darrell, on the other hand? Meh.
— Interesting how Darrell’s Bill Clinton is going right to the point as soon as he shows up in this commentary, bypassing his usual habit of drawing out the beginning of his Update commentaries by making flirtatious comments towards the female anchorperson and milking laughs over little things.
— Maya’s “smirk” as Condoleezza Rice is pretty funny.
— Darrell’s Clinton continues to come off more streamlined tonight, as he surprisingly waited until the end of this Update commentary before he broke out his trademark thumbs-up and lip-bite moves. I appreciate how he saved that for the end, because, while I generally like Darrell’s Clinton, he does usually have a habit of relying on certain things too much as a crutch to get easy audience laughter and applause.
— Seth has been impressing me more and more with his delivery as an Update anchor in his debut tonight. A breath of fresh air from Tina Fey’s later years at the desk. Right out of the gate in his first Update, Seth is coming off so comfortable and sharp.
— Jason is always fun in Update commentaries.
— I’m not too crazy about a lot of the dialogue itself that Jason has here, but his delivery is making it work for me.
— The casting of Andy as Dustin Diamond/Screech seems fitting.
— I like the Saved By The Bell-themed names Andy’s Dustin Diamond/Screech gives for his sex acts.
— Amy’s Miss Cleo/lesbian joke really rubbed me the wrong way. Am I the only one?
— A fun closing joke from Seth.
— Overall, things are looking up for Update in this new era. Seth had a surprisingly very solid debut, and the writing of the jokes was a little better from the last few seasons. Amy still had some iffy moments that reminded me a little too much of her typical Update performance the preceding two seasons, but I’m seeing small signs of improvement in her. I found tonight’s Update alone to be better than literally any Fey/Poehler Update.
STARS: ***
POLAND SPRING DELIVERY MEN
empty bottles belie claims of thirsty water deliverymen (host) & (WLF)
— Right out the gate, we open on a hilarious and odd visual of Will and Dane chugging gallon jugs of water.
— I love Dane poorly and bizarrely making up an excuse that he’s busy “boning” some lady right now, and Will then telling Dane that was a good cover.
— I got a huge laugh from Will’s meek delivery of “I like to watch”, in regards to Dane “boning” his lady.
— Kristen is a great stern straight man here.
— This is such a strong oddball Will Forte sketch as usual. It’s so good, that even Dane Freakin’ Cook is coming off really well here, and his typical delivery style is actually working well in this material instead of hurting it. And who knew he would make a great duo with Will?
— A very memorable and classic sequence right now with an ENDLESS number of water jugs falling out of the closet. Very much in the “Sideshow Bob rake sequence” category of comedy.
— I’m really liking the very meta turn this sketch has taken, with Will detailing his plan to get this whole situation adapted into an SNL sketch. We also get a mention of NBC having two new SNL-based shows at this time: 30 Rock and Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. This was an interesting time to be an SNL fan.
— A solid self-deprecating ending line from Will about how the funny part of this sketch “ended a looooong time ago”.
STARS: *****
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Bones”
FARRAH FAWCETT FOR OCEAN SAVE
flighty Farrah Fawcett’s (AMP) pro-ocean message lacks focus
— Random idea for a sketch, but I like that we’ve been getting quite a lot of randomness in tonight’s season premiere.
— I’m not 100% sure if the bit with one of Amy’s fake breasts falling down her dress was intentional, as I recall some online SNL fans back at this time questioning if it was a genuine accident. It seemed planned to me, but if it was an accident, then Amy did a good job playing it off like it was part of the sketch.
— Yet another very meta turn tonight (which is another theme in this episode), with Amy-as-Farrah-Fawcett’s rambling getting interrupted by the camera pulling away from this sketch and panning over to the set for the next sketch, all the while Amy’s Farrah Fawcett worriedly follows the camera and asks where it’s going. The audience seems sooooo confused over this, judging from their awkward silence, but I am LOVING this. Such a unique transition into the following sketch. I also love how Amy’s Farrah ends this transition by randomly saying “I’m gonna do this scene now” as the screen fades to black.
STARS: ***½
CLOSING TIME
jerks (host) & (JAS) forcibly eject patrons from a bar at closing time
— Another Jason Sudeikis-starring sketch that takes place in his (I think) real-life hometown of Kansas City, much like the Once In A Lifetime Jewelers sketch he did the preceding season.
— Jason and Dane make yet another solid duo tonight.
— Solid execution of this sketch.
— Another good way tonight to work this entire cast into a sketch.
— Amy’s Farrah Fawcett, in her only line of this sketch: “She’s getting married, and I’m Farrah Fawcett.”
— I love the bit with Fred, which is a great way to end this sketch.
STARS: ****
GEICO
Geico customer’s (ANS) tale is augmented by wreck Whitney Houston (MAR)
— A funny way to spoof the Geico commercials from this time that each had a comical testimonial with an average citizen paired with a celebrity.
— I’m usually not all that crazy about Maya’s Whitney Houston appearances, but it’s working more for me in this format, with her always following up a straitlaced brief anecdote from Andy by saying a crazy brief anecdote.
STARS: ***
GOODNIGHTS
IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A very solid season premiere. I enjoyed literally EVERY SINGLE SEGMENT in this episode, the whole show had a fun vibe, two of the sketches were particularly strong (Poland Spring Delivery Men and Airport Security Seminar), and I liked all the different, out-of-the-ordinary, meta things the show tried. A promising start to a different-feeling SNL season so far. Speaking of a different-feeling SNL season so far, when this episode originally aired, I considered this the start of a new era. There were various things that gave this episode such a “new era” vibe for me back then, which include a new opening montage, a new Update co-anchor and Update set, a new director, the unusual lack of a pre-taped commercial for a season premiere, Weekend Update having a “cold opening”, the aforementioned focus on breaking-the-fourth-wall, meta humor, how unusual it felt seeing the show have a much smaller cast than the extremely large cast of the preceding season, and even a change of the formatting of the post-Weekend Update commercial breaks (though that’s probably more an NBC thing than an involuntary SNL thing). Speaking of the much smaller cast, I remember when I first watched this episode the night it originally aired, I was so used to the preceding season’s large cast that I kept getting an empty feel regarding the smaller cast in this episode. Not necessarily empty in a bad way, but in a way that I kept wondering why the heck it feels like one-third of the cast hadn’t appeared in any sketches yet, until I had to keep reminding myself that one-third of the cast is now gone. It took me an episode or two to get used to this season’s smaller cast, though I definitely appreciated the cast having a more streamlined feel this season (something modern-day SNL in 2020 could learn from). I really like how there were several segments in this episode where SNL used the entire cast (or most of them), showing how much smaller, cohesive, and comfortable-seeming this cast is than season 31’s bloated, mish-mashed cast.
— I was surprised by Dane Cook’s performance as a host in this episode. Unlike his first hosting stint, where I ran hot and cold on him all night (much more cold than hot towards the end of that episode), Dane didn’t bother me at all in any of the sketches he was in tonight (the closest was his odd Saddam Hussein voice in the Hugo Chavez sketch, but that was harmless and only a small part of that sketch), and he also worked well when paired with certain cast members, such as Will Forte and (especially) Jason Sudeikis. Even Dane’s monologue was decent tonight, after an iffy first two minutes.
MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS
HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING SEASON (2005-06)
a slight step up
My full set of screencaps for this episode is here
TOMORROW
Jaime Pressly
This variation of the new logo is semi-reused in the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt logo.
It tool me a long time to get used to Don Roy King’s directing style for the music performances. I always enjoyed Beth’s quick cuts, hand held shots, and ample crane shots.
The posterized bumper photos this season always came off as cheesy looking to me.
I too had an empty feeling watching this show live. I also remember reading somewhere that Bill, Andy, Jason, and Kristen didn’t know they were full cast members until they watched the montage at dress rehearsal.
Ugh, the next episode has that awful Nascarettes bit.
You’ve got a better memory than I do, Stooge. I do recall making an Amy/Dexter/Kim comparison, but I’m not sure if it was on this episode (the impression seemed pretty obvious for others to come to that conclusion anyway). Unfortunately, I lost a number of my own old reviews long ago due to digital negligence, so I may not know for sure.
Aside from impressions and *possibly* that Maya character in the airport sketch, this episode also impressively has no recurring sketches or characters. That’s actually pretty gutsy for a season premiere and quite commendable.
I link Seth and Amy in my mind, even before they did Update together. What other male/female cast member linkings were very prominent? Dan and Jane. Kristen and Jason. Phil and Jan.
Kind of sad that the show ends with prominent impressions of two female celebrities who are both deceased and which could be both classified as “kicking down.” I do find both of those sketches funny though.
I was also impressed by how restrained Dane Cook was. For better or for worse, I feel like a lot of hosts in this period, while very prominent in sketches, are placed more in the SNL format as opposed to the show being geared around their comedic or famous personas (with some obvious exceptions).
I’d add Bill and Gilda, mainly because of their Todd and Lisa characters…
Will and Cheri.
I think the cast size of this era (S32/S33/S34) is perfect. It’s easier for them to build chemistry and rapport with eachother (as well as the audience) and people don’t get shut out of episodes quite as much.
Not to be too hard on him, but I think Don Roy King is my least favorite director out of the four that SNL has had. A lot of the blocking and shots come off really static and the cue card reading is more obvious, especially in recent years. Like, I think if they tried those “mini-epic” sketches like they did when Dave Wilson was directing, there would be a lot of camera miscues and it wouldn’t give off that ‘big’ feel.
I really enjoyed the Year 32/first half of Year 33 cast; all protein, no carbs, and the closest thing to a weak link is Darrell. It’s a good season-plus, not without hiccups, and I look forward to going on this 24-episode journey.
As for Cook/Killers, this was a really solid season premiere. I don’t think there was a single bad sketch, and Seth fit the Update desk like hand in glove. Darrell was even in a ten-to-one sketch!
While I reviewed this on IMDb (as “tavm”), going over this review just now, all I really remember was all those water bottles falling down for quite a long time and Brian Williams appearing before Amy before Seth tells him he’s the co-anchor of “Weekend Update”. I actually also remember liking Seth and Amy being paired here more than the Amy/Tina pairing. Especially when the “Really?!” segments begin appearing…
I’m glad you share my mixed feelings about the Digital Short. On the one hand, I appreciate that they weren’t just going to have a cutesy feel and instead left viewers with something pretty ugly to think about (as we are jolted into reality at the same time as the coworkers who are cheering the violence on are), but it also means I don’t especially enjoy the product. Lonely Island would go to this dark well several more times, I think used most effectively in the kids show massacre in James Franco’s debut ep. Probably the most interesting part for me is when I go to Youtube and see the comments for this office sketch, as they point out that every cast member who participated is now much more famous than the actual host of the episode.
Speaking of mixed feelings, I do have those about this era of the show, because I often feel that it should have been better than it was considering the immense talent and charisma of much of the cast. I mean this is an all-time GOAT cast, as much as 86-89 or 75-79. They stepped into one hell of a slog, a decay that had slowly built since NBC kneecapped the male cast by firing David Koechner, and took the show by the hand and somehow pulled it forward, in a way few before or since have managed. Yet the end product once we get into their era does not match their worth. I probably hold them to standards it is NOT fair to hold SNL to, especially the more straitjacketed SNL of the last 20-25 years.
There’s a certain glossiness and falseness which seeps through a few times in the premiere (especially on Update) and slowly but surely leaves the show feeling like it’s on autopilot by the time we reach the end of the decade. There is a certain wall, even in the premiere, preventing me from fully connecting to the material, unlike shakier seasons where I hate a lot of stuff but what I love I absolutely adore.
With that said, most of this one works, with a good use of Dane Cook (while there were sketches in his first episode I enjoyed more than tonight’s episode [mainly the school announcements sketch], he was in much better form this time around) and most of the wall-breaking format enhances the material. I especially like the Farrah Fawcett gag heading into the bar sketch – it all feels very Mr. Show (and the bar sketch in particular reminds me a lot of Mr. Show). There are many very sharp and fun sketches peppered through the night – the Pacino impression (a solo showcase I have long missed on SNL and which makes a welcome return for these few seasons), the cold open (perfectly precise performances, and one of the best uses of Forte’s Bush), the TSA sketch (a great use of the cast). The little gag with Whitney is, as you said, the best use of Maya’s impression.
The water bottle sketch is incredibly fun for me until the meta portion. The need to mention Studio 60 and 30 Rock just feels like a mutation of mandated network plugging and humble-bragging, which kind of takes me out of the piece. I think what bothers me is that the whole thing up to that point works beautifully, and it didn’t need the tag on.
Seth (looking so young) fits in well for his first Update – he sort of does a smarmy prickish vibe for a while after this, but it was smart to not give that impression in his debut. Amy is still in her old bag but she’s progressing. Brian Williams cameo is a real time capsule as we would later learn this was the period when he was supposedly trying to shift himself away from news and into entertainment (now that we know just how ugly the news atmosphere was at NBC who can blame him?). He’s a pretty good comedy performer, as we’ll see again soon enough.
The correspondent pieces bring down this Update for me, somewhat, aside from Andy, who is goofy in the right ways as Dustin Diamond. Jason is much better than this generic take on the George Allen controversy (and I’m glad we’ll be getting into characters like The Devil as time passes). Maya is fine as Condi (always one of her better impressions) but Darrell’s Clinton is so played out by 2006, and the material feels badly out of date with who Clinton was by this point. You can almost hear a creaking noise when that damn thumb pops up for the applause line.
The only real dud sketch of the night for me is the Chavez talk show. Fred is reaching the difficult-to-bear muggy period of his tenure, and the whole thing just feels hollow and smug, especially the ending of everyone wishing they could live in America when by this point American exceptionalism was mostly in the toilet. As Jim Downey was back, I wonder if he wrote this – it feels like him, somehow. The best I can say is I’m glad Amy didn’t try to do a stereotypical accent for Kim.
Regarding the Miss Cleo joke, it’s one of those that probably seems much wittier on a page than when read out loud – she never really made her sexuality a part of her act and there are many people who at age 50 question themselves about their sexuality, so it just feels sort of cheap and random and unpleasant. I think if Norm or maybe even Tina had read the joke it might have been in their wheelhouse, but it’s not for Amy’s voice. Then there’s also Miss Cleo being dead, although they had no way of knowing that in 2006. It’s nothing to get that upset about and it’s not out of the norm for what you got around this point on Update (sometimes not even in 2020), but it’s something that probably should have been trimmed, as above anything else it isn’t even a good joke.
I remember media being hard on the 2006 season premiere, which is hilarious in retrospect now that the mid-2000s cast has its share of fans, and so much from this era of SNL permeates Hollywood now. Look at the reviews that still exist and “Saturday Night Dead, please cancel” is very much in effect. While that exists NOW, these days it’s more “gee, can you fit ONE MORE cameo in this episode? ONE MORE game show sketch?” than “who are these people? bring [insert castmember here] back” and “never funny, never will be”.
I reviewed 2005-06’s first twelve episodes for Blogcritics before a) I lost interest as BC wasn’t a paying gig, and b) the stream of “Saturday Night Dead” vs. “don’t like? don’t watch” comments burnt me out. It didn’t help that I referred to the Terrible Three seasons WAY too much in the initial reviews. At the time, I liked this episode more than those from the 2005-06 season, though it felt less like a complete break than a streamlined, more absurdist refocus. While I think I only stuck around for TV Funhouse at this point, I still think this is the first time since c. 2000 that SNL HAS a new focus. Here it’s a follow-the-leader move in the age of [adult swim] and sketch comedy trends overall, though it’s a long overdue move for SNL and pays off by the time “Dick in a Box” hits big.
Also, a note from my review of this episode (purged from BC; this is from my text file of it):
“Viewer’s note: the Canadian network that aired SNL, Global, couldn’t tell when to cue in and out of a commercial this week, resulting in Weekend Update being partially cut off and cues for 30 Rock and other NBC programming being left in. Then again, this week saw the debut of new SNL director Don Roy King, so it might be just a case of King being unfamiliar with SNL protocol and Global having to put up with the feed. How does one justify cutting to commercial DURING WEEKEND UPDATE, anyway?”
Global’s miscues, unfortunately, can’t be blamed on SNL or NBC. While Global’s more competent with sim-subbing NBC’s live feed now than in 2006, I still see the occasional segment cut-off and/or problems with the aspect ratio. That night, though…
*2006-07’s first twelve eps.
[looks at his shirt and gives an exaggerated DAMN IT!]
“Look at the reviews that still exist and “Saturday Night Dead, please cancel” is very much in effect. While that exists NOW, these days it’s more “gee, can you fit ONE MORE cameo in this episode? ONE MORE game show sketch?” than “who are these people? bring [insert castmember here] back” and “never funny, never will be”.”
Much of the discourse about SNL is based on not having to watch the show and being unhappy about what it used to mean to you or how its heavy presence in pop culture means you can blame it for any or every problem. I have been guilty of that too, in years when I was on a break from SNL, so being on the other side again has made me see how lazy a lot of this type of talk is. I saw a comic who was going on about cancel culture and alongside a “no one watches SNL anymore lol” joke, criticized them for pulling the episode where Jimmy Fallon wore blackface. The problem is that episode was not “pulled” since it was never available anywhere for purchase in the first place. It doesn’t matter that this isn’t true, it just matters that it sounds right when you use the show as a cudgel for your agenda or career advancement.
It did seem like SNL around 2006 was, aside from the buzz over the Digital Shorts, mostly written off. That wouldn’t change until the brief burst of excitement around the 2008 elections.
Specifically, I meant the reviews for the 2006 premiere that still exist as of 2020 (though badly worded on my part), and I don’t want to reiterate “it sucks once you turn eighteen”, but I get your point. I think it’s around the mid-2000s where the rejection of present SNL for its past becomes more of a discredited trope, and people more start to focus on its habits and assembly. With media, one can never tell if the person assigned to review SNL respects the show, takes a relatively non-“glamorous” assignment until the writer gets something he wants (or pays better), and/or likes a previous era and wants current SNL to conform to it.
With me, I generally liked SNL overall, but I just wanted writing recognition and/or its $100 best-article weekly prize…then I bailed once I got sick of BC’s “exposure bucks” business model overall. My one lasting BC contribution, in retrospect, was seeing my blurb on Tank Girl omnibuses unrelated to the thing I reviewed. If you see “frankly, Tank Girl was MIA for too long and it’s good to see her back”, that’s mine. Sorry for the tl;dr soap-boxing.
That water bottles sketch reminds me of a bit from the Carol Burnett Show that usually had Harvey Korman opening the closet to a cascade of empty beer cans. They did the same thing with a closet full of pails. Of course, Will Forte ups the ante by using an endless stream of water bottles, but I have to wonder if he (or whoever wrote the sketch) was inspired by that older gag.
Maybe. This works better because empty water cooler jugs just …sound funnier as they tumble out of a closet.
Also, Forte must have figured it was a sketch that would guarantee discussion around the water cooler at work on Monday morning.
Maybe. This works better because empty water cooler jugs just …sound funnier as they tumble out of a closet.
Also, Forte must have figured it was a sketch that would guarantee discussion around the water cooler at work on Monday morning.
Forte is the master at taking a gag past the point of absurdity and still leaving you wanting for more.
Never confirmed this: Jim Rash (Community, Oscar winner for The Descendents) got a guest writer’s credit for this episode. My guess is Poland Springs was taken (and wonderfully changed-up and adapted) from a piece Rash and Forte did together in the Groundlings main stage.
s32 may be my favorite in SNL history; this cast-n-crew is one of the Big Three for me (along with 75-80 and 86-90). Never paid attention to the ratings att and it half “bummed me out” to hear it was an all-time low, but did give it a “no one else is watching” feel…
Also comedy peers and industry respected this crew:
https://youtu.be/Dkq5NZggT5k?t=2004
Also, if you can get a copy of Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts with Lorne Michaels and Paul Simon (2006) it has great footage of SNL behind the scene of this s32 premiere with cast interviews.
Hi everyone – happy belated 4th! Sent an email over to Stooge himself a couple days ago asking for permission to comment here & ask for help on my SNL fan project/database/Pokedex/yearbook (I need help on the tagline, for starters)—-
The SNL Project: “The Unofficial, Fan-Organized & Crowdsourced Roster of Every Performer Who Earned An Audition at Saturday Night Live. since 1976”
Think of it as a Sketch Comedy Resume/Baseball Card Collection online, for everyone who ever had the talent to make it Studio 8H, whether they joined the show or not. Not live yet, but aiming to be ASAP – which is why I’m here looking for other people like me to make that launch sooner.
I’ve been working on this for 2 months, and am at a point where I’d like to invite other bloggers, SNL enthusiasts, comedy people & anyone who would like to contribute to the project to do so. This has been nothing but a labor of love and I’m looking for anyone else who, like me, am enthused by the idea of gathering, researching and crediting those who were and nearly were a part of the show we’ve flocked to for soon-to-be 50 years.
If you’re interested, my email is livefromnewyorksits@thesnlproject.com. Hope to hear back and thank you Stooge for giving me the go-ahead to comment here!
Thanks,
Rob Finn
This is the first episode that Don Roy King directed. He remains the show’s director to this day.
I have to say that I thought Cook’s Saddam Hussein as Andy Rooney was pretty funny. What bugs me about the sketch is Fred’s Hugo Chavez who is jumpy, and full of demonstrative gesticulations and Fred uses this same template when he does a George Lopez impression in season 37.
I forgot to say what I’d wanted to say about the new opening. Other than the unnaturally drab color (which is sort of fitting for this era’s output compared to the potential of the cast, I suppose) and the overized font blocking out actors (poor Kristen), I like it. The long gap between unflattering cast shots (the last being poor Maya spending 3 seasons looking startled as the camera flies at her face and the next being poor Abby Elliott looking like she’s about to take a dump in the street) continues. My favorite shots in this one are Seth’s sweet, goofy smile into the camera, Seth and Andy talking and laughing together, and Kenan jamming, pausing to grin at us, then going back to jamming.
I finally watched this episode today, and it’s now one of my favorite season premieres. I was surprised by how strong it was. Pretty much everything worked and the meta nature of the back half was fun and completely unexpected. Some of the SNL band playing sax on the Killers’ second song was another fun touch.
I remember hearing at one point that a second Geico ad spoof was cut from this episodes’ dress rehearsal (if not this episode than certainly another one from this season) where Fred played Jerry Lewis. This would never air.
Funny story about Dane Cooks’ monologue in this one. My family went without any internet from around Thanksgiving ’05 to Valentines’ Day ’07 (my dad couldn’t afford it but then rationalized he’d need it to do taxes with TurboTax each year so I guess he managed to find a a good deal through some provider).
Anyway, after hearing so much about this new site called YouTube I actually decided to check it out for the first time as soon as I was able in February of ’07 (sometime between the airings of this seasons Forrest Whitaker and Rainn Wilson episodes IIRC).
I suddenly had a brief flashback to Dane Cooks’ ’06 SNL monologue where he mentions the sheer vastness of YouTubes’ library of content and I decided to search “a:f6” just as a lark. Sure enough, there was at least one (if not several) actual videos of shirtless fat guys with “A:F6” painted on their chests chanting “A:F6”.
One even shouted “F*** Dane Cook” at the very beginning and played a ukulele. He even made it a point to make his video exactly ten minutes in length (the absolute maximum length of a video one was allowed to post on the site at that time).
You could even actually hear the sound of the Hugo Chavez sketch coming from this guys’ TV meaning they rushed to their computer as soon as Cook had finished his monologue in an effort to either prove this point or make this bit real in their own meta sort of way.
Later on, this seasons’ Shia Labeouf episode would make “Dear Sister” parodies/memes into a big thing which is definitely the more successful of the two YouTube trends that I remember this season of SNL having spawned
According to Don Roy King, linking the Farrah Fawcett and Closing Time sketches together was something Lorne randomly decided to put in for the live show. It wasn’t done at dress rehearsal.
Here is where Andy played Dustin Diamond. The other person to play him was Tobey Maguire when he hosted in S25. The reason I am posting this is because of the real Dustin’s passing.
How are you able to see these full sketches? I would to be able the accessibility to see them all instead of what is just on YouTube or Peacock
Try this:
https://archive.org/details/saturday-night-live-s-32-e-01-dane-cook
As I commented up there earlier, here’s the episode of Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts with Lorne Michaels and Paul Simon (2006) that includes footage of Dane Cook’s production week and quick soundbite interviews with most the cast:
https://archive.org/details/iconaclasts-paul-simon-lorne-michaels-vhsrip
Seth recently talked about his journey on Neal Brennan’s podcast (link below). I understand why Seth would want to leave if he didn’t get Update, but it’s crazy how if they went with someone else how much would have changed in the years to come.
Also if my research is correct, then they shot the opening titles on September 18.
https://youtu.be/JQkewbO-qf4