When did Saturday Night Live become “Hee-Haw?”
The often referred to Holy Trinity of comedy involves George Carlin, Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce for a reason, Comedy is SUPPOSED to be a threat to the status quo. Good comedy RATTLES cages. Good comedy shoots the bird to sacred cows and unjust societal conventions.
SNL used to be a dangerous comedy show.
I remember a time when Eddie Murphy did a skit on Saturday Night Live where he walked around New York City in “whiteface” to comically demonstrate how whiteness operated.
Or how about this skit:
Saturday Night Live is not ‘that show’ anymore, with the exception of about 1 minute of last week’s season premiere, there was nothing risky or dangerous about SNL.
SNL was on vacation during a summer of unbelievable and unprecedented challenges to our political system so they could have culled challenging new content from the rich tapestry of available cultural events from Charlottesville to health care…But all that they managed to come up with was a few barely topical cheap laughs from that same old tired one-note Alec Baldwin Trump impersonation?
“Sad!” (To quote a certain President’s Twitter feed)
I am not saying that Saturday Night Live has an obligation to be risky, dangerous, or challenging. But, I am saying that when Saturday Night Live isn’t risky, dangerous, or challenging that it is not very funny.
Well, unless you like cheap laughs.
If you like cheap laughs, this week’s Saturday Night Live was a veritable cornucopia of alien abductions, Baby-driver chickens, and pratfalls.
Does this mean Saturday Night Live has become “Hee-Haw” for liberals (full of comfortable and never too challenging jokes and loveable characters and personalities)?
Has Saturday Night Live become to comedy what Maroon 5 is to Rock music (exceedingly safe and toothless)?
Yup, I’ll Say It, Alec Baldwin’s Trump Sucks
Yes, I know, everyone loves the Alec Baldwin parody of President Trump.
Not me.
Alec Baldwin’s parody of President Trump is too easy, shallow, and doesn’t expose ANYTHING interesting about Donald J. Trump that we didn’t already know (and, in a sense, that may be the point, pretty sure SNL isn’t really about challenging anyone or anything anymore).
Sorry to offend, but there is little functional difference between the Alec Baldwin’s shallow “Trump is a childish buffoon” impersonation and President Trump own never-ending stream of policy proposals designed only to pander to his base.
I suspect that Democrats and Progressives (and I am a Progressive Democrat) don’t love Alec Baldwin’s impersonation because it is risky or dangerous, they love it because it never challenges their own dream construction of how they see the President themselves.
Alec Baldwin’s Trump impersonation is to SNL’s core audience what a lollipop is to the kids at the dentists office…A pacifier.
SNL is telling their core watchers (aka “base”): “Don’t worry kids, Trump isn’t a real threat to Democracy, he is just a buffoon who will self-destruct. He isn’t very dangerous, just loveably moronic (Don’t worry about the Trump behind the curtain).
Many years ago on SNL, Chevy Chase did an incredibly cruel hatchet job impersonation of Gerald Ford that was monumentally unfair and which did real damage to Ford’s perception nationally.
Decades later, I still feel this impersonation was spectacularly mean. But at least it was effective, when Chase reduced Ford to one-note it rendered Ford’s words irrelevant, no matter what Ford said, deep down he would always post-impersonation be seen as a buffoon impersonating a President.
Baldwin’s impersonation is more about trying to make us forget that Trump is relevant.
Baldwin’s impersonation is the lullaby we sing to ourselves to help make it easier to go to sleep at night.
Furthermore, Baldwin’s impersonation of President Trump is oddly affectionate in its forced cruelty. People, for instance, sit on Daddy Trump’s lap, in this case Kate McKinnon as Jeff Sessions (one of the only shining stars in a rapidly dimming SNL universe).
You authentically get the opinion that Baldwin is doing his impersonation of the POTUS to have a good time and let off steam rather than to shake his fists at the power that be in a defiant howl.
Aidy Bryant’s Sarah Huckabee Sanders was equally one-note, Sander’s is presented as having no core principles or point of view other than to shill for President Trump. She is a caricature defanged and almost emasculated but to what point?
And Alex Moffat’s Chuck Schumer was literally nothing but an accent.
Disappointing!
WOKE Jeans
Are you Kidding Me?
Has there ever, in the 41 year history of SNL, been a more corporate, safe, and status quo defending take than this “parody” ad?
Pop Quiz, what is your point of view when you:
Mock people for asking to be judged by their accomplishments instead of by their fashion or looks?
Mock people for not wanting to be gender stereotyped? (WOKE jeans “…fit everybody because they fit nobody”)?
Support the idea that the real problem is white oppression not racism or third world exploitation by Americans (WOKE jeans are “Made in the USA by white kids”)?
Making fun of young people who are actually trying to stand for something while defending your advertisers is pretty “weak sauce” SNL (and mocking the “shallow” politics of kids has become a normal practice on SNL in recent years which reminds me of when parents complained about that “Rock and Roll Music).
In fact, now that I think of it, reducing Leslie Jones — whose addition to the cast was by itself important, radical, and challenging to this propaganda is just sad (go watch her stand-up from back in the day, when will SNL unleash that Leslie Jones?).
Your Point of View when you write a skit like that is to give a big warm sloppy kiss to maintaining the status quo.
Many people have suggested that today’s conservatism has been a reaction to the excesses of the 60’s and it appears SNL, originally an outgrowth of counter-culture comedy, has come full-circle from George Carlin to Larry the Cable Guy.
One Shining Moment
At least one member of the Saturday Night Live cast had some guts this week.
Michael Che took a risk (we will see how calculated) and called the President a “Bitch” and a “Cracker” over his response to the crisis in Puerto Rico.
Before anyone tells me how inappropriate this was, just remember that it was just a week ago when the President called protesting black NFL players SOB’s.
You can’t have it both ways.
If the President wants the respect the office deserves he should treat the office (and the citizen’s it represents) with respect too.
Also, this:
I would not be surprised at all if SNL issues an appropriately sanitized apology over the next few days (just like ESPN did with Jamelle Hill).
Look, agree or disagree with what Che said, at least he took a risk and did something that required courage (he will get massive backlash over this).
When George Carlin took on television, the Catholic Church, American Icons and symbols (like the Flag) he didn’t self-censor just to appease the people who didn’t agree with him and he never backed down (George Carlin, in case anyone forgot, was the host of the very first Saturday Night Live).
Good comedy is about taking risks. Andy Kauffman really did take his entire audience for milk and cookies once and he was always willing and eager to bomb (he made bombing the central point of his act at times). Lets not forget that It was Kauffman who, by choice, opened himself to being voted off SNL and who was one of its first stars (he took real risks).
Only Cecily Strong has occasionally, almost under-cover of night, presented characters (often never to be seen again) who had a challenging and political point of view. Usually, these days, she has been reduced to the very caricatures she often criticized (well-meaning, goofy side-kicks with no essence beyond comic relief).
Which leads me to the conclusion that SNL’s only purpose now is to appear cool and edgy while actually being as challenging as a feather pillow at a slumber party.
In other words, Saturday Night Live has become “Heather, the One-Dimensional Female Character From a Male-Driven Comedy” and that sucks.
Sad!
I am not saying any of this because I hate SNL, I grew up loving SNL. My point is to beg Lorne Michaels to remember where he came from and go back ASAP while a few people still remember what your show used to stand for.
Josh is a blogger and freelance writer who writes about television, movies, music, politics, race, ethics, and whatever else seems interesting at the time.
