Arts & Life

‘Saturday Night Live,’ just as lively as ever

As a fan of both the Arts & Life section of the Daily 49er, and “Saturday Night Live,” it hurts me to see them not in harmony with one another. This is a response to the April 18 article, “Still live but barely breathing.”

Where to begin? As far as I can tell the writer of the article mentioned had the following issues with “SNL:

  1. The show is too dependent on billing a “big name” celebrity
  2. Its political sketches are redundant
  3. The current issues are presented insensitively
  4. There aren’t enough weed skits.

I write this last bit because the author of the original article claimed that the jokes have fallen flat, and ended her article stating they’d gain her viewership with more skits about pot, dating or work. As someone who watches this show every Sunday — because I have Hulu, not cable — For anyone reading who is unfamiliar with the show, virtually every skit revolves around dating or the workplace.

Even the most absurd sketch in the John Mulaney episode, in which Kenan Thompson dressed up as a giant lobster and sang “Les Miserables”-esque songs, was arguably a workplace skit. It was a reflection on the common expectations of a diner setting by both the employees and customers. It’s an unwritten rule, you don’t order lobster at a diner.

As for the comments about skits that poke at current issues being insensitive, I would say that you clearly don’t understand parody. I’m not saying this in defense of the comedic elements, I’m talking about the need for parody, and what it draws from an audience.

It’s true, parody often makes light of situations that are in fact very dire, but in doing so it makes topics that are hard to discuss, approachable. A good example of this is another sketch comedy show, “Key & Peele,” which the author of “Still live but barely breathing,” praised in comparison to “SNL.”

“Key & Peele” is a wonderful show, and here’s why: Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele are both incredibly talented comedy writers and actors, and were both raised by a white mother and Black father. Their unique perspective on race relations and ability to find the funny provided viewers with five seasons of hilarious and sometimes thought provoking skits. Only they weren’t exactly “eye-opening,” parody is just a tool to open dialogue about the things we all see but are too afraid to talk about.

This is why it’s problematic to attack a sketch comedy show for being insensitive regarding certain issues. Turning a sensitive topic into a performance people can share a chuckle over is risky. Don’t take the risk and you’ll never offend anyone, but you’ll never know how many successes you could’ve had.

As for the political content, I can’t fully negate that most are not fun to watch. There have been a few hits among the misses like when Kate McKinnon as Robert Muller broke “The Bachelorette’s” heart by saying he wasn’t ready to commit to collusion.

But the truth is, under the Trump administration, reality itself has become a joke. Week after week there is something more ridiculous in the headlines. People tire of political sketches on “SNL” for the same reason they tire of the news, but are we just suppose to not talk about what’s happening?

The last complaint that should be addressed is that there are too many mainstream actors invited onto the show, not enough “relatable” hosts. Again, I’m not so sure the author of that article actually watches “SNL.”

Let’s go through some of the current season’s hosts.

Just last week was John Mulaney, known in show business almost exclusively as a former writer for “SNL.” Other than that he has a couple of stand-up comedy specials and a failed sitcom, but maybe he’s too famous. The week before that was Chadwick Boseman, who, before becoming Black Panther, primarily worked on biopics of prominent Black figures of history.

This season welcomed Tiffany Haddish, the first ever black, female, stand-up comedian to host the show. It featured Gal Gadot, who blew up overnight as Wonder Woman, breaking away from the pack in a predominantly male controlled genre. So, I’d argue they’re doing a fine job of choosing hosts.

In conclusion, criticizing “SNL” is less original, and more redundant than their Trump skits. The show’s been getting bad reviews for decades, yet it’s in its 43rd season. It’s a staple of television.

The reason they are able to get such big names is because it’s an honor and a privilege to go on this reputable program and broadcast live. That’s right, live, that’s not just in the name. Without “SNL,” in order for an artist to perform live on broadcast television they’d have to be lucky enough to land the super bowl halftime show, yet this program makes it happen every week.

Performers each week come out from behind their carefully edited products to take the risk of screwing up in front of millions. I guess it’s easy to attack someone who puts themself out there, and nobody does that better than the cast of “SNL.”

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