SNL still spot on

Article: Paige Kreutzwieser – Staff Writer

[dropcaps round=”no”]39[/dropcaps] seasons later, Saturday Night Live is still going strong. Even though many of the masses may say things like, “the show isn’t as good as it used to be,” or “the comedy isn’t even funny anymore,” I choose to disagree. Saturday Night Live is rocking it and I love it.

Although they may have lost recent greats, I have come to appreciate the current cast. Taran Killam’s Sloppy Swish is hilarious, Kate McKinnon’s Ellen impressions are spot on, Jay Pharoah couldn’t do a better Obama, Bobby Moynihan’s Drunk Uncle will never get old, and not to mention we still have Seth Meyers and Kenan Thompson hanging around.

For a series that produces a live show every week, they are continuously current—just watch the Rob Ford bits and you’ll see.

Do I think all the skits are funny? No. Moynihan could be a little more diversity with his characters and tone it down on the physical comedy. New additions like Aidy Bryant and Cecily Strong still need some time to develop, and Kenan Thompson may be becoming a little repetitive.

But, that is why this show can continue as long as it has. It has this ability to recycle itself and if something doesn’t fit, it changes.

This will be Meyers’ last season on the SNL cast, as he will be replacing Jimmy Fallon on Late Night. That, itself, is going to be a huge loss for the show, and something that could inevitably be its demise.

However, if this new generation can continue with hilarious digital shorts and strong up-and-coming female roles, SNL may be able to save itself from the upcoming loss alongside the other recent losses of Kristen Wigg, Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis, and Andy Samberg.

Unfortunately, each episode is hugely dependent on the guest host. Bringing back greats like Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon makes for hilarious and memorable skits. But, having newcomers like Josh Hutcherson, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber seems more like a ratings ploy than actually trying to make good comedy.

What SNL needs to do with its young and new cast is to continue focusing on staying modern, but also maintaining their traditional political satire so the new generation of viewers can appreciate the foundations of what SNL really is about.

You may be one of the folk who reminisce about the good old days of Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Chris Farley, or Will Ferrell, but that is the past. Comedy is fluid and will continue to change and to appreciate what the current cast members are doing. You must accept that change is good.

This new cast is taking SNL on a great path, having viral hits left and right to prove it. They are fresh and original (adding six new feature members), which means we are getting fresh and original content. Because when a show runs for 39 seasons, you can definitely anticipate things getting a little monotonous. However, with 2013-2014 cast, you can expect to laugh every episode, and that is why I PVR every single one.

[button style=”e.g. solid, border” size=”e.g. small, medium, big” link=”” target=””]Image: Rex Sorgatz[/button]