Friday, September 14, 2012

A "That's Nater-Tainment!" Special Report: My Thoughts on the Upcoming Season of "Saturday Night Live"


Well it's almost that time. Tomorrow night, the premier episode of “Saturday Night Live”'s 38th season will kick off at 11:30pm on NBC. The long-running sketch-comedy program returns after the warm months to once again skewer politics and pop culture. And when the new season kicks off, the cast of the program will once again be entertaining viewers through various comedy segments. However, this year, some performers will not be returning for the new season. Long-time Castmembers Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg have left the show after staying on the show for seven years. Their departure is disappointing; as they have bestowed many memorable performances during their tenure as castmembers.

Andy Samberg's seven-year stint as a castmember were enjoyable; especially when you take into consideration the digital shorts he created along with his writing partners and good friends Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer. The trio formed the comic group “The Lonely Island;” and week after week, viewers were bestowed with humorous musical segments featuring various members of the “Saturday Night Live” cast as well as the episode's designated host. And while some of the shorts proved to be quite silly and slightly forgettable, on account of the writing, a good amount of them became hits with the audience. And throughout his stay on “Saturday Night Live,” Samberg's comic performance saved a number of sketches that suffered from weak writing. His presence of the show will be missed and I'm hoping that “Saturday Night Live” will continue to the practice of entertaining viewers with short films filled with catchy melodies, colorful characters, and top-notch comedy.


Image of Andy Samberg taken from http://snl.jt.org/season.php?i=2011

While Andy Samberg's exit is indeed significant, it is the departure of Kristen Wiig that I'm more concerned about. Throughout her seven years as a castmember, Kristen Wiig treated the audience to hilarious performances that were always memorable. And whenever the writing proved to be lackluster, Wiig's engaging performance in a sketch made it watchable. Kristen Wiig was always fearless; always doing whatever she could in order to bestow a comical performance. Whether she was portraying trouble-making student “Gilly,” overly-excited “Sue”- who could go through great lengths to keep from revealing a surprise, or the constantly braggadocios “Penelope,” Kristen Wiig shined always; resulting in the quality of the sketch improving thanks to her engaging performance. Wiig was more-than-adept at providing comical performances; leading to much laughter and applause from the audience. She was a valuable performer and “Saturday Night Live” was lucky to have her. Now, with Kristen Wiig gone, all the female castmembers on the show must do whatever they can to provide much laughter and memories for the viewing audience. It's going to be a difficult task; one I'm hoping that will be carried out in the new season.


Image of Kristen Wiig as "Sue" taken from http://snl.jt.org/char.php?i=739

It should also be mentioned that Four-Year Castmember Abby Elliott will not be returning to the show for a fifth season. Throughout her stay on the weekly sketch-comedy program, Elliott presented to the audience some keen impressions of Angelina Jolie, Anna Faris, Rachael Maddow, and Zooey Deschanel; the later of which was featured in a segment that was executed twice the previous season. The piece, entitled “Bein' Quirkywith Zooey Deschanel,” featured Elliott as the actress hosting a talk show from her kitchen and would engage in activities with her celebrity guests; such as making crafts and riding a bicycle made for three passengers. The sketch actually first premiered this past February when Zooey Deschanel hosted the late-night program. Though the actress did not appear as herself in the sketch, and instead portrayed Mary-Kate Olsen, it was intriguing to watch Elliot present the impression on stage with Deschanel. Nevertheless, despite her impressions, Elliott was not given much to do during her four years on the show; often being assigned bit parts in sketches. Henceforth, her absence will be nowhere as noticeable as the voids left by Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg; both of whom will be missed greatly.


Image of Abby Elliott as Zooey Deschanel taken from http://snl.jt.org/imp.php?i=3115

The departures being said, I am looking forward to the season premier. And, as a way of getting the ball rolling, I thought it would be interesting to briefly list some aspirations for the 2012-2013 season. And so, without any further ado, I present:

Three Quick Hopes for Season 38 of “Saturday Night Live”

  • Clever Political Humor: With the 2012 Presidential Election approaching, I am hoping the writing staff will create sketches that will prove to be very humorous and unforgettable. I am looking forward to seeing castmember Jason Sudeikis return to the show to portray Gov. Mitt Romney as well as Vice President Joe Biden. Sudeikis always provides an engaging performance whenever he portrays these political figures. Joining Sudeikis on the stage will be
    Jay Pharoah; who will now be portraying President Barack Obama. Seeing as Pharoah is in his third year as a castmember, it is exciting to see a still relatively-new performer be front-and-center for the upcoming season. During his first two years as a featured performer, Pharoah performed some dead-on impressions of celebrities like Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, and Will Smith. Now, we are going to see the comedic performer get more screentime and obviously participate in more of the show's cold opening as the President of the United States. I am looking forward to seeing Jason Sudeikis and Jay Pharoah work together throughout the season; and I'm hoping the two castmembers exhibit great comedic chemistry. And hopefully, the writing staff, led by “Weekend Update-” Anchor Seth Meyers, come up with great sketches that will have the audience laughing and applauding.

Image of Jay Pharoah as Denzel Washington taken from http://snl.jt.org/imp.php?i=2943

  • More Screentime for Other Castmembers: With Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg gone, “Saturday Night Live” will need to give the lead role in sketches to other castmembers. For instance, Taran Killam, who is now in his third year as a castmember is going to have the opportunity to headline more sketches. After becoming well-known for the reoccurring cafe dance-off sketch “Les Junes de Paris,” Killam is now going to be getting to star in more sketches and hopefully create some new reoccurring characters. I am very interested in seeing Killam get more screentime; as he's proven to be a good physical performer in sketches. In addition, with Kristen Wiig gone, castmembers Nasim Pedrad and Vanessa Bayer are going to get more chances to portray lead characters in different sketches. Though Wiig was a great performer and one of the best female castmembers in years, I am fascinated in seeing Pedrad and Bayer get more screentime and entertain audiences by establishing reoccurring sketches. In addition, Kate McKinnon, who joined the cast this past April, is going to have more opportunities to star in sketches as well. I remember her humorous portrayal of Penelope Cruz in Sofia Vergara's episode last season; so I'm hoping that she gets more to do now that she's returning for a full season.

Image of (from left to right) Kate McKinnon as Penelope Cruz and Sofia Vergara taken from http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=2012040714

And Finally,

  • Great Writing For the Show's Hosts: This past season, many talented hosts were mostly given sketches that were either done multiple times before or pieces that weren't funny at all. I remember groaning when Former Castmember Will Ferrell returned this past May to host for his third time and he was allotted some sketches that didn't allot him imaginative humor. In addition, I remember this past November when Emma Stone hosted, she was mostly given reoccurring sketches as well as a couple original segments that weren't rich in clever writing. The best segment of the episode was a piece in which Stone and members of the cast portrayed office workers crying when listening to Adele's hit song “Someone Like You.” The sketch was original, hilarious, and very memorable. And though the performances of Emma Stone and the cast were all great throughout the show, the poor writing greatly affected the evening. I will say, however, this past season featured a truly great episode hosted by Former Castmember Jimmy Fallon. On December 17, 2011, every sketch was well-written as well as well-performed and Fallon's enthusiasm shined brightly; thus establishing him as the best host of the season. However, the season did suffer from immensely poor writing; leading me to wish that everyone had been given better material so that all the episodes would be terrific-- just like Fallon's. Thus, I am truly hoping that the writing greatly improves this upcoming season and that the writers give all the season's hosts plenty of opportunities to star in memorable sketches.

Image of (from left to right) Jimmy Fallon, Andy Samberg, and Vanessa Bayer taken from http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=201112172

So there you go. I am looking forward to tomorrow night's season premier; which will be hosted by “Family Guy-” Creator Seth MacFarlane and will feature Frank Ocean as the show's musical guest. Before the episode airs, I will share my thoughts on MacFarlane hosting the premier as well as any predictions as to what could take place during the designated ninety minute runtime. And then, beginning at 11:30pm, I will be live-blogging the show; commenting on the performances, the writing, as well as anything else that comes to mind. I am very excited to be posting my opinions as the show airs and feel free to comment on any of my posts. Your feedback means a lot and I appreciate your support very much.



So get ready. My blogging activity will begin tomorrow with my Season Premier Prelude. Thank you so much and I will see you tomorrow!
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