With the recent departures of Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch from Saturday Night Live, and the announcement of (wink, wink) budget cuts by executive producer Lorne Michaels, one begins to ponder what SNL will look like once the bloodletting is complete. So, my dear TV Squad fans, I pose a question to you: if you were in Mr. Michaels' seat who would stay and who would go?
Would you keep some of the tenured players like Darrell Hammond and Horatio Sanz as well as some of the new talent like Andy Samberg and fill the rest of the cast with newbies who would play for low pay? This could help keep some of the old audience base as well as bring in some younger viewers. Or, would you scrap it all and start fresh, like they did back in 1980 and then again in 1985? There could be a lot of hit or misses here, especially in the first run with the new ensemble, but their could also be hidden gold as well.
Personally, I feel that you could load the cast with A-list talent but still suck if the writing isn't up to par (see the 1985-1986 season of SNL). So, I would get rid of all the writers (who are some of the cast members) and bring in a bunch of hungry people who are willing to take risks, be a bit irreverent, and not rely on send-ups of talk shows and digital shorts of cats with lasers to get the laughs and the audience.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-27-2006 @ 10:12AM
Jim said...
Stay: Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, Will Forte and Andy Samberg
Go: Finesse Mitchell, Darrell Hammond and Finesse Mitchell
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7-27-2006 @ 10:19AM
Jeff said...
They need to keep Darrell Hammond on for as long as he's willing to stay. Beyond that, the people who signed on last season were great, and I'd like to see Keenan and Forte stay on. Amy Pohler should stick around too, but she doesn't really need to be in every single sketch.
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7-27-2006 @ 10:34AM
Userless said...
Stay: Andy Samberg, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, Chris Parnell, and Fred Armisen.
The rest can go...
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7-27-2006 @ 10:39AM
Krt said...
Horatio Sanz must go.
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7-27-2006 @ 10:51AM
Chris said...
Clean house. I say get rid of all of them and bring in a fresh cast. This cast has been stale, no matter what you say of Tina Fey, whose I writing I thought was mediocre at best.
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7-27-2006 @ 11:05AM
KateG said...
If it's really a budgetary issue - Lorne should chop a half hour off the show. And lose the second song for the musical guests.
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7-27-2006 @ 11:11AM
ps said...
Wipe and reload.
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7-27-2006 @ 11:45AM
Geoff said...
I think that they should just get rid of Darryl Hammond, Horatio Sanz, Amy Poehler, Chris Parnell, Kenan Thompson, Kristen Wiig, and that idiot that she is in all of the sketches with (can't think of his name). Then get a bunch of new people to fill in the rest.
By the way I am intrested in why no one so far has mentioned anything about the funniest new cast member to the show in years, Bill Hader he is a Must Keep! The guy is hilarious.
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7-27-2006 @ 11:45AM
Matthew said...
Complete reboot.
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7-27-2006 @ 12:04PM
RJ Gumby said...
Fire everyone and just cancel the whole show. Then NBC can resume showing the "Best of Carson"
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7-27-2006 @ 12:16PM
The Mind Robber said...
Saturday Night Live is still on the air?
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7-27-2006 @ 12:38PM
Rob said...
Seriously,.. put this show out of it's misery. For the past ten years it's been like a lame dog waiting for it's day to come. It's time to take this show out back, pull the triger, and tell the kids that you took it to a farm where it could run free and make bad jokes about political leaders.
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7-27-2006 @ 12:40PM
GiveMeAFrickinStar(Please) said...
The past ten years have been such a disservice to the classic SNL that we all know and love. TV Funhouse especially. That was the 'skit' that slowly killed SNL. The only redeeming skit that has been keeping SNL afloat has been the News segment. Even that has been suffering.
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7-27-2006 @ 1:00PM
Marvo said...
So digital shorts of cats with lasers isn't considered taking a risk?
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7-27-2006 @ 1:30PM
Paulie said...
Fire everyone.
Then, make this season the "Search for the next SNL cast", with an open-casting reality show for the year, that'll culminate in the selection of the next 10 "Not Ready for Primetime" Players.
5 from the "judges" (aka Lorne and the studio), 5 selected by America.
There you go, NBC - go rake in your money by giving us a year of stand-up and improv by young, hungry comics, and don't make it ANYTHING like Last Comic Standing.
"So you think you can Improv?"
Barring that, just hire Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie, and Ryan Stiles and let them do an hour each Saturday night of whatever the hell they want to do.
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7-27-2006 @ 1:55PM
SJ said...
# 13 I always thought that TV Funhouse was the best part of SNL. The 'Best Of TV Funhouse' episode last season was especially great. The rest of SNL is HORRIBLE. Even Weekend Update is bad. The smug look on Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's faces after they do a crappy joke (which other shows have already done by then) was seriously annoying.
The writing was the biggest problem I think, not the actors. Writing is the key to sketch comedy.
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7-27-2006 @ 2:00PM
Karen said...
I agree that the writing has been abysmal and, especially killing, tame. I'd be happy with a clean sweep--hell, I'd be happy with a cancellation, too. There's no reason that show has to live forever.
But should it choose to do so? Then for the sweet lord's sake, can Horatio Sanz.
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7-27-2006 @ 2:09PM
Michael Mahony said...
SNL isnt the same without Will Ferrell.
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7-27-2006 @ 6:23PM
Adam Rakunas said...
If I were Lorne Michaels, I'd fire everyone, put the guys from Ask A Ninja in charge, and then disappear to a South Pacific island to sip mai-tais.
And then I'd practice ninjitsu, just so I can return to my show and reclaim my throne. Or die in combat. Either way, it would be glorious.
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7-27-2006 @ 6:47PM
Brooke said...
Keep: Amy Poehler (if she leaves on anything less than her own will, I couldn't watch SNL), Keenan Thompson, Finesse Mitchell, and 3 players to be named at a later date.
Lose: Darrell Hammond (he doesn't even want to be there)and Horatio Sanz for sure.
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