The ninth or tenth resurgence of SNL

Well, first off, let’s acknowledge it’s phenomenal that any television entertainment series could be on the air for over 46 years.  But Saturday Night Live is not only chugging along, it’s growing in popularity and even  cracked through the zeitgeist — something that is usually reserved for the new and fresh.  

I contend there are a couple of reasons for this.  The first is, there are some very funny moments and talented people both in front and behind the camera.  The cast has grown so large that I couldn’t tell you all of them.  But certainly a stand-out for me is James Austin Johnson (pictured above).  His impersonations are spectacular.  He even looks like Biden. 

Side note:  Is it just me or is Kate McKinnon’s act getting tiresome?  I used to love Kate McKinnon and now I don’t.  

Another plus is that the show is topical at a time when politics is so front-and-center (mostly due to that fat orange fuck).  Being live really helps in that regard.  

But for me, the big reason SNL has had such a resurgence is the internet.  It’s the perfect click bait.  Opening monologues, opening bits, Weekend Update, selected sketches — they each fit nicely into four or five minute videos to be retrieved on demand.  And various websites like Deadline Hollywood post these videos on Saturday night as if they were actual news stories.   In its earlier heydays it never got such coverage.

I keep up with SNL but I can’t remember the last time I actually tuned in at 11:30 Saturday night and watched it “on television.”  I wonder how many SNL fans do the same — scour the internet to pick and choose the bits that might interest them.  NBC has a bigger hit now because people don’t have to watch NBC.  And so goes the future of SNL and network television. 


from By Ken Levine