Grade: A
Our old friends are back for the 40th season and they are as great as ever.
“SNL” is, and has been, the focal point of comedy since its inception in 1975. Despite any rough patches or dry periods, the show still led the “Big Four” networks in ratings last Saturday night.
That is the great accomplishment, the longevity mixed with a still-great product.
“SNL” is the Cal Ripken of entertainment television except it does not plan to retire any time soon.
Like it or not, any up-and-coming comedian aspires to take the “SNL” stage and spend their days at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
The amount of greats that made their name there is incomparable.
We all know them: Murray, Chase, Aykroyd and Belushi; Murphy, Carvey, Hartman, Myers, Sandler and Farley; Ferrell, Fallon, Fey and Poehler.
Just to be clear, I am leaving an absurd amount of people off that list just because my hands were getting tired.
The show has changed with the times as well as any product out there. The style of humor in the culture changes throughout time and “SNL” has always adapted its casts to fit that.
As online media has changed the way television is viewed, “SNL” has done an impressive job of making their sketches Internet-friendly.
Andy Samberg deserves much of the credit for introducing “SNL” to the YouTube era with funny and innovative “Digital Shorts.”
People still tune in Saturdays, or Sundays, on their computer or DVR because the product hasn’t diminished yet.
The show had a mass exodus of stars like Kristen Wiig, Samberg, Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis a year ago, but the current cast has not allowed much of a drop-off in quality.
The people leaving to become stars may even help the show as it restores the viewer’s faith that the show will continue to be the place that finds the funny.
Creator Lorne Michaels has worked his way into “Godfather” status in the comedy community and he deserves credit for always being able to spot talent and develop them into stars.
Last Saturday, the show had its 40th season premiere and it did not disappoint.
I cannot remember an episode this top-to-bottom funny in quite a while.
Chris Pratt, who may have been the breakout star of the summer, hosted this Saturday and he seemed like an enjoyable part of the gang.
Pratt is such a charismatic and fun guy that you cannot help but want to hangout and goof around with him.
The cast has all the homerun hitters back from last year and only lost a few fringe members and Nasim Pedrad.
While Pedrad had been a reliable and likable cast member for five seasons, the show will not be losing another Wiig or Hader as Pedrad leaves to join the Fox show “Mulaney.”
The beauty is, this cast does not seem to have a single weak spot, and they flow together like the best “SNL” casts do.
The show started with a great cold open on the NFL’s legal troubles. Call it cowardly of them if you’d like, but I am happy the writers did not try to be political or righteous with this one.
Pratt’s monologue was fine, as it is hard to really do much original with that format these days. What won me over was his ability to subtly laugh at himself as he made mistakes.
He even said to the crowd, “What are you gonna do?” as he butchered a poor joke. That was what assured us viewers that it was going to be a fun ride where we all felt like part of the crew.
The centerpiece of this week’s episode was the most exciting by far. The “Weekend Update” segment was the longest I think I have ever seen — a whopping 18 minutes. The thing is, it was just a blast to watch.
New co-anchor Michael Che has been one of the fastest rising stand-up comedians in the industry.
The 21-year-old is talked about by other stand-ups as a guy who has an absurdly natural ability at doing comedy.
His intelligence is what wins you over, and he is at his best when talking about race considering he has a very witty and fresh outlook.
After “Update” is usually when the show starts going downhill with experimental sketches that tend to have some duds in the mix.
The format didn’t change, but surprisingly the sketches stayed funny throughout, at least until the strange last video game sketch in which characters made out whenever the players beat a level.
At the end, Chris Pratt said his goodbyes and the credits started rolling. Pratt is shaking hands with people and then his wife, comedian Anna Farris, comes and taps him from behind.
The two start cheerfully kissing on camera for a few seconds, and everyone at home had their episode ended with a restoration of happiness in the universe.
Forty years into “SNL,” and it still has us watching.
It still gives us those tiny moments that I want to be talking about with my buddies the next day.
