Personal taste in cast members aside, I think the "live" aspect of it is
the only thing that's kept the show running--and why it now airs live on
the west coast. The nets are desperate to get eyeballs and--for now,
anyway--the best way to guarantee that is by going live (hence the
ever-increasing reliance on sports).
I think it was John Pankow's character on "Episodes"--a show I really liked
and miss--who proposed that everything on his network be live, with no set
schedule; that programs could air at any time, in any order, bleeding into
and crossing over with each other, with anything--up to and including
actors getting shot on air ("What actor is going to give up a job on a
network show if the price is only getting shot?") People would be forced to
watch in order not to miss something. That's probably more extreme than
anything the real nets would do, but it's not unrealistic in its goal.
I don't mind pre-taped material--I think the 1984-85 season was one of the
show's best, and that was packed with filmed stuff--but I don't think the
difficulty of creating 90 minutes of material 26 weeks a year is that
overwhelming with the right writing staff. Caesar's staffs did, what, 39?,
for years, as did every other variety show. Whether they were live or live
to tape wasn't much of a distinction.
The biggest problem with SNL (other than certain performers, of course) is
that the writing is toothless and predictable, with variations on the same
premises week after week and paper-thin political commentary. (I mean, is
Baldwin's Trump really anything? Tony Atamanuik's "President Show" was far
more devastating on a shoestring budget.) There are occasional gems--which
is why I keep watching the show, in vain hope--but, for the most part, the
sketches are just stupid, dull, and too long, rather than satirical or even
funny. I blame that consistent similarity on Lorne's sense of humor, and
assume the writers are working to his tastes, so while a change in that
chair might work wonders, given his total stranglehold on NBC's late night
lineup, I don't expect that any time soon.
--Dave Sikula
On Sunday, April 26, 2020 at 9:23:37 AM UTC-7, PGage wrote:
>
> I remain impressed with your Disdain for things like Aaron Sorkin and
> Parks and Recreation, yet consistent praise if someone like Kenan
> Thompson, who I find adequate at best; he is the Jerry Lewis to your
> France. Still I do enjoy What’s Up With That and was pleased to see them
> bring it back. I thought their first effort at a quarantine version was
> impressive in how average it was, and #2 was a step up. I thought their
> cold open was possibly the best of the Trump era, and not just because
> (perhaps in spite of) the stunt casting.
>
> I also agree that this format almost forces them to give more downstream
> cast members more airtime, and mostly that works to their advantage. Though
> I like Kate McKinnon, and resist your Wiigization of her.
>
> These two shows have reminded me how difficult it is to do a live TV show.
> Even with the current limitations it seems it is easier to produce a
> polished output when it is put together from prerecorded (presumably with
> multiple takes) bits. They seem to be giving themselves two weeks to work
> on each show, which I think is smart.
>
> SNL has always had pre recorded material. There was a time when they
> started relying on this more (like the Andy Samberg era) when I balked at
> the deemphasis on live material. This is making me wonder about that. I’m
> not sure the “Live TV” element is as special or electric as it once was,
> and it does introduce a lot of quality limitations. Perhaps they can move
> to a format where they have something like a live Host monologue, live
> music, live WU, and maybe one live sketch, and do the rest with
> pre-produced pieces?
>
>
>
> On Sun, Apr 26, 2020 at 1:29 AM 'Dave Sikula' via TVorNotTV <
> [email protected] <javascript:>> wrote:
>
>> C'mon; think how full it would be in here if I weren't continually
>> carping about shows I dislike.
>>
>> Now, that said, after the trainwreck that was the first SNL At Home
>> broadcast, tonight's wasn't half-bad. Maybe it was just that Kenan and Aidy
>> had things to do. I will never get tired of "What's Up With That?" And
>> -that- said, I will always wonder why it is that when the show presents
>> "real people" appearing on television (as with tonight's commercials for
>> the supermarket and the cat place), they always act like they're
>> brain-damaged. Some of that, of course, is due to McKinnon having the range
>> of a fire hydrant, but it must be something that Lorne finds endlessly
>> amusing.
>>
>> --Dave Sikula
>>
>> On Saturday, April 25, 2020 at 6:49:26 AM UTC-7, PGage wrote:
>>>
>>> I had been geeking out over it on Twitter, but it made me feel good to
>>> see you post it here (and to give Sikula his chance to grouch all over it).
>>> So thanks
>>>
>>> On Sat, Apr 25, 2020 at 3:34 AM JW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> >> There is very little else I care more about...
>>>> >
>>>> > Absolutely!
>>>>
>>>> Then if I let you know, I'm glad to have helped.
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAKSNnOFbRR%3DHnrip9rk5QP%3Dj_O-TdZfEgoaY3w9q%3DR_cT9x5eQ%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>
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>>>>
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