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Doodley

(9,184 posts)
Sun Apr 28, 2024, 10:34 PM Apr 28

Am I the only one who just doesn't find SNL funny?

Maybe it's because I hail from a little place called England and our humor is different there, but my (American) wife thinks it's hilarious. All I see is a lot of obnoxious personalities being obnoxious with jokes that are not funny.

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Am I the only one who just doesn't find SNL funny? (Original Post) Doodley Apr 28 OP
It hasn't been more than occasionally funny in at least 30 years. Ocelot II Apr 28 #1
It used to be funny montanacowboy Apr 28 #2
Connie Conehead BOSSHOG Apr 28 #6
My all time favorite montanacowboy Apr 29 #13
Even the later "two wild and crazy guys". Absolutely loved these guys.... a kennedy May 1 #20
Jane You Ignorant Slut BOSSHOG May 5 #24
nevermind samnsara May 5 #22
No, it's a long time since I've watched it, and last times I passed by it, elleng Apr 28 #3
Last time I watched, it was hours of childish humor with occasional brilliant satire. But now with DU LT Barclay Apr 28 #4
Generally update desk is good... JT45242 Apr 28 #5
If you can stay awake long enough to watch it, last night I changed channels before doc03 Apr 28 #11
OMG the skits portraying NY Gov Dave Patterson samnsara May 5 #23
Gotta say Traildogbob Apr 28 #7
How could American humor ever top Benny Hill? ... marble falls Apr 28 #8
Mr. Bill was super funny - TBF Apr 28 #9
Same here. But, back in the day -- like in my late 20s (1970s) -- it was great, especially at the time that weed made Silent Type Apr 28 #10
I used to love the skits with Gilda Radner, the Steve Martin skits, way back when peacebuzzard Apr 28 #12
It is still viewed as "funny" to younger people PSPS Apr 29 #14
I always record it. Sometimes the musical guest is good. IcyPeas Apr 29 #15
Lorne Michaels has allowed Saturday Night Live to morph into Fridays. no_hypocrisy Apr 29 #16
Funny very sporadically--especially in recent decades. Can have biting political humor that is not LOL funny, but... hlthe2b Apr 29 #17
To be fair Traildogbob Apr 29 #18
Haven't watched it in years for that very reason. bif Apr 29 #19
early SNL was genius as was the cast... samnsara May 5 #21

montanacowboy

(6,123 posts)
13. My all time favorite
Mon Apr 29, 2024, 12:10 AM
Apr 29

cheeberger cheeberger pepsi pepsi - John Belushi - I remember laffing my ass off. Those were the days.

LT Barclay

(2,623 posts)
4. Last time I watched, it was hours of childish humor with occasional brilliant satire. But now with DU
Sun Apr 28, 2024, 10:39 PM
Apr 28

someone always posts the good stuff and I don't suffer through the cast trying to drag one sight gag out for 5 minutes.

JT45242

(2,332 posts)
5. Generally update desk is good...
Sun Apr 28, 2024, 10:40 PM
Apr 28

Usually the open is good...

Everything else is hit or miss. Many skits are a good idea, but cannot sustain the 5-10 minutes they try to get out of it.

It has been inconsistent for years.

So, it's not just that your from England.

doc03

(35,485 posts)
11. If you can stay awake long enough to watch it, last night I changed channels before
Sun Apr 28, 2024, 11:51 PM
Apr 28

the Weekend Update. The musical acts are horrible aren't there any singers that don't grab their crotch twenty times.

samnsara

(17,675 posts)
23. OMG the skits portraying NY Gov Dave Patterson
Sun May 5, 2024, 08:54 PM
May 5

..on week end update. Wandering about..showing graphs.. Hilarious!

TBF

(32,185 posts)
9. Mr. Bill was super funny -
Sun Apr 28, 2024, 11:19 PM
Apr 28

but that was a long time ago ... it goes through phases where it's funnier but totally depends upon the cast. English humor is definitely different.

Silent Type

(3,096 posts)
10. Same here. But, back in the day -- like in my late 20s (1970s) -- it was great, especially at the time that weed made
Sun Apr 28, 2024, 11:28 PM
Apr 28

me laugh.

peacebuzzard

(5,186 posts)
12. I used to love the skits with Gilda Radner, the Steve Martin skits, way back when
Sun Apr 28, 2024, 11:59 PM
Apr 28

But it has been decades since I remotely found SNL amusing. I also do not do main stream broadcasting.

I do not feel like I am missing anything. Cheers!

PSPS

(13,653 posts)
14. It is still viewed as "funny" to younger people
Mon Apr 29, 2024, 01:54 AM
Apr 29

One's sense of humor changes as they get older. To those who watched SNL in the beginning with Chase, Aykroyd, Belushi, etc., not only was it a new concept but the audience was comprised of young draft-age people who were celebrating Nixon's departure and the end of the war. It's fifty years later and that demographic's sense of humor has changed, has other things to worry about, and finds contemporary humor hard to relate to since popular culture has changed.

IcyPeas

(21,964 posts)
15. I always record it. Sometimes the musical guest is good.
Mon Apr 29, 2024, 03:46 AM
Apr 29

And weekend update... meh. I can fast forward through the introduction naming all the actors... there are so many people in the cast it takes ages to introduce everyone.

I don't know if it's the writers or the actors/comedians but it's just so bland now. Once in a while they do something funny... I also liked the skit with Beavis and butthead as mentioned above.

no_hypocrisy

(46,364 posts)
16. Lorne Michaels has allowed Saturday Night Live to morph into Fridays.
Mon Apr 29, 2024, 04:54 AM
Apr 29
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fridays_(TV_series)

To critics like Shales, Fridays remained a "fanatically low-rated rip-off of Saturday Night Live" until the bitter end. Reviewing the prime-time special, he said, "Surely six of the most dispiriting words in television are: 'Fridays will continue in a moment.'"

Read More: 40 Years Ago: 'Fridays' Stumbles to an Unfortunate End | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/fridays-final-episode/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

hlthe2b

(102,622 posts)
17. Funny very sporadically--especially in recent decades. Can have biting political humor that is not LOL funny, but...
Mon Apr 29, 2024, 05:40 AM
Apr 29

can be at least amusing.

I do get that there are differences in British and American humor though. While I am a long-term fan of the former dating to Monty Python and others, I don't always appreciate the slapstick physicality often seen in British humor, so there is that. Then again, I was only occasionally amused by Lucile Ball--her original show, which frequently relied on physical humor as well--even while I appreciated her talent. Monty Python had a sarcastic edge that brought a mirror to society's hypocrisy and idiocy. So even when it indulged in physical humor, a more analytical "cerebral" message was usually being advanced--the kind of humor frequently advanced by The Onion here.

But, yes, SNL has only sporadic instances of laughable humor now and even those are frequently reliant on gross (childish) antics.

Traildogbob

(8,939 posts)
18. To be fair
Mon Apr 29, 2024, 09:00 AM
Apr 29

I no longer sit with friends, not married with kids and smoke bongs for a few hours in anticipation for the SNL Ackroyd cast to come on at 11:30. When we bellied laughed at each others stupid jokes before the show even started. A random fart would have us on the floor laughing.
Yes, had to grow up, now things are not all funny.
Too many real life things tamps down humor.
But I agree , some skits are very good, some guest hosts, like Wiig, make a show really good and sometimes I just wanna see the music guest, like Foo Fighters.
Many times PBS at that hour over rides SNL with Austin City Limits, Cavern Sessions and other all music shows for me.

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