Saturday Night Live is a timeless show. The show is built upon a genius idea to incorporate the world's current stars, musicians, and up-coming comedians. Seriously, no other show is doing it like SNL. It's always fresh, touching on extremely current events and hosting the latest fan-favorites.
Yet, I also sympathize with the side of SNL fans who are disappointed by the content lately. SNL is not what it used to be. There is no argument that the original casts included some of the funniest people in the world to date; name a comedian and odds are they were on SNL at one point. The skits were groundbreaking and absolutely ridiculous. The obscurity made the comedy that much funnier and rememberable for years to come. Nowadays, they are trying way too hard to be relatable, which is hard when you have multiple generations tuning in. Because they are appealing to younger audiences, they are losing loyalty from the older audiences who grew up watching SNL and make up most of the viewers still.
However, that does not mean it is bad. Just because SNL has evolved into something different does not mean it is horrible now. The fact that they are able to keep the same format, creating original shows every week with hosts who may have never done something like this is an incredible feat. While watching the show, I can't help but think about how hard it must have been to come up with all new material and tried to teach these methods to someone new. I think that that is important to take into account while watching. Sure, we all enjoy passive watching and not having to think about the other side of things; but that helps us to understand why the current show seems much less successful as it did in the past.
Yeah, the comedy might not be as groundbreaking as it was in its beginning years, but that's because we have gotten used to it. Also, the political and social climates are always changing. If SNL were to air a skit that shared some of the humor from its "funnier" beginning stages, audiences would have an issue with the lack of sensitivity. For example, the last few times that cast member Pete Davidson has appeared and cracked a dry joke, there has been controversy surrounding it. People are disappointed in the seemingly childish content being produced now, but it is important to note the change in what people can and can not say without backlash. You can never please everyone, so, especially for a program that needs to turn a profit, it is important to go the more safe route.
For me, SNL has always been about having a dedicated time to relax and laugh with family and friends. I can remember from a very young age watching SNL every Saturday with my parents. In fact, I wrote in my kindergarten journal that it was my favorite thing to do with my dad and got a call home! I have always cherished SNL time. I love being exposed to new musical acts and I especially love the Weekend Updates. I follow politics pretty consistently, but it is nice to have some of these big issues unpacked and made accessible. That being said, I think SNL does a pretty good job at covering and recapping the happenings in the world that week.
I do not think that I will ever stop watching SNL. I can confidently anticipate the future of SNL being less relatable to me, but I would like to still support this art form and promote the importance of comedy and togetherness.
