Comedy has always been used as a powerful tool to bring people together. Through comedy, people are able to escape their realities and express their joy in laughter with others. That is why "comic relief" exists...to bring people a moment of a sigh of relief through comedy. However, comedy has developed a totally different personality in recent events. Instead of uniting people, comedy has drastically driven people apart, dividing us. "Comic relief" has transformed into a "comic anger," and one's attempts to be comical frustrate and anger another.
Saturday Night Live is a perfect example that can represent this division in the comedy world. For decades, Saturday Night Live has been the perfect comedy show for Americans seeking a late-night laugh at the end of a long week. The show's success is apparent based on the number of famous comedians that began their careers on SNL, such as Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, and the list goes on. Every week, viewers turned on the TV to watch SNL in excitement to see their favorite characters, skits, guest hosts, and musical guests return to the stage "live from New York".
Although SNL's purpose is to bring laughter and comical entertainment, in recent years, their focus has switched, angering some viewers. Most specifically, SNL became too political, and their bias was starting to show. Although SNL has always poked fun at political controversies in the news, their political content increased dramatically during the 2016 Presidential Election. And after the 2016 Presidential Election, it was not too long before SNL was obsessed with Trump. And quite frankly, it was not long before the weekly Trump routine got "old".
SNL's political banter repeats the same punchline, which constantly jokes that President Trump, Melania, and any other member of the Trump family is an idiot. But I feel like SNL's failed attempts of humor stem from their raunchy punchlines. For example. this past week SNL cast member Pete Davidson cracked a mean-spirited joke at Republican nominee for Texas's Second Congressional District and veteran Dan Crenshaw. Not only was his joke inappropriate, but as Crenshaw said in a video responding to Davidson's joke: "Just wasn't funny".
Why is SNL "just not funny" anymore? What do their ratings suggest?
In recent years, NBC praises the millions of new viewers that Saturday Night Live receives every year. But in the midst of recruiting new viewers every week, does SNL fail to cater as an outlet of comic relief for every American? For starter's, it seems like SNL is only funny if you're a Democrat. So in recent years, SNL may have gained millions of Democratic viewers but lost millions of conservatives. And I do not think that's because the typical conservative cannot take a Trump joke here and there, because well...there is a lot of comical moments from this Administration, but it is because of the constant profiling of mainly Republicans. In this way, SNL caters to one audience, which allows comedy to separate instead of uniting people.
What's the solution? Well, for starters, SNL can calm down on all the political skits. During a time such as this, politics seem to be the only thing anyone is thinking about. So, can SNL improve by trying to incorporate non-political skits? That can be a start. But will that encourage past viewers to continue watching SNL weekly? And if not, why not?
Will SNL ever be as funny again? I guess we will just have to see...
