Commentary

What is the best era of Saturday Night Live?

Lily Wasserman and Morgen Neuhauser • Nov 20, 2024

SNL has been a TV staple since its inception in the 1970s, but has the hype carried over into Gen-Z’s trending humor? Photo courtesy of Anthony Quintano via Wikimedia.

SNL is always in mint condition

opinion by Lily Wasserman, Managing Editor

Saturday Night Live is a show that has been on for decades, and hence, people have taken to having strong opinions about its eras. If anyone tells you that only the old SNL was good, they could be referring to anywhere from the 1970s to the 2000s. But I’ll tell you a secret: they’re talking about the episodes from whatever decade they were in their 20s.

Lorne Michaels created SNL as a comedy show for young adults in the 1970s, and its cast was mainly under 40. Today, the same holds true as SNL brings in younger members of the cast and older ones move on to other projects. SNL is still a comedic starting place, and there’s nothing like seeing young comedians get their starts, witnessing their evolution and eventually moving on (and being able to say “I knew them when…”). Even today, Bowen Yang is breaking into feature film comedic roles and Sarah Sherman is on “General Hospital.”

Because of its taking on younger cast members, SNL manages to keep its humor relevant, and for me, a lot of those skits capture my exact sense of humor. Jane Wickline’s “Party” song, Jean Smart’s “Textbook” skit and the “Domingo” song have been recent hits for me.

Old SNL has only one advantage that new SNL doesn’t: hindsight. We and NBC know now what has become part of our cultural zeitgeist and can conveniently forget the plethora of skits that weren’t up to par. Years from now, we don’t know which skits from the new SNL we’ll quote or what moments will become iconic.

We also don’t know whether or not these new young comedians will become as beloved as Adam Sandler or Bill Murray, and won’t know for a long time, but one thing is for sure — they won’t bloom without a place to grow.

30 years from now, our generation of SNL is going to be old SNL, and we’ll be old people, saying that: “Your SNL is boring. Old SNL is where it was at.” And I can’t wait.

Out with the new?

opinion by Morgen Neuhauser, Faculty Senate Beat Writer

The hallowed halls of Studio 8H have been filled with laughter for the last 50 years. But in recent years, that laughter has been a bit quieter.

SNL burned bright in its early years. It was at the forefront of comedy and launched the careers of some of the most iconic comedians. But now, when I tune in to the most recent episodes, I don’t get the same feeling as when I rewatch classic clips.

The problem is not that modern SNL is bad; it just can’t compete with the old SNL. The old SNL was filled with this scrappy, underdog charm. As SNL grew in popularity, it lost that charm. Instead of previously unknown comedians like Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler’s big break, it brings in a comedian like Kenan Thompson, who was already relatively well-known from his time on Nickelodeon before SNL.

Additionally, SNL goes through phases as it adjusts to new viewers’ preferred comedy preferences. Unfortunately for this SNL lover, they have taken too long to adjust to Gen-Z humor.

While Season 50 has been a bright spot with young heavy hitters like Bowen Yang and Marcello Hernandez, I lost hope long before this season. Do we not remember the sketch of Gen-Z hospital? It was a combination of internet phrases that felt like they were laughing at us instead of with us. I miss the old SNL, where they didn’t try to fit in with what was trendy but instead created the trends.

The underground vibe of SNL allowed it to push boundaries and get a little weird. Its sketches were cultural moments heard worldwide, in a world without social media nonetheless, which is arguably more impressive. Many were so iconic that they became blockbusters like “The Blues Brothers” and “Wayne’s World,” two unique and hilarious movies from SNL sketches. Compare that to “Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain,” a film that came out of the modern SNL group Please Don’t Destroy, who I usually love, and it doesn’t stack up.

Maybe one day, modern SNL will take its place in comedy history. Maybe one day, someone will write about the current cast, their pivotal roles and the iconic moments they gifted Studio 8H. It has all the chops, too, just none of the charm. So, for now, I will continue rewatching and singing the praises of old SNL sketches.

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About the Contributors

Lily Wasserman, Managing Editor

Managing Editor Lily Wasserman (she/her) is a junior studying multimedia journalism and history. In her spare time she enjoys reading, hiking and watching romcoms.

Morgen Neuhauser, Faculty Senate Beat Writer

Faculty Senate Beat Writer Morgen Neuhauser (she/her) is a senior studying public relations and multimedia journalism. She is also a member of Delta Gamma, an intern for NAMI, a Drake Mag writer and an avid reader.