What should Saturday Night Live do to become even remotely funny again?

[Deja Q]

Let's face it. The show stunk 10 years ago and it royally stinks today. 1994 was a turning point.

I've been watching "The Best Of" edition with Eddie Murphy (and will likely get the Chris Rock edition as well). Eddie is a frickin' GENIUS.

I wonder if he would make a return to the show, he'd be doing SNL a huge favor, that's for sure. I'd watch, would you?

[Raster]

1. all things must end. perhaps it is time.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. Was it ever remotely funny?

Once in a great while they would stumble onto a funny skit. However, it was mostly always junk.

[Bronco69]

3. They need to get rid of Tina Fey as one of the head writers

and get some new writers that know what the hell they are doing. Most of the skits aren't even funny anymore.

[gmoney]

27. Tina's Weekend Update stuff is consistently good

I think if they really let her run things, they'd do some good work...

the problem is crap like "Bryan Fellow" that runs week after week and is NEVER funny

[rednek_Liberal]

31. Are you shrink-wrapped???

She is the only thing keeping me watching...
Her writing is great but the delivery is whats killing the show.

[mitchum]

36. But the truth is that she does head up the absolute worst writing staff...

that they have ever had
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed woman is queen

[Lefty48197]

4. Hire Dave Chappelle

oh wait, he's taken. Their cast right now is terrible. The show cycles from high to low and than all over again. They're currently in a "low".

[UpsideDownFlag]

5. get dave chappelle and will ferrell on the show

i think will's been gone for 2 years now.

[bo44]

6. Try telling the truth

The current show would be funny if they had the guts to slap the puppet masters of pop culture. Instead of lampooning cultural stereotypes start attacking the institutions that reinforce them. The show lacks a crazy nut product of the hip hop culture as well. Where is the modern hip hop version of Eddie Murphy or John Belushi? Methinks this character would not fit in for lack of desire to kiss conservative ass, sell out to whiteous tastes, and corporate hand holding.

[Deja Q]

8. BINGO!

You nailed it.

:yourock:

[blondeatlast]

19. I think you got it. I'm lily white and suburban, but I love Dave Chapelle'

show for those very reasons.

Who needs it anyway? Reno 911 and virtually all the BBC comedies beat it whole--as does MAD TV.

[NeoConsSuck]

7. One year they had Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, Martin Short..

and the best of all IMO, Christopher Guest who later appeared in Spinal Tap. Every week was hilarious. I used to have all these episodes on VCR.

My friends like the earlier years with Belushi, Ackroyd, and Chase. Not me.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

10. Liked the show post Chevy Chase, when Bill Murray and Gilda

Radner really shined. Eddie Murphy was a genius, (wish he still displayed that comedic edge). However, I did enjoy the Will Ferrell years, especially when the three comedic divas...Cheri O'Teri(sp), Molly Shannon and Anna Gasteyer were working together on the show.

I hope, hope, hope they bring back Ferrell as a guest to finish out the election cycle. His Bush was so on target and he himself called Bush a combination of "ignorance and arrogance." I can always dream, I guess. MKJ

[kariatari]

12. Will Ferrell was on Charlie Rose...

...and said that if he were still on SNL, he would have done every skit with Bush in a flight suit no matter where the skit took place. Flight suit in the oval office, flight suit at the beach...oh the possibilities.

[CarolynEC]

16. ROTFL!!!

That would be a riot! :D

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

20. ROFLMAO..

that's great! MKJ

[Lefty_the_Right]

9. Somehow remove themselves from GE

In Bob Roberts John Cusack even tried to do a skit on what was supposed to be SNL.

He was in a kitchen and said:
"You know that we make so many things in your kitchen, but did you know we also make bombs and defense systems?" As he walks off "stage" and next to some bombs etc.

Then he says: "But did you also know that we own an entire network, with a comedy show that pretends to speak to the youth, and shape their perceptions?"

That's pretty close anyway, and that was in 1993.

General Electric bought NBC in 1986, the same year that Reagan removed the Fairness in Media Doctrine.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

11. Go off the air.

[LTR]

13. Cast needs to get back on drugs

Sadly, SNL was funniest when the cast was stoned. Now they're addicted to Krispy Kremes, as Tina Fey claimed. :eyes:

[CanuckAmok]

14. take DNA samples from the remains of Radner and Belushi,

and clone them. That's just for starters. Then build a time machine and prevent Nancy Kerrigan, Mike Myers, Cheri Oteri, or David Spade from ever appearing on the show.

[CanuckAmok]

15. Oh, and add 30% more cowbell.

[CarolynEC]

17. Guess what? I got a fever! And the only prescription...

... is more cowbell!

 


... Bruce Dickinson: I'll be honest.. fellas, it was sounding great. But.. I could've used a little more cowbell. So.. let's take it again.. and, Gene.

Gene Frenkle: Yeah?

Bruce Dickinson: Really explore the studio space this time. I mean, really.. explore the space. I like what I'm hearing.

...

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/99/99pcowbell.phtml

[stranger_with_candy]

29. oh yes

that was a great one

[Chovexani]

18. Start from scratch.

Fire Lorne Michaels, the entire cast & the entire writing staff.

Then maybe you might have a chance. *Maybe*.

On Edit: Keep Smeigel (sp?).

[miss_kitty]

21. i've watched since the beginning and i DO think they've entered

'The Dark Years" again. one huge shortcoming i've always noticed is when they hit a bad patch, THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN OR HOW TO END A SKIT. Or when to stop bringing back a recurring character (MAD TV fell into that with the annoying Korean asshole chick character and the equally annoying Stewart asshole character). Christ, some nights, i just want to stick needles in my eyes....the best skits always leave you wanting more...
And the biggest sin SNL ever commited was ignoring the fact they had the funniest guy in the world in their cast in 90-93, Chris Rock. So don't expect too much from that DVD. They hardly used him or his material.
so maybe it's karmic payback for ignoring Rock. i don't know. they sure need to do something funny or die.

[blondeatlast]

23. I saw that very first show at 16. I was astonished

and bent over from laughter. There was no nod to hipness, reverence, status quo.

Nothing was immune, and the cast weren't Hollywood either. It was incredible.

It can never regain. Time to let it pass.

[blondeatlast]

22. Hire the writers, directors, and cast of MAD TV, Reno 911,

and Chapelle's show.

Otherwise, let it die it's own sad, quiet, death.

[miss_kitty]

26. i have been very unimpressed with MAD tv the last

few years...they do too much stoopid character repetition for my taste
one thing that is happening prolly that you bringing up the Chapelle show makes me think is that maybe the good writers are going to cable, because there is more freedom on cable...

[Khephra]

24. Fire Lorne Michaels from SNL and Rick Berman from Star Trek

Then put them both on a deserted island with no food. Hide cameras on the island and watch them stalk each other until one is forced to kill the other for food.

Now that's a reality program I'd watch!

They'd provide more entertainment on that island than anything they've done in the past 10 years.

:evilgrin:

[Bertha Venation]

25. Turn the clock back. Bring back the Not Ready for Prime Time Players.

Add Steve Martin as host, and Paul Simon, Janis Ian, Joan Armatrading, for music. That's what it would take.

The cast with Victoria Jackson, Nora Dunn, Jan Hooks, Kevin Nealon, and the others was second best to the NRFPTP.

Of course, if they get good, biting, intelligent, witty, acerbic, and funny writers, that would help a lot even with the current cast.

[The Flaming Red Head]

28. Hire the current cast and writers of Mad TV especially Micheal Macdonald

but keep Tina and Myra.

[rednek_Liberal]

30. Kill Lorne Michaels

[ajacobson]

32. More clip shows

:eyes:

[LastKnight]

33. get back dana carvey. nt

[ChoralScholar]

34. I bought 'Best of Dana Carvey' for 3.88 on VHS

and laughed my ass off. The 'Tom Brokaw Takes a Vacation' skit was some of the funniest stuff I've seen in a while.
------------------------------------------
To Camera: "Tragedy today, as former President Gerald Ford was eaten by wolves. He was delicious."

To Producer:Now.. now, that's just superfluous, you know?

Voice of Producer: It's a former President, Tom. What do you say - he's not delicious?

[mitchum]

35. Resurrect Michael O'Donoghue