Saturday Night Live is a television institution. Where would be without The Blues Brothers, The Coneheads, The Church Lady, Wayne’s World, Mary Katherine Gallagher, Debbie The Downer, and a dick in a box? Saturday Night Live is like a great big T.V. seesaw. When it is good, it’s great (original cast/early 90’s/Will Ferrell era) and when it is bad, it really sucks (The 80’s/Non Lorne Michaels tenure).
Since the Dick in a Box brilliance a few years ago, SNL has really started once again to enter everyone’s pop culture radar. SNL does need to thank Ultimate one upper Penelope, a fantastic Dora the Explorer TV Funhouse Spoof and some great digital shorts courtesy of Andy Samberg for its return to Monday morning water cooler fodder. It also should thank the fact that it’s an election year and that SNL is the supreme platform for major political figures to show that they have a sense of humor and don’t take themselves too seriously.
The 33rd season of SNL has been a bit of a seesaw. Of course a several month writer’s strike didn’t help this. SNL squeezed out four episodes before the start of the strike, and we’ve had six since the strike’s resolution. On the upside of the seesaw, we had a phenomenal episode hosted by the dazzlingly talented former head writer Tina Fey.
On the downside, was of course dazzling talented cast member Maya Rudolph making a quiet exit from the show without the appropriate goodbye fireworks spectacular that her brilliant tenure deserved. However this season has offered some great TV moments and coined hot tranny mess phrases that are truly fierce. While there are always sub par episodes and sketches, there are still plenty of fabulous moments peppered throughout each 90 minute broadcast. Post strike we’ve been lucky with some sparkling comedic gems.
We got a brilliant Tina Fey feminist pro Hillary rant that convinced us further that Tina Fey can do no wrong and essentially made Liz Lemon Hillary’s number one supporter. Take that Oprah! We got a pitch perfect Project Runway spoof featuring Amy Poehler as a more accurate Christian Siriano, then the Season 4 winner himself. And of course we’ve had more gut busting laughs from the standout star of the show as of late, Kristin Wiig.
Kristin Wiig consistently delivers standout performance after standout performance. Whether she is Penelope, Sue – The Woman Who Loves Surprise Parties, Jamie Lee Curtis for Activia Yogurt, or prominent travel writer Judy Grimes, she is always out of this world and no I’m not just kidding when I say that.It’ll be interesting to see the remaining two episodes of the season and where SNL goes next. I’m sure the upcoming election will only help their writing staff and their overall pop culture prominance. And here’s to a proper Maya goodbye on the season finale!
