A Tale of Contradictions: Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of Saturday Night Live
"Live from New York, it's Saturday night!"
From Gen X up through Gen Alpha, there's a strong chance that you've experienced at least one Saturday evening hearing those words. For fifty years, NBC's sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live has begun its late-night show using that exact phrase. SNL is creeping up on hitting 1,000 episodes and with this being its fiftieth season, there has been much retrospection including hosting a three-hour live television event this past Sunday with an all-star lineup of previous hosts and cast members. The majority of those interviewed have spoken fondly about their time and experience while on the program and there have been shorter documentaries on NBC streaming services that have chronicled those working behind the scenes to bring the program to life. Overall, it has been a celebratory mood for a television program that is often regarded as one of the most influential of the past half-century.
But that doesn't mean that everything has been rosy.
When a television program such as SNL has five decades' worth of history, you identify patterns. You notice trends in not only how the show is presented. You track the demographics of cast members and hosts. As a program dedicated to being representative of a larger America, you can honestly and openly ask if the program is living up to this promise. You can also look at the cultural impact of the program. What is catching on in the zeitgeist? Is that intentional? Or are there some unintended consequences that perhaps should have been foreseen?
Of course, before we get into the nitty gritty we cannot ignore the positive impact of the program over the last half century. Saturday Night Live is, at its core, fun comedic entertainment. It would have to be to keep 20somethings home on a weekend night. What SNL did was create a national audience for some of the best and brightest American comics of the last half-century. Bringing in actors from some of the country's best improv groups, producer Lorne Michaels and his team would pair them with writers to create 20 yearly episodes that produced 8-10 live sketches a week. Competition was fierce but there existed the opportunity to advance from part-time to full-time cast if there was consistent high performance. Famous SNL alumni include Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Phil Hartman, Chris Farley, Chris Rock, Will Ferrell, and Tiny Fey among others. Not only did these actors find fame on SNL but several also parlayed their characters into successful films such as Blues Brothers and Wayne's World. Others secured work as late-night hosts on network television such as Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon. If you made it on SNL, it opened up a world of opportunities that hardly seemed possible for a sketch comedy actor before their time on the show.
There was also the unique opportunity for up-and-coming musicians and actors to take the stage. Having a guest host and musical performance each week provided an opportunity to connect with a live audience and was for many a stepping stone to bigger and better things. Artists like Nirvana, The White Stripes, and Adele all credit a positive SNL performance to help launch their careers. On the flip side, a botched performance like Ashlee Simpson in 2004 can be a career-ender. The host is also a great opportunity for those wanting to introduce themselves to a larger audience or to show that they have comedic acting chops. The cast often feeds off a host's energy and some of the most memorable SNL
episodes include a host who is committed to the role, no matter how absurd or awkward the skits might be. Seeing famous actors get outside their comfort zones has been one of SNL's most positive accomplishments.
Introducing the world to unknown comedians and musicians was at SNL's core. But there was also the cultural impact as well. SNL was one of the first television programs to think about how to market the show beyond the one-time airing of the program. In the early 2000s, there was a series of videos where fans could buy a DVD of their favorite actor and watch all of her or his skits in one place. Thanks to social media, SNL clips have gone "viral" over the past 20 years with popular clips being available the next day on YouTube for viewers to watch. It was not uncommon growing up to see anyone from child trick-or-treaters to adults at Halloween parties dress as that year's "it" SNL character. Merchandise could be purchased for famous skits or catchphrases. If a sketch was a hit on SNL, you could go ahead and bet that people would be talking about it first thing at the office on Monday.
But for all the good that SNL created, you have to acknowledge the bad.
Introducing the world to unknown comedians and musicians was at SNL's core. But there was also the cultural impact as well. SNL was one of the first television programs to think about how to market the show beyond the one-time airing of the program. In the early 2000s, there was a series of videos where fans could buy a DVD of their favorite actor and watch all of her or his skits in one place. Thanks to social media, SNL clips have gone "viral" over the past 20 years with popular clips being available the next day on YouTube for viewers to watch. It was not uncommon growing up to see anyone from child trick-or-treaters to adults at Halloween parties dress as that year's "it" SNL character. Merchandise could be purchased for famous skits or catchphrases. If a sketch was a hit on SNL, you could go ahead and bet that people would be talking about it first thing at the office on Monday.
But for all the good that SNL created, you have to acknowledge the bad.
That starts with producer Lorne Michaels and his views on the work. Starting off, there were questions about how political SNL would be. Michaels famously shared his view of politics by stating "whoever is in power is probably awful." Michaels himself has donated to both Democrats and Republicans and has given the same donation amounts to Barack Obama and Kamala Harris as he did for Susan Collins and John McCain. While SNL has had skits skewering both Republicans and Democrats, there can be no doubt that the show has skewed heavily anti-Democrat over the past decade. Donald Trump hosted an SNL episode in 2015. Performer Kanye West opted to wear a red MAGA hat to promote his appearance on the program in 2018. Elon Musk hosted SNL in 2021. Anyone who has watched the program over the past five years has seen an equal number of jokes from Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che against Democrats and Republicans. This bothsidesing of American politics has been in line with Michaels' views and has created a dangerous world in which the casual SNL viewer cannot differentiate between the two major political parties at a time when one party is a clear and present danger to the American people.
The problem is that for as much as SNL considered itself entertainment, it also had the unique ability to influence the political dialogue. Its portrayals of presidents alone showed the lengths it was willing to go to try and do so. From having Ronald Reagan as a secret genius to Joe Biden as old and senile SNL made a conscientious choice on how it represented the president to the American people. While it is known for taking shots at Republicans like Sarah Palin and Donald Trump, there has always been a conscientious choice to attack Democratic elected officials as well. With elections often won by winning the middle, SNL has often had an outsized influence on national elections. In 2000, SNL famously mocked the first presidential debate between George W. Bush and Al Gore, a practice it had done since its inception. While the portrayal of Bush as an intellectual lightweight was simply laughed off, the Gore campaign team was deeply troubled that their candidate was being seen as dull and out-of-touch so much so that they showed him the SNL skit prior to the second debate. One can't help but wonder if the SNL narrative hurt Gore in a state like Florida, where the final vote was decided by a mere 537 votes.
Additionally, SNL is notorious for its lack of diversity. This has been a well-documented problem since the program's inception 50 years ago and stems largely from hiring decisions being made by a team of mostly White men at NBC. It got so bad that SNL tried some self-deprecating humor during the show's 40th anniversary only to have an awkward joke on the topic lead to even more criticism for being so tone-deaf. The numbers speak for themselves: throughout SNL's history, the cast has been overwhelmingly White even as the country becomes more and more brown. There's also the sad fact that over 90% of hosts are White, meaning that SNL's few writers of color hardly ever get the ability to think creatively about writing for one of their own. While SNL has made an effort to increase diversity in recent years with the addition of Bowen Yang as the first Asian-American cast member, the problem is that trailblazing actors like Punky Johnson (the first out Black queer woman) and Molly Kearney (the first nonbinary cast member) are often relegated to background roles in sketches and are hardly ever allowed to excel as a lead actor. This season, Black actor Devon Walker has been featured for a total of 17 minutes across 10 episodes despite having been recently promoted to full-time cast member status. There is a reason that Black actors like Donald Glover see missing out on being cast on SNL as a blessing rather than a curse and the opportunity to showcase one's talents through prolonged exposure is chief among those reasons.
At the end of the day, there's no denying SNL's impact. For better or worse, I along with millions of other millennials grew up on the program. We all saw the first post-9/11 episode as a return to normalcy. We all grew emotional watching Kate McKinnon portray Hillary Clinton singing "Hallelujah" after the November 2016 election. We've watched in awe as Bowen Yang not only became the first Asian-American cast member but is shooting up the charts as one of the show's most talented cast members. The Best of SNL DVD collection was a must-own for those of us trekking off to college and wanting to have something on hand to watch on weekends during our freshman year. Even today, my late Sunday mornings consist of streaming the latest SNL episode on my Peacock app. For nearly twenty-five years, SNL has helped define who I am by bringing me joy.
But I also understand that decisions SNL has made have negatively impacted the world. The program's conscientious choice to take equal shots at both Democrats and Republicans has created apathy among voters. Its elevation of Donald Trump as a host in 2015 helped legitimize someone who should have never been legitimized. The constant demeaning and degradation of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris over the past 4 years damaged the administration's accomplishments in the public eye. For a program that has led to the stardom of so many talented comics, SNL continues to be woefully underrepresented when it comes to actors of color. That will continue to happen because the program's own internal hiring staff lacks the type of diversity that is necessary to identify new and upcoming talent and there simply isn't sustainable infrastructure to support those once they are cast. Until that happens, SNL diversity will continue to be the kind of punchline that is acknowledged but not acted upon, just as it has always been.
Great art is meant to challenge us. There is no denying that Saturday Night Live is great art. To create an episode of sketch comedy with dozens of writers, 15-20 cast members, and an in-house team that creates videos, sets, and costumes within 6 days is nothing short of remarkable. To have done this nearly 1,000 times over a half-century is a testament to what has become a well-oiled machine. But because we know what is capable, we also expect better. We expect a program that knows its reach and influence to occasionally take a stand in the fight for justice. We expect a comedy variety show to pull the best comics from around the country and to look like, sound like, and laugh like America. SNL can walk and chew gum if it chooses to do so. It can easily become more diverse and use its platform to inform the American public the truth about our political discourse if it wants. But with Lorne Michaels at the helm, that day is unlikely to come. SNL will continue to entertain us but it will never revolutionize us. While SNL will continue its legacy for another half-century, it will never be the type of ground-breaking television it could have been.
That was a choice the show made and one that simply cannot be undone.
The problem is that for as much as SNL considered itself entertainment, it also had the unique ability to influence the political dialogue. Its portrayals of presidents alone showed the lengths it was willing to go to try and do so. From having Ronald Reagan as a secret genius to Joe Biden as old and senile SNL made a conscientious choice on how it represented the president to the American people. While it is known for taking shots at Republicans like Sarah Palin and Donald Trump, there has always been a conscientious choice to attack Democratic elected officials as well. With elections often won by winning the middle, SNL has often had an outsized influence on national elections. In 2000, SNL famously mocked the first presidential debate between George W. Bush and Al Gore, a practice it had done since its inception. While the portrayal of Bush as an intellectual lightweight was simply laughed off, the Gore campaign team was deeply troubled that their candidate was being seen as dull and out-of-touch so much so that they showed him the SNL skit prior to the second debate. One can't help but wonder if the SNL narrative hurt Gore in a state like Florida, where the final vote was decided by a mere 537 votes.
Additionally, SNL is notorious for its lack of diversity. This has been a well-documented problem since the program's inception 50 years ago and stems largely from hiring decisions being made by a team of mostly White men at NBC. It got so bad that SNL tried some self-deprecating humor during the show's 40th anniversary only to have an awkward joke on the topic lead to even more criticism for being so tone-deaf. The numbers speak for themselves: throughout SNL's history, the cast has been overwhelmingly White even as the country becomes more and more brown. There's also the sad fact that over 90% of hosts are White, meaning that SNL's few writers of color hardly ever get the ability to think creatively about writing for one of their own. While SNL has made an effort to increase diversity in recent years with the addition of Bowen Yang as the first Asian-American cast member, the problem is that trailblazing actors like Punky Johnson (the first out Black queer woman) and Molly Kearney (the first nonbinary cast member) are often relegated to background roles in sketches and are hardly ever allowed to excel as a lead actor. This season, Black actor Devon Walker has been featured for a total of 17 minutes across 10 episodes despite having been recently promoted to full-time cast member status. There is a reason that Black actors like Donald Glover see missing out on being cast on SNL as a blessing rather than a curse and the opportunity to showcase one's talents through prolonged exposure is chief among those reasons.
At the end of the day, there's no denying SNL's impact. For better or worse, I along with millions of other millennials grew up on the program. We all saw the first post-9/11 episode as a return to normalcy. We all grew emotional watching Kate McKinnon portray Hillary Clinton singing "Hallelujah" after the November 2016 election. We've watched in awe as Bowen Yang not only became the first Asian-American cast member but is shooting up the charts as one of the show's most talented cast members. The Best of SNL DVD collection was a must-own for those of us trekking off to college and wanting to have something on hand to watch on weekends during our freshman year. Even today, my late Sunday mornings consist of streaming the latest SNL episode on my Peacock app. For nearly twenty-five years, SNL has helped define who I am by bringing me joy.
But I also understand that decisions SNL has made have negatively impacted the world. The program's conscientious choice to take equal shots at both Democrats and Republicans has created apathy among voters. Its elevation of Donald Trump as a host in 2015 helped legitimize someone who should have never been legitimized. The constant demeaning and degradation of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris over the past 4 years damaged the administration's accomplishments in the public eye. For a program that has led to the stardom of so many talented comics, SNL continues to be woefully underrepresented when it comes to actors of color. That will continue to happen because the program's own internal hiring staff lacks the type of diversity that is necessary to identify new and upcoming talent and there simply isn't sustainable infrastructure to support those once they are cast. Until that happens, SNL diversity will continue to be the kind of punchline that is acknowledged but not acted upon, just as it has always been.
Great art is meant to challenge us. There is no denying that Saturday Night Live is great art. To create an episode of sketch comedy with dozens of writers, 15-20 cast members, and an in-house team that creates videos, sets, and costumes within 6 days is nothing short of remarkable. To have done this nearly 1,000 times over a half-century is a testament to what has become a well-oiled machine. But because we know what is capable, we also expect better. We expect a program that knows its reach and influence to occasionally take a stand in the fight for justice. We expect a comedy variety show to pull the best comics from around the country and to look like, sound like, and laugh like America. SNL can walk and chew gum if it chooses to do so. It can easily become more diverse and use its platform to inform the American public the truth about our political discourse if it wants. But with Lorne Michaels at the helm, that day is unlikely to come. SNL will continue to entertain us but it will never revolutionize us. While SNL will continue its legacy for another half-century, it will never be the type of ground-breaking television it could have been.
That was a choice the show made and one that simply cannot be undone.