LAWRENCE, Kan. – I am a die-hard Saturday Night Live fan and have been since I was in elementary school. (Too bad my classmates didn’t always appreciate my not-ready-for-prime-time sense of humor.) But for as much as I love the show, I have often been as critical of the show as any outsider with better than cursory knowledge of the inner workings of the show.

The show is currently in a sort of transition, with new writers coming and going and talent cycling through like college athletes. Even so, SNL has recently shown the sort of signs of life that illustrate just how close it is to striking yet another memorable balance in both its on and off air ensemble. And that’s just the purely content-driven side of the show.

Filed under:
Late Night TV, Music/Variety, Opinion/Editorial, Television by Scott A. Winer

O’FALLON, Mo. – Where do I begin? There’s been a lot of interesting television in the last week, and some other intriguing item looking forward.

Late Night

Saturday Night Live delivered one of its best episodes in recent memory. And I have a pretty good memory, particularly with regard to SNL. Beginning with a well-executed cold open and perhaps the most physically demanding monologue since Bill Murray scaled the “Homebase” set 10 seasons ago, Joseph Gordon-Levitt proved himself a more-than-formidable host. Musical guests Dave Matthews Band made yet another appearance on the show. DMB is the only musical act I can think of who’s performances have now spanned the three longest-tenured directors in SNL’s history – the late Dave Wilson (with host Courteney Cox in 1994), multiple appearances with director Beth McCarthy Miller, and now Don Roy King. I have no doubt I’m the only person who really cares.

Filed under:
Late Night TV, Music/Variety, Sports TV, Technology, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Back for its 33rd year, Saturday Night Live kicked off the new season with host Lebron James and musical guest Kanye West, marking the second time the season premiere featured both an African American host and musical guest. Oddly enough, the previous time featured Michael Jordan as host and Public Enemy as musical guest in 1991.

Many would argue that ’91 was during SNL’s glory days, with one of its most popular and successful casts and a top-notch writing staff. However, on the heels of some unfortunate off-beat summer films starring current cast members – Hot Rod with Andy Samberg and Bill Hader and The Brothers Solomon written and starring Will Forte with Kristen Wiig and a Hader cameo, the current cast still has a lot to prove.

Filed under:
Music/Variety, Opinion/Editorial by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – With every episode of the current season of Saturday Night Live, it seems as if the show’s production crew has lost its touch.

Part of the problem is Don Roy King, the show’s new director. His qualifications were suspect in the first place, and as each week passes, it has become clear that he has no business directing the long-running variety show. His direction of SNL’s comedy sketches has been subpar at best, and he has done a horrendous job cutting the music performances. But King isn’t the only one to blame.

The show’s producer Steve Higgins has somehow managed to keep his job amid the program’s plummetting ratings, and the timing of this season’s shows has been some of the worst in recent memory. For two straight weeks, there have been issues with how much time is left at the end of the show. The final sketch of last week’s episode hosted by Annette Bening had to be prematurely cut off because the show was going too long. For this week’s show hosted by Justin Timberlake, there wasn’t even enough time for a sketch in the last segment of the show. Instead, the SNL band played on camera before the final commercial break.

Filed under:
Late Night TV, Music/Variety, Opinion/Editorial, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Saturday Night Live may have suffered one of the biggest losses in the show’s 32-year history. The show returned last weekend without director Beth McCarthy Miller calling the shots, for the first time in 11 years. Reports from USA Today and Variety have been unclear about who made the decision to end McCarthy Miller’s reign as director, and it’s even more baffling how Don Roy King was chosen as her replacement.

McCarthy Miller came to SNL after rising to the rank of senior director at MTV before leaving to direct The Jon Stewart Show, whose short lifespan perfectly coincided with the late Dave Wilson’s retirement from SNL. Wilson’s departure, however, appeared to have been far more premeditated as a live shot in the control room showed him salute at the close of the 1994-95 season finale. McCarthy Miller had no such curtain call.

Filed under:
Late Night TV, Music/Variety, Opinion/Editorial, Television by Scott A. Winer