At the beginning of October, SNL returned for its 51st season, and with its return came a shift in the show that can only be categorized as surrender.
The first sign of change came with the announcement of season 51’s cast. Fans were left shocked when it came out that the contracts of Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow, Heidi Gardner, and Ego Nwodim were not renewed. Each of these individuals held distinct and integral roles on the show, Ego and Heidi both serving seven and eight years, respectively. Their collective absence was evident from the unfamiliar cast that appeared in the first episode. While turnover is critical to SNL, this mass exodus and then replacement made the show feel foreign. Additionally, the expectations I had held for the new cast members fell short of thrilling. Lorne Michaels, the show’s executive producer, seemed to be attempting to appeal to a larger audience than SNL’s traditional liberal leaning viewers when crafting season 51’s cast. Kam Patterson, a self-proclaimed Trump supporter, is a prime example of this shift. Getting his start in an appearance on controversial comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s “anti-woke” podcast Kill Tony, he has pushed buttons with his own views and use of gay slurs and the R-word in his jokes.
While Lorne’s agenda for season 51 is evident, his motivations are not totally deplorable. Historically, SNL has played a complicated role in the political climate. By portraying candidates and government officials, the show has indirectly shaped the public perception of those in power. Tina Fey’s superficial ditsy take on Sarah Palin put into the zeitgeist “I can see Russia from my house,” a quote that was never given by Palin, but she would go on to be famously known for. Often, liberal-leaning characters and jokes can be made at the expense of the Republican Party, shifting public opinion. We can look to the episode right before the 2016 election for a prime example of this. After a fall filled with blatantly anti-Trump skits in anticipation of the November election, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s cold open on the Sunday before the election put the cherry on top of the cake for already angry Republicans. Opening with a cheeky rap, Miranda sang “he’s never going to be president now” from his musical Hamilton, suggesting an assumed election loss after an Access Hollywood tape was leaked in which Trump engaged in a lewd conversation on women with television host Billy Bush. This ill-mannered portrayal of Trump, no matter how accurate, had a reverse effect on the public than Fey’s Palin. In reaction to the constant hate, ratings dropped, and citizens sympathized with Trump, which certainly did not help Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
With all this in mind, it is not shocking that Lorne is trying to move away from this legacy, if not to keep the show on air, but for the greater good of politics. Additionally, Jimmy Kimmel’s show being suspended after his commentary on Charlie Kirk’s death early this fall set a tone of fear in the comedy community. SNL, being the biggest comedy show in the U.S., also means that it is highly monitored. Whatever jokes they were to make this season had to have their consequences anticipated. This all being said, as a show, SNL shouldn’t have to compromise its legacy as a boundary pusher to please the current U.S. administration. If they hadn’t in the past, why start now?
Early this October, as I sat down on my couch to view the season opener, I put my doubts about the new cast aside, kept all the previously discussed context in mind, and put my hope in Lorne Michaels’ hands. The cold open, while generally tame, revealed how the show has succumbed to fear. Colin Jost portrayed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth by impersonating his meeting with military generals that aimed to end the “woke agenda”. James Austin Johsnon also appeared as Trump, which was a recurring role for him in the previous season. While his impersonation was admittedly poking fun at the President, it was not to the degree that the show standardly did. During his monologue, a specific quote stood out to me: “I’m just here keeping my eye on SNL making sure they don’t do anything too mean about me.” There it was, the blatant acknowledgement that, just as I had feared, SNL is stepping back rather than stepping up to the challenge that is our government control over the media. The rest of the episode avoided the multitude of political events that the summer held and instead showed non-political skits.
Frustrated with this development, I decided to entertain the rest of the season. But every episode just doesn’t feel right. In a time where comedy should be working overtime, SNL, or should I say Lorne Michaels, seems to have shrunk in the shadows of controversy. I am not the only one who is seeing this. Pete Davidson, in a recent feature on Weekend Update, quipped, “If Lorne Michaels has taught us anything, it’s that you never, ever give up. Even if everyone says the time has come and Tina Fey is ready to take over.”
The show is obviously reining in its sketches to stay on air, even if that means moving away from its signature content. While I understand the intent, I see this as a cowardly cop-out, not a solution. As an avid viewer of SNL and all its glorious 50 seasons, this is not what I know the show to be. Never once in the past did they back away from making the best joke, even if it was at the expense of those in power. They hold an obligation to all of comedy to constantly be pushing the boundaries, because if not them, then who? As the biggest comedy show in the nation, it is their responsibility to preserve comedy, even if it is dangerous, even if it involves pushback from the network, or even the government. They must do this, if not for the show’s integrity, then for all the struggling comedians who are chasing their dreams, the people out there taking risks in the name of comedy, and most importantly, for those who just need someone to make light of the upside-down world we seem to be living in. But no, Lorne has stepped back, the show has stepped back, comedy steps back.
To me, humor has been the most important device in facing challenges. During COVID, I became hooked on SNL just for this reason. Whether it was watching old skits during lockdown (such as Will Ferrell’s genius “Cowbell”) or listening to Colin Jost and Michael Che simplify chewy headlines into digestible jokes, laughing got me through. So while I will mourn the loss of legendary bits that could have broken new ground and inspired the next generation of comedians, I won’t give up now on SNL as quickly as its producers. We should all be able to take a joke.
