What's Wrong with Saturday Night Live

I've been watching Saturday Night Live ever since I accidentally "discovered" it one weekend over three decades ago (!) while desperately search for something to watch on TV. What drew me to it was how different it was - so unlike anything else on TV at the time. I loved how risky and bold it was. I loved the ensemble cast. I loved the improv feeling of the show. And it was LIVE! How dangerous is that?

I've continued to watch regularly for over 30 years. No, not every episode every Saturday night - but probably most of them. Even when the show really, really sucked, which it has over the years.

I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with the show. It's been so flat and predictable for quite some time. And actually, I think that is the problem. It used to be so iconoclastic. They didn't constrain themselves. But after 31 years it has become its own institution. It is now exactly what it countered in the early days. For example, watch any episode from the past 10 years or more and you will see this identical structure:

1. Opening sketch - probably political and way too long. Always ends with a complete non sequitur of somebody saying, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

2. Jazzy opening credits showing current cast members out and about in NYC. Alphabetical by last name. Don Pardo announcing each name.

3. Pardo saying, "...and your host, [NAME]...pause...Ladies and Gentlemen, [NAME]."

4. Host is probably an actor with a movie to plug, a former cast member or one of the "safe" hosts that show up regularly (Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, etc.)

5. Weekend update always happens at midnight.

6. Musical guest always appears twice and is always the last segment of the show.

7. Host appears on stage with cast and musical guest to thank everyone and tell us what a great time he or she had.

This NEVER varies...not one bit. And I think the predictability of the show is really harming it. As a result, SNL is now tame and expected. No edge, nothing unexpected. Nobody talks about it any more...at least not in the old "Hey, did you see SNL this week!" kind of way.

The cause is, to me, very obvious. The show is run dictatorially by one man, Lorne Michaels. Yes, he created it and yes, it belongs to him. But a live television show needs to have a spark of spontaneity to it. You need to feel that at any point something totally unexpected could happen. It was never better than when Andy Kaufman was around to shake things up. But Michaels hated him and banned him from the show. Now you can set you watch to the way the show unfolds each week.

Regrettably Saturday Night Live seems to be on life support.