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Saturday Night Live - Season 32 (1 Viewer)

RyanAn

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This Saturday, September 30, comes the 32nd season premiere of Saturday Night Live. With Dane Cook as the guest host and "The Killers" as musical group, both make their second appearances.

With this latest season, the cast has been cut down from last year's 16 to now 11. Loosing Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch to the new show "30 Rock" and also Seth Meyers as a regular cast member, reportedly. Seth is now going to be a one of three head writers and the co-host of Weekend Update with a returning Amy Poehler.

Also, due to "budgetary cutbacks" - Horatio Sanz, Finesse Mitchel, and Chris Parnell have been let go.

Let us mourn for "Starkisha," "Appalachian Emergency," "Zinger!,"Debbie Downer," and "Merv the Perv" just to name a slight few.

But let us all be happy in that some of the younger upstarts may get an even bigger chance to shine. Hopefully Fred Armisen and Bill Hader will be the stand-outs. This could be Kristen Wiigs breakout season as well. "Lady at Target: THE MOVIE!" Keenan Thompson is a sketch comedy veteran and I really hope that he shows what he has this year, after last year getting some huge laughs. Hopefully Will Forte (please, no THE FALCONER movie ) and Jason Sudeikis can keep up the good work as well. I LOVE Maya Rudolp and has very happy to hear she is staying on. Andy Samberg was really making me happy with the Digital Shorts.


If memory serves me correctly, here is this season's cast:

Keenan Thompson
Kirsten Wiig
Bill Hader
Maya Rudolph
Amy Poelher
Fred Armisen
Andy Samberg
Jason Sudeikis
Will Forte
Darrell Hammond
Seth Meyers (if included in sketches, I hope so)
 

Craig S

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Of the three "firings", Parnell is the only one I'll miss. I would have thought his contribution to "Lazy Sunday" (the funniest SNL moment in years) alone would have earned him a return.

At least we won't have to sit through another "Carol!" sketch.
htf_images_smilies_dance.gif


Meyers' role sounds much like Fey's in previous years. She didn't appear in too many sketches either. He should be good on "Update".

I think you're right about this being Wiig's breakout opportunity. With Fey & Dratch gone the cast is down to only three women, so there will be lots of work for all of them. Poehler & Rudolph have proven their versatility, and I think Wiig has the chops to stand with them.

Not thrilled with Cook as the opening host. His show was one of last year's worst, IMO. But he's got a movie to plug, and he'll draw the ratings, I guess.
 

nickGreenwood

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Funny Dane was one of my favorite hosts from last year.
I was extremely happy to hear that Horatio was gone, my gosh that guy has been on for so long and has done one thing i liked and that was his imitation of Aaron Neville and he still couldn't get through that.
Kristen Wiig is awesome, she does the best impressions of Megan Mulally and Drew Barrymore, hopefully she'll be able to do more (heck if she can imitate Drew, she should be able to imitate Katie Holmes, they're pretty similar looking).

Glad to hear about Seth, he's on my favorites (he's from a town in New Hampshire that's not far from me, which makes him that much more cool to me) and he's funny.

I love Amy Poehler.

Parnell I'll miss, he had some of the best sketches, I still love the "Financial Trouble" skit. (If you don't have the money, then don't buy it!) and of course "Lazy Sunday".
I'm also looking forward to see how Hader and Samberg are handled this year, especially Samberg where he was the obvious breakout last season.
 

streeter

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I like Wiig - with the exception of the aforementioned Target sketches. I think it's a shameless rip-off of some of Mo Collins' characters on MadTV, so those sketches bother me.
 

GuruAskew

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Dane Cook is the comedic antichrist (he is to comedy what Limp Bizkit is to rock & roll) so I'll be skipping the premiere but the fact that Tina Fey is no longer involved in the show is a definite plus.

Now that she's gone I'm gonna give SNL another chance. It used to be a weekly staple starting in my youth all the way to my teenage years but ever since Will Ferrell and Tracy Morgan left there's been no single talent strong enough to make up for Fey's complete awfulness as head writer.

As I look at the current cast I'm actually somewhat optimistic, though it's not perfect, I'd trade Hammond (who has always been monumentally overrated, I mean how do you turn the exact same Sean Connery impression that every person that's ever lived does into a popular recurring character?) & Thompson for Parnell but the rest I'm fine with.
 

ThomasC

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I really hope Parnell's screen career doesn't end with SNL. It's sad to hear that he didn't leave on his own will.
 

GuruAskew

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He was actually let go once before and was off the show for several episodes before being brought back.

I'm not holding my breath for that to happen again but it's sort of odd coming right after he finally had a "breakout" year.

Like I said, Parnell alone is worth more than Thompson and Hammond put together but then who would do awful Donald Trump and Bill Cosby impressions?
 

RyanAn

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To quote MC Parnell during one of his raps:

"I'm so cool, Lorne hired me twice!"

Alrighty, season 32 kicked off with a short little sketch NOT having Darrell Hammond in some way - but still political with Bush. I love the Jason Sudekis got to say "Live from New York..." - "What are you interests? - Politics." moves away.

Dane Cook is a funny dude, I think his stand-up monolouge may catch some people off guard though.

"Well if your jaw was wired shut! - Hey!" - My jaw was wired shut, I laughed outloud and can identify because I had mine broken and wired shut.

I LOVE the new NBC logo in the left corner, it's much smaller and less noticeable for me.

The announcement of next week's host Jaime Pressley and musical guest Corrinne Bailey Rae has me totally jazzed! I love Jamie and totally adore the Corrinne Bailey Rae album that came out. It is great that she is hitting the airwaves!

It's great to see Fred Armisen with a new lead character - hopefully he'll have more spots. Seeing Amy as Kim Jong Ill was hysterical. That Saddam meets Andy Rooney merge was pretty funny, but too short. "America!"

It's great to see the SNL Digital Shorts are still coming out strong. "Cubicle Fight" - dang man, that was crazy funny.

Bill Hader is probably the best impressionist I have seen in a long while. I love me some Al Pacino and that sketch was killer. Best of the show so far. "...cause it's actin' stupid!" "I'm gonna sleep like an astronaut tonight! Oh boy!"

The Killers sound good.

Weekend Update opened up really funny. Or at least that the little short. "...and someone has to tell them that Daddy's not going ot be on TV tonight."

I like that the entire opening theme for both the main show and Weekend Update are changed, it looks good and keeps things fresh.

Seth is a nice addition to the Update desk, he did a good job last season when Tina was on leave.

"...and I tried to be quite, as I put my pants on." - Bill and Condi make a terrific couple, lol.

Hearing all those Saved by the Bell acts was funny, defiantely did not think I would of been hearing that on SNL this week. :)

The water puriferer sketch was pretty stellar. "Just finishing up my bonin' - I like to watch." I loved the lack of dialouge when Will Forte opened the door - very classic slapstick humor. A nice change of pace. "Don't worry, they're only gonna use the funny part - and that ended a long time ago."

I think that I dig the second Killers song more than the first. I liked it, but I prefered the background arrangment better in the second one.

"Whoa! Where's my boob going?" - Amy plays a mighty fine Farrah. heh. Nice merge into a new sketch. Fred took the brunt in that sketch. "See ya tomorrow?"

Having Maya as Whitney end the show with Andy was great. "Ain't it shockin' what love can do?" - It was short and sweet and funny.

Overall, I had a fun time with the premiere. I'm glad the guy with the turtle neck did not come back for this episode with Dane, but I am sad they did not do the Target sketch, because his character was creepy and awesome. "Where's your daughter?"

ry
 

Patrick Sun

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This wasn't that funny for an opening episode. It looked strange to see so few cast members in the opening montage.

a: F6
 

joshEH

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Hader's Pacino is the stuff of legends.

Dane Cook is crying right now over your negative comments.

He's in his room, crying. Screaming.

"I DID MY BEST! I DID MY BEST!! I DID MY *BEST*!!!!"

Many different fluids are falling down his face.
 

Jon Martin

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That is probably the best description of him that I have read. Also, not a fan. But thank god he didn't do that godawful superman and ice cream cone bit. What he did tonight was more tolerable. Not funny, but he didn't have all his manic gyrations and cutesy words which make him so annoying.

Not a good opening episode (and my channel cut out the opening of the weekend update, they went to commercial after the Brian Williams bit and came back in the middle of a joke).

And for old SNL fans, was that Beth Cahill (of the 91-92 season) by the jukebox in the bar sketch at the end? Wordless role, but I just saw her on an E! SNL countdown show and it looks like her.
 

Craig S

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Last night's ep wasn't as bad as last year's Cook-hosted turn, but it wasn't great either.

Cook's monologue/stand-up started out extremely weak. It did build some, and I was chuckling by the end, but for a minute or two there he was laying a huge egg.

Really disappointing to see them open with a Bush sketch, especially after "Studio 60" really slammed that tired idea just 5 nights before.

There were some successful moments. The Chavez sketch was funny (I too loved Amy as that Korean nutjob - I was waiting for her to breakout into a rousing chorus of "I'm Rone-ry"). The Brian Williams cameo leading in to "Update" was great (kudos to Williams who did a good job with it). The water bottle sketch started well (and the bottles falling out of the closet was classic), but petered out. The Pacino bit was pretty good. The digital short was OK.

"Update" was just OK. I liked Bill & Condi. The final bit ("gimme a reason" Bert) had me rolling.

All in all, it had the air of a show trying to find its way, which is understandable given the changes this year.
Oh brother. I guess you're trying to do a bit here, but it's about as funny as Cook last night, i.e., "not so much".
 

Patrick_S

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I thought this was a decent episode.

The opening skit was funny particularly because it has a ring of truth to it. It always helps if the political skits even if they are a little on the absurd side have a ring of truth to them.

I have to agree that the Williams cameo was well done.

The Airport security skit again was funny because it sadly has a ring of truth to it.

Over all it wasn’t that bad of a start to the season.
 

AnthonyC

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It was better than the first Dane Cook episode, but still...it's Dane Cook. I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't find the guy too funny.

The Whitney Houston Geico skit was probably my favorite.
 

Randy Tennison

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Decent episode. Yeah, I agree, Dane's routine fell flat. I think he could even tell the audience wasn't laughing. And yeah, the Bush sketch was ok, but at least it wasn't another press conference or in the oval office sketch.

Sudekis is good. He'll take over the "everyman" parts Parnell had.

All in all, a good show. Not fantastic, but good and solid.
 

Citizen87645

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I liked seeing more of Kristin Wiig; everything else was "meh" for me.
 

teapot2001

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Alright episode, better than Cook's last appearance.

I liked the airport security and water bottle sketches.

Great to see more of Wiig. :)

~T
 

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