November 24, 2019

SNL did a great job with the Democratic debate.

I don't want to spoil the fun by singling anyone out (and it's all very good):



ADDED: One reason this is really good is that it's not about hating on Trump. It's finding what's funny in the actual details about the Democratic Party candidates.

38 comments:

gilbar said...

it's like EVERYONE has come to the acceptance of the fact that President Trump wins reelection

WisRich said...

Saw this morning. Agreed Ann, very funny. They several LOL moments for me.

The Crack Emcee said...

It'd be funnier if I was laughing, but - details.

Beasts of England said...

Larry and Bernie were separated at birth.

Danno said...

It is about time they did a skit that was not totally Orange Man Bad. Not sure they can recover after so long a period of doing just that.

Tank said...

Pretty funny.

It’s always easier to laugh at the other side.

Jim Gust said...

Thanks for posting this, Professor. I would have missed it otherwise.

Is SNL trying to get some of the old audience back? Or do they realize that their humorlessness was hurting the Democrats?

doctrev said...

"The Babylon Bee's not funny! Why can't the kids like something hip and funny, like Saturday Night Live! It even plays in taxicabs, so you know it's funny!"

OK...

JML said...

Bernie wants us all to get the clap.

David Begley said...

It was funny. They are all clowns.

Mary Beth said...

That was pretty good. It got a little weak towards the end, though. When (the) Harris (character) was complaining about being taken for granted, I was hoping she would ask who she has to blow to be taken seriously.

Temujin said...

I made it through 5:30 and I'm thinking that was enough time to get funny. It wasn't. 12:16 is a long freakin' time to not be funny on national tv. And this is why SNL has not worked for years. Not only are their skits not funny, they are way too long. In it's prime years, with a cast that are legendary, they did not need 12 minute skits. (I don't think).

For instance: Samarai Delicatessen

We live in a time of not funny. The Left is the leading disease of not being funny, nor allowing anyone else to laugh at things that are who we are. The Dem candidates are not funny. The Left is not funny. SNL is no longer funny. And making the skit long does not make it funnier, though it will fill up the time. And that's probably needed when the writers are so bad.

mockturtle said...

Watched it all. Some of the impersonations were good--notably, Warren & Sanders--but the lines weren't very clever. Where are the comedy writers of today? [Besides The Babylon Bee]

tcrosse said...

That the suits at NBC allowed mockery of these characters suggests that none of them will be the nominee.

William said...

The imitations weren't quite affectionate but neither were they biting.... Kate MaKinnon was very funny as Hillary. Her Warren not of that level. There was that one brief shining moment when SNL's parody of Hillary was more devastating than the Trump imitation. But then they got Baldwin to come in and bite the heads off babies in his parody Trump, and the moment passed.

The Crack Emcee said...

Mary Beth (the commenter) said...

"When (the) Harris (character) was complaining about being taken for granted, I was hoping she would ask who she has to blow to be taken seriously."

That would be the former San Francisco Mayor (who was also raised by a pimp) Willie Brown, but he's waaay over it now, having already publicly declared she can't beat Trump.

If only he could blow Trump....

chuck said...

OK Boomer.

The Crack Emcee said...

William said...

"Kate MaKinnon was very funny as Hillary. Her Warren not of that level."

If I never see her or Woddy Harrelson in anything, ever again, that will be fine with me.

They currently define the term "played out" for me.

bagoh20 said...

I laughed a lot, but mostly because of the silliness of the impersonations. The actual lines written have no funny to them. I find it hard to believe comedy writers can't come up with more clever dialog. Anybody could write that shit in 10 minutes. Somebody is not earning their pay.

chickelit said...

Harry Woodelson made me chuckle with is "off color, on color" zinger.

JAORE said...

Several cute to funny moments. Too long for a comedy bit. But, like the "debates" what are you going to do with that many players? Careful to not be TOO harsh to these people. But it's a step.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

I laughed, but the writing could have been tighter. Harrelson, of all people, stumbled a little over a marijuana joke, the Harold and Kumar joke was telegraphed from the start (protip for comedy writers: punchline goes last), and “My eyes are down here!” didn’t need to be followed by “Not up here!”.

Temujin said...

The answer to 'how do you do the Dem Debate if there's too many people to cover?'

Don't do it. Do something funny and less obvious. I mean- if it's boring as hell in real life, what makes you think average comedy writers are going to make it work?

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

So soft. oh so soft.

chickelit said...

The typecasting of Gabbard as Cruella de Ville tells me that that real witch behind the scenes is still very large and in charge. I realize that Hillary was targeted prior to the election in 2016, but has SNL ever mocked her since she lost?

daskol said...

There was real comedic talent up there, but it was mostly special guests/former cast and not the current cast.

Roger Sweeny said...

The typecasting of Gabbard as Cruella de Ville

Funny, I didn't see it as putting down Gabbard. I saw it as putting down the other candidates. Because she dares to criticize the sainted past of the Party (well, the past from 2008-2016), they see her as a villain.

daskol said...

And Bloomberg is IN, improving this sketch and the prospects for funny because Fred Armison gets to stick around.

rehajm said...

That Chloe Fineman does a better Liz Warren than Kate does...

daskol said...

I've tried to appreciate Kate M., including her episode with Seinfeld drinking coffee, but I'm struggling--her stuff is always one-note. Still, I think she captures the essence of Warren's persona, even if the impression lacks nuance. Warren is spry, and she's far more competent speaking publicly than her contenders, both of Kate conveys.

rcocean said...

THis is one of the better ones, primarily because Larry David is very Funny as Bernie. And Harrelson and Will Ferrell are old pros at Comedy. Sadly, there's not much talent in the other performers and most of the laughs come from actors not the lines.

Klobablob does shake her head - so that one was funny. One time. The Tulsi G. thing wasn't funny at all.

Bruce Hayden said...

“ The actual lines written have no funny to them. I find it hard to believe comedy writers can't come up with more clever dialog.”

I thought several of the speeches were cute. I esp liked how they painted Tulsi Gabbord. The sad reality is that she is the only one who could stand up to Trump. She was really the only one not pandering unmercifully to the various Dem constituencies. I liked Biden getting lost, and Sanders going on a tangent about pocket lint, etc.

Yancey Ward said...

That was hilarious. I got the feeling from that that Larry David improvised his entire role, or, at the very least, wrote it himself.

n.n said...

Democrats can be funny. They have seen the light. A revolutionary thought, a certain epiphany. Let us bray.

Yancey Ward said...

Tank wrote:

"Pretty funny.

It’s always easier to laugh at the other side.
"

Well, this is not really all that true, is it? The problem with SNL from the perspective of the right is that they increasingly couldn't do self-deprecating humor, and such humor is always welcomed whether you agree with the politics or not. If you spend all your time making fun of only your political opposition in comedy, the opposition just starts seeing it as ill-natured. This skit was refreshing. I doubt they do it again any time soon, but still it is a start.

Gunner said...

I agree that Steyer is a mentally disabled Will Ferrill character.

Howard said...

It was funny in spots, sketch comedy is always hit and miss. Liked Farrell as that Steyer freak. The chick who plays Tulsi is fine. I want more mocking of Rachel Maddow

Jake said...

Weak