TV Report: Saturday Night Live

I know bitching about Saturday Night Live on the internet has become so de rigueur that it's now boorish, but I wanted to say something about the last couple of episodes.

Now, I'm a fan of SNL. Even when it's really bad, there are usually one or two sketches I like or a digital short or something. But this season is off to a terrible spot, and the writing is really, really awful.

Last week's episode, with Taylor Swift, was a breath of fresh air. It wasn't a tremendous success, but it was better than it's been this year. Granted, she's not much of a live singer, but her monologue and her willingness to just be part of the proceedings instead of just dining out on her media persona made up for a lot. I thought she handled her monologue really well, picking apart her media persona, commenting on it, and dismissing it. They didn't do "interrupting Kanye" jokes all night like I feared they would. She was competent, even fun, and was really up to the task without a lot of ego. I found that pretty refreshing. The writing was somehow better than usual, and while it wasn't a flawless episode, it was the best of the season so far. (Though I thought Gerard Butler had his moments, especially his 300 sketch.)

Last night's episode, starring the incredibly boring January Jones, was the exact opposite. One of the worst episodes in years, and a clear indicator of the problems they're having this season with the show.

In no particular order.

1. Kristen Wiig. I just don't think she's funny, and the show is leaning far too heavily on her. She's amusing at best, and every character she creates is just a tired variation on the same theme of a woman being socially awkward. Her characters are all repetitive, and they're all pretty much the same--and the worst part is, they aren't funny. I can see where she's sometimes amusing, but she needs to have something written to do. It's like they tell her to just ramble to fill time, and it's awkward and often cringe-inducing. (Or, since I TiVo it, fast forward-inducing.)

2. The hosts. It's like SNL is having the same problems as Playboy with wanting to be relevant, so it seems like they keep going after people who are on a popular show or pushing a PG-13 movie instead of just getting someone who seems like they'd be a fun host. January Jones? Even people who love Mad Men don't like January Jones, as near as I can see. She's not funny, she's not a very good actress, and her prettiness was offset by the fact that she couldn't remember her marks, her lines, or how to read cue cards. It was just embarrassing to watch. You can tell an episode is going to suck when the cast has to carry the entire monologue. But that doesn't excuse...

3. The writers. Seriously, almost the entire room just needs to be culled out and replaced with new blood. It's not like there's a shortage of funny writers in the world. Sure, January Jones is terrible, but her awfulness was only enhanced by extremely poor writing. There was a time, very long ago (we're talking decades here) when a terrible host could be propped up by a talented cast and great comedy writing. Now, it's like they're not even trying. Unless January Jones pissed off a LOT of people and the whole episode was really designed just to humiliate her (and that farting Grace Kelley sketch, one of the worst in the show's history, was humiliating indeed... not just for her. I kind of felt insulted on behalf of the late Grace Kelley), there's no excuse for last night's episode. Six episodes into the new season and they're already this bad?

Although, really, the premiere was pure awfulness as well...

Anyway, like I said, it's pointless to criticize SNL at this point. Has been for many years. But, well, stating a tired opinion everyone else already has is part of the point of blogs. Or something.