TTH 5/27/26

Classic SNL Recap - Season 29, Episode 10

My Captain Obvious statement is that an SNL episode will always reflect the time in which it initially aired. This episode is an extreme example of that notion. It was hosted by Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, and it’s hard to think of any time other than 2004 in which they would have hosted. They were not the easiest people to write for; Lachey was such a bland presence that he practically vanished into the scenery, and while their reality show established clear personas for the two, you can only see Simpson play the dumb blonde stereotype so many times in one evening before it grows tiresome. This is a rare episode in which I don’t have any clips to share, because there was not much worth sharing.

This show aired shortly before the 2004 Iowa Caucus, and in the cold open Howard Dean (Jeff Richards) phones various county chairmen asking for their pledges of support, and cusses them out once they refuse. This was the final SNL episode for Richards; he lasted 2 1/2 years on the show without making much of a lasting impression. If he is remembered at all these days it is for his Weekend Update character Drunk Girl, a character type which has been done much better both before and since.

The post-monologue sketch was the recurring piece in which Jimmy Fallon portrayed a Morning Zoo DJ, always finding ways to humiliate the guests on his show. The joke in this one was that whenever Fallon would use a funny voice to degrade Lachey, Simpson actually thought the character Fallon was pretending to play was a real person. Not much to say, except to note that Jimmy Fallon has a natural talent for playing a smart aleck who is nowhere near as funny as he thinks he is.

If there is a highlight this week, it came in the Sharon Osbourne talk show. Amy Poehler did a great Osbourne impersonation, acting with some of the cutest dogs ever seen on the planet. Horatio Sanz played an incoherent Ozzy, and Sharon’s guests on the show were Lachey and Simpson as Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra. Did I mention that this show was from 2004? Further evidence of the era is that Simpson and Rachel Dratch portrayed Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie in a promo for the American Beef Council.

Update wasn’t particularly special this week either. Poehler popped in as Michael Jackson; this was the week in which Jacko famously danced atop a car following a court appearance. This was also the week that The Apprentice aired for the first time. The Donald (Darrell Hammond) appeared at the Update desk to gloat about his ratings, mock Fallon for his bad hair, and tell Tina Fey that she needs to do something about her boobs. If it were not for the fact that The Apprentice fooled millions into thinking that the actual DJT was the smart businessman that the show portrayed him as and not the buffoon who bankrupted casinos the piece might have felt funny; instead it’s tragic.

One other passable sketch was one which mocked Simpson’s famous confusion over Chicken Of The Sea tuna. She is in a commercial which takes place backstage after one of her concerts. She is selling the tuna, only to be handed an increasingly absurd number of ____ of the ___ products to promote, such as Turkey Of The Jungle brand bananas.

This is an episode best forgotten; it’s more of a time capsule piece than most SNL episodes are. Next week I will review the season 29 finale. Hopefully that one will be led by a more seasoned sketch comic. Let’s see who has the duties. Oh dear God, it’s Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen. I can’t say that I have very high hopes for this one.

The Season 51 Debrief

Saturday Night Live has been an important part of my life for almost my entire life. That goes all the way back to when the show debuted; it had the air of forbidden fruit. I was eventually allowed to stay up late enough to watch it, and it felt like it was an important step in my maturity. And like virtually every sentient human being, I have had my moments of lamentation over the fact that the show just ain’t as funny as it used to be.

All of which is to say that I hold the show to high standards at the same time as I defend it from its detractors. The episode which I reviewed above is a good reason why; the cast of that era was absolutely stacked, as was the writing staff. That still didn’t prevent them from producing the occasional dud of an episode. Forget the crap, remember the hits is what I say. In 10 years, I will barely remember the show’s futile attempts to turn Domingo into the next great recurring character. But you bet I will remember Ashley Padilla and “we talking tech?”

That’s not to say that I have blinders on; I am well aware of the flaws that SNL has shown in recent years. It might be overstating things to say that the show has gotten complacent, but it is in need of a shakeup and I don’t think such a shakeup is possible until Lorne Michaels steps aside. I doubt that whatever succession plans are in place would change things too radically, but I do believe that a fresh set of eyes could change things for the better. Lorne is too entrenched in his belief of what the show should be in any given week; a new head voice could be the breath of fresh air that the show needs.

As for the year past, I don’t think I’m stepping out of line when I say that Padilla is the season 51 MVP. The only real question is what her standing will be like going forward. Will she be a Will Ferrell/Kate McKinnon alpha dog type, or will she be an Eddie Murphy type in which she is the de facto star of the show. I wouldn’t put that past her. If you have been reading my reviews of this season’s episodes it should be little surprise to see who I would rank beneath Padilla. Andrew Dismukes is my #2; and James Austin Johnson edges Sarah Sherman out for #3. Of the rookie class, Jeremy Culhane is my choice for most promising newcomer.

My favorite individual episode is the Ariana Grande hosted show, although a lot of that is because it hit the right emotional buttons, being both the Christmas episode as well as Bowen Yang’s farewell. That is followed by the Melissa McCarthy and Miles Teller episodes. The worst? Sorry, but the Josh O’Connor episode earns the dishonor. Now is the time on Sprockets where we await word as to who will leave, either voluntarily or involuntarily, and who will be hired to fill the voids.

The Colbert Debrief

The final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was slightly supersized, but it did not stray too far from his normal show format. Several surprise guests appeared, but it wasn’t overstuffed. The producers took great pains to hide the surprises from the studio audience; there was heavier than normal security at the backstage entrance so the guests were able to sneak in unseen. Audience plants such as Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, and Ryan Reynolds were on hand to make a few light jokes. Colbert’s fellow late night hosts made a final appearance as well, as did Andy Cohen and Neil deGrasse Tyson. None of them were the big gun.

Colbert’s final guest was fitting. Of all of the stars who stepped foot on stage in the Ed Sullivan Theater over the years, it’s likely that from a cultural standpoint none stood larger than The Beatles. Therefore, it made all the sense in the world to have Paul McCartney end the show. The interview was charming, as Sir Paul shared some of his memories of that historic broadcast from 1964.

It ended with McCartney singing Hello Goodbye, accompanied by Elvis Costello and Jon Batiste, with Colbert himself joining in on backing vocals. The stage would soon be filled with dozens of Late Show staffers - these hard working men and women are the true victims of CBS’s corporate tomfoolery - before McCartney and Colbert were seen backstage. McCartney pulled the “off” lever on an electrical box, symbolically turning off the lights on the Late Night franchise.

Stephen Colbert is too classy to burn all of his bridges on the way out, but over the course of his final weeks he made his displeasure known in subtle ways. It was a nice move that in one of the final shows David Byrne performed Burning Down the House. Message sent. I’m saddened by his departure - he raised the level of discourse in late night TV - but I am eager to see what he was in store next, freed from the shackles of network TV. Take a bow, Mr. Colbert, ya done good.

The Sports Movie Pantheon - Heaven Can Wait

Heaven Can Wait was one of the most charming films of the late 1970’s. It was a remake of an often filmed story, which shows what happens when a guardian angel makes an unfortunate mistake. Warren Beatty stars as Joe Pendleton, a backup quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, who is killed in a bicycling accident.

Except he wasn’t supposed to have been killed. His guardian angel (Buck Henry) had snatched him away before he was hit by a truck to spare him from the pain, but the man was not scheduled to die until 2025. To make things right in the universe, the head angel (James Mason) has to place Joe’s soul into a different body. He was offered the option of a number of people who were about to die. Joe chooses a millionaire whose wife (Dyan Cannon) was having an affair with his personal assistant (Charles Grodin.) The couple had killed the industrialist, but he was resurrected when Joe took over his body. (To avoid confusion, the audience saw him as Warren Beatty, the characters all saw him as he previously was.)

Now alive again, Joe is determined to essentially return to his old life. He wants to go back to playing for the Rams. He purchases the team, and then convinces the Rams head trainer (Jack Warden) that he is the resurrected Joe and recruits him to build himself into playing shape. This is where one must suspend disbelief; it’s a stretch to believe that a middle aged businessman could become an NFL caliber quarterback that quickly, but the movie is entertaining enough that it doesn’t matter.

While this is going on, Joe’s enemies continue to plot to kill him, but he pays little attention. He has fallen in love with an environmental activist (Julie Christie) who has lobbied against him. Will Joe find happiness? Will he lead the Rams to the Super Bowl? Will the machinations of the afterlife throw a wrench into his plans? Stay tuned to find out.

This movie is crazy with talent; just look at the names I have already mentioned. That extends to behind the camera as well. Beatty co-directed the movie with Buck Henry, and he co-wrote the screenplay with Elaine May. It received a total of 9 Oscar nominations, winning 1 for art direction. Beatty was nominated 4 times himself, even though he was personally shut out that night. It was also a big hit at the box office. There are enough plot threads running through the movie that it is sports adjacent as much as it is a pure sports movie, but that’s more than enough for it to earn its place in the pantheon.

Closing Laughs

That puts a wrap on things for yet another day. Thanks as always for tuning in; be sure to have a great day. That’s an order. See you all again on Friday.