Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars
O.J. TODAY
Johnnie Cochran (TIM) uses the race card in closing arguments
— Right as this cold opening begins, the very first thing we see is new cast member Will Ferrell. I love that.
— The ridiculous O.J. Today title sequence is pretty funny.
— Tim’s Johnnie Cochran impression has really improved from the non-attempt at an impression he did of him in the preceding season.
— A hilarious visual of Cochran and his lawyer team in African garb.
— I like the brief shot of Mark’s Judge Ito shaking his head in disbelief over Cochran’s rant.
— Fantastic part with Cochran complaining about the prosecution playing “the evidence card”.
— I’m loving the increasing absurdity of Cochran’s speech.
— Tim’s performance is a riot. I’ve always looked at this cold opening as Tim’s attempt at proving his worth, considering he was originally one of the many cast members fired over the summer of 1995, before Lorne soon rehired him because SNL couldn’t find a new black guy and they needed someone to play O.J. Simpson. While I think it’s a very sad statement that the only reason Lorne brought Tim back is because SNL needed an O.J. (hey, Lorne, how about the fact that Tim is FUNNY and was one of the few cast members in season 20 who always put 100% in his performances?), Tim probably knew after his temporary firing that he needed to step it up. In this cold opening, he most certainly is stepping it up, and is knocking it out of the park. A great sign that, after five seasons in the cast, Tim is FINALLY going to have his breakout year this season.
— Overall, a solid way to kick off the new season.
STARS: ****
OPENING MONTAGE
— New montage.
— We get a new SNL logo for the first time since 1988.
— For the first time in 10 seasons, cast members’ names are displayed onscreen in each of their individual shots.
— The many new cast members joining tonight are Jim Breuer, Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, David Koechner, Cheri Oteri, and Nancy Walls.
— Molly Shannon has been promoted from featured player to repertory player.
— Though on the surface, this theme music seems brand new, it’s actually just a slower, jazzier version of season 20’s theme music, minus the beginning and the key change towards the end.
— Speaking of the slightly modified theme music, something about the combo of it and this opening montage has an elegant, classy feel that I really like.
MONOLOGUE
while introducing the new cast, host passionately kisses the females
— We have a new homebase stage, for the first time since way back in 1986. The 1986-1995 homebase isn’t completely gone, though; it was simply moved to the left of the studio, where it will be the musical guest stage for these next three seasons.
— I like how right out of the gate in this monologue, Mariel Hemingway addresses all the big changes made to SNL over the summer.
— Fun idea of Mariel going around backstage to introduce the new cast to us.
— I love the look on Mark’s face when Mariel passionately kisses Cheri Oteri on the lips.
— I feel bad during Jim Breuer’s brief intro, considering he ends up having practically nothing to do tonight in his first show. Even sadder, he’s shown in this monologue rehearsing lines off a script, even though this ends up being his final live appearance tonight, and all of his roles tonight are non-speaking bit parts. Years later, Jim would tell a funny story as a guest on a radio show, I believe (I can’t remember what show it was, but there is/was a YouTube video of Jim telling this story on that show) about how his dad, who traveled all the way to SNL tonight to see Jim’s debut, unhappily confronted Lorne backstage after the show because Jim was practically shut out of the episode.
— A bit of a questionable premise of Mariel passionately kissing each of the female cast members (I guess it’s parodying the famous Roseanne episode she appeared in, as well as other lesbian roles that I hear she’s played over the years), but it’s coming off pretty fun in its execution.
— I love the casual look on Tim’s face in the background during Mariel’s kissing of Molly. I also love how Mariel just casually says “Hi, Tim” when walking away from Molly.
— Mariel’s doing a very solid job navigating this busy monologue.
— Funny background gag of two female NBC pages fearfully running away after Mariel walks past them.
STARS: ***½
A.M. ALE
it lets you feel OK about getting an early-morning buzz
— Pretty funny concept.
— Catchy commercial jingle, especially the chorus.
— I’ve never been quite as crazy about this commercial as some other SNL fans are, but this is a funny, well-done, and nicely-filmed commercial, and a good inaugural one for this era.
STARS: ***½
GET OFF THE SHED!
Frank (WIF) dampens cookout mood by threatening his shed-climbing kids
— I think this sketch is replaced with the dress rehearsal version in reruns. I swear I remember seeing Will wear an apron in that version, which he doesn’t in this live version. (I don’t have enough time right now to dig up a rerun version of this sketch to do a side-by-side screencap comparision.)
— I love that the only cast members featured in this lead-off sketch are newbies.
— I’m getting big laughs from Will’s various sudden “GET OFF THE SHED!” outbursts and him always following that by seamlessly going right back to friendly conversations with the neighbors.
— Mariel’s “You smell good!” to Nancy Walls was certainly… random. Some SNL fans wonder if that was intended as a callback to the monologue, but I think it was just intended as a brief display of random humor. The silliness of it kinda works for me in the context of this sketch.
— Will’s threats to the kids are getting more and more funny and psychotic, such as “THERE’S GONNA BE A MEETING BETWEEN YOUR ASS AND THE PALM OF MY HAND!” and “I WILL PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE!”
— I like David Koechner and Nancy begging the kids to get off the shed when Will removes his belt and goes off-camera to confront the kids.
— A disappointingly weak ending with Mariel asking the kids to get off the fountain.
— Overall, what a way to introduce Will Ferrell’s style to us. I love that his first major role is as Will Ferrell-esque as a Will Ferrell role can get. A great sign of things to come from him.
STARS: ****
NIGHTLINE
Bob Dole (NOM) is bitter about Colin Powell’s (TIM) popularity
— A great choice of a celebrity impression to let newbie impressionist Darrell Hammond debut with. I love the Ted Koppel voice he’s using, as does the audience.
— Feels kinda odd seeing Darrell in his debut, knowing how very long we’re going to be seeing him in the cast. (Even just saying the words “newbie Darrell Hammond” feels weird.) For that same reason, I’m sure I will have that same odd feel when I reach Kenan Thompson’s first season.
— Interestingly enough, I think this is the first time we’re seeing Tim’s Colin Powell impression since Tim’s very first episode (in which he played Powell in one of Chris Rock’s Nat X sketches). At least they got rid of the unnecessary pudgy facial prosthetics he wore as Powell in that first appearance.
— Great to see the debut of Norm’s Bob Dole impression, which I’ve always been a huge fan of.
— Funny cutaways to Norm-as-Dole’s bitter facial expressions when Tim-as-Powell is going on and on.
— Great crack from Dole to Powell about how we “really kicked ass” in Vietnam.
— There’s a little greenness in Darrell’s delivery at times here, but otherwise, he’s nailing his first big sketch.
— Dole: “Prayer in school, Bob Dole’s for it. Balanced budget, Bob Dole’s for it. Vaginal sex, Bob Dole’s for it.”
— Koppel’s various interpretations of Dole’s offensive statements are made hilarious by the Koppel voice Darrell’s speaking in.
STARS: ****
LEG UP
Ann Miller (MOS), Debbie Reynolds (CHO), Elizabeth Berkley (host)
— A big audio gaffe with Don Pardo’s voice-over during the opening title sequence.
— Right out of the gate, I’m liking the way Cheri Oteri is carrying herself in her very first sketch appearance.
— Cheri’s Debbie Reynolds, regarding Mariel’s Elizabeth Berkley: “She’s so stunning, I’d like to shoot her in back of the head.”
— Fantastic chemistry between Molly and Cheri.
— I’m noticing some approval-seeking in Cheri’s performance, where she always delivers a funny line while looking directly at the studio audience in a way that she knows the audience will react. I do recall that being a habit of Cheri’s throughout her SNL tenure, and I can definitely see why that would annoy some people, but considering this is her first episode and first sketch, I find her looking-at-the-audience-for-approval thing forgivable and actually kind of charming in a weird way. We’ll see how long that goodwill of mine is going to last.
— Debbie Reynolds: “You’re looking at the lunch meat in a Gene Kelly/Donald O’Connor sandwich.”
— I love the “That’s a sore subject” part with Molly and Cheri.
— After having just gone through SNL’s early 90s era, in which female cast members were at their most underused, disrespected, and neglected, there’s a sight throughout this sketch that’s nothing short of incredible: SNL actually allowing female cast members to be funny, wild, and brash, something that was practically unheard of in season 20. An exciting sign that the Boys Club of the previous era is officially over and this new era is going to be a big change for female cast members.
STARS: ***½
WEEKEND UPDATE
NAW’s stories about the poor state of society make you shake your head
— Another noticeable format change in tonight’s season premiere: the tradition of the musical guest’s first performance airing before Weekend Update has been changed. For these next five seasons, the first musical performance will often be airing AFTER Update.
— Norm gets a new Update title sequence, which is randomly accompanied by the Friends theme song for tonight only.
— The new visual quality of this season is particularly noticeable during this Weekend Update. Even though this Update has the same anchorperson and same set as the preceding season, the overall look of Update is so different this season (side-by-side comparisons between last season’s Updates and this season’s Updates below).
— Interesting-seeming idea of a Head-Shaking News segment from Nancy Walls.
— Nancy’s segment started off a little slow, but it’s gotten funnier starting with the story about the abuse a swan suffered.
— Interesting meta ending to Nancy’s commentary, with her and Norm shaking their heads over this commentary being Nancy’s big spot on her first show.
— There’s Norm’s famous “Better Than Ezra” joke, one of my favorite Norm Update jokes of all time.
STARS: ****
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Run-Around”
GETTING OFF THE PHONE
(WIF) has trouble coming up with ways to help wife (host) end phone calls
— Will’s sudden “You on the phone again, bitch?!?” killed me.
— Now Will has an even funnier bad getting-off-the-phone excuse, with his hilarious Skeletor bit.
— Will’s performance is reminding me that when giving their thoughts on this season premiere, Entertainment Weekly voted Will “Most Annoying New Cast Member” for his work in both this sketch and Get Off The Shed. I also recall someone on an SNL messageboard telling a story a few years ago of how, when he watched this season premiere with his dad when it originally aired, his dad’s first comment after the episode ended was “I hate that new guy who yells all the time”, referring to Will. Haha, I love Will and I love his performances in both this sketch and Get Off The Shed, but I can see why his loud delivery in both of those sketches would be off-putting to some viewers at the time who weren’t used to him, considering this is coming right after a season in which Chris Farley screamed his way through practically every damn sketch. Those viewers were probably worried that we were getting more of the same with Will. To me, the difference between Will Ferrell Yelling Sketches (not just the ones from tonight’s episode, but ones throughout his SNL tenure) and season 20 Chris Farley Yelling Sketches is that the Ferrell ones usually have solid writing backing them up, usually giving Will very funny dialogue to yell, whereas the season 20 Farley Yelling Sketches usually suffered from very poor, one-note writing, and seemed to be just using his yelling as a lazy crutch. It also doesn’t help that Chris had become very one-note by that late stage of his SNL tenure, giving loud and over-the-top performances even in roles that didn’t call for it, whereas Will is a much more versatile performer who would play calm and restrained just as often as, if not more than, he would play loud roles.
— Reruns of this sketch would use the dress rehearsal version of at least some portions, if not the entire sketch. One of the most noticeable differences is that in the live version I’m watching, Will delivers the line “Hide this balloon of heroin up your rectum”, whereas in the rerun version, he delivers the line as “Hide this balloon of heroin up your ass”. I can’t decide which line is funnier, as they both slay me.
— I love the random “Oh, and I killed the dog” ending, accompanied by Will holding up a stuffed dog. The dress rehearsal version of this ending shown in reruns is slightly different, as it ends on a close-up of Mariel screaming in horror after the dead dog reveal, whereas the live version stays on a wide shot of her and Will as she does a slightly different scream of horror. I prefer the version with the close-up of her scream, because it cuts to that close-up immediately after Will holds up the dead dog, which I feel is funnier because it gives the brief visual of the dead dog a more humorously disturbing tone.
STARS: ****
SPADE IN AMERICA
DAS gives the Unabomber some advice about his image
— Oh, that’s right, David Spade is still in the cast. I actually started forgetting that by this point of tonight’s episode.
— After trying to get used to SO MANY new faces in the cast tonight, it feels odd seeing a familiar face in this solo piece. Strangely, I didn’t feel that way much during Norm’s Update earlier tonight. Maybe because Norm hasn’t been a cast veteran as long as Spade.
— After reviewing the last few preceding seasons, it feels kinda lonely seeing Spade in a show that has neither Chris Farley nor Adam Sandler in it anymore.
— Considering how stale Spade got in sketches in the preceding season, the idea to now exclude him from sketches and instead give him his own isolated segment as himself actually seems somewhat refreshing. This is creative and unique for SNL, because, excluding Weekend Update, I can’t think of any prior time in the show’s history where a cast member was given a regular weekly isolated segment as themselves, unless I’m forgetting something.
— Spade’s “You’re comin’ off gay” message to the Unabomber has not aged well.
— Spade gets in a dig at the fact that Prince was the originally-booked musical guest for this episode but flaked out on the show.
— Spade’s little impression of Prince was pretty dumb, but made me laugh a lot.
— Another pretty funny dig from Spade, this time regarding the WB Network.
— Spade, on how he tries to pick up chicks by telling them he’s the Unabomber: “Lately, it works better than saying I’m on Saturday Night Live, that’s for sure.”
— Overall, the homophobia towards the Unabomber’s look does not hold up, and this overall segment had David doing his usual shtick and he still seems to have some of that aloof “I don’t wanna be here” attitude that plagued his performances a year earlier in season 20, but I gotta say, his style actually came off kinda refreshing in this new Spade In America format and I saw some hints of that acerbic wit that I remember loving from him in his first few seasons. I got some laughs in this inaugural Spade In America installment, but there’s room for improvement, which I think we’ll get going forward.
STARS: **½
BIOGRAPHY
host tells how she almost didn’t get Central Park West part
— The idea of Central Park West having four guys play the main female character is priceless, as is the clip of that happening. I especially love the four guys’ sloppy attempts at speaking in unison.
— Several funny bizarre lines from the narrator, such as Darren Starr holding a conference in a cave outside of Mexico City.
— Another funny line from the narrator, this time regarding Central Park West’s secret decision to film the four guys in a dress without any film in the camera.
STARS: either ***½ or ****, I can’t decide yet
FUZZY MEMORIES BY JACK HANDEY
dad’s reaction to a bully
— Looks like Jack Handey has replaced Deep Thoughts with a new recurring segment. Probably a necessary change, because, as much as I hate to say it, his Deep Thoughts seemed to be running a little out of steam in the preceding season.
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Hook”
THE CHICKEN LADY SHOW
non-judgemental program features fetishists
— Kinda surreal seeing Mark’s Chicken Lady character from Kids In The Hall being brought to SNL. However, it’s very disappointing that they’re relegating this character to one of SNL’s biggest crutches: the public access TV show format. This idea is a waste of this character.
— I believe this is intended as a parody of The Robyn Byrd Show. Please don’t tell me that the last name Byrd is how SNL got the idea to have Chicken Lady host this show. If so, that is groanworthy.
— Will as a bearded infantilist is very funny.
— I like the occasional cutaways to a random silent man (played by new SNL writer Adam McKay) tied up in S&M gear.
— Overall, good performances from everyone, but this use of Chicken Lady was a misfire and paled badly in comparison to this character’s sketches on Kids In The Hall.
STARS: **
GOODNIGHTS
IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A solid start to the new SNL era. Right from this first episode, you can see loads of potential for this era, and there was a much more refreshing, exciting feel than the troubled preceding season had. There were several strong sketches tonight, and only one real lowlight for me (The Chicken Lady Show). (I wasn’t too crazy about tonight’s Spade In America, but I see some potential there.) I also liked the little hints of absurd random humor thrown in during some portions the show (especially in the Biography sketch), which feels different from the humor of the preceding era.
— Aside from Jim Breuer, the new cast members were represented well, with each of them getting at least one moment in the spotlight (well, maybe not David Koechner, but he appeared throughout the show, at least). Will Ferrell, by far, was the newbie who ran away with tonight’s show. You can immediately sense his strong leadership skills, and most of my biggest laughs of the night were from him.
MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS
HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING SEASON (1994-95)
a big step up
My full set of screencaps for this episode is here
TOMORROW
Chevy Chase
Lenny’s in charge to the SNL Band starting with this episode, a position he’s held for over 24 years.
Lenny did not become the band leader until 2000.
24 years later and Steve Higgins still with the show. And Paula Pell still a part time contributor. This was their first show
Seems so weird that Paula Pell and Fred Wolf were on the same writing staff. They represent such different eras
This episode is a nice breath of fresh air. What sticks out to me a lot is the newness of the camera work. It doesn’t have that “high school play” feel that some of ‘93-‘95 was unfortunately starting to look like.
I can understand how Will Ferrell would grate on some people, but he’s always been my favorite Screamy McScreamsalot out of every cast member.
Not that bad a start for the group but a meh episode overall.. a lot of it’s due to Hemmingway always found her boring and bland. She’s a more beautiful and likeable version of Sally Kellerman but neither were that likeable besides how hot she was in her prime days. Why they picked her I have no clue.. lol. At least they had an OG in Chevy the next show.
I was surprised at how fun of a watch this was my first time with it.. it’s a breeze. Ferrell makes the show work as he was fresh and not such a cliche yet. The phone call skit made me LMAO hard at first watch. The Shed skit reminds me of What the Hell was that from the 79 premiere.. that one was a little better but both are great pure improv based skits. Chicken Lady was a nice WTF to end it.. rest was meh.
Leg Up’s one of the worst recurring skits of that era, the Hartman one was okay but it’s so a chore to sit thru. Sadly it’s the start of Oteri’s annoying routine which ruins the next few years. Thankfully Gasyter comes around the next year and levels the women back down. At least Chris Kattan’s not on the show.. yet.
Blues Traveler were the replacement picks for musical guest as Prince backed out.. guess that’s why Spade digged at him. Spade pulled no punches that season.. the nuke twords Murphy is legendary.
I’m with you on Leg Up. Cheri and Molly are both great talents and there are a lot of things they did on the show that I enjoyed (I’m looking forward to seeing Colette Reardon again, and Sally O’Malley, whenever they appear), but it’s just way too much ham for me. On the one hand, it’s great to see female cast members being able to have this chance and not being punished or isolated, especially after 93-95, but I just am not into most of the teamup recurring characters of this era. The only ones I enjoy tend to involve Ana Gasteyer.
I think the main reason Mariel was chosen is because she had a heavily promoted show coming on – albeit on another network. It got them a lot of publicity as Central Park West was supposed to be a huge show.
Is Colette Reardon the Joyologist? I’ve softened on my opinion of Shannon, but that still holds up as the worst recurring character I’ve ever seen.
Collette Reardon is Cheri’s pillhead character. The joyologist is…Helen Lovejoy (??). If this place had been around 20 years I would probably have a very negative opinion of Shannon because of several of her overexposed recurring characters and the shouting and mugging. She had a softer side that I have come to see more over the years – I’m just sorry that she wasn’t in a different period of the show where the strokes weren’t quite as broad.
I knew that was a Simpsons character but still was dumb enough to say it anyway. Helen Madden, not Helen Lovejoy. Sorry.
I’m a little surprised by the somewhat negative attitude toward Ferrell among some here. I can’t think of when he ever became a “cluche.” If there was a flaw to his SNL tenure it’s that he played the game a little TOO well and got his early success with popular but terrible characters like the Cheerleaders and the Roxbury guys (Jim Carrey version excluded). But that was Ferrell partnering up with people, the pieces that represent his actual style are much better and hold up incredibly.
I think Ferrell’s very talented, very good at knowing his range, has a lot of presence, and even at the time I enjoyed quite a few of his pieces (Harry Caray is absolutely priceless, and I always loved the Culps). Others I’ve come to appreciate more over the years (Trebek, Lipton). My main problem with him was how many of his performances revolved around shouting catchphrases over and over, and then to mix things up, taking his shirt off. There was so much of this that even the better side of the OTT scale, like Bill Brasky, could be overshadowed by yet more cheers, more reminders to get off the shed, more of saying luvah 500 times, and sketches where he just screams into a phone for 3 minutes. By the point where he and Molly Shannon would just scream DOG SHOW!! DOG SHOW!! over and over as we got shots of dogs trembling in closeup, I felt like they were sending some kind of cry for help. I think the show just leaned so heavily into the more one-dimensional aspects of their cast in these years that many of the leading performers suffered.
(I also intensely disliked the Bush sketches, but that’s a whole other topic not suited for the blog)
Let’s start with the host, Mariel Hemingway because she is someone SNL doesn’t book much anymore, the star of a TV show on another broadcast network. In fact, there are seven tv stars from other networks that host this season (Hemingway, Laura Leighton, David Alan Grier, Madeline Kahn, John Goodman, Teri Hatcher & Christine Baranski). Grier’s show The Preston Episodes on FOX and Kahn’s New York News on CBS were both canceled before they hosted though.
It does feel weird to have Spade still around. Off the top of my head, he only appears with the rest of the cast in 3 sketches all season. The Cheri has a crush on Norm update bit from the Gabriel Byrne episode, Cydney from the Laura Leighton episode and The Joe Pesci Show from the Alec Baldwin episode. Other cast members do appear on Spade In America in the Tarantino and Baranski episodes.
Cheri is guilty of attention-seeking but that doesn’t hit critical mass until season 25 and we’re a couple of months away from that. In the meantime, I always enjoyed her Debbie Reynolds and also Mickey the Dyke.
Man, look how huge John Popper is compared to Hemingway!
I always took the “you smell good” to just add to the uncomfortableness of the situation, and it seemed like there was supposed to be something “not quite right” with the wife, or maybe I hyst always interpreted it that way because Hemingways acting in that sketch was so damn strange hah
Weird situation with Spade this season when he seemed at this point way too famous to still be on SNL. And did he like stay living in NY at this point and stay working on the show all week, seemed more like a sidegig for him at this point that he could just fly in on the weekends to do. At one point it seemed like were trying for a semi-weekly segment with Colin Quinn doing a seperate Weekend Update-lite type segment with him doing stand-up on The New York Times. Of course he ended up replacing Norm on Weekend Update not long after that.
His material in this one didn’t even feel like him to me. It felt like a Dennis Miller pastiche. He has some good pieces coming but I don’t think the transition idea ever really fit in this situation – it just always felt like he was on another show being piped in.
Spade was actually filming “Black Sheep” with Farley during this period – he was also doing stand-up and looking at pilots (he would film the “Just Shoot Me” pilot during an extended break in the spring), so I think he basically just came in on Friday-Saturday for camera blocking-final rehearsals.
I am not saying this to criticize the episode, just to get that out of the way (this is a very solid premiere, especially with a mostly new cast and directing and writing team), but even with SNL being such a time capsule, I wonder how new viewers would feel if they stumbled onto this episode, especially the first half-hour.
I’m not sure how many even know Mariel Hemingway these days, or that she was hosting to plug Central Park West, a show that was hugely hyped at the time and quickly went on to belly flop (Mariel didn’t even make it past the first revamp), or would know that that monologue was referencing (albeit in a very typical of this era predatory manner) the Roseanne episode where she kissed Roseanne. Then we get to the Nightline sketch that is based on the heavy media push at the time for Colin Powell to run for President (that’s not exactly what Powell is known for in more recent years). I think my favorite part is the sketch near the end which is mostly a way to promote Central Park West, complete with multiple photos of Darren Star. Many today may assume that he was just a member of the crew put into a suit and tie. It’s a fun little sketch, and a good way to have viewers get to see the old and new male cast together, but so much time on something that would go on to be so irrelevant is fascinating in hindsight. Anyway, Mariel is a mediocre host, but she’s certainly game – she doesn’t drag down anything she appears in, and seeing a host pole dance is certainly one way to add some life to a tired sketch…
There’s something very satisfying about seeing Tim Meadows go from a premiere LFNY that was given out of pity to a premiere LFNY on the back of a showcase sketch, putting trust in him for that first crucial moment of the season. He certainly delivered. There were several OJ sketches I enjoyed in 94-95, but good and bad, they veered all over the road. This opener has a tight focus, crisp writing, and even the camera work is much better, making you feel like you’re watching a courtroom scene, rather than just an obvious set.
I’m not a big big fan of this era’s cast, but the show was right to bring in people whose comedy styles were already fully formed, like Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri. Viewers who’d just spent a season (really, two seasons) watching fumbling performers and concept pieces could now just sit back and enjoy themselves again.
I’m just sorry that David Koechner and Nancy Walls never get the same chance. Walls seems more nervous than most of the other new hires, but she always had a great deal of charisma and good comic verve. (It’s a bit eerie that both she and Laura Kightlinger had an Update piece in the premiere and neither last more than a season.) And Koechner is a warm, stable presence that the show had very much lacked since Phil Hartman’s departure. How NBC got rid of David but would keep Chris Kattan, I do not know.
Seeing the old stage moved makes me feel somewhat sad – I was never crazy about the stage of this era, as it feels very small (as shown in those cramped goodnights) and dark. I think they brighten it up a little as time passes.
The only sketch that doesn’t work for me is the last. The Chicken Lady was not a good fit for SNL, and Oteri’s Mickey character is a strange fit for the goings-on. She would be better served popping up in the lesbian poetry house sketches down the line.
It really is interesting how people responded to Will Ferrell by calling him the most annoying of the new cast.
I was only 7 when this episode aired so I didn’t watch it live but a couple of years later, I remember them doing another SNL Goes Commerical special in primetime which had Ferrell doing the “hosting” of it…even at that young age, I felt like I was witnessing someone who was going to be very famous one day.
I can sort of see why someone may not like his style but he was definitely, as others have said, my favorite of the SNL screamers.
I don’t mind this episode aside from a sketch or two but I do think it’s a breath of fresh air (though quite funny to think someone like Mariel Hemingway hosted)….I’m looking forward to get deeper into the era despite that more hammy quality we will get from some of them.
I do like Nancy Walls and wish she got more of a shot, but her departure led to the stellar Ana Gasteyer so I guess I can live with that.
I remember “SNL Goes Commercial 2”! There was a wrap-around skit about Will auditioning for a Tampax commercial.
I like how fully formed this show feels coming off the bat–who would have guessed that the 1994 season premiere, with a super experienced cast and Steve Martin, would pale in comparison to a 1995 season premiere, with a new cast and Mariel Hemingway?
We are now entering the full Normessaince. What makes Norm so great during these years is how much he’s set apart from the rest of the cast. The SNL of this era is a very needy, crowd-pleasing show. To have someone set against that creates a very satisfying tension.
True, but Weekend Update doesn’t properly finalize until it uses the Drunk Man/Young Superboy music cue. I never understood the point of using themes from other NBC shows for WU. I guess it’s a variation of Nealon’s WU intros, but it lasts a few weeks IIRC and is obviously unimportant next to Jim Downey plugging into Macdonald’s wavelength. WU didn’t need to be “cute” at this point.
I know you don’t rate the musical performances, but I’m surprised you didn’t mention the MASSIVE change in directing technique Beth McCarthy brings to these.
Indeed; an ample increase in jib and crane shots–now, no musical performance on ANY late night show (let alone SNL) would be complete without them.
This is the last time that there was a major cast-change overhaul on the show. Lorne has done his best to keep the ship sailing smooth from this moment on and any changes now are much more gradual.
In fact, this is probably the last time a cast member (in this case Will, Cheri, Jim, Darrell, etc.) has had their debut starting out as a full-fledged repertory player. (I’m pretty sure all other cast members from this point on start out as featured players first).
As for the episode, welcome to a new era of SNL! I like “Get off the Shed” but I must admit, the performance is a bit clunky. DVD Best of Will Ferrell contains his audition, which features Will doing this bit. It’s weird, but I feel the bit works better when Will is doing it as a solo piece. Obviously, the show couldn’t have done it that way, but it was interesting to me that the joke works better in his audition. The rest of the episode is ok (aside from Chicken Lady, I agree that the sketch didn’t transition from KITH to SNL at all), and I look forward to seeing this cast grow together and produce some memorable episodes/recurring characters.
Ana and Tracy start as “full” cast members next season, but they are the last to do so. Once Fallon/Parnell/Sanz enter in ’98, all new people start off as featured players.
Oh yes. Thank you. I’d forgotten about them. Weird that they had Chris Kattan be a featured player for a while, but then brought in Tracy Morgan and Ana Gasteyer right away as repertory players next season.
@Paul J You’re right about Get Off the Shed working better in Will’s audition. Imo in his audition half of the humor of that bit seemed to be in how weirdly accurate his white suburban dad portrayal is, whereas in the actual sketch it mostly just seems to be about the screaming. I remember when they repeated this sketch again it was the same way.
Mariel kissing Roseanne was a huge deal at the time – some ABC affiliates wouldn’t even air the episode and there was even a rumor that the episode would have to air on premium cable instead.
The weird thing about the debuting word-mark is that it lasts even longer than the 1988-95 logo. Aside from adjustments in kerning and font weight, Saturday Night Live doesn’t retire the word-mark until the 2006 season, although I think the early years are when it’s best used.
I realize this version of SNL is the point where it becomes a performer’s show more than a writer’s show. I think people underrate this SNL era since the largest focus post-1995 was on over-saturating recurring characters to the point where spin-off films were part of SNL’s cultural sausage as opposed to the occasional frill. That typed, it’s also the era where outliers like Norm Macdonald’s Weekend Update and TV Funhouse thrive.
I’m not going to pretend my allegiance wasn’t with MADtv from 1995-97 – I still think MADtv had the edgier writing at the time, and its repertory cast meshed better than SNL’s – but SNL could still compete. The Ferrell-era depth chart isn’t as deep as the late 1980s cast, but as shown in this episode, the show’s in a position where it can still pull off absurdist and off-kilter material even when commercialism and competitors bite harder than ever.
I really think that at some point, Lorne is going to turn the show over to Steve Higgins. He has been there 25 years now after decades of comedy (who here remembers The Higgins Boys and Gruber”?) and is uniquely qualified to take over. I see these next few seasons as the ship slowly righting itself and new comedy voices taking over, particularly Will Ferrell, who eventually became box office gold.
Until the recent back-to-back flops of “The House” and *shudder* “Holmes and Watson”.
That ON AIR served them well
“For the first time in SNL history (aside from the very first episode, I believe), we get going-to-commercial bumpers”
I guess the ones in Season 7 Don’t count then.
Also, Season 12.
Will Ferrell does wear an apron in the dress rehearsal version of “Get Off the Shed”.
“SNL finally hired an Asian cast member.”
Rob Schneider says hi
I didn’t learn of the new cast-members within the month before the s21 premiere from local newspaper or Entertainment Tonight or anywhere in the media such I’m used to. Even TV Guide didn’t have a well-covered ad or full listing of new cast-members. I did catch the news of it during premiere week because Comedy Central hosted a (I believe week-long) SNL marathon with interstitials of interviews with new cast members seated up top with home base wide in the backdrop. Those interviewed were Will, Darrell, Koechner, Cheri, Molly and Nancy; they talked about growing up with SNL and their improv backgrounds, Darrell did his Phil Donahue impression… Actually was a nice production and gave a positive look to these unknowns (even Molly who I didn’t get too much out of from her previous season).
Didn’t know Jim also joined the cast nor Norm, Mark, Tim, and Spade came back until this live broadcast.
The two construction workers alongside Will Ferrell were played by Adam McKay and Tom Gianas. This was their first episode as writers.
I believe when MADtv first came on in 1995, the show actually beat out SNL in the ratings. That was until Roseanne’s Saturday Night Special came on. Afterwards, SNL started beating out MADtv in 1996.
Fox never seemed to have treated MAD with the same respect NBC has given SNL.
More retro news: David Schwimmer was originally slated to host this episode.
(I’m getting this info. from the TV/Radio Notes column that ran in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, by the way. The column was credited to “staff and wire reports.”)
One thing I’ve always been curious about in regards to this season’s montage- is that Adam McKay seated to the left of Mark McKinney when his picture comes up?
I’m like 90% sure that’s Adam McKay next to Mark. What I do 100% know is the woman he’s dancing with is Marci Klein.
Is this the best debut episode for a virtually all new cast? Weaver’s 1986 episode has higher individual highs, but there’s too many filler and non-comedic pieces for it to seriously register. This one’s solid from start to finish and really gives the new cast a chance to shine. Everyone seems polished and comfortable, and the vibe is immediately better than season 20.
Of the top of my head, I was going to disagree. But then I went through both reviews and wow, you are spot-on! The ’86 show is basically a Carvey greatest hits, with a lot of the yuppie vibe carried over from something like “Steve Martin’s Best Show Ever” or “The New Show.” And it doesn’t quite work.
However, this season 21 premiere is killer for several castmembers, not just Will, and is very consistent. Better musical guest, too, to be honest (although I realized he’s not credited in ’86… but if Johansen had appeared with the New York Dolls, it might be a different story).
I can’t disagree with any of Stooge’s ratings for the season 12 premiere. For season 21, I only think “Get off the shed” is slightly overrated while “Spade In America” is slightly underrated.
The competition for best “new” cast episode isn’t that big, though… season 6, maybe the first Ebersol show, and season 11. None of them amazing. BUT — what about season 10? It had some carryover, as did Ebersol’s first show and this season 21 premiere. And that season 10 premiere was quite good.
BTW I really like your insights in general, Ryan, and they’ve kept these comment sections alive (same for rssk and several others).
I considered season 10, but that cast is such a unique one-off (the ‘all-star’ concept) that it felt unfair to count it. This cast is a bunch of fresh, unfamiliar faces tasked with lifting the show up after a dismal season and the departure of several veterans, and they succeed admirably.
Also, thanks for your compliments. I really enjoy it here.
This premiere is also very impressive considering the host (who is, to be fair, fine) doesn’t really do much to carry the show herself. A lot of these cast members have to come out of the gate firing and they do that just fine.