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UPDATE: Lorne Michaels is finding new blood for Saturday Night Live after the departures of Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg, and Abby Elliott and the expected exit of Jason Sudeikis. Deadline has confirmed what the very reliable Comic’s Comic blog following the standup scene first reported: that SNL will bring Chicago sketch comedians Aidy Bryant and Tim Robinson on board when the show launches production Monday for the first week of Season 38. Many previous SNL alums come from the Windy City comedy scene where Bryant and Robinson are veterans, including Second City, iO, the Annoyance Theater and elsewhere around the city. Seth MacFarlane is hosting the season premiere on September 15 with musical guest Frank Ocean.
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Happy for these fellow Chitowners but seriously, wasn’t anyone of color good enough?
Jay Pharoh is all they need when it comes to black male impressionists, while Keenan Thompson plays the stereotypical african american women.
Though I would like to see some sort of comedian of asian or hispanic decent become a regular.
Fred Armisan is of Asian descent
Had no idea Armisan was Asian, I’ve always perceived him as white.
If only Pharoh would play Obama. It’s aggravating that after SNL did such a great job with Carvey as Bush Sr., Hartman and Hammond as Clinton and Ferrell as Bush, the show has dropped the ball with Obama.
The President isn’t afraid of showing his personality. Why does Armisen play him so boring?
For instance, after that video of Obama singing Al Green went viral, SNL should have done *something*. A fake commercial of Obama plugging a new CD of himself singing classics. A sketch in which Obama, Biden, Pelosi, etc. take turns singing karaoke. Anything, really. Just stop making Obama so boring on the show!
They portray Obama as boring because they don’t really want to make fun of him. Like all of the mainstream media and Hollywood “personalities”, they are kissing his butt. Also, with as visible as Michelle Obama has been, they really should be ripping on her as well, but they never would do this unless she were a Republican. Michelle Bachmann, who was never really a major political factor, they tore a new one on incessantly.
Everybody knows why this is. Everyone is afraid to mock a black president. In the excessive political correctness of America nobody has any guts. Hell, I think Obama might find your ideas amusing, but A-holes like Al Sharpton and That Toure’ goofball on MSNBC would have a hissy fit.
Theyre afraid to make fun of Obama and upset “those people”. What do you mean by “those people”… Um, the people that get offended when you make fun of stuff that deserves making fun of…
Tim Robinson is a STAR… His troupe cook county social club are the funniest guys on the circuit right now. Congrats Timmy Tim Timson
Lorne Michaels hasn’t hired a black woman since Ellen Cleghorne. That was in 1991. Really Lorne? Really?
Maya Rudolph doesn’t count?
Danitra Vance is dead, and you’re already trying to replace her?
Bravo, Writer.
(and ps, Danitra was amazing.)
They tried hiring the one actress from “Couples Retreat,” but she turned them down. I think she felt her creativity was not going to be used.
Are they going to be fucking funny or lame like the rest of them? When will SNL be funny again. I mean do they not know what humor is? There’s so much competition, I’m surprised the show is still on the air. Lorn must have a lot of dirt on the heads of NBC to still be on the air this long.
Competition? Name me one other sketch comedy series worth watching? Some (mostly adolescents) would count Madtv but that’s been off the air for years. Monty Python? Ditto.
SNL isn’t always the best show, but it’s something I, and many others, would consider funny.
Oh, and the reason SNL is still on is that it brings in huge ratings in what is otherwise known as a terrible time slot. The ratings are comparable to Monday-Thursday primetime programs. NBC would be stupid to give that up.
Just because millions watch it, that doesn’t make it good.
No but it does make it commercially viable and like you said… MILLIONS do watch it and enjoy it.. so who are you to say it sucks? You must have amazing taste and LOVE Godard and stuff
What’s really egregious, concerning the diversity thing, is that Second City Chicago in particular has some great performers of color who would light up SNL. I’m specifically thinking of mainstager Edgar Blackmon, who’s incredible.
SNL is like a sports team. There are great games, decent games, and unwatchable ones.
That being said, don’t say the show “isn’t funny anymore” when clearly it still is. You wouldn’t know because you don’t watch it consistently. It’s like saying someone is ugly because you saw them post-op in a surgical ward of a hospital.
SNL is the same institution it always has been and you’ll know that all the more as we see people like Nasim Pedrad or Taran Killam continue to champion great characters and sketches as the show transitions from the last decade.
I don’t know why everyone keeps saying year after year that SNL isn’t as funny as it used to be. It’s been the same since day 1. Except for the occasional wall to wall funny episode it’s mostly got a few good sketches until Weekend Update and then it’s all the weird experiments in character or other mostly not very funny stuff. Don’t be fooled by the nostalgia of seeing old classic cast episodes, it was the same then as it is now. And the political stuff, when they are on, they are ON. Here’s hoping the knives are out because we really need the candidates to get their skewering this time around.
SNL is still one of my absolute favorite things to watch. Even when that have a sketch that misfires, I love it, because I know that’s where all the gold has always come from – Trying something new and/or different.
Happy for Aidy and Tim. They will be a nice addition to the cast.
Haters keep hating…
Andy Samberg come back please!
Lorne should’ve tried to get Jordan Peele 4 years ago. He does a perfect Obama and he’s fucking hilarious.