It was never improv.

Gonna get some hate here: it was always cringe, and we just have nostalgia for when our favorite lineups were on (usually the cocaine years). SCTV was way better.

Yeah, and what's with these kids on my lawn with their loud music and unfamiliar slang? And why does my back hurt? Amd where did this sudden craving for Werther's Originals come from?

I’m not saying you’re wrong but could this be the moment you realize you’re getting old?

Since October 11, 1975.

It also was never improv. They rehearse everything the rest of the week. The only thing it ever was, was RECORDED LIVE. But, Hell, some skits they put on now aren't even that. They're pre-recorded and the live audience is just watching it on a monitor.

Even in the golden era of the best guests and hosts, they had maybe 1 good skit for every 100 terrible ones.

It was never improv. It’s always been scripted.

Are there also some clouds out there you're keen to go shake your fist at?

Dude has a shelf of awards, nominations for two Oscars, supported in the Running Man remake for the braindead crowd, and is playing Joe Jackson in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic.

Always has been.

SNL appeals to a certain demographic. As the cast and style chang, you age out. The result is that you look at 'your' cast as awesome, and everything after as cringe. Then, after two generations of TV, you find that it's funny again. Maybe not as good as it once was, but pretty decent.

People 7-10 years younger are going to experience EXACTLY the same thing - shifted by 7-10 years.

And the exact same thing will happen with music.

Not improv like it used to be?

Dude, it's sketch comedy. It's always been scripted, it's just that it's okay to go off script as needed. It's been that way since the beginning.

I mean, not every cast member is actually good for sure, and that's been true since the beginning too. But that's totally different from what you're saying.

I'm with you that weekend update has been the most reliable part of the show since Che and Jost have been the chairs though. Imo, the best or second best WE hosts in the entire run (depending on exactly which era of the various WE teams you look at, but I'd say Che and Jost have been the most consistent).

And, while I think the term cringe has been so over used that it's time to bury it, SNL has largely been about being cringe the entire time. To do live sketch comedy, you have to embrace being stupid and awkward. Not every bit is going to hit, so you gotta commit to all of them and that means a ton of cringe is inherent to the process. I mean, fuck, the Shannon/O'Terri/Ferrell era was intentionally cringe on purpose so often it kinda defines that era.

I have loved SNL on and off for decades. I dont think i have ever loved every skit in any one episode.

It has always been cringey at time.

SNL skits were always a mixed bag, and as previously stated, never improv-forward. Weekend update has historically been the consistent oasis of the show.

Purely subjective take, mind, but I feel like the rare occasion I watch more than the cold-open and weekend update, maybe one in ten skits ever seem funny and paced well. Most drag on for longer than they should given the density. And admittedly, I am getting old.

Wut.

It's a sketch show.

And who is the host. Where did he come from?

Never seen Colman Domingo? Dude has his own Wikipedia page just for awards he has received https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Colman_Domingo

Sketch comedy is always hit or miss. SNL has always been throwing shit at the wall, resulting in mostly cringe skits and occassionaly some solid comedy gold. You remember the good ones and forget about the bad ones.

"The word of the day is shit. Go to your mother and say shit. If she slaps you, you said it right" Eddie Murphy as Mr. Rodgers.

This is my only memory of SNL. Also, the only skit I found funny.

no idea. i don't really watch it.

Proud to say I never enjoyed SNL at any point in my life

It's like the stock market - some days it's better and some days it's worse and you have to be in it for the long haul.