Drew Gooden decided to take advantage of the new Peacock streaming service in order to watch one episode of Saturday Night Live from each of the 46 seasons of the show in order to find out whether the show was really better in its earlier days.
So I’m a big fan of the show. …I like the excitement of doing a live show and discovering new young, talented people. I’m always impressed by the work that goes into it. Like building giant set pieces and elaborate props in just a few short days every week. That being said, there’s still plenty to criticize about the show, from some of their questionable hosting choices to the painfully cringey sketches they roll out from time to time. But nothing is more annoying to me than the blanket statement that SNL hasn’t been funny in 20 years, no 50 years.
Gooden describes each episode he watched, noting the host, musical guest, and the average length of time per sketch. What he learned was that even during the show’s “Golden Years”, the show was both very funny and left a lot to be desired.
SNL is not the pinnacle of comedy but it’s also not the worst show ever made. And if you still feel absolutely certain that the old shows were perfect and the new shows are crap, I would encourage you to go back and watch a random full episode from your favorite season. And you will see that your memory is playing tricks on you.
