By Kipp Jones October 9, 2021 at 8:10am
“Saturday Night Live,” a show which could have been canceled and not missed two decades ago, suffered the biggest ratings skid in the its 47-year history last weekend for the season opener.
The Wrap, citing analytics from Nielsen, reported the opening episode of the show’s new season was the least watched episode in total viewers since the show launched in 1975 on NBC.
“This past Saturday’s episode, which was hosted by Owen Wilson, drew a 0.92 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and 4.9 million total viewers. Those Nielsen numbers were down 50 percent in the demo and 41 percent overall from the show’s Season 46 premiere, which was hosted by Chris Rock,” Tony Maglio with The Wrap reported.
It’s hard to believe that hiring an avowed socialist didn’t help the formerly great but now “woke” sketch comedy show attract new viewers. As The Wrap reported, new additions to the show this year include Aristotle Athari, James Austin Johnson and Sarah Sherman.
Sherman is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and she’s tweeted messages such as this one:
DEFUND THE POLICE @MayorOfLA !! put your money where your snout is pic.twitter.com/jCrUEgD2aV
— SARAH SQUIRM (@SarahSquirm) June 4, 2020
How did the show’s writers think this poorly written and executed segment, starring Sherman and cast member Andrew Dismukes, would resonate with audiences who could easily find more laughs on TikTok?
“SNL” hasn’t been funny for some time. People argue about when the show quit being about laughs and became more about pushing bathroom humor and the left’s cultural and political agenda. Some say it was done by 1980, while others were still hanging on during the last decade.
Do you watch “Saturday Night Live?”
Will Ferrell arguably carried the show from the late 1990s into the 21st Century, while Tina Fey was sometimes fun to watch. But those two were no match comedically for their predecessors — people like Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin.
From the 1980s to 1990s, the show experienced a resurgence which brought along the likes of Phil Hartman, Mike Meyers, Jan Hooks, Dana Carvey, Chris Farley and Tim Meadows. Even left-wing cast member Janeane Garofalo was funny.
That was probably because she checked her overt brand of liberal politics in at the door.
They don’t do that at “Saturday Night Live” anymore. It’s all leftist vitriol, all the time. The political jokes are never balanced, and never funny, which is tragic. Americans used to all be able to laugh at one another with the help of “SNL.”
If you’re a Norm Macdonald purist, then you’re still reeling from the former “Weekend Update” host’s stunning death last month. Macdonald was a genius who will forever be remembered for his sickness and deadpan style.
Who could ever forget his delivery of jokes such as this one:
Creator Lorne Michaels, who let Macdonald, Farley and too many others go before they were done entertaining America, has completely lost his touch. It’s finally showing in the ratings — and in the material.
“SNL” would be better off at this point if we could cancel it and remember it for what it once was: funny.
Keeping it around at this point is simply a sad reminder that yet another formerly great American institution has been hijacked by leftists. Perhaps when the show finally goes off the air for good, we can properly eulogize it and remember only the good times.
Johnathan “Kipp” Jones has worked as a reporter, an editor and a producer in radio, television and digital media. He is a proud husband and father.
Johnathan “Kipp” Jones has worked as an editor and producer in radio and television. He is a proud husband and father.