Saturday Night Live: The Recipe for Longevity
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Tomorrow marks the start of the forty eighth (!) season of Saturday Night Live: a staple of NBC and the careers of many comedy performers and writers (and obviously the biggest achievement of Lorne Michaels’ career). In this brief write up, I’ll hopefully deduce this recipe for longevity that Michaels and company have pieced together, because there is most certainly a formula for success that has been working. I’ll just cut to the chase: I’m not the biggest fan of the show myself (I don’t dislike it and I recognize it as one of the best of its kind objectively, especially in the grand scheme of things, but I’m certainly not an avid viewer of it), and I think that’s precisely why it’s right for me to do this write up (at least it feels that way). I have no biases here; no justifications to insist that you must like a show that I am fond of. I’m aware of the series’ mixed reception in recent memory as well, and you could chalk up the current staying power to the success of the show from previous years (to the point that it could absolutely bomb and still keep going like other network mainstays like The Simpsons for Fox), but I think there’s something more well calculated at play here, and all of it boils down to the dish itself: familiarity.
In the way that those that stick with the show will continue to do so and those that rag on it will not stop bashing it, Saturday Night Live banks on recognition, and it does so in a variety of ways. It doesn’t need to appeal to the naysayers, because it already has its two core audiences: its regulars, and those that will tune in just because. For those that are faithful to Saturday Night Live, the same style of comedy that has worked since the 70s is still used today (although the punchlines and viewpoints may have changed, the set ups and tones of the comedy has barely changed one iota). You tune in, and you know what you are going to get. This is echoed in the form of the Weekend Update segments: a go-to resource for fans to expect the week’s biggest events to be lampooned or skewered by recognizable “anchors”, and this turns into a habitual event. Remember the late Norm Macdonald and his relaying of the O.J. Simpson trial? That’s what I mean. Those who get invested in the Weekend Update will likely want to return to see how current events get discussed in Saturday Night Live’s token ways; it’s the same kind of attachment people get to late night talk shows.
Again, it may not be the Weekend Update itself as much as it’s who is partaking in them that make them special for some, and that brings me to my next point (one I make with the recent announcements of the many cast members that have left the show): comic talents that make each episode what they are. If you can’t stand a certain performer or writer, then that will likely damper your experience of a certain Saturday Night Live era. If you are a fan, however, the possibilities seem endless. Saturday Night Live is a sandbox for these talents to work their magic and entertain in a myriad of ways, and that can be a real treat if you are fond of said person. Being able to see one entertainer partake in so many different skits and ideas most certainly keeps viewers coming back: consider how much Kate McKinnon carried a number of sketches with her impressions and magnetism.
If you aren’t into the mainstays of the show — be they people or segments — don’t worry: there are always the guests that may peak your interest. Each episode — for the most part — has a celebrity guest host that you can see immersed in the SNL world, partaking in silly skits, and being their playful selves. This is a win-win for both the show and the guest, since the latter gets to be a face of whatever they are promoting and Saturday Night Live gets those that are eager for these upcoming releases to tune in. There are also musical guests in almost every episode to close off each evening, typically with two close-out songs (if they are releasing new music, you can expect songs to debut here). If the guest host is a musical artist, you can absolutely expect them to partake in the sketches and perform at the end of the episode. Saturday Night Live goes all-out with these appearances as well, with photoshoots, prepared promotional material, and more ways to entice fans to not want to miss their favourite entertainers.
The final piece of familiarity that doesn’t escape us is its time slot. It is always exactly when the title states: Saturday nights. People go out during the weekend, but they can also stay in. Saturday Night Live has become the ultimate show to just have on if your Saturday evening isn’t eventful over the years. While streaming has changed that (you can just toss shows or films on at your beck and call), Saturday Night Live still lands with those that are channel flipping and land on it, perhaps during a peculiar sketch or a performance. It’s all about being recognizable, which is almost the antithesis of how variety shows once operated: with the unexpected. In the day and age of curation and personal selection, people as a whole aren’t too keen on being surprised anymore. They have something in mind, and they want to get exactly what they feel like. Variety shows used to deliver different guests and events on a regular basis. Saturday Night Live has recognized that that doesn’t work anymore, and it hasn’t for a number of years (it’s the only variety show of its kind to keep going strong). You never know what to expect in terms of particulates: someone could mess up and start laughing live on television; a musical performance could go wrong; something truly special could transpire that wasn’t planned. What you can anticipate is everything else Saturday Night Live is known for, and that is the recipe for the show’s longevity; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Even if people complain about the jokes more than ever, there’s a reason why nothing has been done to rectify this: Saturday Night Live will never commit to too much change, as to not become something else.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.