Once upon a time, "Saturday Night Live" turned the tables on President Ronald Reagan's aw, shucks image.
The Great Communicator was seen by many as kind and gracious, even if you loathed his policies. Then "SNL" uncorked a sketch where Reagan, played by the iconic Phil Hartman, proved a cold-blooded strategist pulling all the strings at the White House.
It wasn't a pro-Reagan sketch, per se, but it overturned our expectations. And, best of all, it was funny. That mattered.
"SNL" changed after the nation elected the first black President. The NBC series became another cog of the Democratic party, pulling its punches if a politician had a "D" before his or her name.
The show literally mourned Hillary Clinton's 2016 electoral defeat.
Former "SNL" star Rob Schneider blasted the cold open, saying it was proof that the show had run its course.
The bias is real, extreme, and undeniable. Heck, the show ignored a sitting president with obvious cognitive issues. And, after a key player admitted the show had given up on mocking President Barack Obama, "SNL" serenaded the president as his two terms of office expired.
Except that show creator Lorne Michaels refuses to admit the obvious. A show that once targeted both sides of the political aisle now trains its firepower on just one party.
And we all know which one that is.
Michaels has repeatedly peddled that "SNL" doesn't take political sides lie.
You can’t lecture the audience, which most of politics is now, people lecturing the audience. Ours is like, yeah, there are kind of idiots on both sides.
So where are the "SNL" sketches targeting Democrats? AOC? Rep. Eric Swalwell? Gov. Gavin "No Fraud Here!" Newsom?
A new documentary, "Lorne," follows the comedy maestro while exploring his signature achievement - creating "SNL" back in 1975. It's a worthy subject matter given "SNL's" impact on pop culture and comedy.
Yet "Lorne" director Morgan Neville gives Michaels a pass, regurgitating his "both sides" spin via a new USA Today interview.
He wants to keep reminding his critics, much to their chagrin, that we’re not just doing everything to validate a certain political point of view ... He comes from that old idea that we’re supposed to hold truth to power and make fun of everybody – and that means everybody.
Now, that's funny. "SNL" also mostly ignored Cancel Culture, woke gone wild and more. This "woke jeans" ad, a rare exception, proved how much the show could do if it actually tried to address societal ills.
A documentary filmmaker shouldn't simply take his subject at his word. Get him on the record, but also examine the content of the quotes. In Michaels' case, Neville should have showcased how far Left "SNL" has gone in recent years.
It sounds like Neville did the opposite. So did USA Today, which could have pressed Neville on the matter.
Yet the USA Today interview still hints at Michaels' bias. The article says Michaels regrets letting select personalities host "SNL" over the years, a likely nod to either Elon Musk, Trump (twice!), or both.
He's not talking about Jack Black or Steve Martin, mind you.
Late-night TV has become predictable, preachy, and hopelessly one-sided in recent years. That left room for a rebellious show like "SNL" to pick up the comedic slack. Instead, "SNL" joined the one-sided party.
And, as a result, Michaels is hurting the show's legacy in real time. That might make a great documentary subject, no?
