"Saturday Night Live" ain't what it used to be.
What counter-culture show could sustain that subversive glee for 50-plus years? It's understandable that Lorne Michaels' creation would lose its edge over time.
That's only part of the problem. The latest issue boils down to diversity — or the extreme lack of it on the show's writing staff. The first episode of the latest season proved that anew.
The issue isn't just the lack of right-leaning voices behind the scenes. "SNL" no longer "makes" stars. The days of breakout alums like Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell and Bill Murray are long gone.
Now, cast members come and go and barely make a ripple in the pop culture waters. Perhaps the biggest "name" to leave the show in recent years is Bowen Yang. He works regularly in film and TV shows in supporting roles.
Most people probably couldn't pick him out of a lineup.
The show's biggest flaw, of course, is its hard-left bias. "SNL" gave up on mocking President Barack Obama midway through his two terms in office. Up until then, the show barely laid a glove on him or his policies. Even Obama impersonator Jay Pharoah later admitted the show "gave up on the Obama thing."
Telling. Sad, too.
The show serenaded President Obama's White House exit and, later, literally mourned the end of Hillary Clinton's presidential dreams.
This was a satirical comedy show actively taking sides and dropping all pretenses of humor. Even "SNL" alum Rob Schneider couldn't hold back, saying the show was officially "over."
Now, the show is mocking Tucker Carlson. He's a very ripe target, of course, all the more meaty because he has more or less lost his mind over the last year. He's flipped on too many positions to count and is one of the most obsessed Israel haters in the public arena.
And that's saying something.
Yet the modern "SNL" has no clue about his bizarre transformation or what the new, not-remotely-improved Carlson sounds like. So, once again, the show trotted out Jeremy Culhane to impersonate Carlson.
He does a fine job ... if this were the year 2022, perhaps.
Colin Jost even referred to Carlson as a "conservative commentator," a label that no longer applies. He's anti-Trump, pro Sharia Law and pro Abdul El-Sayed.
The recurring bit has Carlson mocking the summer's big blockbusters like a generic, ill-informed conservative, a parody of what a Republican thinks in the minds of the show's hard-left staff.
I like ‘The Odyssey.’ It’s so nice to see Greek people do something other than make women feel uncomfortable.
The only hint that someone knows what 2026 Tucker Carlson sounds like was with this quip. He compared the Trump cabinet to the recent film "Minions and Monsters."
That’s right. I’ve turned on Trump. I’m so brave.
There's great material here, of course. Carlson's fall from grace has been shocking to see. "SNL" isn't interested in real satire. No one on the staff has a connection to conservative thinking in the modern era. So we get Culhane doing a fine generic impression that leaves out who Carlson became.
The bit is stuck in the past. If only "SNL" could be the same. It might be funny again, or at least worth our respect.
