Ever have one of those moments where someone you haven’t thought about in years is suddenly everywhere you turn? I’m feeling that way lately about my man Chevy Chase. I haven’t been too excited by his output as a movie star since… uh… let’s just say, "a while." But two recent TV developments reminded me that he can still rule the small screen when he wants to.
First, he made a surprise appearance on last weekend’s Saturday Night Live, commandeering his old post on "Weekend Update" for an all-too-brief political-news segment (pictured). It took me a second to realize how much I’d missed his presence. He was as witheringly sarcastic as he ever was in SNL’s ’70s prime, meting out equal-opportunity barbs to the current crop of presidential hopefuls. (Where would Stephen Colbert be without the original smarmy fake-news know-it-all?) And woe betide the person who tries to play his co-anchor: Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler are hit-or-miss "Update" hosts even at their best, but they looked like flat-out amateurs next to the master of comedic condescension. Meanwhile, today’s news that Chase is joining ABC primetime soap Brothers & Sisters for a multi-episode role as Sally Field’s high school boyfriend (!) was even more of a surprise at first. Chevy Chase, a conflicted love interest in a weepy drama? But then I remembered how great he was playing a thinly-veiled Mel Gibson type on a serious Law & Order ep last fall. Humor may come more naturally, but he can do heavy, too. Let’s face it, Chevy Chase is a TV icon.
Is "icon" too strong a word for Chevy? Well, let’s say a TV icon is someone whose place in TV history is assured, someone who transcends mere acting skill and commands the medium, someone whose very appearance on a show evokes warm memories of time you’ve spent in front of the tube. In my book, Chase qualifies as a top television icon; in your book, maybe it’s someone else. So let’s hear it: Who, living or dead, are your top TV icons?
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I thought Chevy’s appearance on SNL last weekend was crap. Poorly written and even more poorly delivered, it was a smudge on an otherwise decent show (which is rare these days). I felt bad for the guy.
dead: Jackie Gleason
living: Lorne Michaels
not real: Fred Flintstone
unreal: Hayden Panettiere
When Tina Fey was Anchor/Head Writer, Weekend Update was the highlight of the SNL. Now, Seth Meyers is Anchor/Head Writer and Update has become the weakest part of the SNL.
Don’t forget that Law & Order episode last year when Chevy played a celebrity that was ‘loosely’ based on Mel Gibson and his infamous PCH traffic stop!..
victor, can you read?
i’m glad that he’s chevy chase and i’m not. painfully unfunny.
As far as TV icons, I think my favorite right now is Ted Danson. Obviously, whenever you see him you’ll think of “Cheers.”
What’s impressive is that he’s currently ruling the small screen in an Emmy-worthy dramatic role in “Damages.”
Overall, for me, it’s mostly good to see Ted Danson on TV (maybe not “Becker” so much, but “Help you, help me” had some laughs to offer).
Lucille Ball comes to mind. Her show makes me laugh just thinking about it and I remember watching it for hours when I was a kid (and today).
I thought that Chevy Chase seemed really out of it on SNL last week. His jokes didn’t seem to go over to well with the audience, either. I actually felt sorry for him.
Chevy Chase made the three greatest flicks of all time: Fletch, Caddyshack, and Vacation. He was a god. Then, he stopped doing drugs, and lost all his talent.
I can’t look at Chevy Chase without thinking of all the crap said about him in “Live From New York.” I wish I could appreciate his talent, but all I really see is a huge a-hole.
top tv icon, hands down for me is Jerry Seinfeld. I laugh everytime a Seinfeld ep comes on not to mention his appearance on 30 Rock last week. He’s the best in my book.
Simon, were you watching the same show I was? It was am embarrassment. Chase’s timing and delivery were totally off. Which is sad, because crack timing was something he used to possess in spades. Then, him leaning back in self-satisfaction as if to say, “I’ve still got it!” Bleah! Amy and Seth were so much better, making Chevy look even worse. Maybe if he had looked at the script once or twice before air he might have been better, but to me he sounded like an arrogant ass who used to be funny.
Lynda Carter…the golden lasso made me say so!
Henry Winkler. I didn’t realize how much I missed The Fonz until he showed up on Arrested Development (RIP). He was fantastic on that show, but of course, wasn’t everybody?
Wow. I’m used to EW being clueless, but usually there’s some evidence that you’ve watched what you’re writing about. Chevy ate it hard. Seth and Amy aren’t perfect, but they outshone him by a mile.
Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Burnett are some of the icons I love. I also Love Bob Newhart, Kermit, and Randolph Mantooth. Oh, to have great Saturday night TV again.
Chevy sucked on SNL this past weekend. Not funny at all.
Denny Crane…
William Shatner is a TV icon. From Captain Kirk to TJ Hooker to mocking his own idol status in Boston Legal, the Shat belongs in the Television Patheon.
Checy was horrible! Were you watching the same show? Two of his jokes totally bombed and one of his punchlines involved the phrase “coke is it.” When was the last time coke used that catchphrase? 1980’s? It was sad and pathetic.
Simon- I can’t believe we watched the same SNL. Chevy was an embarrassment. He was what he used to make fun of. Hack comedians. It was SAD.
As much as I love Chevy, that SNL appearance sucked. As for icons, Ted Danson would be mine.
I’ve been a fan of Chevy Chase for a long, long time, but his SNL appearance last week took awkward and painful to new levels. I’d rank it up there (down there?) with Britney Spears’ recent MTV VMA performance.
I know it’s the cool thing to do to say SNL used to be better, but Chevy Chase brought the episode to a screeching halt last week. I haven’t witnessed that awkward of comic timing since Paris Hilton hosted a couple seasons ago.
I agree with everyone else…I thought Chevy’s spot on SNL was painful to watch. I actually turned the channel until he was done.
I guess icons reflect your age and TV tastes. Andy Griffith and Don Knotts both come to mind, as do Carol Burnett,(and Tim Conway). Chevy may have lost a step, but he still represents the best of SNL…just my opinion.
For me, Bob Newhart will always remain an icon. I used to watch his show all the time on Nick at Nite. Also, Dick Van Dyke. Between the two of them, I had many a good night!!
I think some of you missed the fact that Chevy was supposed to come across as awkward on SNL last week, that was kind of the point and what made it so dang funny . . . saying outdated slogans, long pauses of silence, that was what made it and him funny
I watched SNL in its early years, and Chevy was good then. He had a few good films. My impression of Chevy over the last 10 years or so is of a bitter man who feels that TV is beneath him. I don’t miss his presence on the tube.
Icons? Carol Burnett (and Tim Conway and Harvey Korman), as mentioned. Bob Newhart, whose deadpan reaction shots were perfect for the small screen. The late, great, Carroll O’Connor, who gave life and vulnerability to a character that could have been a painful one-note joke. Ernie Kovacs. Don Knotts. Betty White, whose body of work spanned the decades and still entertains in reruns every day. Bob Barker. Alex Trebek. And let’s not forget the voice-Don Pardo.
One word – Manimal.
I’LL NEVER FORGET CHEVY CHASE WHEN HE WAS ON THE BILL MAYER SHOW ON ABC, POLITICALLY INCORRECT, A BUNCH OF YEARS AGO. HE GOT REAL NASTY WITH DICK WOLF OF LAW & ORDER FAME…I DON’T REMEMBER THE TOPIC BUT HE CAME OFF AS A REALLY BITTER, NASTY, SOB.. WHICH I WOULD GUESS SUMS UP A LOT OF HIS PERSONALITY TRAITS. HE HASN’T BEEN FUNNY FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND HE KNOWS IT.