This is basically just Us Weekly sensationalizing old news, but the master impersonator of such esteemed figures as Hillary Clinton, Christian Siriano, and an ADHD-addled preteen garbed exclusively in jammies will officially depart Saturday Night Live after this season. She’s still signed on for that mysterious NBC Office spinoff series, though nothing’s yet confirmed, including the accuracy of both "Office" and "spinoff." Anyway, next year, she’ll have a baby and a TV show, just like Sarah Palin, I mean Tina Fey! So Poehler, and her fans, are all set.
What this means for SNL, though, is another story. Saturday’s season premiere got good ratings and great buzz off of Poehler and Fey’s spot-on satirical opener. (Fellow funnylady Vanessa ‘L Yeah!’ Williams even gushed about its brilliance in today’s installment of ‘Ausiello TV‘!) But the rest of the show slid downhill into an expansive wasteland littered with slow skits, way-too-lengthy spurts of dialogue, a Cathy spoof Fey had already done the same way (except better) on 30 Rock months ago, and the (admittedly delish) scraps of the Michael Phelps bizarro diet. Can SNL survive the rest of the year, let alone after Poehler’s exit? Hard to say — for me, it depends on how long some of the other recurring mainstays — like Kristen Wiig’s bevy of twitchy/bitchy characters and the digital video realizations of whatever Andy Samberg thinks about when he’s (seemingly!) exceedingly stoned — will become tired. And it might have already happened. What do you think? Could a new wave do SNL some good, or have Amy and the showrunners — to borrow a catchphrase from baby daddy Will Arnett as G.O.B. Bluth — "made a huge mistake"?
Also, be sure to check out our Q&A with Poehler and our behind-the-scenes SNL cover story.
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Unfortunately, SNL seems to be hitting their stride solely with political skits, which are good, but kinda obvious. The one glorious exception to that rule is Kristen Wiig. She’s wonderfully dynamic and clearly studied. But she can’t carry it herself.
Step it up, Seth Meyers! And other cast members of SNL of whom I do not know your names because you are immemorable!
Master impersonator? Her “Hillary” is barely an impression. Doesn’t sound or look like Hillary at all.
She’s a funny woman, but she’s not an impressionist, unless you know about her painting like Monet or something.
Are you kidding me? I stopped watching SNL years ago due to “severe lack of funny”
Give Andy Samberg more to do! He has a genius, yet underutilized mind for comedy!
Seth isnt a cast member. And while the season premiere was horrible, there is a lot of funny potential with who they have as cast members. Also, its hard to criticize the current quality of a television show when you havent watched in years.
I agree with Binky about the Hillary impersonation – the satire is funny, but she can’t even be trying to get Hillary’s inflections, etc. Now Tina did a perfect Palin…I actually did a double take wondering if it really was Palin!
I know it’s been cool to hate on SNL for years, and the season premiere didn’t do anything to dissuade the haters, but, personally, I think Kristin Wiig is fantastic, Bill Hader is the REAL master impersonator, Andy Samberg’s digital films are entertainingly bizarre (though Annie’s right about the danger of them getting old) and Fred Armisen cracks me up with pretty much everything he does. There’s stuff to like there.
However, I think the rest of the cast is pretty expendable. The situation with the females is particularly embarrassing. If I’m not mistaken, if you subtract Poehler, that leaves Wiig and Kacey Wilson (who’s decent) as the only female regulars.
I think they need to beef up the female talent on the show. For example, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to hire a funny black female performer (they HAVE to be out there) instead of having Kenan Thompson play every black woman since Maya Rudolph’s departure.
This happens all the time on this show, and someone always emerges. I think Kristin Wiig and even Casey Wilson (?) have some good stuff, but they need to start looking for at least one more good, solid, funny female.
Seth’s the head writer. I’m not being snarky. I just wanted to clarify my original post.
Ceballos!
I forgot about Maya Rudolph! I go a-flitter just thinking about her performances.
What Hillary impression? She looks or sounds nothing like Hillary. The show is not the least bit funny or entertaining. Last week’s big ratings were due to one person. Sara Palin. In this case Tina Fey, who was spot on and hilarious as Sara.
Sing to the tune of Sarah Smile
SARAH SMELL
Dm7 Am
Baby hair with a woman’s eyes
Bbmaj7 A7
I can see Truck waiting in the night
Dm7 Am Bbmaj7 Gm A7
All alone with me and we’re waiting for the loo
Bb C Dbdim Dm7
I feel cold and poop is on the way
Bb C D# Dm7
And when I feel I can’t go on, you’ll give me Bristol’s Pepto-Bismol
Gm7
It’s Truck…and me forever
Dm7 Am7 Gm7 C Db
Sarah (smell) smell
Dm7 Am7 Gm7 C
Oh, won’t you smell any poop for Sarah…
Dm7 Am
If Truck feel like pooping too, you know you can go
Bbmaj7 A7
But why don’t you poop until after dinner?
Dm7 Am Bbmaj7 Gm A7
If you want to be free all you’ve got to do is poop still
Bb C Dbdim Dm7
I feel cold and poop is on the way
Look. I am going to be fair. This SNL is not the 1986 SNL in which you had a drugged out Robert Downey Jr. and an alcoholic Anthony Michael Hall, Randy Quaid,Joan Cusack and bad and I mean REALLY bad writing. It’s more like the 1980-1981 season in which you had funny actors (Gail Mattius and her Valley Girl impersonation) and bad writing. Now that Amy is leaving, there needs to be a clean sweep similar to what Lorne did back in 1986 after the “Hi, I am a popular actor, look at me”!”season. Except this time the writers either go back to Second City or Groundlings and do some hard research or get fired. It’s that simple.
Hader and Wiig are the best new additions to the cast in years, but they are criminally underused. I’d love to see the new guy be a breakout, but I’ve heard his specialty is exaggerated impressions of black people. Not promising. The writing is lazy and uninspired. I don’t think the staff pays much attention to the world outside of mid-town Manhattan.
I don’t know who that new guy is, but his stupid skit about the weird waiter was lame. The show needs more diversity (1 black guy is not diverse enough). And the SNL digital shorts, but please no more Laser Cats. That is so DUMB!
When it comes right down to it…it’s really just chasing the wind.
That will be a great loss. Kristin Wiig is way too repetitive; Darrell Hammond and Seth Meyers are great, as is Maya Rudolph — is she still on? The show is sorely in need of new talent and new writing.
Kristin Wigg is fantastic. I always laugh at her skits. Other than that SNL has become extremely boring and currently I forward through 75% of it.
I think the witting is the problem, The actors get bad material. Last Saturday I found myself wondering about their screening process, somebody has to approved the crap that the put on the show…who are these tortured souls?
I’ll bet she won’t fly 8 months pregnant nor fly 8 hour after her water breaks.
SNL is officially the worst show on television. Amy Poehler isn’t funny any more- just sort of sarcastic and mean and petty. The guys in the cast are exceptionally unfunny- acting like junior high schoolers. They are falling into the Fallon trap of thinking you are so funny that you have to laugh at yourself. There is no EDGE- it’s either mean or stupid. They ought to yank it and hold a funeral.
Hey Guy, I’ve never admitted to any mistakes… Come ON!
Get True Blood’s Stephen Moyer to host the show and Metallica as the musical guest and I might take another look. Otherwise, I am finished with SNL. There’s simply too many other options and good ones at that. The last time SNL was funny was when Chris Kattan and Cheri O’Teri played the over-sexed couple.
uh, SNL is waaaaaay better than Mad TV. Does anyone watch that garbage?
who?
I thought the locker room skit was deja vu all over again, not Peyton Manning but Michael Phelps, then the re-used dinner party skit with Kristen Wiig as the “ugly” daughter and Michael Phelps her “ugly” cousin. I thought I was watching reruns. I have to admit, the opening of this new season with Tina Fey as Palin was outstanding…I thought perhaps this was setting the stage for a really great show. But, I was disappointed as outlined above and the digital short was bizarre, as always. Thank you…….CC
The opener kind of sucked. Kristen Wiig is the only astonishing talent – it bugs me that she gets last billing. I only watch the show for Kristen. No one since Catherine O’Hara has made me crack up harder than Kristen. YAY Kristen.
@BUH
Stephen Moyer is poised to be t.v.’s next sex symbol. He stars as a vampire hunk opposite Anna Paquin on HBO’s True Blood on Sunday nights. SNL’s ratings would go thru the roof with him as the guest host.
Kristin Wiig gets last billing because her name starts with “W” and they show the cast in alphabetical order. Check it out next time. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out.
Don’t be upset at the Alphabet, Liam. If the players can’t be listed by awesomeness, I’d say alphabetical organization is the next best option. Save the Dewey Decimal system.
I don’t know who that dude is either, but i was talking about amy poehler. SNL hasnt been any good in like a decade