I’m a huge lifelong fan of Saturday Night Live.
As I’ve gotten older, it’s been great to see all of the different ways to learn about the lore and history and fascinating (and often hilarious) behind-the-scenes doings related to the show.
What’s strange, in fact, is I realized these days that I typically consume more content about the history of SNL versus watching brand new episodes of the show.
Which… to be fair, I’ll typically view via online clips during the week, as many people do these days.
Here are some examples of the recent proliferation of SNL-related offerings:
- Saturday Night – good if not great movie, a fictionalized depiction of the chaotic build up to SNL’s first ever live broadcast in 1975.
- Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live – outstanding and deeply researched biography of Lorne Michaels, by Susan Morrison. I devoured this thing during recent travels to Europe.
- Fly on the Wall – super fun, loose, and engaging podcast hosted by SNL alums and friends Dana Carvey and David Spade. Lots of SNL lore typically comes up – including guests that include a raft of past and present cast, crew members, and show hosts – and I especially enjoy how their specific comedic talents entwine with one another.
And now we have The Rundown, a “short form” series available on Peacock and YouTube, that features an SNL cast member or alum who “will select a favorite segment from the show’s history and add it to Lorne Michaels’ famous ‘Rundown’ board, building an all-star episode over time,” via Variety.
At first blush, I thought that the concept was a game show in which cast members or just regular fans would compete in some way to construct a stellar episode using all-star sketches from the show’s past.
This idea excited me quite a bit, but nonetheless what I’ve been able to sample is grist enough to further sate my hunger for additional Saturday Night Live-related insights and laughs.
In this clip – which I think might be considered a full-blown short form episode? – Colin Jost does a great job of breaking down the hundred-plus cold open segments that he’s been involved with writing.
I especially liked the history of the extraordinary time crunch involved in putting together the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination cold open, brilliantly and hilariously pulled off by Matt Damon hours after arriving in New York City via red eye flight from San Francisco.
It’s often said, by the way, that the era of SNL that ties with one’s high school years is the one that tends to be a person’s favorite. That is absolutely true in my case. And that being said, and at risk of aging myself, the likes of Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Kevin Nealon, Dana Carvey, Chris Rock, Jan Hooks, David Spade, Nora Dunn, Phil Hartmann, and many other heavy hitters graced those years.
And speaking of Carvey, here’s a clip from The Rundown featuring our guy.
I wish this one was an hour instead of five minutes and change.