We didn’t expect “Saturday Night Live” to speak truth to power, did we?
The NBC show’s first episode since California wildfires tore through the state came and went without landing any major jab at the people who made the fires worse.
Much worse.
We can name them. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Governor Gavin Newsom. See? Not that difficult.
Just point out their blatant inefficiency – whether it’s too dry reservoirs, the overemphasis on DEI over merit or cutting firefighting budgets to fund more important programs like the firefighting program. Gay Men’s Choir.
(There’s nothing wrong with a program like this, but when you’re pinching pennies, you have to make cuts)
Remember how “SNL” burned Sen. Ted Cruz for fleeing his state during the deep freeze in Texas?
However, they were cockroaches when Bass was MIA in Ghana during the worst disaster to hit her city… ever. The show couldn’t even mock Bass’ bad reputation moment “URL”, A Biden-type gaffe tailor-made for political comedy.
Instead, SNL cursed President-elect Donald Trump. once again.
Predictable. sad. frustrated. And for those weaned on the glory days of SNL, this is another sign of the show’s irrelevance.
There is a silver lining here, though.
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“SNL” no longer has an impact on culture. We do not quote the drawings or their comedic characters. The show stopped producing movie stars on the level of Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, or Kristen Wiig.
This opens a wide way for other voices to emerge. We see it happening already.
Old-school SNL alum David Spade teams up with comedic rebel Theo Vaughn in Busboys. Comedy, group In a border town in Arizona, It follows two men who “think that working as waiters will solve all their problems. They are wrong.”
David Spade and Theo Vaughn write, direct, produce, self-finance and star in Busboys.
– New York Magazine (@NYMag) November 21, 2024
That’s not all.
Spade and Von co-wrote the screenplay and are self-financing the project. This says a lot about where the industry is headed in 2025. Hollywood’s gatekeepers can’t turn away the new guard.
Another example?
Tim Dillon’s self-titled podcast costs a fraction of the average “SNL” episode and attracts millions of views. And he is not alone.
Institutions like SNL and late-night TV shows will continue to shrink as they avoid reality and speak to a dwindling hardline partisan base. The late-night scene has already begun to shrink, with “The Tonight Show” ending its Friday night schedule and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” canceling its lineup.
Now, Americans will continue to look elsewhere for smart, witty comedy that speaks to the times in which we live. And they’re already doing it through “Gutfeld!”
They arrested two people who were hiding in Kamala’s house and made some jokes about Karen Bass. Enjoy. #adamhunter #Gutfeld #FoxNews #Karen Bass #Karen pic.twitter.com/bXTKmUBflZ
– Adam Hunter (@AdamComedian) January 14, 2025
The Fox News smash didn’t ignore Mayor Bass’ missteps. The series’ comedy lineup has brought a refreshing change from the status quo in Hollywood.
“SNL” supporters and late-night supporters will continue to chase the shrinking progressive base, but will they still be committed to the same approach in Trump 2.0? We’re already seeing progressive media outlets like MSNBC and CNN shedding viewers at an alarming rate after the election.
Some may return in the coming weeks, but not all.
Even liberal viewers understand that they have been fed a false bill of goods about culture and politics and are looking elsewhere for news.
Something similar will happen on the comedic front.
Which explains why a conspiratorial comedian like Joe Rogan hosts one of the biggest podcasts in the country. Or when the Trump team wanted to reach wary voters, it courted rebellious comedians like Andrew Schulz, Tim Dillon, and Vaughn.
Consumers know that “SNL” won’t shoot live with them. A very clear presentation agenda welcomes them into every sketch. Even MSNBC’s cold open seemed like a futile attempt to mock like-minded souls that succeeded in every hit imaginable.
Help is on the way. By ignoring reality, “SNL” opens the door open to replace her.