- 1 minute ago
“Saturday Night Live” has been a comedy institution for decades, but lately, fans and critics alike have noticed some troubling patterns. From safe political satire to recycled sketches and tired routines, we’re breaking down the biggest issues making the show feel less sharp, less daring, and a lot less essential than it used to be.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're taking a deep dive into what's gone wrong with Saturday Night Live
00:06and why a show once known for pushing boundaries now feels toothless.
00:11Chief, what are we supposed to do? You're our best player, I know. And maybe not anymore.
00:19Platforming highly divisive figures. Having controversial figures host SNL is nothing new.
00:25Back in 1990, the show brought on Andrew Dice Clay, who's booking prompted cast member Nora Dunn to boycott the
00:33episode.
00:34Go away! Go away!
00:36Alright, snap ahead, sit down, shut your mouth and pay attention, alright?
00:44Go relax, would ya?
00:46But these days, it seems the show has leaned into doing this deliberately just to provoke a reaction.
00:52SNL has been hosted by Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and more recently, Shane Gillis, the comedian who joined the cast
00:59in 2019,
01:01only to be fired shortly after due to his controversial remarks. In fact, he's returned to host three times.
01:08I'm sorry, there's no other way to describe. Have you seen it? I've seen it. The shorts? Have you seen
01:14the shorts?
01:14Those neon, they're like the only, they're like artificial bait colored.
01:18His October 2026 appearance stirred up criticism, even from former cast members, after he used a derogatory term to describe
01:27women at the gym.
01:28Of course, controversy isn't automatically a comedy killer, but when it completely overshadows the jokes,
01:34you have to wonder whether shock value was the goal all along.
01:37Now it's just me and that insult for ten more minutes. Just baking with that insult. There's no music in
01:43there.
01:43Now I'm arguing with Theo Vaughn in my head for ten minutes, like, you look like, uh, some type of
01:48egg my cousin might have found.
01:51Bland and predictable political cold opens.
01:54Yes, Mr. President, you're here again.
01:57Of course I am. I missed my day one, Zoran Ramdani.
02:01Because for some reason that no one can figure out, I really, really like you.
02:06Political satire has always been one of SNL's biggest selling points.
02:10Between 2008 and 2017, the show was on a spectacular run in that department,
02:16even winning two Peabody Awards for its take on the American political landscape.
02:20I believe that diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy.
02:26And I can see Russia from my house.
02:33That version of the show feels a long way away right now.
02:37The cold opens, once some of the week's most anticipated minutes of television,
02:41have curdled into something closer to a news recap,
02:44with a barely funny punchline tacked on at the end.
02:47Anyway, it's been a crazy week.
02:50I kicked out the press and, uh, uh, hung out with the president of China.
02:55She! She!
02:58And yeah, I went brunette. It's fall.
03:00Yes, real-world politics have become genuinely surreal,
03:04but that should give the show even more material to work with,
03:07not an excuse to simply let the jokes write themselves.
03:10Satire needs a point of view and a sharpened edge.
03:14Sadly, SNL seems to have lost both.
03:16In two years, I might be president.
03:20Okay, he was funny.
03:22Okay, all right. Go ahead, Mr. Vice President. Give it a shot.
03:26Sparkle. Shine.
03:28Cut. I'm J.D. Vance.
03:30And cut!
03:32SNL might be running out of fresh ideas,
03:34but you'll never run out of great entertainment at the Ms. Mojo 24-7 livestream.
03:39Scan the QR code on your screen to join.
03:42It just goes to show that anyone can be president.
03:45Anyone.
03:46Anyone.
03:48Anyone.
03:49All you have to do is want it.
03:54One-note political impressions and celebrity cameos.
03:58You can't talk about the bland political cold opens
04:01without mentioning the one-dimensional impressions that populate them.
04:04All right. All right, cut the trash!
04:07Cut it!
04:08What's up, dong munchers?
04:11And yeah, I'm wearing an ammunition belt made of fireball cinnamon whiskey.
04:16The only alcohol designed to taste better on the way back up.
04:19A strong impression should do more than just look and sound like someone.
04:24It should expose something about them.
04:26James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump is technically impressive,
04:30but it rarely ventures beyond mimicry.
04:32There's little satirical excavation happening.
04:35What a hellhole this country is.
04:37It's full of awful people.
04:38So I know it's hard, but please vote for Republicans, okay?
04:42And yes, that includes creepy Ken Paxton down there in Texas.
04:46Goddamn, I hate that guy.
04:48Look at that.
04:48Colin Jost's Pete Hegseth is even worse.
04:52Not only is it an unconvincing impression,
04:54but there's hardly anything funny about the way it's written.
04:57Now listen up, okay?
04:58Because I need all you patriots at home to do the gayest thing ever and vote.
05:05Because thanks to me, the military finally has its priorities and sexuality straight.
05:10Then there's the show's growing reliance on celebrity cameos
05:14and returning alumni to anchor its political sketches,
05:17sidelining actual cast members in the process.
05:20A great cast shouldn't need famous guests to bail them out every week.
05:25They should be the reason we tune in.
05:30Unfortunately, it wasn't all laughs this year.
05:33Now, not all laughs.
05:35There are a few things we had to say goodbye to because we destroyed them.
05:39The emergence of Saturday Night Live UK.
05:43Imagine spending five decades building a reputation for fearless satire.
05:47Only for a newer, younger, bouncier, cool girl to show up and make you look dull.
05:52America and Britain have a long, proud tradition of cooperation.
05:57And nothing can take that away.
05:59Remember the good times.
06:01Remember D-Day.
06:05Remember Live Aid.
06:07Remember Iraq.
06:09Saturday Night Live UK premiered in March 2026
06:13and has already shown a willingness to be ruthless with its satire.
06:17The series has taken swings at British politicians,
06:20the royal family, Donald Trump, and Benjamin Netanyahu,
06:24sometimes venturing into territory its American counterpart has shied away from.
06:28He was a commanding presence in the room.
06:31He made the podium his own.
06:33And then the podium next to him.
06:35And all the chairs.
06:36And some of the benches.
06:37But in a sense, weren't they always his?
06:41The contrast has been particularly noticeable
06:44in how the two shows have addressed the war in Gaza,
06:47with the British version coming across as considerably more biting.
06:51Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed an almost empty chamber at the UN
06:55after delegates walked out in protest over Israel's war in Gaza.
07:00I guess wherever Netanyahu shows up, there's gonna be some relocating.
07:04Sure, SNL UK has had its fair share of misses,
07:07but when the newer show seems more willing to make powerful people uncomfortable,
07:11it makes you wonder if the American version has become too cautious for its own good.
07:16Rapper McLemore, who was dropped as the opening act for Ed Sheeran,
07:20announced that he is launching a free Palestine tour.
07:27But haven't the Palestinian people been through enough?
07:32Safe, low-energy hosts.
07:35But tonight, I'm going to approach the hosts in the same way I approach the Knicks Finals game.
07:40So the first three quarters of the show are gonna be god-awful.
07:45The last sketch is gonna be amazing.
07:48SNL has always had a tradition of booking non-comedians.
07:51And there's nothing inherently wrong with that.
07:53In fact, some of the show's best episodes have come from unexpected hosts.
07:57Okay, I'm sorry. Do you want to lose?
08:00I throw, you catch. It's not that hard, okay?
08:03All right, get the f*** out of here.
08:05The problem is frequency and placement.
08:08Choosing Jalen Brunson, the New York Knicks star, to open season 52 was a questionable call.
08:14Brunson is charming, sure.
08:16But charm alone can't carry 90 minutes of live television.
08:19There he shoots.
08:20Oh.
08:21Shoots again.
08:22Here he is.
08:23One last chance.
08:24Is that close?
08:25Eyes closed.
08:27Eyes open.
08:28Buddy.
08:28Dude.
08:29Kobe.
08:31Boom shakalaka.
08:32Darius.
08:33The premiere felt flat and underwritten.
08:36And when a host can't naturally command a comedic sketch, the writers have to work harder to play to their
08:41strengths.
08:42As a result, we got generic material seemingly designed around the host's limitations that left the cast struggling.
08:48During sexy time, we turn the lights off and use a chess clock.
08:51And when he hits this button, I go crazy until my time is up.
08:56Mm-hmm.
08:57Yeah, and then Vice and Versace and so on and so forth.
08:59A season premiere sets the tone for what's to come.
09:02And unfortunately, season 52 has struggled to rise above the same flat, underwhelming comedy that defined its opener.
09:09I don't know why you keep winning or where we found you, but I know exactly what you're about to
09:16do.
09:16No, you don't, because I'm about to press my lock!
09:19No, what is happening?
09:21Consistently weak writing.
09:23Well, I heard...
09:25Eric from Legal is going through, like, a really hard time right now.
09:31Aren't you Eric from Legal?
09:35Yeah.
09:39The frustrating thing about SNL these days is that you can often see the brilliant idea at the heart of
09:45sketches.
09:45There's a genuinely funny premise with plenty of potential, but it's rarely fleshed out or thought through enough to reach
09:51its full potential.
09:53Instead, the joke gets repeated a few times before the ending lands with all the force of a damp paper
09:58towel.
09:59Wait, Eric, that means you have gossip.
10:02Wait, really?
10:03Yes!
10:04Spill!
10:04Well, apparently...
10:07Yes?
10:08Her daughter...
10:09Yes?
10:09...who works in research...
10:11Yes?
10:11...has an OnlyFans...
10:13Yes?
10:13...that Eric does block from.
10:15Eric!
10:16Reviews of the early season 52 episodes have noted this unevenness, from the Jalen Brunson premiere to the Dakota Johnson
10:23and Shane Gillis episodes.
10:25For a show employing dozens of writers, that pattern is alarming.
10:29Yeah, you're not giving the orders here, jackass.
10:33Okay, I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay, I'm sorry.
10:36Yeah, well, you're free to go and don't let me see you around here again.
10:38I didn't talk about my book at all.
10:40You're lucky I'm letting you off with a warning, get out of here.
10:43SNL was built on turning the week's biggest stories into memorable, incisive comedy.
10:48That muscle now feels badly atrophied.
10:51When this many sketches feel undercooked, it may be time to rethink the show's entire creative process.
10:57So what's the marketing plan for these views?
10:59Well, we'd like to lean into the multi-purpose aspect.
11:03Ron Wells, for whatever the day demands.
11:05Bad.
11:06How about sneakers?
11:08She'll never hear you.
11:09A lack of memorable, original characters.
11:13Girl, sis, I gotta cut you a piece of this steak.
11:16This steak is busting.
11:17Leave me.
11:19Oh my God.
11:20Can you just chill?
11:21He's trying to tell a story.
11:23Oh my God.
11:24I heard him.
11:25I heard him.
11:26He said he got chased by a dog.
11:29Here's a quick challenge.
11:31Try to name five recurring SNL characters from the past three or four years that have the potential to be
11:36iconic.
11:36It's much harder than it should be.
11:38New York's hottest club is taste.
11:41Nightlife designer Tranny Griffith is back with an all-new club that answers the question.
11:46Huh?
11:49Don't look for a bouncer.
11:50There isn't one.
11:51Instead, the door is guarded by ten jacked homeless guys in old-fashioned bathing suits.
11:56For decades, SNL's original characters were its backbone.
12:00Rosanna, Rosanna Dana, The Church Lady, Matt Foley, Debbie Downer, Stefan, Target Lady.
12:06Character is so legendary that you can practically hear their voices just by saying their names.
12:11You're what?
12:12Why are you making that face?
12:15I've never met a lesbian.
12:17Do you all wear vests?
12:19I'm not wearing one right now.
12:22Stereotype busted!
12:23Modern SNL has increasingly favored game-based sketches, built around a single premise and one escalating joke, over memorable character
12:32pieces.
12:33When those sketches land, they're fine.
12:35When they don't, there's little underneath to save them.
12:38I've been waiting for this moment.
12:41Just out of curiosity, is your dragon going to watch the whole time?
12:48Because it's like a little, it's a little unsettling.
12:52Without more distinctive, well-written, recurring characters, SNL risks losing the very quality that once made its sketches so memorable
12:59and rewatchable.
13:01To me, it just looks like two shapes bouncing around having sex.
13:07Besides, I don't even have testicles.
13:11Do you have a penis?
13:14Well, you tell me.
13:18Trying too hard to speak Gen Z.
13:21Nothing dates a comedy show quite like watching it desperately try to prove it's still cool.
13:26Thank you for the roses! Yum!
13:28Thank you for the roses! Yum!
13:30My black brothers, we must protect the bloodline!
13:34Resist the temptation of the snow bunny!
13:36You don't want it!
13:37See how I'm vibrating off my cellulite?
13:39Very demure!
13:40Very mindful!
13:41Hey, baby, you want...
13:41Oh, damn!
13:43SNL has always poked fun at the generation shaping pop culture,
13:46but its attempts to capture Gen Z can sometimes feel like a middle-aged dad who just discovered TikTok.
13:51The 2021 Gen Z hospital sketch, for instance,
13:55had characters communicating through exaggerated internet slang.
13:58Doctor, please tell us what's up with our bestie.
14:02Yo, I might want to sit down.
14:03What I have to say right now, I'd be a little cringe.
14:05Just give us a tea.
14:07Okay.
14:08Well, as you may have seen on her live,
14:10your bestie took a major L while driving her Hellcat.
14:13Some viewers criticized it for reducing an entire generation's speech to a grab bag of catchphrases.
14:18Others pointed out that some of the supposedly Gen Z slang was actually African-American vernacular English.
14:25How could bestie be so irresponsible?
14:28Yo, millions of people flip their Hellcat on live every day, cuh.
14:32Yeah, you know that could have happened to anyone in the gang.
14:35I know, but when it's bestie, it just hit different.
14:38The bigger problem is that SNL seems more interested in chasing online trends
14:42than finding the genuinely funny observations hiding underneath them.
14:46Add an increasingly obvious desperation to go viral,
14:49and you get comedy that feels engineered for the algorithm
14:52rather than written to actually make people laugh.
15:07Weekend update has gone completely stale.
15:10Yeah, we're making each other read jokes live on there
15:12that the other person's never seen before.
15:15You're nervous.
15:16Just getting ready.
15:17No, this is, it's...
15:19Yeah, it's gonna be fun.
15:20We're gonna have to be fun to each other and to our families.
15:24A decade is a long time to sit at any desk,
15:28and Colin Jost and Michael Che have been anchoring
15:31Weekend Update together for longer.
15:33Their dynamic, Che baiting Jost into racially awkward territory
15:37while Jost frames Che as morally questionable,
15:40was genuinely fresh once.
15:42Now it's a well-worn routine that lands with diminishing returns week after week.
15:47Now that was just a joke.
15:50I'm not a racist, and to prove it,
15:53I, Colin Jost, hereby pledge this season's salary
15:58to Dr. Umar's school for black boys.
16:02The show had a real opportunity for reinvention in Michael Longfellow,
16:07a sardonic, unconventional presence who seemed like a natural fit
16:10for a new generation of Weekend Update anchors,
16:13potentially alongside someone like Sarah Sherman.
16:15In other news, self-proclaimed nipple expert Colin Jost caught mansplaining live on television.
16:25Now back to you, Colin.
16:27Where are you getting these graphics?
16:29Please stop interrupting me!
16:32Instead, Longfellow was let go,
16:35and SNL stuck with the safe, familiar formula.
16:38It's difficult to square that decision with a show that's built its reputation on fearless reinvention.
16:43Hey girls, it's Longfellow.
16:47Don't get excited, it's just a name.
16:56Small wiener joke.
16:57No, we got it, man, we got it.
16:59Lauren Michaels won't pass the torch.
17:02Recently the NBC television network has experienced sweeping budget cuts.
17:07These cuts have been severe,
17:09and all of us have been forced to make sacrifices.
17:13Nobody disputes what Lauren Michaels has built.
17:1650 years of Saturday Night Live is a staggering achievement,
17:19and his creative fingerprints are all over its history.
17:23There's nobody quite like him,
17:25and nobody expects him to walk away from the show entirely.
17:28But perhaps it's time for him to take a step back from the day-to-day creative decisions,
17:32and let someone else take the reins.
17:34Well, what'll happen to you?
17:36Well, I'll still be here in a supervisor role before I move full-time into wrestling.
17:40But you're at your peak.
17:42The show's never been better.
17:43Lauren, if you go, I go.
17:44I appreciate that, but it's out of my hands.
17:46Francis is calling the shots now.
17:47That was rumored to happen after the 50th anniversary, but it didn't.
17:52Since then, the show's recurring creative patterns and increasingly safe choices
17:56have raised questions about whether new leadership could help it evolve.
18:00Tina Fey has been floated as a potential successor,
18:03and Michaels himself has acknowledged she could do the job.
18:06The SNL alum appreciating the compliment, but saying he's irreplaceable.
18:11His set of gifts and skills are entirely unique.
18:14He's one of the last three people in show business who actually understand everything.
18:19I'll leave it at that.
18:20He could still serve as a guiding presence while someone else leads creatively.
18:24After all, preserving his legacy might mean giving the show room to grow beyond him.
18:30Is it the black one?
18:41Are there other reasons you think SNL has lost its spark?
18:44Let us know in the comments.
18:46We have a feeling you won't be short of opinions.
18:48We have a feeling you won't be short of opinions.
18:48We have a feeling you won't be short of opinions.
18:48We have a feeling you won't be short of opinions.
18:49We have a feeling you won't be short of opinions.
18:49We have a feeling you won't be short of opinions.
18:50We have a feeling you won't be short of opinions.