The Historic Comic Genius Of Lorne Michaels & SNL


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

If my Tik-Tok feed is any indication, SNL has effortlessly become popular with another generation of Americans. This leads to how and why this keeps happening. First, let’s note that the old quip about SNL is, “It’s a mediocre restaurant in an excellent location.”

But I would suggest that this seriously misses the point about the House that Michaels Built. What makes the show so timeless is it fills the Bob Hope niche in modern America. Bob Hope’s humor was sort of like the comic strip Garfield — it was funny, but it wasn’t laugh-out-loud funny. It was comic comfort food. As such, SNL is kind of the same way — it’s often funny, but it’s rare that it’s really laugh-out-loud funny.

And that’s why SNL is probably going to grow in cultural significance for decades to come — it gives us a weekly round up of what’s on the mind of New York City liberals but it isn’t needy or pushy. It’s an enjoyable way to spend an hour and a half on a Saturday night.

If the show was as edgy as some people would have it be, SNL would quickly burn out. It would be really popular for one or two seasons and then get canceled because it was a little bit too “of the moment.”

The question of who will replace Lorne Michaels is something that I find very interesting because he’s been such a powerful figure in American entertainment for so long that while a lot of people would want the job, only one or two would actually be a good fit.

I still think Tina Fey is the perfect replacement for Michaels for various reasons, but I don’t know enough about her career goals to know if she would be interested.

Author: Shelton Bumgarner

I am the Editor & Publisher of The Trumplandia Report

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