Olson: SNL boosts its image with political content
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By MELISSA OLSON
For the Herald
Friday, October 24, 2008 1:29 PM CDT
Last week’s episode of Saturday Night Live was the highest-rated SNL since the spring of 1994.
The host wasn’t Tom Cruise or Julia Roberts, either, it was Josh Brolin, a lesser-known character actor. And to be honest, the regular cast wasn’t spectacular: since Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph left the show, “SNL” has been hit-or-miss with its casting, with a few reliably great players (Amy Poehler, Krsitin Wiig, Bill Hader), lots of interchangeable supporting actors, and one or two who just can’t seem to pull off more than a one-note joke.
And yet, in its 34th season, “Saturday Night Live” has somehow gotten cool again, and everybody’s talking. The reason is incredibly simple: it’s an election year. Beginning last season, when Amy Poehler’s Hillary Clinton ran amok and Daryl Hammond introduced his looney John McCain, “SNL” started to produce consistently relevant, hilarious material for the first time in ages. Add in a few non-political recurring characters like Kristin Wiig’s over-exaggerator Penelope and the “McGuyver” parody McGruber, and momentum started to build.
This momentum got some attention, and suddenly it became really cool to visit “Saturday Night Live.” This year Cameron Diaz, Queen Latifah, Demi Moore, and iconic “SNL” veteran Bill Murray have all appeared on the show without actually hosting, not to mention presidential candidate Barack Obama.
In the last few weeks alone, the most exciting special guest in years has actually turned out to be former “Saturday Night Live” head writer Tina Fey, doing a shockingly spot-on impression of Governor Sarah Palin.
Every time she appears, executive producer Lorne Michaels (who by now must spend his spare time sitting on a throne made of $1,000 bills) gets just a little bit richer, and SNL’s buzz gets a little bit louder.
Election years have always been good to this show, but for the first time in American history, we also have sites like Hulu.com and YouTube ensuring that even the earliest risers never have to miss a single skit, and more media-savvy candidates who actually don’t mind having a little fun poked at them.
Last Saturday, in fact, Governor Sarah Palin herself showed up on SNL, where she didn’t do too much except show she’s a good sport (and get in a nice dig at special guest Alec Baldwin — when he “mistakes” her for the actual Tina Fey, Palin coolly points out that William was always her favorite Baldwin).
As the election gets closer and closer, SNL has taken on the ultimate snowball effect: after all, everybody loves a good sport. The presidential candidates like to visit because it increases their profile and shows off a sense of humor.
Guest actors like Baldwin (and, hilariously, Mark Wahlberg) like to cameo because it they gain a positive good-natured reputation and lets them plug their own projects (yes, “Max Payne” and “30 Rock” both got a mention), and in return, the writers have more to work with, more viewers are tuning in, and the excitement and fun just build and build. That’s how episodes like Saturday’s end up being the highest rated in almost 15 years.
And yet… there’s just something about this renewed SNL-mania that has me a little nervous. Maybe it’s because I have to wonder what they’re going to do when the election’s over — will we still care? Will there still be good guest stars and inspired writers without all the political excitement? Will the show be nearly as funny without Tina Fey making everyone roll on the ground with her Palin impressions?
But while I do wonder about the impact the election will eventually have on “SNL,” I’m more concerned right now about the impact that “SNL” might be having on the election.
Already Palin supporters — and non-partisan political analysts — are arguing that Tina Fey is destroying Governor Palin’s reputation, and therefore influencing votes.
An article in the New York Post pointed out that this isn’t the first time SNL may be damaging a career: “People remember Gerald Ford through the prism of Chevy Chase,” said John Pitney Jr., a professor of American Politics at Claremont McKenna College. “Ford was among our most athletic presidents, and he had a wide-ranging knowledge of public-policy issues. But because of SNL, many came to think of him as a buffoon.”
Hmm. Ordinarily, this backlash is exactly the kind of thing I would ridicule, the idea that a funny, smart imitation can actually determine the leader of the free world. But here’s the thing: with skits that are so clever and accurate, not to mention hilarious, more and more people seem to be getting their actual news from shows like “Saturday Night Live,” “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.”
It would be one thing if we all had a pretty good idea of the political climate, and then watched a funny parody of the real-life situation. But how many of us have complimented our entertainment with a healthy dose of straight-up news?
It’s like having a bran muffin with your Lucky Charms — yeah, we all know we should, but who has time to worry about these things? With the economy in a downward spiral, and everyone struggling to get by, it’s so much more fun to just take “Saturday Night Live’s” word for it, and vote accordingly.
But hey — there’s no way that could ever backfire on us… right?
A Chippewa Falls native, Melissa Olson graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in film. She works in Madison for the television program Discover Wisconsin. Visit her online at www.melissaolson.net.
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