Saturday Night Live Gets a New Look Source: Variety Thursday, September 25, 2003 Kenan Thompson (All That) and comic Finesse Mitchell will join NBC's Saturday Night Live as featured players when the long-running show begins its 29th season October 4. The show also will debut a new opening sequence shot by veteran music video director Dave Meyers. The comedy-variety series is getting a new set, modeled after New York's refurbished Grand Central Station. The transformation of Studio 8H was carried out by "SNL's" scenic design team. School of Rock star Jack Black will host the season opener, with John Mayer appearing as musical guest. Justin Timberlake will host the October 11 episode, while Halle Berry and Britney Spears are set for October 18. Returning to "SNL" are performers Fred Armisen, Rachel Dratch, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Will Forte, Darrell Hammond, Seth Meyers, Chris Parnell, Amy Poehler, Jeff Richards, Maya Rudolph and Horatio Sanz. http://comingsoon.net/news.php?id=1682 Finesse and Kenan
I always thought Kenan was funny on the Kenan and Kel show in Nick (I have kids. We watched a lot of Nick). I'll be interested to see what he does on a more grown-up show.
Kenan from Kenan and Kel?!?!? what in the name of ****... just remind me to pass out every saturday night so I will not have to watch this mockery of something that was once the model of great american sketch comedy. Will Ferrell leaving was truly the last straw for the show. It is dead now, and it will never, ever come back.
I know, next thing you know, they'll be adding Anthony Michael Hall and Julia Louis Dreyfus to the cast.
Moe, Kenan is like 6 years older than you, ie he is about 25 years old now. I think you are expecting him to do the same kids stuff he used to do. You should see the stuff Mike Meyers did on Canadien tv back when he was young, brutal. Give him a chance. Besides, you aren't the first to make the "Saturday Night Dead" claim and you won't be the last. The show is reeling from losing Will and now Tracy and Chris are gone too, so we are in a low point, but the show always climbs back out. The main problem last year was the writing, hopefully that has been fixed.
Man, that has been said about SNL sooooo many times. Remember when they wouldn't survive the departure of Eddie Murphy? It may falter a few seasons but alway seems to come back as strong as ever. Sanz and Fallon will carry the show IMO.
I read that Live From New York book this summer and Dan Akroyd claimed that in his opinion, Sanz is very talented and could rank with some of the best, but he's still "undiscovered."
It seems to happen every few years. I recall when I was a kid and the original cast was replaced. The thought was that the show could never continue, and yet Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo soon came along (and at the time, we though Piscopo was funny), then they all left, and after a few years of fiddling around, we got the Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Dana Carvey, Kevin Nealon, Dennis Miller cast. And then others soon came along: Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Mike Myers and Rob Schnieder came along. But then they left or were replaced. And people said, "Oh, it can never be as good" (and they were right in the beginning, as the Garafolo, McKean, McKinney, Elliot, etc. cast wasn't so good) and gave the show little chance for survival. And then they added Ferrell and Oteri and Darrell Hammond and all those, and life was good again. Now that cast is breaking apart. But I wouldn't write the show off because, despite some down years, SNL has always managed to bouce back. It may not be this year, but I have faith quality sketch comedy will not be forever gone from our saturday nights.
I just never realized how much Will held the show together until he was gone, then it was just average at best. I have been a pretty big fan of SNL, I have always given it a chance, last season I was disappointed many times with the bad skits and lackluster writing. I don't really care who the actors are as long as they can develop a chemistry with one another that procreates into a adept display of comedy. Will just had great if not incredible chemistry with everyone else, Chris and Tracy were two who you knew what to expect from and they always seemed to deliver, but the stereotyping of the characters they played became dull after a while and really limited them from being more versitile. I think the show still has a very talented cast, especially Pohler, Dratch, and Rudolph.(TV Funhouse is always something I can count on for a laugh, Smigel is truly a comedic genius) I'm just not liking the fact they seem to be reaching out in desperation to find another prominent lead male who can pump new life into it.
It's kind of strange, let me se if there is a pattern. First year, Chevy took off like a rocket and became the star, then left. After that, it seemed like a cast full of stars with Akroyd, Murray, and Belushi. When that cast left, eventually Eddie Murphy took over and was the breakout guy. After Murphy, there was the time of the established stars Crystal, Short, Guest, and Shearer(he seems like a real douche in that SNL book, I always assumed he was a nice guy). They all leave, Lorne comes back and assembles the crazy cast with people like Anthony M. Hall and Robert Downey Jr.. Of course, future goodies like Lovitz and Miller were in that cast too. From here until Ferrell's glory years, it seems to stick as a cast with many stars and not just one breakout. I mean, there was a time of Hartman, Meyers, Carvey, Spade, Farley, Schneider, Rock, and Sandler were all in the same cast. Great times. As that cast broke up, Ferrell ended up becoming a breakout and he did, like moe said, keep the show together, though I think we can't deny Hammond's great political stuff, particularly Clinton during the Lewinsky times and Hardball. Now, I think this cast is ready to break out with multiple stars again. Hammond is still there, so the political stuff can still be pulled off. Please let Jeff Richards do more Bill O'Reilly, he has got it down ("I say New York is the biggest state, tell me where I'm wrong") and his Gary Busey is great too. Sanz is hilarious, Seth Meyers is versatile like Kattan, he can be the straight man and the goofy one, I really like the 4 women on the show, I can't think of anything negative about them. I think Fallon is talented, but because he brings in the teenage and college girl demographic, they use him too much. He's supposed to be a good impressionist and we know this when we see his Nick Cage, Adam Sandler, Robin Williams, etc. and Jarrett's Room and the Boston Teens are strong recurring sketches. With a new set and hopefully some rededicated writers, the show might right itself in record time.
SNL will never be funny again until they get rid of that no-talent assclown Jimmy Fallon. Dude is funny.....NOT!!!!!!
Kenan? I'll try not to judge him on that kid crap which was annoying, but I'll have very low expectations, so if he's any good at all it shouldn't be that hard to impress. I'm not really looking for some huge name to "save" the show, as if someone does emerge it'll be from the cast or some no-name. What I was hoping for is the release of Fallon. He brings down most of the skits he's involved in.
Seriously, if Fallon and Sanz laugh their way through ONE more (half-assed) skit, they should be kicked to the curb. Nothing is more infuriating than watching those two bumble through skits, laugh, and forget their lines during a LIVE television show. As for the new cast, I'll give 'em a shot. As long as Darrell Hammond does his Chris Matthews "Hardball" impression and helps out in other political skits, I'm game. (He was freaking hilarious as Ashcroft at the Emmys.) Also, let's not forget about TV Funhouse, the greatest thing since sliced bread. Personally, I see the loss of Tracy Morgan and Chris Kattan as a PLUS. Think of it as addition by subtraction. Neither were funny. Brian Fellow and Mr. Peepers were a one-trick pony. Astronaut Jones and Mango ? Puh-leaze. I'm glad they're gone.
really?? to me that's part of the magic of SNL. remember that Adam Sandler and Chris Farley used to do the very same thing.
Awesome! I'll have to watch it just for that. He was host a few years ago, and he was fantastic. He was in a sketch with Amy Poehler and Chris Kattan as the redneck couple that had me in tears. I'm really looking forward to School of Rock as well.
