SNL’s 50th Anniversary: A Self-Indulgent Celebration
October 4, 2024
On Valentine’s Day 2025, "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) will host a "homecoming" event at Radio City Music Hall, and on the following Sunday, a live primetime reunion special with current and former cast members will air. These events will culminate a year-long celebration of SNL’s 50th anniversary, a milestone that has been met with mixed reactions.
The Nostalgia Trap
The upcoming season of SNL has been marred by a wave of nostalgia, with the show relying heavily on past glories rather than creating new, compelling content. The season premiere featured host Jean Smart reminiscing about her younger self watching the very first episode of SNL, while the "SNL50" branding was omnipresent. The slate of hosts this fall includes largely repeat hosts, including John Mulaney and Michael Keaton, who will return for their sixth and fourth time hosting, respectively.
This nostalgia tour extends beyond the show itself. On October 11, "Saturday Night," a movie that dramatizes the story of SNL’s 1975 debut, premiered in theaters. Questlove is also producing a documentary about SNL, and filmmaker Morgan Neville is producing five documentaries.
The Five Timers Club Debacle
One of the most egregious examples of SNL’s self-indulgence is the "Five Timers Club," where hosts who have hosted the show five times are inducted into an exclusive society. This conceit has led to cringeworthy monologues, such as Kristen Wiig’s fifth hosting appearance, which featured cameos from Paul Rudd, Matt Damon, Jon Hamm, and Martin Short, all fawning over SNL and Lorne Michaels.
The Cult of Michaels
As SNL approaches its 50th anniversary, the cult of Lorne Michaels has reached new heights. Michaels, the show’s longtime executive producer, is now nearly 80 years old, and despite his previous statements about retiring, he recently announced that he plans to stay indefinitely. This unwillingness to let go has contributed to the show’s creative stagnation and its reliance on nostalgia.
Franchise Nostalgia: A Cultural Plague
SNL’s nostalgia-driven approach is not an isolated case. Pop culture is currently in a deeply self-referential, self-obsessed mood, with endless reboots and spin-offs dominating the entertainment landscape. This trend is a symptom of an industry that has become too consolidated and risk-averse.
SNL’s Identity Crisis
SNL’s best moments have always been its quirky characters and absurd sketches, not its topical and political material. However, in recent years, the show has become more focused on self-congratulation and corporate worship than on creating genuinely funny content. This identity crisis has alienated viewers and left the show feeling stale and uninspired.
The Future of SNL
As SNL enters its sixth decade, it faces a crossroads. It can either continue down the path of self-indulgence and nostalgia, or it can rediscover its creative spirit and produce the kind of innovative and groundbreaking comedy that made it an American institution.
Conclusion
SNL’s 50th anniversary should be a time for celebration, but it has instead become an occasion for rampant self-indulgence. The show’s reliance on past glories and its unwillingness to embrace new ideas have created a vacuum of creativity. If SNL is to survive another 50 years, it must break free from its nostalgia trap and find its comedic voice again.
