Sketch Comedy
Kristen Wiig’s SNL Return Stresses an Uncertain Future for Character Actors
When Kristen Wiig hit the stage to deliver her monologue this past weekend on Saturday Night Live, she said it felt like coming home. She reiterated this point at the end of the show, during the goodnights. In between, she backed up her statements by comfortably re-settling into the rhythms of the show, and reviving two of her many recurring characters: Sue, the woman who can’t handle surprises; and Mindy Gracin, the addled stage star who appears on the game show Secret Word. Wiig still stands among the most beloved centerpiece stars of SNL this millennium, and this week’s episode underlined a major reason why, at least in terms of the popular consciousness: She originated a lot of recurring characters on the show. So many, in fact, that she can reprise two second-string ones like Mindy Gr...
SNL Still Isn’t Sure How to Satirize Wokeness
When Saturday Night Live has a genuine stand-up comedian as a host, it can shift the whole structure of the show, which is what happened last week, with Chris Rock, and this week, with less famous comedian Bill Burr. Combined with the season’s endless debate sketches, a longer stand-up-based monologue can reduce the amount of airtime available for actual sketches. Unlike Rock’s gig, the Burr-hosted episode seemed to take some of its cues from Burr’s stand-up material — and with so few sketches making it to air, it only takes a few with common ground to make an episode feel more thematically unified than usual. In his monologue, Burr poked fun at notions of wokeness and allyship, making his case that white women have hijacked national conversations about equality and that a longer, warmer g...
Mr. Show’s Bob Odenkirk and David Cross Reuniting Over Zoom for Charity Event
Bob Odenkirk and David Cross are reuniting for another Mr. Show gig. They’re calling it the Mr. Show Zoomtacular Annual Business Call Event for Charity and all proceeds will go on to benefit LIFT. The reunion goes down Wednesday, May 13th at 8:00 p.m. EST and 5:00 p.m. PST. Fans can expect a number of familiar faces, specifically Paul F. Tompkins, Scott Aukerman, Tom Kenny, Jill Talley, Jay Johnston, Brian Posehn, Brett Paesel, and John Ennis. There will also be additional music from Eban Schletter. Tickets are $10 — plus a $2.20 service fee — and you can grab ’em here. To prep, revisit Mr. Show on Hulu and check out Odenkirk and Cross’ last reunion when they teamed up in 2015 for Netflix’s Bob and David. To get you motivated, revisit one of their best bits below… [embedded content]
