What's this BS about comparing Parks and Recs to SNL? Number one, they are two totally different types of shows. Number two, Parks and Rec is consistently funny and SNL is not. One of the reasons for that is that Amy Poehler is on one show and not on the other. She was awesome on SNL. Way funnier than the much-lauded Tiny Fey.

most of the sketches are too long. we live in a "vine" society these days, they need to stop with the rambling in a lot of them. if you're not getting a laugh every 10-20 seconds, your sketch is failing.

or not, i dont know.

I love to hate Parks and Rec. Sorry, I am derailing the thread but I think a few of my posts were deleted from the PnR thread from an overzealous mod/fan. I think it's a stupid show made to be a smart show, for stupid people who think they are smart.

In this scene let's get Amy to do something embarrassing, but she has no self awareness of it.

Okay so she'll say something stupid or goofy without realizing how it sounds to others?

Yeah something like that.

Okay, what's the stupidest possible thing we could have her say? It should be so totally stupid and hilarious! Because they're at work!

OK OK this is gonna be great. She'll say something she thinks a teenager would say, to sound cool, but she gets it wrong, and says it in a way that sounds racist.

And then the guy with the big mustache will totally flip out and one of the ugly background people will just yell something that also sounds racist. Now Amy gets it and tries to save herself by telling a joke that falls flat.

And then, the offbeat indian character could say something monotone, really anything at all because it's the tone of his voice that makes the situation that much more awkward!

And subtle.

Eventually someone is bound to crack, and acknowledge the cameras in the room, because they KNOW they're on a TV show and this is their real life.

Yeah doing doc style allows us to capture the subtle profundities of body language and eye contact.

Except they act and look like they're on a sitcom. If you're going to do doc style, do doc style and stop relying on weak crutches. They just replaced the studio audience with looking at the f**king camera. Horrible. Just terrible and really bad. I hate it and I hate you if you like it.

Awful. Total crap and complete puke. Snot, earwax, piss, hemorrhoids, aids and cancer. Worst show ever.

RE: SNL. I think this season had 3 or 4 really good episodes. I've forgotten them now but I mentioned them earlier. Maybe I will read the thread over for Conz.

Some inside info:
Colin Jost is going to be head writer and WU host when Seth leaves. Since Fallon isn't taking over until 2014, unknown timetable-wise as to exactly when that's happening, or whether Colin will be brought on early to cohost with him (and possibly be a limited cast member like most WU hosts) to help with the transition.

Leaving this year: Armisen, Hader, Kenan, and Sudeikis.

Nasim was going to be leaving for a John Mulaney written pilot costarring Martin Short, but it fell through, so she's sticking around. Unknown if Mulaney is coming back.

I definitely think most of the responsibility for the downfall in quality is with the writing, but it's a good point that if the cast had some comedy geniuses among them instead of just pretty good, solid performers then it would be funnier. Hader is definitely a guy who makes me laugh in everything he does, and has brought the funny time and time again in moments that weren't necessarily supposed to be funny. He reminds me of Will Ferrell and Chris Farley in that way. He'll be missed.

The main issue imo is with Lorne, who puts pressure on the writers and actors to rely heavily on stock characters, which feels like death to me. Also the cold opens are such garbage at this point. I think that it has created a lazy energy on the creative front, and it has permeated all areas of the show. Pulling the show off every week is such a miraculous task in of itself, and I think that they settle a lot of tiimes with patting themselves on the back for accomplishing just that, and they forget to actually examine if what they're doing is funny.

When you have a show where the format leaves you no time for much rewrites, and no time for the cast to actually memorize their lines, and everyone is underslept and overworked, the final product suffers.

I heard an interview this year that described the writing process for SNL, can't remember who exactly, it might have been Louis Ck on O&A around the time he hosted. But he was describing it like no one really knows which direction to go until Thursday/Friday and rewrite these sketches for Saturday, because of all the breaking news that happens in that time frame. It might have been Seth.

Regardless, I do agree the writing has been subpar since Seth has been headwriter.

It's much easier to write a character-driven sketch than it is an original, funny premise that isn't topical. I wonder if they just hire writers period based on their entire body of work, or they target specific people for certain types of sketches

Hader officially leaving - http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/ar...live.html?_r=0

He will be missed. Interesting he was in Men in Black III, don't remember seeing him at all.

Hader is an all timer imo. I've been watching since the early 90s, and I put him in my top 5, and I do that fairly easily. Not using future success as a barometer, he had one of the better runs on the actual show. He was never really held as the "big star" on the show, but he clearly was over this stretch.

Hader > Wiig, Sudekis, Armesan, Sandberg, but I think everyone agrees with that.

He played Andy Warhol/an undercover agent, was pretty funny in the small role

Armisen out. Sudeikis probably out.

http://splitsider.com/2013/05/report...ikis-probably/

Didn't even know all 3 guys in the band were leaving until after the show. It's not like they even said anything when they usually make a big production out of long time cast members last shows (Wiig last year most recently). The pornstars sketch is the funniest thing they do, but they always seem to put it real late in the show while crap like the Californians headlines. This was a pretty weak season finale, especially with their top 3 guys leaving.

They have to put the pornshow skit latest because then they wouldn't be able to make 'sprained my wrist jerking off a horse' jokes.

man, that crowd was awful. cackling women laughing at stuff that wasn't that funny, and stepping on punchlines with premature outbursts. awful.

Considered that but thought the show aired late enough that it didn't matter.

New cast members announced:

http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollyw...ight-live-cast

I don't watch many internet videos so I have no idea who any of these people are other than the guy from the AT&T commercials.

I like the choice they made for Seth Myers replacement, will be interesting to see how that pans out.

RIP girl you wish you hadn't started a conversation with at a party

Yeah, outside of Stephon she was my favorite weekend update "guest" last year, hopefully they get rid of Drunk Uncle and the one with Fred Armisen and Vaneesa Bayer where they whisper about foreign dictators.

Armisen is off the show. They won't bring that crap back unless he hosts and even then it's doubtful. No way they get rid of Drunk Uncle.

7 minutes in heaven videos always deliver

They did Tim Robinson dirty. This cast needs a funny looking dude like him

Tina Fey to host the season opener this Saturday, wouldn't be surprised if she's the best host all year. The next 2 are Miley Cyrus and Bruce Willis, 0% chance Miley doesn't do something outlandish (she's host and musical guest).

And of course 100% chance they do the Miley Cyrus Show with Vanessa Bayer, where Miley plays a different celeb, but makes comments to Miley about her recent behavior.

The sketch writes itself.

About 60% chance she plays Justin Bieber at some point. This is more gut feeling than speculation.