Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

November 22, 2008 1:38:21 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

SNL Finale Promises Fall Yuks

Posted May 19, 08 2:55 PM CDT in Politics,  Business,  Arts & Living 

(Newser) – It’s been a long, sometimes-bumpy road for Saturday Night Live, Tom Shales writes in the Washington Post, but the 33rd season finale showed the cast—and guest John McCain—in fine comic form, and was a ratings success to boot. SNL generally thrives in highly political times, and Shales feels the current cast is well-equipped to make the best of this extraordinary election.

"While the current cast lacks a powerhouse ringleader like Will Ferrell," Shales writes, "the comic talent seems more evenly distributed and the dead weight more scarce than in many a season past. As has been noted here and elsewhere, the cast is especially strong on the female side, which in the past had been the weaker sex."

Source Washington Post

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Fox Cancels Mad TV

    Nov 12, 08 5:50 PM CST
    Fox Cancels Mad TV Mad TV will bid adieu after 14 seasons of Saturday night sketches, the final nail in its coffin coming from a failure to boost ratings during the presidential campaign, reports Defamer. Fox's Saturday Night Live competitor, which has been on the chopping block for years, will finish up the season before being relegated to DVD collections.
    More »

  • McCain Pals With Fey, Skewers Himself on SNL

    Nov 1, 08 11:49 PM CDT
    McCain Pals With Fey, Skewers Himself on SNL John McCain capped a busy day of campaigning with an appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he teamed with his VP-lookalike, Tina Fey, to poke fun at himself and Barack Obama. In the opening sketch, he and "Palin" hawked wares on QVC because he's a true maverick—"a Republican without money"—and couldn't afford the bigger networks like Obama, USA Today reports. They sold "Joe" action figures: Plumber, Six-Pack, and Biden ("if you pull this cord, he talks for 45 minutes," said Fey.)
    More »

  • Real McCain Set for SNL

    Oct 31, 08 11:29 AM CDT
    Real McCain Set for SNL John McCain will take a page from Sarah Palin's book and appear on Saturday Night Live tomorrow, aides tell the AP. It will be his first appearance on the show since May. Meanwhile, rumors continue to fly that Barack Obama will stop, too, but SNL reps aren't confirming or denying anything, the Los Angeles Times reports. More »

  • Campaign Heightens Humor's Liberal Bent

    Oct 20, 08 12:27 PM CDT
    Campaign Heightens Humor's Liberal Bent Comedy is taking a prominent place in the US election, and may be leaning even more leftward than usual, the Boston Globe reports. Tina Fey and David Letterman have brought the highest ratings in years with mockery of Sarah Palin and John McCain. And Jon Stewart, a savage critic of conservatives, always thrives in election years. Is there something liberal about comedy? More »

  • Fey's Everywhere; 30 Rock MIA

    Oct 13, 08 3:09 PM CDT
    Fey's Everywhere; 30 Rock MIA Tina Fey’s popularity is at an all-time high, but NBC hasn’t tried to capitalize by moving up the season debut of her critically acclaimed sitcom 30 Rock. NBC has struggled to boost the show’s ratings, the New York Times reports, and hopes three Saturday Night Live specials on Thursdays will keep audiences when 30 Rock returns in that slot Oct. 30. More »

Wearing dark glasses, Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., smiles as he arrives at his chartered plane on Sunday, May 18, 2008, in Newark, N.J.   (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
In this April 22, 2008 file photo, actress Amy Poehler makes an appearance on MTV's "Total Request Live" at MTV Studios in New York.   (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
McCain SNL Ad: From May 17th's SNL, a fake John McCain commercial.   (politicalmediacenter)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

John McCain • television • McCain 2008 • comedy • Saturday Night Live • TV ratings • Nielsen Ratings


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Arts & Living Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »