Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a late-night live sketch comedy show created by Lorne Michaels in 1975. Back in the day, regulars on the show — including John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin and Chevy Chase — were hilarious. The host would come out and deliver a monologue, followed by sketches by the cast and featured performances by musical guests. Who can forget sketches like “Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Chips! Chips!”; the Coneheads, Roseanne Rosannadanna, the Wild and Crazy Guys, Debbie Downer, and Samurai Futaba? Today the show has devolved into an unfunny series of political parodies and as much Trump-bashing as can be stuffed into a one-hour show. Fans say the show has gone too far and that it’s just not funny anymore. Say what you will, but shows like Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In didn’t have to rely on bashing politicians and celebrities to make themselves appear funny. Their slapstick comedy was lighthearted, nonjudgmental, and — unlike SNL — downright entertaining. Maybe it’s time to get rid of SNL and bring back Laugh-In.
