That Show Hasn't Been Funny In Years: an SNL podcast on Radio Misfits

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That Show – Well, The Cast Thought It Was Funny May 22, 2024

Show notes

Breaking character and laughing during a sketch on “Saturday Night Live” used to be frowned upon back in the day, but over the years, performers cracking up and losing it on stage, has become a thing that audiences love, and that Lorne Michaels more than tolerates. In this episode, Nick plays back some classic examples of “breaking” during sketches, and gives you the background of each sketch, and the story behind the comedic disruptions that occurred. From one of the first examples (way back in 1976, featuring Candice Bergen and Gilda Radner), to a now legendary example from just a few weeks ago (involving Heidi Gardner and a couple of characters who look like Beavis and Butthead), people losing it on the stage in Sudio 8H is not uncommon, and you will hear all about 5 classic bits. Featuring hilarious work from Drew Barrymore, Ryan Gosling, Jimmy Fallon (perhaps The King of Breaking), Josh Brolin, Will Ferrell, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Mike Day, and, Hader visiting Seth Meyers’ show and more. The cast may have laughed, but so did the audience with these memorable moments from SNL. [Ep72]

That Show – Uncle Miltie Hosts SNL! May 15, 2024

Show notes

Nick looks back, analyzes, tells some secret stories, and plays back a good portion of one of the most notorious episodes in the history of “Saturday Night Live.” It’s the night that “Mr. Television Himself” (as he insisted on being introduced that evening) Milton Berle hosted the show, and the results were altogether insane. While SNL, at that point, was firing on all cylinders (t was the spring of 1979 and the show had reached legendary status by then) and the episode had some great segments (which you will hear), Berle’s antics during the show (and especially during writing week, rehearsals, and Dress) eventually got him banned for life from Studio 8H. You will learn why he was asked to host in the first place (NOT Lorne’s idea), what happened behind-the-scenes (including Uncle Miltie happily showing everyone the “anaconda” in his pants), how he paid audience members to give him a standing ovation during his closing number, and, in general, how an old-school, vaudevillian ham/joke stealer, got away with some of the most inappropriate, awkward, out-of-touch, and racist material ever performed on SNL. While many of the jokes are wildly offensive, there is a certain nostalgic charm to Berle’s appearance, and it’s a shocking example of how times completely changed in a 20-year time span. [Ep71]

That Show – The Return of Jon Rudnitsky May 08, 2024

Show notes

In this brand-new episode, Nick is joined by comedian, writer, and actor Jon Rudnitsky, who was not only a cast member for one season of “Saturday Night Live,” but he was also the very first guest on this podcast!! Nick and Jon catch up, chat about the best SNL bits ever, and talk about what Jon has been up to for the past two years (including stand-up tours, television, and movies), as well as what’s happening next for him. Plus, Nick and Jon discuss their mutual obsession with the film “Magnolia,” and recap some great SNL stories (like the time Miley Cyrus licked his face, and the nightmare of working on the episode that Donald Trump hosted during the Presidential campaign), and he tells an unbelievably hilarious story about how Matthew McConaughey was molesting him, while Bill Murray was wrestling Jay Pharoah down the hall….you just gotta hear it. [Ep70]

That Show – Kristen Wiig: 5-Timer! May 01, 2024

Show notes

Kristen Wiig is widely considered to be one of the best cast members in the history of “Saturday Night Live,” and her contributions to the show are legendary. She was a cast member for seven terrific seasons, came back for eight uproarious cameos, and now, she has hosted SNL five times, officially making her a member of “The 5-Timers’ Club.” In this episode, Nick looks back at all five of her hosting gigs, gives you background info, dates and episode numbers as well. He plays back all five of her monologues, and selects hilarious highlights from each of her appearances. You will learn about how she got to SNL, the incredible characters she made famous on the show, and her wonderful award-winning work in film, stage, and more. Included are appearances by some of Wiig’s most beloved characters like: The Target Lady, Sue (the woman who LOVES surprises), Gilly, Mindy Elise Grayson (from the game show “Secret Word”), and more. The work of greats like Will Forte, Kate McKinnon, Maya Rudolph, Kenan Thompson, Jon Hamm, Paul Rudd, Andrew Dismukes, Paula Pell, Martin Short, and others are showcased in this episode. Kristen Wiig is now a 5-Timer! [Ep69]

That Show – Game Show Madness Apr 24, 2024

Show notes

Game show parodies/satires have been a huge part of “Saturday Night Live” since the very beginning back in 1975. In fact, it seems that there is a game show sketch in almost every episode of the show (and it’s usually the first one of the night), because it’s a winning formula that’s rich with possibility, they are easy to cast, and they almost write themselves. In this episode, Nick looks back at the history of the game show sketch on SNL (talking about the classics, like the many “Family Feuds” and of course the many “Celebrity Jeopardys”), and he plays back five hilarious and varied sketches that span the 49 years that SNL has existed. You’ll hear, and learn all about, “Jeopardy 1999,” one of the first SNL game show parodies ever. Nick also plays back and discusses the background and origins of other great game show sketches like: “What’s That Name?,” “Common Knowledge,” “What’s Wrong With Tanya?,” and the brutally funny “Meet Your Second Wife.” Unbelievably amusing stuff from people like Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Kristen Wiig, Dana Carvey, Nora Dunn, Vanessa Bayer, Anna Faris, Kenan Thompson, Bobby Moynihan, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are showcased, as well as the work of some of the best writers in SNL history. It’s an old reliable standby for a reason, and here, Nick scratches the surface of the treasure trove that is The SNL Game Shows. [Ep68]

That Show – The Monologues Pt.1 Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

A very important part of every episode of “Saturday Night Live” is the opening monologue performed by the host. It establishes the tone, introduces the audience to the star, and hopefully entices viewers enough to continue watching for at least a few more minutes. In this episode of “That Show…,” Nick looks back at four of the most memorable monologues from past SNL episodes, including the very first monologue in SNL history (by George Carlin), and classic openers from Lily Tomlin, Tom Hanks, and, performing one of the best monologues in SNL history: Taylor Swift. You will also hear behind-the-scenes stories about some controversial openers from Richard Pryor, Louis C.K., Shane Gillis, and more. Plus, you will hear an explanation from Seth Meyers about what it takes to create and deliver a great monologue, and why Tay-Tay absolutely killed it. More episodes about classic SNL monologues to follow. [Ep67]

That Show – SURPRISE!!! SNL Cameos Pt. 1 Apr 10, 2024

Show notes

We all know that “Saturday Night Live” has had some pretty incredible and funny surprise celebrity cameos over the years. Since the very beginning, SNL has had a wonderful habit of bringing out celebrities to have some fun, and shock audiences at home and in the studio by simply popping on stage. In this episode, Nick looks back at some of the more recent surprise cameos that delighted audiences everywhere. Included are the out of the blue appearances by Barbra Streisand, Bernie Sanders, Lindsay Buckingham, and the most recent shocker: Scarlett Johansson, whose portrayal Republican Senator Katie Britt was hilarious, brutal, and scarily on-the-money. You’ll hear the sketches and cameos, and the stories behind the appearances themselves. Since there have been so many great ones to choose from, this is just Part 1 of “SURPRISE!!! SNL Cameos.” [Ep66]

That Show – Fred Armisen Brings The Punk! Apr 03, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Nick focuses on the great musical talent and knowledge of former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Fred Armisen. Before Armisen entered the world of comedy, and became a cast member on SNL, he was a musician in many bands, including the legendary Chicago punk band Trenchmouth. His connection to the world of punk rock snuck into this work on SNL a bunch of times, and in this episode, Nick concentrates on two amazing sketches satirizing that world of punk rock in hilarious fashion. He also looks at a terrific appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, in which Armisen brilliantly takes the audience on a tour of punk music from 1970 to the present day. You will hear hilarious work from cast members Bill Hader, Taran Killam and Bobby Moynihan, and guests like Ashton Kutcher, Dave Grohl and Steve Jones from The Sex Pistols. Terrific music, smart satire, and a history lesson are all combined in this trip through punk rock, as lead by the weird, smart, and hilarious Fred Armisen. [Ep65]

That Show – Jock Hosts, Pt 1 Mar 27, 2024

Show notes

It’s always a gamble when a professional athlete hosts “Saturday Night Live,” simply because many of these jocks are just not cut out to perform comedy, or even be on a stage. Sometimes the gamble pays off, oftentimes, it does not. In this episode, Nick looks back at 5 SNL episodes that were hosted by jocks, and analyzes what worked and what didn’t, what was funny and what wasn’t, and more. The five athletes profiled on this episode are: Lance Armstrong, Michael Phelps, Ronda Rousey, Michael Jordan and Peyton Manning, and the results range from awful (Phelps, Rousey), to funny (Jordan) to absolutely hilarious (Manning). You’ll hear sketches and bits from the shows, the stories behind some of the comedy, the weird cameos by much funnier people in order to help the jocks out, and also a rundown of other non-performers and politicians who hosted in the past as part of SNL’s stunt casting. This is the first in a series of episodes dedicated to the fun (and sometimes disastrous) topic of jocks hosting SNL. [Ep64]

That Show – A Song For Daddy Mar 20, 2024

Show notes

Sometimes sketches bomb so badly that they never make it to air. In this episode of “That Show…”, we look back at a supremely weird sketch called: “A Song For Daddy,” that is widely considered to be one of the biggest trainwrecks in the history of SNL. The components were all there: a completely absurd premise; an inexperienced, unfunny host who was a total pain in the ass to deal with (Justin Bieber); the wrong props that didn’t work; lighting and sound cues that were missed; a piece of the set that fell and almost killed the host; the audience being filled with loud prepubescent girls with ‘Bieber Fever’ (who definitely didn’t care about the jokes); and a final moment in which one of the cast members almost saves the sketch by commenting on how awful it was. “A Song for Daddy” never made it to air, but here, you will hear the entire sketch as it was performed in Dress Rehearsal, and you will hear from the writers of the sketch (John Soloman, Bill Hader and Rob Klein) and the cast (Hader, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan, Kenan Thompson) who had the unenviable task of performing this nightmare. How did this happen? You will get the back story on the creation, the aftermath and the legacy of one of the most notorious unaired sketches ever. [Ep63]

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