I've been watching Saturday Night Live regularly for at least 20 years. I've seen many older episodes by renting the classics. Over the past couple years, I have been a regular on Twitter using #snl while watching the show. This is my response to the first episode of 2014, Sasheer Zamata's debut, two other writer's debuts, the idea and use of the #blacktwitter hashtag, #blacktwitter's thoughts and comments to the show, and thoughts and questions about the infusion of all these ideas into this premier 2014 episode, aired on Jan. 18th, 2014.
I thought it was a good episode. It wasn't the best. I wasn't cracking up out loud like "What Does My Girl Say?" (which was by the way, one in a handful of episodes that seemed to spark the need to hire a black female SNL actress and some writers). Drake was funny. The musical performances were decent. It wasn't the best show, but it wasn't the worst. Sasheer was funny in her skits too. The public pressure sure was turned on, as everyone was waiting and watching the debut. Some skits were obnoxious, but that's with any SNL episode, as it's obvious SNL goes for shock value sometimes. Why wouldn't they? That's what makes the show funny.
There's a lot of hype on Twitter, because many SNL (Saturday Night Live) fans are waiting to see the debut of the new hire, black actress and comedian Sasheer Zamata. The regular SNL fans are probably just anxious to see the new actress's performance, to see if its funny, and just excited for the new show.
Before last night, I had no idea there was such a hashtag, let a lone idea of a #blacktwitter following while watching #snl. Many tweeting #snl were discussing the new actress's performance and the two new writers on Twitter.
Alexis Garrett Stodghill @lexisb did a really nice job of explaining the reasons viewers are anticipating this particular SNL episode, while discussing the history and perceptions of diversity in comedy, specifically relating to black female comedians, writers, and SNL, in this article:
http://thegrio.com/2014/01/18/black-women-in-comedy-talk-snls-diversity-debut/
After reading many Twitter posts during the show, following #snl and this well-written perspective and summary of last night's episode, I thought I'd respond with my thoughts, partly commenting on the article, and responding and inquiring to Tweeters combining both #snl and #blacktwitter hashtags.
From a social media perspective, I never realized there was a #blacktwitter hashtag. Not only that, but after further exploration, I discovered #canadiantwitter and #whitetwitter as well. Is this just another form of segregation through social media? Or is this a way to discuss certain topics with specific demographics? If I want to reach a specific audience, do I use #blacktwitter in my tweets, or are hashtags like #blacktwitter #whitetwitter and #canadiantwitter only to be used by said parties. Has this been around for a long time? It seems to open up a whole new Twitter world.
Not only this, but within the #blacktwitter hashtag, there seems to be a division of groups, maybe just various education levels or lack of general understanding of the meaning of #blacktwitter, from people using #blacktwitter hashtag in thoughts and discussions in the #snl hashtag with this episode. There seems to be some Tweeters using #blacktwitter hashtag with really positive and intellectual thoughts, and links to useful resources. Then there's another half that seems more rowdy rejoicing in the fact that #blacktwitter is taking over Twitter and #snl.
Maybe I am just accustomed to participating with Twitter users that don't necessarily categorize themselves by #insertyourraceheretwitter and I am shocked to learn of this new hashtag. (This next sentence is supposed to be funny): I mean, should I be worried? Is #blacktwitter really taking over? Maybe I should worry about #candiantwitter or #whitetwitter...
Being a long time SNL fan: I want the show to be funny too. But the reality is, sometimes it won't be. There will be times when the show is laugh out loud hysterical, and there are times one will wish they didn't stay up to watch, cause it sucks so bad. I'm sure the reasons for how funny the show is, are due to the combination of many factors, including the guest, the musical performance, the writers, and other factors behind the stages and scenes (typical of any work environment), that the public is not even aware of.
With Saturday Night Live, one never knows until the season gets rolling, whether its going to be funny or not. Sometimes, SNL can be funny for years on end, then it can go through a dry spell, where its just not funny. Whether the writers are black and female, is probably not going to be the deciding factor on whether the show is funny or not. The content that all the writers contribute, how funny it will be, followed by how the actors perform, are the biggest factors that determine whether or not the show will be funny. I'm sure that Lorne Michaels keeping the workers happy plays a large role too.
I do understand that this is a huge step forward for black female comedy, seeing as it's not as as common for female black comedians to perform mainstream, especially on SNL. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that people shouldn't expect the show to be funny or funnier, simply because SNL hired 3 new people. I'm not saying it won't be funny. I hope it ends up staying funny, maybe even funnier than now. But it's not going to be automatically funny just because SNL hired 3 black female comedians. It's only going to be funny if the written content and performances contine to be funny, and people continue to enjoy it.
I mean I enjoy practically any stand up performance, as long as its funny. I, like everyone else, am wondering if the rest of the season will be funny.
I guess another thing I wonder is if this new hire will bring a new demographics to watching SNL (as witnessed by #blacktwitter, my newly found hashtag which has sparked curiosity). If I had to make a bet, I'd say no. I'd say the majority of last night's viewers were simply viewing a part of history, a first episode containing 3 new hires, a huge step forward for African American females in the comedy world. Others were there just for Drake.
I would also say this because in the past, I have witnessed different guests and musical performers will bring various demographics to Twitter, which will outnumber the #snl regulars. For example, when Justin Bieber and One Direction perform, it brings all the teenage girls on Twitter (making me not want to participate because the discussion is so childish). When hip hop artists perform, it brings a huge rap and hip hop following on Twitter #snl, which also makes for interesting discussion, mainly due to the level of inappropriate language being elevated in all #snl tweets. Another example, is when you get any athlete hosting the show; you get a whole batch of sports fans watching and tweeting #snl, that more understand sports and don't view the show as funny. They probably don't find it funny, because they're not regular SNL viewers, and they don't understand the humor.
Also there was a part in the article that mentioned Sasheer is only the 5th black woman hire in SNL's 38 years. I mean, I think that's a lot. It's true, there are not many and often black female actresses, but same goes for Asians and Jews. Where do we draw the line? Should we start listing demographics and backgrounds and count the SNL hires over the years? Or am I missing the "big picture."
With last night's episode, there were many complaints that some parts weren't funny. In my opinion, and the opinion of many others, the Weekend Update and the last skit were not that funny.
I'm torn about Weekend Update. I never find it funny. Others find it hysterical. But I've also noticed over the years, that the last 1-3 skits are never really funny. It seems like SNL is testing the waters with new material. When you get new viewers, claiming that last skit was not funny, and they use that to bash the show and the actors in that skit to talk about how it wasn't funny...guess what? That's the nature of SNL. Sometimes its funny. Sometimes its not. It's not going to be consistently funny with every episode and every skit. Sometimes it WILL be laugh out loud hysterical and other times it won't.
I'm not sure that one actress and two writers will make it funnier. I'm not saying it will make it less funny. I'm saying that Saturday Night Live will continue to be funny and unfunny based on many factors, obviously with audience reaction. I would suggest don't walk into it, expecting the show to be funny every time, because you will be disappointed. I would hope the new actress, combined with the new writers, all work together to create a pleasant viewing experience for all SNL fans, regardless of race, views, and backgrounds.
I guess another thought I have, is that sometimes the show can be borderline racist. It can be like this not just towards one group, but many groups, sometimes all at once, and sometimes spread out through various skits and episodes. The thing about it is, people find this funny. Of course, some get offended, but people who truly understand comedy, find this funny and are often willing to look past the remarks in light of the laughter; I'm not saying I agree with this…it is what it is. I'm sure SNL realizes these skits get a rise and laugh out of viewers, and they may want to take this aspect to a whole new level. I mean, two examples of this off the top of my head are the M&Ms skit and the Japanese Office Music Intro skit, which ended by saying something like, "Is this funny? Its funny because it's racist." The creator of the Office, in my opinion, is a comic genius. I believe he played a role in directing that skit/short, with the objective being to point out racism through comedy by creating a racist sketch. But in the end, whether it was right or wrong, it made people laugh. That is what the show does. My point is, maybe part of the reason the actress and writers were hired is to continue to create and perform borderline racist skits, but just to make sure they're in good taste; enough good taste to air on television yet with a touch of racist inappropriateness containing enough comedy for a tasteful laugh.
I enjoyed the show. I enjoyed reading viewers thoughts and discussions about this particular show. I hope SNL continues to be funny, even with the mid-season cast change. Only time will tell. I am curious to see if many of last night's viewers and Tweeters that watched this show will return again, will remain as SNL regulars, or if they will move on, and the regular #snl fans and Tweeters will return. My curiosity has also been sparked about the hashtag #blacktwitter
