Why does Saturday Night Live need 5 months off?

[Craig234]

I noticed Saturday Night Live is off the air from now to fall (last year that meant October).

Why do they need several months off?

Other shows take that time off - there's typically a lot of production, new seasons to write.

But SNL, not so much. It'd almost be like a news show taking 5 months off. Or reality tv like those court shows.

 

[Mayne]

Seems like a typical time to take off. Isn't that how it was always with all shows back in the day?

I guess a lot of them have other movie gigs and stuff they have to do.

 

[Fritzo]

They need to have time to write, make scripts, book talent, etc. That's not something you do in a week.

 

[who?]

The writing is Tuesday overnight into Wednesday after the pitch meeting Monday when the weeks host listens to ideas and accepts or rejects them.
http://nypost.com/2015/02/14/a-week-behind-the-scenes-at-saturday-night-live/

 

[lupi]

TV used to be about 30 episodes, then during the 60's dropped to 26. into the 90's that became 24 and then 20-22 in more recent past. SNL though has always had a shorter ~20 episode season.

 

[shortylickens]

Being creative is actually really fuckin hard.
Having said that, I dont know why SNL needs time off.

 

[Craig234]

Fritzo, lupi, you completely missed the point about how SNL is different than 'normal' shows. I even gave other examples to make the point clear like the reality shows like court shows. SNL doesn't have the same production and script needs Game of Thrones does.

 

[tommo123]

Fritzo, lupi, you completely missed the point about how SNL is different than 'normal' shows. I even gave other examples to make the point clear like the reality shows like court shows. SNL doesn't have the same production and script needs Game of Thrones does.

people might actually want to use their vacation time? the on screen "talent" also make movies during that time. iirc (like with south park) it's seriously fast paced for the writers and they need time off or they'll burn out

 

[who?]

If the audience is smaller after college graduations in the middle of May and people are on vacations it may not be worth it.

 

[futurefields]

Fritzo, lupi, you completely missed the point about how SNL is different than 'normal' shows. I even gave other examples to make the point clear like the reality shows like court shows. SNL doesn't have the same production and script needs Game of Thrones does.

You think a reality court tv episode requires as much time and energy to put together as an episode of SNL?

And Game of Thrones is based on books, it's so much easier when you have source material to draw from, and then changing a few things here and there to make the TV different than the book.

SNL has to keep up with current events and provide socially insightful comedy it's a lot harder to do that IMO than write an episode of GoT.

 

[lupi]

Fritzo, lupi, you completely missed the point about how SNL is different than 'normal' shows. I even gave other examples to make the point clear like the reality shows like court shows. SNL doesn't have the same production and script needs Game of Thrones does.

Yep, some guy can be sitting in his basement in nothing but underwear and get a large part of the GoT script down for the next season by himself over vacation. SNL must develop the script for that week overnight and then build set pieces to match in about the same amount of time.

 

[Craig234]

people might actually want to use their vacation time? the on screen "talent" also make movies during that time. iirc (like with south park) it's seriously fast paced for the writers and they need time off or they'll burn out

Vacations are two weeks, not 5 months.

Make it 4 weeks.

 

[zerocool84]

Vacations are two weeks, not 5 months.

Make it 4 weeks.

Everybody needs time off. It's a TV show, they do seasons. Nothing new, especially for SNL which has been around for a LONG time.

 

[who?]

They make money from advertising, if advertisers aren't willing to pay as much after many schools have had their graduations in the middle of May and people have gone on vacation it makes sense to stop for the summer.
The slow time for the USPS starts in April.

 

[zinfamous]

They work pretty much nonstop all week long throughout their season. It's pretty grueling needing to be creative, funny, and current every single week. It doesn't always work, obviously, but they have been damn successful at it. And that isn't easy to do. It's easily a much harder period of annual work compared to serial, scripted programming.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

They take 5 months off because they need to dedicate a large period of time to answer their yearly question of "How can we make this shitty ass show more shitty?"

Yet everytime they knock out a homer on their goal. I guess that's one way to be impressed with the show.

Segments get worse, their casts get worse, their guests are bigger douches, their music is shittier. I stopped watching most weeks after I had a couple episodes where I had 0 laughs the entire time. I pretty much might watch weekend update and that's it. The rest is just stupid.

 

[Craig234]

They take 5 months off because they need to dedicate a large period of time to answer their yearly question of "How can we make this shitty ass show more shitty?"

Yet everytime they knock out a homer on their goal. I guess that's one way to be impressed with the show.

Segments get worse, their casts get worse, their guests are bigger douches, their music is shittier. I stopped watching most weeks after I had a couple episodes where I had 0 laughs the entire time. I pretty much might watch weekend update and that's it. The rest is just stupid.

Their politics skits have been outstanding, though.

I loved the skit with Hillary swinging over voters singing.

Alec Baldwin, Melissa McCarthy both great.

Even things like the 'Where in the world is Kellyanne Conway' was very well done.

 

[sttubs]

Also they need time for drug and alcohol rehab.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Their politics skits have been outstanding, though.

I loved the skit with Hillary swinging over voters singing.

Alec Baldwin, Melissa McCarthy both great.

Even things like the 'Where in the world is Kellyanne Conway' was very well done.

Meh, they overdue the Alec Baldwin trump to the point where it just gets stale but they keep trying the same boring bit by re-using the same boring jokes. We get it, Russia coverup conspiracy, pissing on Trump, yadda yadda. It wasn't funny the first time.

Last one I decent laugh at that wasn't the opener or weekend update was the one about liberals living in a bubble.

 

[Craig234]

Meh, they overdue the Alec Baldwin trump to the point where it just gets stale but they keep trying the same boring bit by re-using the same boring jokes. We get it, Russia coverup conspiracy, pissing on Trump, yadda yadda. It wasn't funny the first time.

Last one I decent laugh at that wasn't the opener or weekend update was the one about liberals living in a bubble.

Naw, that's your politics in the way of enjoying. I did think the bubble was funny also though.

It is funny though, how they make fun of things like how the real estate where progressives are is expensive - because progressives know how to make more prosperity.

That skit wasn't nearly as biting, because they're aren't the horrible things to expose.

They just got some minor shots in at how everyone prefers their own viewpoints, and things like 'sushi rice' (though I eat no seafood). The color line though was funny.

How could they do anything like they do with Sean Spicer's 'beat up the press' nonsense with President Obama's press secretary and have it make any sense?

There was a discussion today about this very topic - why conservatives fail in comedy - on, yes, Dailykos.

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/201...for-a-Good-Comedian-Why-Money-Can-t-Buy-Funny

 

[rockyct]

They work pretty much nonstop all week long throughout their season. It's pretty grueling needing to be creative, funny, and current every single week. It doesn't always work, obviously, but they have been damn successful at it. And that isn't easy to do. It's easily a much harder period of annual work compared to serial, scripted programming.

Yeah, a lot of the actors have side projects they work on over the summer as well. The whole point of being on SNL is that they eventually move on to a real comedy/acting career. Having a set 4-5 month break helps them plan for filming schedules or a block of time to write their own stuff. They get some weeks off during the season, but if a show is on that Saturday, that is basically 100% of their focus for the week.

Anyway, SNL generally works because it covers very current topics and by developing a familiarity with the cast. This clip will be dated in six months, but in the mean time it's pretty funny: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN6df0twmJQ

 

[dud]

SNL is still on the air? Used to watch in the 80s but has gotten progressively less funny each progressive decade. Read an article the other day that a "long time" cast member was leaving after many seasons ... but I've never heard of them ... at all.

No longer the target demographic ...

 

[GagHalfrunt]

They need to have time to write, make scripts, book talent, etc. That's not something you do in a week.

Then one wonders how the late shows create original monologues and book talent for 200+ episodes per year.

There's nothing SNL does that would prevent them from doing more other than network investment (it's a lot more expensive to commit to 52 episodes rather than 20), writer burnout (they have a hard enough time coming up with decent sketches as it is) and freeing up people to do other projects. It helps the show when the cast members are doing movies and guest spots. They can attract better people by allowing them freedom and it's free advertising when SNL people appear other places.

 

[ultimatebob]

Summer is when they film the stupid SNL themed movies like Tommy Boy.

 

[Ns1]

Then one wonders how the late shows create original monologues and book talent for 200+ episodes per year.

They don't have to create 90 minutes worth of skits for every one. "Weekend Update" alone is the equivalent of 5 days worth of jokes for any late night show.

Dave Chappelle took 3 weeks to prepare for his hosting gig.