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

Nick looks back at one of the most unmistakably ’90s episodes of Saturday Night Live. On November 11, 1995, writer and director Quentin Tarantino made his only appearance as host in a strange, controversial, and often uneven show that also featured The Smashing Pumpkins as the musical guest. It was a transitional season that introduced new cast members including Molly Shannon, Will Ferrell, and Cheri O’Teri, while Taran...

The title may be a little misleading, but this episode celebrates the three times Saturday Night Live was hosted by actors who played James Bond…three episodes featuring only two Bonds. Nick begins with Pierce Brosnan’s hilarious 2001 appearance, complete with behind-the-scenes stories, his memorable monologue featuring a surprise guest, a sharp West Wing parody, and a terrific sketch with Will Ferrell as an absolutely...

Nick looks back at one of the funniest recurring sketches in Saturday Night Live history, featuring two of the show’s most hilariously obnoxious characters. Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig star as the “Two A-Holes,” a self-absorbed couple who spend their time talking on their phones, chewing gum, ignoring everyone around them, and driving everyone they meet completely crazy.

You’ll hear every appearance the ...

Nick looks back at one of the funniest and strangest recurring sketches in Saturday Night Live history: The Legend of Bill Brasky. Created by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell, these late-night classics feature a table full of loud, drunken businessmen swapping increasingly outrageous stories about the mythical Bill Brasky, whose unbelievable exploits as a lover, salesman, father, inventor, and all-around larger-than-life figure become m...

In this listener-requested episode, Nick looks back at one of the funniest recurring sketches in Saturday Night Live history, Bronx Beat, created and performed by Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler. The sketch follows two fast-talking, no-nonsense New York housewives who spend their cable access show complaining about their husbands, the weather, the guests, and just about everything else. Debuting in 2007, Bronx Beat became a fan favori...

Nick looks back at the night Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce proved that professional athletes really can make great Saturday Night Live hosts. Thanks in part to cast member and Chiefs superfan Heidi Gardner, who convinced Lorne Michaels to book him, Kelce delivered one of the funniest episodes of the season and one of the strongest hosting performances ever by an athlete.

You’ll hear highlights from some of the nig...

Nick looks back at the only time Owen Wilson hosted Saturday Night Live, on October 2, 2021, kicking off Season 47. It turned out to be a really strong show, with Wilson proving to be a terrific host from the start. His monologue was sharp, well-delivered, and he was completely game for whatever the writers threw at him.

The episode features some standout sketches, including a chaotic school board meeting packed with bizarre charac...

Nick looks back at one of his favorite Saturday Night Live characters of all time, Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy. Created and performed by Vanessa Bayer, Jacob is an awkward 13-year-old Jewish kid and die-hard Yankees fan who delivers painfully corny, carefully rehearsed jokes from a binder on Weekend Update. Inspired by Bayer’s real-life brother Jonah, the character quickly became a fan favorite.

Nick revisits some of Jacob&rsqu...

Saturday Night Live has a long history of great celebrity impressions, but some of the funniest moments happen when the real people being impersonated show up to confront their TV counterparts. In this first installment, Nick revisits some of the best examples, including Ego Nwodim’s Dionne Warwick standing face-to-face with the real Dionne, Hillary Clinton joining Amy Poehler during a Cold Open, Vanessa Bayer and Jennifer An...

Nick looks back at one of the funniest and strangest characters ever created by Will Forte during his time on Saturday Night Live: Senator Tim Calhoun. Soft-spoken, painfully awkward, intensely nervous, and completely unpredictable, Calhoun became a recurring favorite through a series of memorable appearances, most of them on Weekend Update.

You’ll hear some of Tim Calhoun’s funniest segments, along with behind-the-scen...

Nick looks back at the rare occasions when professional wrestlers stepped into one of television’s toughest jobs: hosting Saturday Night Live. Only four wrestlers have ever hosted the show, beginning with Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, who took the stage on the eve of the very first WrestleMania in 1985.

From there, Nick revisits the five appearances by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the only wrestler to host multiple times an...

Nick looks back at one of his favorite recurring Saturday Night Live sketches, Morning Latte, featuring Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri as Tom Wilkins and Cass Van Rye, the clueless and endlessly upbeat hosts of a ridiculous morning talk show. The pair are hilariously scatterbrained, overly enthusiastic, and far too willing to share details from their personal lives with the audience.

You’ll hear several of the sketches in their...

Nick looks back at the one and only time comedian and actor Sinbad hosted Saturday Night Live. The 1992 show made great use of the cast, packed with memorable sketches that ranged from clever and absurd to a little risky and questionable by today’s standards. Highlights include the first gay platoon in the Civil War meeting the first African American platoon, Superman’s funeral, a hilarious Blacula parody, and a family ...

Nick looks back at one of the funniest recurring commercial parody sketches from Saturday Night Live, the Kickspit Under Underground Rock Festival promos that aired between 2009 and 2012. Inspired by the real-life Gathering of the Juggalos festivals, the sketches feature Jason Sudeikis as DJ Supersoak and Nasim Pedrad as Lil’ Blaster, hyping up the most ridiculous music festival imaginable.

You’ll hear the outrageous pr...

Alec Baldwin has hosted Saturday Night Live more than anyone else and has also shown up over the years as a frequent guest and special cast addition. For more than 35 years, he’s been one of the show’s most reliable and funniest presences. Nick looks back at some of his best work, including standout sketches, recurring bits like his take on Donald Trump, and plenty more.

You’ll hear behind-the-scenes stories and h...

Nick looks back at the ten former Saturday Night Live cast members who have been nominated for Academy Awards, including one who actually took home an Oscar. Each story has its own twist, and not all of the nominations were for acting. Kristen Wiig earned a nod for Best Screenplay, Michael McKean was nominated for Best Original Song, and George Coe, whose background gets explained here, received a nomination for Best Short Film.

Al...

Nick looks back at one of Kenan Thompson’s funniest SNL characters, Willie. A regular Weekend Update correspondent and Michael Che’s neighbor, Willie is brought on to lift spirits whenever the news gets too heavy. He’s endlessly upbeat, even though his life is about as rough as it gets.

Created by Che and Thompson, the character quickly became a fan favorite thanks to the way Willie cheerfully shares some truly aw...

Nick welcomes Dr. Jason Barr, Associate Professor of Music at Glenville State University, to talk about the history of music on Saturday Night Live, with a focus on the legendary live band that has been part of the show since it debuted in 1975. They get into the origins of Studio 8H, including the technology and its early days as home to the NBC Symphony Orchestra, along with a look at both the original SNL band and the current li...

Nick pays tribute to one of the most underappreciated cast members in Saturday Night Live history, the late Danitra Vance. Raised on the south side of Chicago, Vance came up through improv, earned her Master’s degree, taught for a time, and eventually found her way to Second City before landing on SNL as the show’s first female African American cast member. Unfortunately, she arrived during the troubled Season 11, where...