by The plan was relatively simple: Take two hilarious legends, each with a rich history about it. Saturday night live and a working partnership spanning decades, and invite them to co-host. Steve Martin and Martin Short have already shared SNL The scene they hosted with Chevy Chase to promote their movie in 1986 Three friends. As such, last night’s episode was not only hilarious but had every reason to be rebellious – a diabolical spin on the kind that Will Forte presented last season.
Instead, it landed with a clatter. Martin and Short felt like former substitute teachers called in to regularize a school where most of the experienced faculty had left. The event, however, thwarted his efforts and turned the excellent vaudevilles into sketch after sketch, which limited their abilities. As a result, even “Steve and Marty” could not save SNL one of the struggles that continues to influence what executive producer Lorne Michaels calls a “transition year.”
A parody about a fictional PBS series called Science Room He thwarted Martin and Short by posing as straight to the uninformed young volunteers they were there to train. With the kids (played by Cecily Strong and Mikey Day) getting all the attention—as they tend to do in the recurring skit—it was left to offer Martin and Short setups and a growing level of anger. Later, in a sketch created more specifically for his talent, Short used his seemingly boundless energy by playing the grumpy, feisty Elf Sprinkles who refuses to put up with the children and their unending wishes for Martin’s Santa Claus. More skits were a glimmer of what might have been played to their strengths.
The hosts tried to keep the energy going with the game, but even they couldn’t handle a season where so much had changed. Mass migration ahead SNLSeason 48 of ‘Season’ has been a flurry after a relatively (and unusual) period of stability for the series, and a new order has yet to materialize. Short may recall a similar problem from his short-term work. SNLCast: He joined the series for one season in 1984.. Dick Ebersol replaced Michaels and sought to replenish the cast with credible stars after the original cast left en masse. Without the talent and popularity of the cast, the future of the series was uncertain. “[T]In Short’s 2002 book, there was tremendous concern that the show had become a star vehicle, and that without the stars the show would collapse. Live from New York.
[Read: SNL needs to log off ]
Today, Michaels doesn’t fill the cast with stars. But it looks like he’s leaning heavily on big names like Amy Schumer and Dave Chappelle to host this season, confident that his talents can make up for shortcomings elsewhere. However, this tactic doesn’t always work.
Much of the show relies on a comedic energy that stems from the chemistry between both the actors and the comedians and audience. But that takes time and trust. Last night, the vitality of the cast dulled: Even the cold opening, which addressed the growing fatigue people feel other than the never-ending problems of the world, felt warm and repetitive. The episode also missed a chance to showcase how well Martin and Short (friends of 36 years) did: the game. During their extended monologue, the two ended their time by exchanging fists. SNLThey took the main stage, reading the eulogy they wrote for each other’s future funerals. “I learned a lot from Steve,” said Martin cheerfully. “For example, she taught me that you don’t have to limit a urinal to just #1.”
One of the biggest pitfalls of the night was Short’s choice to give up his massive character wheelhouse. These possibilities were cast aside until the final draft, when he appeared as Franck. father of the bride franchise He reprized his dream role. Father of the Bride 8made a huge mockery of Martin’s character, George Banks, who complained about having to pay for “an eighth Nancy Meyers-style wedding” for his beloved daughter. It was a sweet nod to Martin and Short’s long-standing comedy partnership, especially now that new audiences often see them in it. Only Murders in the Building. But after a long string of rumbles it was too late to ring out as a success.
