By Nick Singer, Staff Writer.
On Sunday, Feb. 16, Saturday Night Live (SNL) hosted its “SNL50 Anniversary Special.” The special celebrated the show’s run of 50 years with an incredible lineup of comedy sketches, live musical performances and stand up monologues, uniting some of the most popular names in the show’s history. The live broadcast of the program reeled in over 14 million viewers that evening alone. “SNLwas created in 1975 by a young writer named Lorne Michaels. Initially titled “NBC’s Saturday Night,” the show was created to fill the spot after “The Tonight Show” starring Johnny Carson stopped airing its re-runs on Saturday nights.
The early days included appearances of stars such as Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and Laraine Newman. Since the 1970s, the show has had a vast influence on pop culture, white simultaneously being influenced by it. The program is constantly reflecting the current times and is putting its own spin on things for the audience’s comedic relief.
With the evolution of technology, people consume media now differently than they did 50 years ago, making many shows obsolete. However, this did not negatively affect “SNL” and the show has been evolving. Many people now watch “SNL” through social media or digital platforms opposed to watching it live on television, especially the younger generation.
Sophomore psychology major Evi Tzortzatos says she primarily watches “SNL” on social media through individual clips.
“I’ll typically watch it through social media when they post different clips of different skits. Sometimes I’ll watch full episodes when I like the guest stars featured on it,” she said.
When asked about her favorite part of the special, she replied with how she loved the variety of musical artists involved, ranging from all different genres.
Tzortzatos stated, “I loved the fact that they included so many music guests. I always think that the performances are amazing and it was cool to have a lot of really famous people play.”
Junior digital art and design major Mike DiBernardo also enjoyed the special.
“I thought it was very fun, I thought the cameos were very interesting,” he said. “It was very cool seeing the musical performances and seeing lots of different artists from lots of different eras performing at the same time and sometimes together. I thought that was a major draw of the show.”
As important as it is to keep the younger generation of viewers engaged in watching the show, it is also important to pay tribute to the older generations. Department chair of digital art and design Patrick Aievoli has been a devoted SNL viewer since the show’s earliest days.
“I first started watching in 1976 in Buffalo, NY, while I was still in college. One of us started talking about this new show that everyone thought was incredible,” he said.
While “SNL” has been serving as a medium to unite generations over a shared love of comedy, there have been various ways on how each generation differs from one another. Aievoli elaborated on how SNL has influenced viewers across different generations.
“Every generation thinks their cast was the best. But obviously, and as said by Adam Sandler in his tribute song, the first cast was the best. SNL does try to capture the core of the times, and it contributes to the shared experience of comedy.”
Tzortzatos feels that the primary difference between generations is the type of influence.
“The main difference is what is relevant in pop culture at the time, and social media definitely influences it. I think the older generations of comedy were different from ours because we have more influence from politics and social media.”
DiBernardo shared how he feels that the show is influenced by our culture, rather than us being influenced by the show.
“I feel Saturday Night Live doesn’t influence, but is rather influenced by our world and culture and I feel that is the beautiful thing about SNL. The show has its finger on the pulse of our culture,” he said.
“SNL” provides an outlet for millions of people to connect over humor.
“I think the reason why the show is so prevalent as a Saturday night ritual for many is because people go to it when they finish their work week, and it provides an escape and entertainment that isn’t so heavy,” Tzortzatos said. “Not to sound cliché, but I think it’s purely the love for comedy. I feel like every viewer watches SNL to get a sense of comedic relief out of it, and no matter what your style of comedy is, there is something for everyone in the show.”
Aievoli believes that “SNL” creates a shared experience for the audience.
“What viewers share the most is the physical moment that transcends actual time and space, the shared experience,” he said.
Some notable musical performers who were a part of the celebration include Paul McCartney, Post Malone, Sabrina Carpenter, founding members of Nirvana, and Bruce Springsteen. “SNL” has become one of the most significant shows in the history of entertainment. The “50th Anniversary Special” celebrated what the show has become and the cultural imprint it has left behind. The next episode of “SNL” will air on Saturday, April 12, featuring actor Jack Black along with musical guests Elton John and Brandi Carlile.
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