The Best ‘SNL’ Sketches and Moments of 2017

Saturday Night Live entered 2017 with good ratings, millions of viral shares, and more momentum than it has had in years. Much of this upshot was due to the political climate–and the country’s need for the humorous angle of what often seems like dark times. SNL did an admirable job in 2016 of getting political […]

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The Comedy Curator’s Christmas Cuts

While I am not usually a fan of these kinds of lists, I do miss my annual tradition of sending holiday mix tapes, and later mix CDs, to friends and family. So a few caveats. Please note that this playlist does not suggest any particular hierarchy, but rather is sequenced in my suggested order of […]

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How the DIY Stella Shorts Somehow Introduced the Future of Mainstream Comedy

The Stella shorts, which were filmed as companion pieces to their NYC live show and later collected on the rare Stella Shorts 1998-2002 DVD, are legendarily funny. They’re constant bit factories, firing jokes like a minigun. The shorts will upend their own narratives at a moment’s notice for the sake of a single throwaway riff. […]

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Revisiting Some of ‘Saturday Night Live’s Best Season Premieres Ever

Season 43 of Saturday Night Live begins this weekend, with Ryan Gosling hosting and Jay-Z as the musical guest. It’s a strong lineup, combining an A-list actor with one of the best rappers of all time who just released his best album in years. This is what we come to expect from the season premieres […]

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The Three Tiers of ‘SNL’s Five-Timers Club

In 1990, Saturday Night Live fans were introduced to the Five-Timers Club, the extremely exclusive organization that only a handful of hosts can ever dream of being part of. Originally, Tom Hanks was brought into the fold by Steve Martin and Paul Simon (who, for the record, has only actually hosted four times), but more […]

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Aimee Mann’s Best Comedy Crossover Moments

Before deciding on a title for her new album, Aimee Mann told a friend that her record was full of her “usual songs about mental illness.” Mann, whose songs often delve into life’s melancholies, began to see the humor in another friend’s suggestion that she call the album Mental Illness. “It’s so bald, but also […]

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Aimee Mann’s Best Comedy Crossover Moments

Before deciding on a title for her new album, Aimee Mann told a friend that her record was full of her “usual songs about mental illness.” Mann, whose songs often delve into life’s melancholies, began to see the humor in another friend’s suggestion that she call the album Mental Illness. “It’s so bald, but also […]

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The Five Ways a ‘Simpsons’ Episode Can Be Great

This week, The Simpsons celebrated its 30th birthday. On April 19, 1987, the show debuted as a sketch on The Tracey Ullman Show, and the rest is history. Once turned into a full-length sitcom, it became one of the greatest TV shows of all time, quite possibly the greatest. Throughout the show’s run, there have […]

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Five of David Letterman’s Best Late Night Donald Trump Takedowns

Each time Donald Trump appeared on a late night show during his presidential campaign he often left unscathed. Stephen Colbert made a wholehearted attempt to corner Trump during a one-on-one interview in 2015, but the (alleged) billionaire dodged the host’s inquiry for an apology and surprisingly aced a pop quiz that asked if he could […]

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Stephen Colbert vs. “Alternative Facts”: A Lifelong Rivalry

The first week of Donald Trump’s presidency has begun, and one of the weekend’s biggest headlines revolved around the phrase “alternative facts” — a term used by Trump adviser and spokesperson Kellyanne Conway to defend White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s false claim that Friday marked “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration.” During […]

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