For Splitsider‘s season in review series, each writer argued on behalf of one series, labeling theirs the best sitcom of the 2011-2012 season. My show was

Excerpt:

“Let’s consider what it means to be “great television.” Community fans know full well that television is a business, as much as we hate to admit it. A network television show is not an artistic expression by an auteur — it’s eye candy designed to expose millions of eyeballs to paid advertisements. So “great television” is best defined as a show with universal appeal, scoring huge audiences, critical raves, and armfuls of statuettes. If we looked at food the way we look at TV shows, “great restaurants” would include Outback Steakhouse and the Cheesecake Factory.

Not that I don’t love me some bloomin’ onion. But unlike Outback Steakhouse and the Cheesecake Factory, universally beloved television comedies are extinct. Juggernauts like Seinfeld, Friends, Will & Grace, and Everybody Loves Raymond are long gone. Their closest living relative, Modern Family, draws in a (relatively) paltry 13 million viewers and airs new episodes so sporadically that it hardly qualifies as “appointment television.”

With television becoming more fragmented and niche-oriented, the fact that a show like Community has lasted this long on network television — instead of a more fitting home of, say, Adult Swim — isn’t a miracle. It’s a sign of the times. Community may not be “great television,” but neither is any other comedy these days. In the land of the blind, Community isn’t the one-eyed man — it’s the blind man who prefers blindness.”

Check out the full post on Splitsider.com.

I did my first live radio interview the other day with Nick Digilio on Chicago’s WGN Radio 720. We talked about all-things Saturday Night Live: the past season and current cast, as well as the show’s entire history and some of our favorite past performers. Nick is also a huge fan of the show, so it was a lot of fun chatting with a fellow SNL-phile about our shared interest.

You can listen to the radio podcast here.

Thanks to Nick and his producer Dan Sugrue for inviting me on the show!

For my final word on the 37th season of

Excerpt:

“One thing that often fails to get mentioned is the comedic powerhouse we have in the current ensemble. Save for an occasional low-drama tweak (Paul Brittain was let go from the show in February; Kate McKinnon added in April), there has been relatively low turnover throughout the past few seasons — a sign that Lorne is pretty happy with the way things are going. As he should be! Not since Phil Hartman have we seen performers so clearly suited for sketch comedy the way Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader are. Even Bill Murray said last year that the current cast is the strongest since the show’s first few years.

Most importantly, everyone seems to genuinely like each other. I sometimes sense sideline anxiety from younger performers like Abby Elliott and Jay Pharoah, but in general, the cast seems to be having fun. This must be at least partially due to many of the actors’ and writers’ backgrounds in improv, which values the ensemble over the individual and emphasizes connecting with your scene partner as the chief priority. For evidence of this relationship-based mentality, just look at Weekend Update. In previous generations, a desk character would be given an uninterrupted three minutes for his or her bit – now, the tone is more conversational. Stefon, Drunk Uncle, and Garth and Kat need Seth Meyers – they’re all defined largely by their attitudes towards him. These on-stage moments, as well as a few candid ones, suggest a harmonious workplace at Studio 8H.

Of course, this dynamic may likely change when Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis leave the cast. But while the three of them are heavyweight talents and big names to have attached to the show, they are by no means load-bearing, and the show will continue to thrive well after they leave. (All bets are off should Bill Hader follow them out, however.)

As I did last year, I’ve been keeping track of the total number of sketches each cast member appeared in throughout the 22-episode season, weighing larger roles more than simple walk-ons and one-liners. Displaying the results in a pie chart gives us a sense of each cast member’s total share of the screen time:

The first of a two-part review of

Excerpt:

“What struck me most about this season was the apparent hunger for new hit sketches. While the show’s tendency to recycle worn sketch premises lives on, Seth Meyers and his writing staff have eased back a bit from tentpoling the lineup with pieces from seasons past, occasionally striking gold with a new premise, and hustling to bring it back as soon as possible. J Pop America Fun Time Now, Drunk Uncle, Lord Wyndemere, Bein’ Quirky with Zooey Deschanel, Piers Morgan Tonight, and The Californians — children of Season 37 — were all reprised within a few episodes of their first appearances.

With the departure of Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer at the end of last season, the digital short, after enjoying five years as SNL’s most popular segment, fell to a sporadic hit-or-miss status. In its ashes arose a crop of fresh live sketches, often with dark, bizarre premises, which have crept up from the final (often cut) 10-to-1 timeslot into the front half of the show. Sketches like Les Jeunes de Paris, Brutus the sexually abused monkey, and Slow Motion Hallway let their freak flags fly more than typical SNL sketches.

Those pieces, along with other sketches that targeted specific subcultures — Bein’ Quirky, You Can Do Anything, The Californians — contributed to a rawer, more risk-taking energy that found its way into the show. SNL expanded its mockery of cable news into a full-on assault of cable television for its lowest-common-denominator programming, most notably the E! network (Kardashian Divorce Special), Bravo (Watch What Happens Live), and Spike (Downton Abbey on Spike).

When it came to the hosts, SNL was blessed with relatively few duds (the uncooperative Ben Stiller and the full-out disaster Lindsay Lohan) and several amazing first-time hosts — Melissa McCarthy, Charlie Day, Jason Segel, Channing Tatum, Zooey Deschanel, Sofia Vergara… not to mention “virgin” hosts Jimmy Fallon and Maya Rudolph. A special shout-out to the females of the pack, who, Lohan excluded, typically helmed the better episodes.

It’s been a great year. Lorne Michaels, Seth Meyers, the cast, the writing staff, and the entire crew have much to be proud of.”

Read the full post on Splitsider.com.

For my Splitsider recap of the

Excerpt:

“When your show has become a cultural icon, I imagine it’s difficult to just be a “good comedy show.” SNLseason finales carry a special burden — they must feature an appropriately iconic host (Steve Carell in 2008, Will Ferrell in 2009, Alec Baldwin in 2010, Justin Timberlake in 2011, and now Mick Jagger in 2012), end the season on a memorable note to keep people buzzing over the summer, and provide a proper send-off to any cast members that might be leaving the show. That’s all on top of being strong, stand-alone episode… a feat in and of itself.

This year’s finale seemed to prioritize two objectives — specifically two people — over everything else: Mick Jagger and Kristen Wiig. As early as March, we began to see Wiig cashing in some of her long-running characters (Gilly, Target Lady, Garth and Kat), and when last week’s episode gave big roles to Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis (also rumored to be leaving the show), I predicted that the season finale would be very Wiig-centric. Lorne and Seth didn’t disappoint, giving Wiig one last hurrah as the undercooked Dooneese Merrill and Broadway has-been Mindy Alyce Grayson, as well as a heart-wrenching farewell at the end of the night.

Although the “have a knock-out hilarious show” goal took the backseat at times, I was impressed by Mick Jagger’s comedic chops. Less the charismatic chameleon that we saw from Justin Timberlake or Alec Baldwin and more the over-confident grandpa of Christopher Walken or Steve Martin, Jagger’s natural swagger and spry giddiness made each of his lines such a treat.”

Read the full post on Splitsider.com.

For this week’s SNL recap on Splitsider, I theorize why Will Ferrell’s much anticipated return to the show didn’t live up to the hype.

Excerpt:

“After Jimmy Fallon and Maya Rudolph’s spectacular stints hosting SNL earlier this season, I proposed (only somewhat facetiously) that all episodes should be hosted by former castmembers. Fallon’s episode was a gleeful trip down memory lane, complete with cameos by Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Rachel Dratch, and Horatio Sanz, and Rudolph’s might have been the highlight of the season, with the multitalented actress bringing the best out of the cast and crew to with her own masterful performance. I expected this episode would be the closing argument to my former-castmember-hosts proposition.

So was it? Sure, so long as I get another closing argument at some point.

We were given a solid, albeit predictable episode: predictably strong in the first half while weak in the second; predictably laden with cameos by other former castmembers and reprisals of characters from Ferrell’s era; predictably celebratory for remaining at the center of the pop culture universe over the years. Of course, Ferrell’s presence makes anything immediately funny (except maybe Broadway Sizzle), but for whatever reason – high expectations or simply lightning evading the bottle for the writers and actors – this episode didn’t ignite as we all hoped it would.”

Read the full post on Splitsider.com.

For this Splitsider recap of last weekend’s

Excerpt:

“Many athlete hosts have proven to be quick on their feet and natural showmen — skills that benefitted Derek Jeter and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson tremendously. There have also been a few disasters: swimmer Michael Phelps seemed much more slow and clumsy on land, and there was that one awkward episode in 1978 where O.J. Simpson tried to murder Laraine Newman.

Athlete hosts present fascinating insights into masculinity. They seem to be game for any character or situation that is asked of them, yet they do so with a surprising level of self-awareness. I am reminded of the famous “Big Bernard” sketch, in which Tracy Morgan spanked 7-foot-1 Shaquille O’Neal, while Shaq mugged and made faces at the audience. It was as if he was anticipating his return to the Lakers locker room and wanted to prove to the other guys that he was “above” the pettiness of the scene. Notice also the tendency for athlete hosts to don drag — Derek Jeter as a Yankee wife, Charles Barkley as a coming-out lesbian, and now Eli Manning as a spurned runner up in a drag queen pageant. It’s the same kind of “bro mentality” behind jocks dancing around in wigs at a pep rally or pledges being forced into training bras in a frat house basement. To jocks, comedy is a queer distraction for boys to prove their manhood, and not a serious pursuit for real men.”

Read the full post on Splitsider.com.

We’re in the middle of a period I’ve decided to call “tournament season” at iO West, with two major improv tournaments, both leading up to the LA Improv Comedy Festival in June (which has a number of improv and sketch tournaments of its own). Competitive improv isn’t really my cup of tea — it can get uncomfortable and bring out a few negative qualities in performers – but I like the idea of a playoff-style tournament, with no incumbency advantage and a clear, definite end. Tournaments can be a great way to boost excitement in the community, bring in a new audience, and encourage interaction between people who don’t normally perform together. They’re also fun to speculate over.

One of the two tournaments is the (second annual) United States of Improv Tournament, in which improvisers compete on teams defined by their states of origin. The winning team receives a limited run on the mainstage and bragging rights. Last year, one-man musical improv team Tom Christensen of North Dakota swept the whole thing (knocking my Team Florida out in the first round), and this year, with heavyweights New York, Texas, California and Ohio seeing early defeats, it really could be anyone’s game. It’s a great idea for a tournament — you get to see top improvisers at the theater play on teams with new faces, and everyone gets really excited about it. Tonight at 11:30, Team Florida kicks off the second round, competing against New Jersey’s team for a spot in the semifinals.

The other big tournament is the annual iO West Harold Tournament, in which iO’s house teams compete against each other for bragging rights, a performance slot representing the theater in the festival’s tournament, and a rumored “protected status” from the Harold team chopping block. All of the Harold teams will compete, except previous winners (Local 132, King Ten, USS Rock N Roll, and Bandit), and most mainstage teams are “top seeded,” which means they get a bye week. This will be my first year in the tournament, and I’m on The Cartel, which will face off against either Riggins or Medium Cool on May 23 at 7:30.

I’d love to weigh in on various teams and make predictions, but when the audience decides the winner (or partially decides, in the case of the Harold tournament), these things are damn impossible to predict. So I’ll just say my money’s on Florida and The Cartel. If both of my teams don’t win it all, may lighting strike me dea–

For this Splitsider recap of last weekend’s SNL episode hosted by Josh Brolin, I address the rumors of Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, and Andy Samberg departing at the end of this season, and how this episode gave us a glimpse of what’s to come over the next few episodes.

Excerpt:

“Could we be approaching the end of an era?

After recent rumors of Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, and Andy Samberg leaving SNL at the end of this season, fans began to speculate about what the show would do without its three biggest stars, and which cast members would step up to fill their shoes. Last weekend’s episode seemed to reflect, perhaps subconsciously, this blend of nostalgia and looking forward: a musical cold open celebrating the end of a long and windy GOP primary season, the return of long-running sketches Laser Cats and Garth & Kat, and uncharacteristically frequent appearances by Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah.

With perhaps three new episodes left this season, I predict SNL will continue this trend and bring back a number of old Wiig, Sudeikis, and Samberg sketches in the coming weeks. This season has seen revivals of Wiig’s Target Lady, Sue, Mindy Alyce Grayson, Gilly, and Kat, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we also saw Penelope, Judy Grimes, Dooneese Merrill, Suze Orman, Nancy Pelosi, and Aunt Linda, not to mention Sudeikis’ Devil and Joe Biden, and Samberg’s Nicolas Cage, Mark Walberg, Lil’ Ronnie, and “Dick in a Box” duo guy, once more as well. And with any luck, maybe we’ll get to see Two A-holes and the Song Memories sketch one last time.”

Read the full post on Splitsider.com.

SNL

Excerpt:

“For many TV critics, the headlines of their SNL recaps are written days before the episode airs. Of course Daniel Radcliffe would host a “magical” night, and Zooey Deschanel’s episode would have a “quirky” theme. And surely SNL would follow Modern Family’slead and exploit Sofia Vergara’s sexuality and ethnicity for cheap laughs. The moment Vergara walked out on stage for her monologue in a low-cut dress, many a Puritanical suspicion was confirmed.

I am frustrated by the obsession with Sofia Vergara’s looks and accent — traits given far too much emphasis in storylines of Modern Family — but I don’t think last weekend’s SNL episode was necessarily a textbook example of that obsession. (The various online recaps, maybe.) Sofia Vergara is a beautiful woman who occasionally struggles with the English language, and while those were recurring elements throughout the night, only rarely were they the punchline. Compare the sexual exploitation in this episode to, say, what we witnessed with Channing Tatum, who stripped off clothes, danced erotically, and delivered lines through catcalls all night. No contest, thank god.”

Read the full post on Splitsider.com.