Saturday Night Live (SNL) is no stranger to celebrity cameos and its recent decision to welcome Martin Short into the Five-Timers Club during the Dec 21 episode is not particularly odd considering the late-night sketch shows history of providing those moments as part of their usual sketch structure however, whilst many enjoyed it what’s also very true, is the inherent problem of making it be far more focused on an out of context over reliance for well-known stars that, at times has actually worked for ( and many times has greatly worked against) the usual method for ‘comedy sketches’. Therefore, our exploration today will delve into the pros and cons and long term implications of making these events the central focus of a whole SNL episode rather than another isolated segment inside its much bigger sketch show concept, lets discuss just how that approach affected this specific series format as well as SNL's larger production legacy.
Martin Short's Induction: A Celebration or a Crutch?
The induction of Martin Short into the Five-Timers Club should've been treated as a lighthearted acknowledgement of the actors contributions throughout various previous appearances; however what actually took place wasn’t as funny ( or impactful) as some had intended since all those surrounding stars were seemingly ‘pushed' too much at the very beginning leaving a very odd feeling as all felt incredibly inorganic. While the intention was mostly for laughs many familiar faces often created a sense of ‘look how many well known people we have' than to genuinely enhance or support that nights episode with their involvement. As Tom Hanks , Tina Fey and Paul Rudd are always welcome it still felt more forced than fun. This made those ‘big names’ almost appear ‘out of place' with other smaller format sketch sequences all due to how all initial screen time has already showcased various important familiar big-screen celebrities.
All the opening sequence, despite its intent of bringing 'fun' to the forefront mostly played like a highlight reel of past stars rather than giving actual value towards any present sketches so instead it put all weight entirely over what was an event, than what was simply a funny or memorable episode from a production standpoint. This is also a very key and important detail to understand about modern media ( including television show reviews), ‘its an event’. not necessarily always an entertainment experience and by putting such explicit focus at the very first moments, this method created an awkward separation and very strong feeling between 'this is a show, versus an event to be witnessed' as those elements can easily create very different feedback with audience and critical acclaim perspectives which also need to be fully explored here.
It’s almost as if by starting this way SNL was completely incapable of sustaining or topping that same hype, which may be why a more traditional style sketch was the main choice during a segment focusing on an airport. Or that Martin’s interpretation over Charlie Brown’s TV show wasn’t seen by anyone that tuned in during the initial ten minutes of broadcast. This all seems mostly a waste of talented production personnel. Because most often when a long standing program has to focus more on ‘well-known individuals than actual content its a worrying element of a creative production cycle since it often means lack of confidence by production team for its main creative structure.
The Over-Reliance on Cameos: A Trend or a Problem?
The use of cameos on SNL is nothing new as they have, for many years used big named talent for supporting roles in sketches or even the opening dialogue segments but where many problems start is when their usage tends to overshadow most main or original recurring cast and where the show is unable to maintain momentum after these large star introductions as is the case for Martin Short induction ceremony. It becomes less about ‘funny situations’ or interesting set-pieces ( those often have small minor parts during this episode structure) than as just ‘big names that appear on SNL to gain press’ where focus shifts on event viewing instead of show reviewing which may or may not be good in certain production circumstances.
When used sparingly; surprise appearances by well-known talent might create genuine enjoyment, particularly on more niche or underground scenes however when entire episode planning revolves mostly around these 'big appearances' it may create what viewers (specially die-hard fans) recognize and criticize ( often rightly so ) as the ‘cheap route for lazy content’ by presenting recognizable talent and recognizable celebrities which creates ( often unintentionally) an erosion of actual quality in service of easier recognizable ‘safe formats’ that also end up becoming far less challenging and not creatively engaging.
This element seems also present across several recent skits throughout multiple production cycles, specially those based more on character imitation of present celebrities that lack bite, meaning or social commentary, they play as safe filler without providing any level of genuine comedy. If SNL wants long lasting value with current and newer formats then those type of episodes where they over-rely on celebrity appearance may start a much more problematic path for long lasting production consistency. This one, sadly is not entirely exclusive.
The SNL Format: Preserving Creativity or Playing it Safe?
While this event centered show with focus solely over the “Five Timer's Club’ makes for a moment in recent memory; those aspects, if done incorrectly end up undermining that specific shows main structure of bringing new creative writing talents. If you place a lot of high end celebrities during intro without creating a consistent level of writing or high quality supporting segments those end up looking quite poor in quality as those high ends introductions creates expectations which might rarely get fully matched with content from then onwards.
Instead of offering the new or returning talent in the cast a chance to showcase what they have achieved, what that broadcast often provided mostly was an exploration of “see what we achieved in our network”, something usually seen only with a studio advertisement or even an Awards ceremony ( and ironically there are various SNL sketches which often have taken ‘easy target’ from award show events ), that shows that SNL can ( often willingly ) move away from creative narrative risks for far safer production values.
Conclusion: The Tightrope of Tradition and Innovation
In closing, it’s very important to remember there was some measure of entertainment during this show but what’s also true it mostly plays safe and by constantly pushing cameos ( with far less high production values elsewhere) it gives an impression that some older show frameworks and models aren't being pushed to their current day limit and while it works in a single occasion as special event for a single episode, if that approach becomes the main methodology it may hurt what people expect of its core creative qualities.
SNL's constant high reliance on celebrity status at every main or key sketch shows is currently eroding the value from its own internal roster who can be seen as far more competent and talented than they often get given a space to prove through those segments which has long since past that very unique ‘edge’ that often allowed SNL to have great value beyond simply being known for that show ‘which brings high profile talent’ for skits. And whilst Martin Short's induction had good intent ( and can’t completely dismiss that entertainment value was also still present through some sketch segments) all elements should not make people become blind into what has truly made Saturday Night Live such important part of our culture: original and cutting edge creative teams over ‘cheap cameo filler’; so SNL must start considering a better path if its planning on preserving its great tradition, its what originally allowed to have some importance for its viewers first hand: with creativity, not necessarily fame.