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The second decade of SNL begins, and by god does it begin with a doozy! Of all of the infamous years of SNL, Season 11 is one of the more intimidating ones to me. While it has the same hypothetical freshness as Season 6, attempting to introduce skeptical audiences to the next iteration of the show, that season at least offers the potential exhilaration of an entire staff flying by the seat of their pants, week by week. Season 11, on the other hand, marks the grand return of Lorne Michaels to his show, which quashes that sense that we're gonna be learning as we go along. Lorne, by and large, is too stubborn a producer for there to be much of a sense of recalibration or finetuning; that, by next season premiere, he'd posit all of these episodes were "all a dream, a horrible, horrible dream" doesn't give me too much hope that this season will have any interesting arc, either, beyond seeing who swims and who sinks. (Knowing who stays on after this season, though... I could guess.) Realistically, I think this season will mostly amount to an annoying hurdle before I'm able to get into what will likely be the best era of the entire show's run.
Among the new cast members who have been brought on to define the next era of the show are the show's first openly-gay cast member, Terry Sweeney; the first black female repertory player, Danitra Vance; two up-and-coming stand-ups by the names of Damon Wayans and Dennis Miller; a very young Anthony Michael Hall, Robert Downey Jr., and Joan Cusack culled from the Brat Pack; Academy Award-nominated actor and one-time New Show host Randy Quaid; and lastly, Jon Lovitz and Nora Dunn, two semi-obscure hires who quickly ascended the heap with their handy sketch comedy backgrounds. Dennis, regrettably, helmed Weekend Update.
The writers' room is also fully-stocked with a mix of key talent from the first five years (Franken, Davis, Downey, Novello) and startling new voices towards the beginning of their careers (Mark McKinney and Bruce McCulloch of eventual Kids in the Hall fame, Robert Smigel, John Swartzwelder), including some writers who previously worked on The New Show (Jack Handey, George Meyer)—like the cast, a clearly talented bunch, though one which would struggle to see their skills recognized on the stage.
Will the season be able to triumph its negative reputation? Or will it be as bad as they say? As your intrepid tour guide through such a strange chapter in the show's history, here's my (pseudo-)professional opinion!
For my reviews of the previous season, Season 10, CLICK HERE!
