The writers seemed to make a greater effort this week to write for the show host, Jude Law. This fine actor took on a variety of roles (a 1960s Russian ballet master, a sauve Spanish murderer, himself) and he pulled each off perfectly. But in a week when the strongest performances came from pre-recorded video, musical guest Pearl Jam and a completely unexpected appearance, it wasn’t enough to make Law the most interesting thing on the screen.

Even his monologue, a Cliffs Notes of his experience starring as Hamlet on Broadway, seemed to fall short. Here’s what did hit the mark.

Faux commercials! There were several of them this week, including one repeat.

We’ve seen the Kickspit Underground Rock Festival before. But the ultimate in brainstorming every awful thing you can imagine happening at a music event is still funny. Bad bands (Mrs. Potato Dick), bad guest appearances (Mark Furhman), bad giveaways (pitchforks) and bad ideas (no Port-a-Johns).

Mocking Toyota’s recent recall and PR nightmare, this commercial couldn’t stop being funny if it tried.

For all the single ladies, Broadview Security will not only save your life, it’ll save you a lot of money in door replacement costs.

That unexpected appearance was Jerry Seinfeld, who stopped by Weekend Update to weigh in on the Eric Massa scandal. Almost needless to say, this bit was far funnier than the show’s first attempt: an exit interview cold open. Seinfeld and Seth Meyers really captured what I imagine is our nation’s shared sense of exasperated pseudo-confusion about the Congressman’s reaction to his situation… as if we’re all squinting our eyes, dog-cocking our heads and saying “Really!?!”

When it came to cast performance, Law’s second nod at his Broadway “Hamlet” stint really brought out some of the character heavy guns. Playing the actors Law went up against in his audition were Bill Hader as Al Pacino, Andy Samberg as Nicholas Cage, Bobby Moynahan as Nathan Lane and Jason Sudeikis as Sam Elliott. That last was my personal fave, primarily because it honed in on my favorite movie, “The Big Lebowski.” (“The butt abides!”)

But of all the sketches, the one that makes the truly funny cut this week is a spoof of “Twilight Zone.” The black and white backdrop, the spooky theme and Bill Hader as the foreboding announcer all set the tone to creepy, but the outcome was nothing short of hilarious. Bobby Moynahan was a riotious rendition of the thing on the plane. Nasim Pedrad, Abby Elliot and Jude Law were perfect as the stewardess and the couple respectively. And I won’t spoil where Pearl Jam makes their mark here.

Pearl Jam was also perfect during two performances from their last album “Backspacer,” “Just Breathe” and “Unthought Known.”

Following the second performance we inadvertently got a promo for the March 20, 2010 episode (Sigourney Weaver and the Ting Tings), which makes me think everyone’s a little tired.

Maybe when the show returns April 10 the writers will be rested enough to keep up with Tina Fey as host. Hell, she’ll probably just write everything herself, if she hasn’t already. Justin Bieber will be musical guest.

The difference between the single funniest monologue I’ve ever seen on Saturday Night Live and pretty much the rest of the show this week? Night and day.

Leave it to Zach Galifianakis to be his twisted self, but to find a way to make it palatable for Middle America. He pandered to the mainstream through self-mockery and common reference, but balanced it for the indies though razor-sharp wit. He was brilliantly awkward, confidently off-kilter and slyly honest while he tip-toed along the edge.

He tenderly tweaked even the most traditional aspects of the monologue “It’s great to be back hosting Saturday Night Live!” (He’s never hosted.) “We have a great show for you tonight. Hoobastank is here! No?” (The musical guest was Vampire Weekend.)

The writing, the timing, everything was spot-on and those deadpanned lines are sure to live on for a while in the retelling. I could spend this entire post going on and on about this mere seven minutes, but let me yield to your viewing pleasure.

Now begrudgingly I say… on with the show.

When you’ve got Zach friggin’ Galifianakis as your star, you do not rehash a bunch of old premises! Wait, unfortunately, I guess you do if you’re writing for Saturday Night Live.

If I were giving the show a one-word review, that word would be lazy. Oh, you’re out of that? Well, just give me disappointing. Oh, you’re out of that? Well, just give me uninspired.

As soon as I realized that the first sketch was “The Vogelchecks” (that overdone, overly affectionate family bit), I groaned… audibly. Bill Hader got a little unnatural with a dog. Not to be outdone, Fred Armisen tongued the entire face of a corpse (Will Forte), finally full-on making out with him. Too bad one-upmanship isn’t synonymous with funny.

What else? Let’s just stick Zach in a Today bit as a background crazy dude crazy guy who’s trying to get with Hoda Kotb (Jenny Slate), a “Situation Room” bit as a cut-away character and a “What’s Up With That?” bit as ambidextrous disco flute player RJ Sizzle.

Only two sketches seemed to be written specifically for the host.

He, Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg got together for “Bidet,” a mediocre scene that focused on the insinuated freakiness a couple plans to get into with their hotel bidet.

And while Vampire Weekend performed its second, excellent song, someone was busy backstage getting into his final costume for his final sketch, “Pageant Talk.” There’s no NBC video for this one, so you’ll simply have to imagine a beardless (!) Galifianakis as a gay pageant-obsessed father.

All told, the only real nugget the writers came up with for what could have been a viral smorgasbord was the digital short “Zach Drops by the Set.” In this video compilation, Galifianakis inserts himself into NBC properties including (but not limited to) The Nightly News with Brian Williams, 30 Rock and Law and Order.

In short, the night before the Oscars might not have been the right time to slot a next-generation-friendly host who’s apparently too funny for SNL writers to handle. At the very least they should have swapped this week with next, when Jude Law hosts and the musical guest is Pearl Jam.

It’s the interior of the White House, the president’s bedroom. It’s night. Gerald Ford stumbles in. He’s befuddled. He prat falls onto a table. “Live from New York…”

But this is no Saturday Night Live sketch. History has come alive on Funny or Die in an exclusive, star-studded video. Rather than mince words, let me cut to the chase.

• Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford
• Dan Aykroyd as Jimmy Carter
• Jim Carrey as Ronald Reagan
• Dana Carvey as George HW Bush
• Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton
• Will Ferrell as George W. Bush
• Fred Armisen as Barack Obama
• Maya Rudolph as Michelle Obama

Put Ron Howard in charge (or as in charge as anyone could be with this bunch) and get them going on a politically charged cause (creating a Consumer Finance Protection Agency for credit card and bank regulation), and there you have Funny or Die’s “Presidential Reunion.” If the Kings of Comedy were humor’s equivalent of a supergroup, then this is its “We Are the World.”

It’s not necessarily funny, though it’s got a few crack-up lines (“As George Washington once said to John Adams…”). It’s more worthwhile for the sweet nostalgia and impressive all-in-one-place cast.

So far the precedent-setting, presidential clip (above) is accompanied by a quick Behind the Scenes montage (below) and an extended version of Dana Carvey’s dream sequence (even more below). Knowing FOD, there are more extras to come.

Let’s hear it for the girls! First we got Jennifer Lopez pulling double-duty as guest and musical host of this week’s episode. But to top that, we also got a strong showing by female cast members Kristen Wiig, Nasim Pedrad, Jenny Slate and Abby Elliott throughout the show! Slate gave us new car horns to go with our new doorbells. Pedrad gave us a little girl haunted by the band Smash Mouth. If it wasn’t by chicks, it was for chicks.. Oh yes, it was ladies night… and the feeling was, well, mostly right.

Opening the show, Keenan Thompson as Quincy Jones introduced “We Are the World 3: Raising Awareness of the ‘We are the World 2’ Disaster.” Between plenty of PC-preemptive disclaimers, the parody poked fun at the tragically bad recent remake, proceeds of which benefit earthquake victims in Haiti.

It was a cast showcase kicked off by Lopez as a spot-on Rihanna (squeezing in an “-ella, -ella” for good measure and good laughs). Wiig (Gwen Stefani), Pedrad (Shakira), Slate (Lady Gaga) and Elliott (Melissa Etheridge) all came out to play. So did Bill Hader as a comically creepy Eddie Vedder, Andy Samberg as a dead-on dorky Josh Groban, Will Forte as a whiny Willie Nelson, Bobby Moynihan as David Crosby and Jason Sudeikis as Adam Lambert. The who’s-who was a hoot, and the lyrics were funny enough… but some of the best laughs were visual cues from the real video.

After a ho-hum monologue, J-Lo took on Wiig in a new installment of ESPN Classic, commentated by Sudeikis and Forte and sponsored by Gyne-Lotrimin. “When you got something fungal deep down in your lady jungle…” It was funny, sure, but didn’t come near the humor mark that the previous “Douche!” version did.

Now, if you’re looking for perfect delivery, you need look no further than the digital short “Flags of the World.” Not only was it funny – in that quick spastic grunt chuckle way – but it demands multiple viewings just to catch all the fantastic references being squeezed in. In particular, note the timely and potentially future-telling “We Love Betty White” flag (That Facebook fan campaign to make Betty White an SNL host might pay off!). Plus the song itself is an absolute earworm.

Lopez was a great sport about poking fun at herself and her culture in several sketches. As a viewer, you didn’t need to be bilingual or come from a tropical climate to appreciate the stereotypical silliness of Telemundo covering the Winter Olympics. Lopez and co-anchor Fred Armisen sprinkled Spanish phrases and thick accents in with such commentary as “This is the madness that happens when a country has no beaches.” and “Did you know there are places with sunshine and with dancing?”

Employing simple Spanish phrases, seductive cut-away promos and fabulous overacting, the Telenovela “Besos & Lagrimas” is a staple segment when a high-profile Latino or Latina is on hand. Previously featuring Christina Aguilera and Antonio Banderas, this time Lopez appeared as a nun in love with a married man.

While “Weekend Update” itself had little to offer, the two guests were worth seeing.

Armisen gave us what could conceivably be the last we’ll see of his David Paterson, per the news that the real Paterson won’t run for reelection. At first he seemed coy, offering the mere allusion to his one punchline, New Jersey. But he finally gave it up several times, including a bit of crowd participation. “We’ll miss you,” Meyers told the character. Something tells me New Jersey will give SNL an excuse to bring him back.

And Moynihan wins the “That’s so true it’s funny” award of the night for his portrayal as a New Media Correspondent trying to show off a YouTube video. The real irony in this will be if you click on the video below and find yourself thinking “Ugh. It’s buffering!” So meta!

Speaking of so true it’s funny, the quick and quirky “Undercover Celebrity Jobs” was one of those sketches that pokes fun at real programming, but could be mistaken by a network exec as a great idea. Armisen as janitor Steve Jobs, Hader as secretary Richard Branson, Elliott and Slate as warehouse working Olsen Twins and Wigg as a bitchy non-dishwashing Martha Stewart are each laugh out loud funny!

Finally, just in case you’re cursing me because you’re still singing that “Flags of the World” song, I’ll leave you with this: Slate’s suggestions for personalized car horns. Whaaaaat?

Next week, Zach Galifianakis hosts and Vampire Weekend is the musical guest. Looking forward to some twisted, indie-tastic stuff there!

Given how engaged and engaging Ashton Kutcher was prior to this week’s Saturday Night Live – hosting a series of live behind-the-scenes videos on Ustream – it was fair, I think, to assume that his fourth time hosting the show would inspire words like “edgy” and “cool.” Not so much. The truly funny stuff this week, and there was some really truly funny stuff, came primarily from around Kutcher rather than from him.

In his monologue, he proclaimed a persona change as a step toward public respectability, only to be confronted with a series of tests to his maturity. As Kutcher struggled to maintain composure, we had no such restraints. And, after all, could even the most mature of us keep our pants on, let alone a straight face, when a tee-ball kid punches a mini-bike riding Mark Twain in the nuts in front of a Storm Trooper and Superman?

It was actually only when Kutcher finally cracked, that the whole thing stopped being funny. Once the straight-man, stay the straight-man.

Where Kutcher was not concerned… it was a great week for political humor.

The Cold Open began with a brilliant one-liner where I normally expect to be lulled into the show: “You’re watching Fox News. Oh my God… look out behind you.” Reteaming Kristen Wiig as Greta Van Sustern and Jason Sudeikis as Glenn Beck, a combination that’s worked marvelously before, this installment offered Sudeikis a little more room to play up his melodramatic take. As well it should.

The brief bit may have been buried at the end of “Weekend Update,” but Bill Hader scored quick big points as Eliot Spitzer reading Valentine’s Day cards for disgraced public figures.

And Andy Samberg in “And Now an Even-Tempered Apology from White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel,” as usual, went beyond just being a funny sketch. Yes, the delivery (or, let’s call it what it is… great acting) is like a loud comedic shot of adrenaline that’s sure to wake you up if you’re starting to doze. But more than that it is incredible writing. That’s not just to say it’s incredible comedic writing, but incredible writing writing. “I need sixty votes just to take a shit!” “I will write shit on your wall so obscene your computer will cry!”

There’s that edgy and cool I was hoping for! And speaking of great writing, it feels weird to say so about yet another SNL game show, but way to nail it with “What is Burn Notice?” Working against its own formula, the butt of this joke isn’t the stupidity of the contestants. In fact, it’s the contestants… and the host… and the judges panel that we’re identifying with as they poke fun at the USA Network’s runaway success.

Finally, it seems, the full-blown edgy cool came out in the last sketch of the night. After two ass-kicking performances by Them Crooked Vultures (a supergroup consisting of Josh Homme, John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl), Grohl joined the acting ranks as a member of an ‘80s band reuniting at a wedding.

With Fred Armisen on vocals, Kutcher on guitar, Bill Hader on bass and Grohl, complete with old man ponytail wig, on drums, the group offered a great marriage (pun intended) between intellectual and physical humor. Taking its name almost entirely from a real band formed in the ‘80s, Crisis of Conformity sounded more like Suicidal Tendencies. Meanwhile frontman Armisen sang far-outdated politically-charged lyrics that came off more like Dead Kennedys while he thrashed around in a manner that can only mean that John Belushi and Chris Farley are smiling down upon him.

The show now goes on break until Feb. 27, when Jennifer Lopez will host; she’ll be the musical guest as well. See ya then.

Funny. Really funny. Genuinely and truly funny! That’s not often said about modern Saturday Night Live, but that’s sure what we got on Saturday. Mad Men madman Jon Hamm hosted up a storm of characters and was sexy (almost) all over this week.

Cutting to “clips” from his stints on the teen show Late for Class, QVC and Def Comedy Jam, Hamm’s monologue was a great display of deadpan humor, poking fun at his pre-Don Draper days.

The sketches that followed, however, took him well beyond that one-trick pony joke, showing a great range of not just acting chops, but humor.

In the Andy Samberg digital short “The Curse,” Samberg earns the wrath of a homeless man. Hamm plays “Lost Boys”-like sexy shirtless sax player Sergio, who appears at the most inopportune times. For a joke that’s based in a sort of repetition that makes the final scenario’s outcome obvious, the visual impact of the punch line is downright disgusting in the most hilarious sense.

“Closet Organizer” is a sketch that deserves more than just a quick mention. While Will Forte went slapstick by having stuff hurled at him – jeans, socks, underwear, blankets, lamps, water, trophies, marbles, additional water and pies, pies, pies, pies, pies! – Hamm got the real laugh as the moronic misogynist offering his testimonial.

But it’s not just that sketch by itself that earns the writers a notch in their belts. It’s the payoff in a referential later sketch, also starring Forte and Hamm, that gives it real comedic depth…. the way we love it when stand-up circles smartly back to an earlier bit. Comedy nerds, you know that as a “call back.”

Plus it proves that even in plaid, Hamm heats up the stage.

In fact, the only time Hamm wasn’t the brightest star on the set was when Fred Armisen, in drag as a typewriting stenographer, showed Wiig how to make her own gimmick actually work, repeating “I can’t find my crackers” to absurdly funny effect.

Meanwhile, Michael Bublé may be a love him or ignore him singing performer, but when he’s side-by-side with Hamm in a pork and champagne commercial, he’s nothing short of riotously talented.

I’m leaving a few out, and it’s not fair! Because seeing Hamm as hot Scott Brown, donning disco red, white and blue or as an Indianapolis Colts coach turned alien is just as funny as anything else I’ve described already. But we can’t just go on and on, and it’s only right to point out that the show, while fantastic, had its low-points, too.

The weakest sketch was either (no surprise) the Kristin Wiig spotlight “1920’s Party” or (total surprise) Weekend Update.

Oh, yeah, there were a couple of great news lines… Mac addicts probably groaned at this one about the new iPad: “This week Apple released a thing that does stuff that its other stuff already does.” And you can’t go wrong comparing President Obama to Aquaman and Indiana Jones. But for the most part, Meyers’ usually spot-on one-liners fell a bit flat this week. The segment did, however, include another fantastic appearance by Bobby Moynihan as Snooki from “Jersey Shore.”

And on that odd note… next week’s host is Ashton Kutcher with musical guest Them Crooked Vultures

Kyle Lane and Mike David of Red Bar Comedy in Chicago

This past Saturday the guys behind the popular comedy talk show The Red Bar Radio Show opened a brand new stand-up comedy room at Ontourage Night Club in downtown Chicago.

The Red Bar Radio Show has been an increasingly popular podcast, which is hosted by Mike David and co-hosted by comedian Dean Carlson. The show relies on David’s salty sense of humor and various comedian guests to create a hilarious talk show that has no boundaries.

David and Chicago comedian Kyle Lane recently partnered up with the goal of opening a Vegas style stand-up comedy club in downtown Chicago. The idea came to fruition this past weekend when the club opened to a sold-out crowd. Die-hard fans of The Red Bar Radio Show traveled from as far as Rhode Island to catch the first show which featured performances from Chicago comedians Steve O’Harvey, Carlson, James Fritz, and Sean Flannery.

The show is held inside the swank Ontourage Night Club in the heart of downtown Chicago. It will continue to run every Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. and will feature the comedians from Chicago and from around the country. Check out redbarcomedy.com for more info.

Sigourney Weaver was the undisputed star of this week’s Saturday Night Live, and it’s not simply because she was the host. From the moment she took the stage for her monologue until she waved goodnight during the all-cast round-up, Weaver really dug in and owned her experience. She strutted onto the stage in a slamming black ensemble, rocked a huge smile and dove in with confidence. It’s insane to think this woman is in her sixties!

In her monologue, Weaver expressed gratitude for all of the amazing roles she’s gotten to play over the years, Ellen Ripley in Alien, Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist and Dr. Grace Augustine in Avatar. “All of them strong, independent, fearless bitches!” But she confessed herself to be unlike these characters and more “kind of a wimp.”

All evidence was to the contrary, however. She took on a series of roles over the course of the night, fulfilling them with great gusto, and ultimately proving herself to be just strong, independent, fearless a … er, bitch? Nah, she’s lovely!

Her first sketch of the night positioned her as a voluptuous Swedish sex kitten, demonstrating some not-so-ordinary techniques.

The real star of her next sketch, ESPN coverage of a ladies darts tournament, was a mustachioed Jason Sudeikis, with his one-liner commercial breaks and the repetitive but always funny delivery of the word “douche.”

James Cameron made a cameo appearance, setting up the highlight of the night, pitching his next project: James Cameron’s Laser Cats 5. Like Cameron’s films, Andy Samberg threw everything but the kitchen sink into this digital short: references to everything you’d expect, and then some, not-so-special effects, deliciously awful dialogue and, of course, Ellen Ripley in all her glory!

She was a daring disco diva, a narcissistic web-obsessed version of herself, a sexy lounge singer terrified of heights and, as was to be expected, Dr. Augustine in an Avatar homage in which Bill Hader simulates sex in a glass box. (A necessary shout-out to set, costume and makeup designers on this one!)

Through it all, Weaver’s presence and acting chops never flagged. A couple of non-Weaver highlights also deserve mention here.

During Weekend Update, Seth Meyers covered the big news of late: Sarah Palin joining Fox News as a contributor, Mark McGwire’s steroid use and the release of the book Game Change. But the real genius came in Meyers’ take on the topic du jour: the late night host saga. “This week, you didn’t need Cinemax to see someone get screwed on TV” as Conan O’Brien’s picture appeared beside him.

Explaining the situation through a marriage metaphor, Meyers wrapped it up with a confession. “Look, obviously I’m invested in this because it affects me. If Jay can take his job back from Conan, that means Conan can take it back from Jimmy, and that means Jimmy might come here, and I cannot go back to being in a sketch once every three weeks.”

Late night was also the subject of the show’s first cold-open that’s actually made me laugh in a while.

Larry King (a bespeckled, suspendered Fred Armisen) gets Jay Leno (a chinless “denim on denim” Darrell Hammond, who is enjoying a short stint back) and Conan O’Brien (a big haired Hader) side by side. Sudeikis joins as David Letterman via satellite, giving a riotously one-dimensional giggly portrayal, nailing Dave’s idiosyncrasies and throwing a lot of glass-smashing pencils. And in fact, the sketches sudden final reveal, which I won’t spoil, was unexpected and perfectly delivered.

Next weeks’s show is hosted by Jon Hamm with musical guest Michael Bublé.

Sarah Silverman, Steve Agee, Laura Silverman last night at Largo in Los Angeles.

After over a full year off the air, the Sarah Silverman Program returns to Comedy Central next month, and the lucky few (and those of us who can blend in with the lucky few) were at a screening of the first two episodes at the Largo in LA last night.

No spoilers from me about the plots, except to say that the season opener is as funny and surreal and filthy as anything they’ve yet to do on the show. (Okay, small spoiler: it involves Sarah’s character’s ambiguous genitalia and contains a song called “The Baby Penis in My Mind” that’s dangerously catchy.)

Silverman introduced the episodes and stuck around for a brief, hilarious Tig Notaro-moderated Q&A afterward, along with her sister Laura and other cast members Steve Agee, Jay Johnston co-creator/writer Rob Schrab and writer Dan Sterling.

(Okay, one more spoiler: Maria Bamford is in the second episode as a character named May Kadoody. She owns it.)

The Q&A covered everything from “Is there anything Comedy Central won’t let you do?” to how they develop a one-sentence premise – “What if Sarah had a dick?” – into a full episode.

The show returns Feb. 4th at 10:30 pm. Imagine that: genuinely funny comedy in the 10 o’clock hour. See, it can be done…

Happy New Year! It’s a brand new decade and Saturday Night Live is back. But don’t get your hopes up too high. Winter break, it seems, did little to inspire the show’s writers.

Let’s face it, when you’ve got a former basketball star with no acting range as your first host of the decade, you’re probably not expecting to score the big laughs. So, let’s look at host Charles Barkley’s monotone monologue for what it accomplished. It may not have been hilarious, but it was certainly honest, and quite informative.

First, he foreshadowed a few of the sketches to come, pointing out his affinity for gambling and the show’s lack of black hosts. They manifested as some of the least funny bits of the night: MacGruber as a racist and Barkley Bank, where you either lose or double your deposit. Kenan Thompson offered a snappy, spot-on Barkley impression. As obvious as it might have been, a full sketch (perhaps a la Robin Williams and Dana Carvey as Robin Williams?) probably would have been quite funny.

Next, if you were paying close attention, you caught the face-time given to three writers… and fine comedians in their own right.

• John Lutz – “He’s got the ugliest shirt I’ve ever seen, but you know what, he came to the show anyway!”
• Jessi Klein – “You’re pretty in a kinda Jewish way!”
• Hannibal Buress – “Look at us, a handsome Hall of Fame millionaire and a black nerd.”

Klein and Buress got quick-response lines, too. “Yes… No” and “It’s okay, I guess.” Stay tuned. We may just see these folks getting serious screen-time in future seasons.

Finally, Barkley demonstrated his self-proclaimed honesty as he admitted, where most would say simply “We’ve got a great show tonight,” that “Some of it is great… actually some of it we’re gonna do anyway.” So, let’s get to the great stuff.

Peeper’s Insurance was a twisted delight of a mock commercial offering equal parts creepy and clever. It was funny enough when the tone turned on a dime and Bill Hader found himself running from the house he’s casing. But the laughs truly shifted to overdrive with a three-part montage of Hader looking through windows. Pay particular attention to the reflection in the window during the clogged drain if you’re interested in the genius of details and/or sophomoric dirty humor.

Andy Samberg’s fantastic impression of Nicolas Cage came in handy during Weekend Update, as Seth Meyers desperately tried to get him to discuss his role as Goodwill UN Ambassador… to no avail. If you’re not laughing out loud by the time Samberg demands “Switch faces with me Seth!” then you probably have an injured funny bone. Get a doctor to check that out.

Scared Straight was, as it has been, a great vehicle for Kenan Thompson as ex-con Lorenzo Macintosh. Barkley joins this episode as Macintosh, Sr. and the two discuss the dangers of trespassing with Bobby Moynahan, Andy Samberg and Bill Hader at sheriff Jason Sudeikis’s request. The talk again consists of appropriating film plots, threats of prison rape and a cast that has never entirely been able to keep a straight face. The humor is, of course, found in the creativity of incorporating silly plot lines and finding new, inventive ways to describe being violently violated. “This here is real!” Real funny, as usual!

And yet, will we one day utter the name Lorenzo Macintosh alongside Mr. Robinson, Linda Richman, Samurai Futaba? Probably not. It must be said that something has been lost when it comes to truly successful, timeless character writing. It’s not as simple as accusing the writers of being formulaic. Just look at some of the classics. Each was absolutely formulaic in its own way.

Roseanne Roseannadanna always read a letter from the same guy, always digressed and always wound up saying “It just goes to show you, it’s always something!” Wayne and Garth always opened their show by singing “Wayne’s World, Wayne’s World, party time, excellent” and always inserted the same catch phrases (”Schawing!”) or scenarios (dream sequences).

The Church Lady never failed to blame Satan. Matt Foley always reminded us that he was living in a van down by the river. And “I must say…” Ed Grimley had plenty of go-to elements, such as playing the triangle and discussing Pat Sajak.

And yet, these pop cultural phenomena have something that today’s SNL characters simply lack. This became painfully obvious during the Basketball Commentators sketch Saturday night.

First, let’s rewind to Jan. 20, 2007. Host Jeremy Piven and Jason Sudeikis portray sports commentators covering the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. They’re joined by Danny Hoover (Andy Samberg) from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Piven grows increasingly frustrated as Hoover repeats a take on “That’ll move the chains” for every play, regardless of whether it fits. Upon learning that the disease Hoover suffers from is ADD, Piven loses it, only to learn that ADD stands for Automatic Death Disease. Hoover takes over until he drops dead. Now let’s look at last night’s sketch.

Honestly, how much creativity did it take to simply swap basketball for football, Charles Barkley for Jeremy Piven, “That’ll move the chains” for “Nothing but the bottom of the net” and OCD for ADD?! It is, for all intents and purposes, the exact same sketch.

Along those lines, the bimbette Sexy Shana (whom you may recall from the Dec. 6, 2008 episode at an office birthday party with John Malkovich) wriggles into the sketch Ski Resort. Again, same sketch with minor differences. Kristen Wiig and the writing staff really need to figure out how to either develop her character premises with an eye for longevity or embrace the fact that after they debut, her one-dimensional concoctions are nothing more than one-offs when it comes to laughs.

Let’s, while we’re at it, have Fred Armisen either expand upon or give up on the “I’m blind and I mock New Jersey” David Paterson impression. And can anyone give me insight into how an already overcooked character idea (MacGruber) is intended to sustain a full-length feature film? It’s true!

Next week’s host is Sigourney Weaver with musical guest The Ting Tings.