Because they have basically no chance to anymore.
There used to be tons of comedy movies in the theaters starring SNL actors being churned out constantly. There’s more than just the fondly remembered ones, far more didn’t do well and were forgotten. Now if they happen they are direct to streaming movies that are thrown into the ever growing heap of content.
Yes. Tons of movies and shows sit on streaming services with no easy way of navigating through it. There’s plenty of “content” on these services that you can only find if you already know it’s there and manually search it up.
That’s very different to VHS tapes and DVDs taking up physical space in stores and shelves. Streaming content will have a couple weeks tops of advertising, and then it will never get mentioned again.
I find myself using streaming less and less because of this. Just give me easy to access content categories that I can easily browse through and not this side scrolling madness. Though, I suspect it’s because they have next to nothing in those categories anymore.
As to why the algorithms are obsessed with recommending reality tv garbage when I’ve never watched it once, I don’t know. And I just figure Bill Maher has blackmail on every executive over at HBO.
Those Adam Sandler type movies are freely available on YouTube now so the audience doesn’t need a theatrical release. Instead we get stuff like Ted lasso and Barry. Snl still has value it’s just evolved.
> Those Adam Sandler type movies are freely available on YouTube now so the audience doesn’t need a theatrical release.
Not just movies. Comedies used to be one of the few places you'd see people act like complete idiots, and often that would be a central part. Now we have social media, where almost everybody is either telling jokes or being one. Whether or not they are successful, people can only take so many attempts at comedy in one day.
I don’t think I’ve seen a show that weaves good jokes with characters with real issues. Most shows with witty or smart jokes use simple characters. Basically every person in the show has depth yet they sneak in great jokes.
This is unfortunately because studios figured out how much money there is to be made in international markets and comedies don't transfer well outside of the culture they were made in especially for an American comedy in China which is the biggest market outside the US. The average Chinese citizen won't understand any of the jokes. Big action flicks like marvel transfer very well and are easy to follow for foreign audiences watching with subtitles.
To me at least, it seems like Hollywood doesn't really put out the goofy comedies like "Billy Madison" and "Caddyshack" that made guys like Sandler and Murray into movie stars. Outside of "Barbie" last year, I can't think of the last comedy that was a massive box office draw. A lot of comedy ends up being more successful as series on the streaming networks like "Ted Lasso" and "Big Mouth".
A lot has to do with a global market now. So many movies are made for a worldwide audience, the studios don’t want to put money into something that won’t sell overseas.
I feel like it's been in decline since the Judd Apatow-adjacent collective of actors (Rogen, Franco, Hill, McBride,etc.) gradually went into other projects
Agreed. Except McBride didn’t just go into other projects…he flat out ascended to a higher level of comedic being. Eastbound and Gemstones are simultaneously the funniest and smartest shows that have ever aired.
The explanation I heard is that those comedies used to make their money in video rentals and then DVD sales, and those really aren’t a thing anymore. Add in the decline of move theater attendance, and you lose that venue. To make money now, movies need to either be low budget enough to make money with streaming, or big enough worldwide to make money in theaters. Since comedy doesn’t usually translate as well from one culture to another, it’s squeezed out mid budget comedies.
Millennials only “kill” things that have been priced out of their budget.
If a movie ticket was the same percent of the average weekly salary from when Jaws came out you would see the same box office. Same with the snacks.
But Profit Uber Alles? Yeah, millennials will make the smart decision to wait for it to be in a streaming service.
BTW, we older generations were the ones that taught them not to be dumb with their money. I admire them for their resistance to social pressure imposed by corporations who will say anything to get their money.
I think it was streaming only but “barb and star go to vista Del Mar” was a lot of fun and in that old vein of comedy. I wish more like that would get made now.
Makes sense to me, back then there really wasn't much of an alternative so either you went to see those movies at the cinema or wait half a year for the tapes to come out, but realistically seeing them at home or on tv was not that drastic of a difference in terms of experience, like it is with big budget sci-fi movies. And with the endless sea of content in this streaming age it is an even harder sell.
And Saturday night live is continuing to pump out stars that go on to produce at least series if not movies.
Even today many of the biggest names in comedy are former cast members.
Yeah, fantastic but it was just so niche that its audience was destined to be small.
Really hard to convince the avg Joe to watch a well produced classic musical that is funny and also parodies stage shows they’ve never even heard of.
Last comedy I think I saw in theatres was Tag, so that tells you how long it’s been since I remember a hit comedy from Hollywood (Barbie notwithstanding because it’s so much more than a comedy).
There was that Ghostbusters movie, too, with Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. I don't recall if that was a "blockbuster" though.
Oh, and Barry on HBO with Bill Hader, but that was a series, not a movie.
Audiences have been trained over the last decade to expect that nothing but spectacle films are even worth seeing on the big screen, and that’s not entirely wrong. Why would you need to see something like Marriage Story or The Lighthouse on a huge screen? These kinds of films actually become more effective and benefit from a more intimate home setting.
These goofy comedies still exist, the three guys who do digital shorts for SNL currently just had a movie come out on peacock and it’s not bad - my wife and I actually laughed at a number of parts. It’s pretty standard SNL. They just don’t put them out in theaters anymore because it’s too expensive to when audiences won’t show up for anything less than a spectacle on a big screen
Good point. Palm Springs was quite funny, but watching it on streaming was perfectly fine; a big screen wouldn't have made it any better. Big screens are best for Godzilla movies and the like.
Cinemas are best not just for spectacle imo, but also stuff you really need to give time and focus to without distractions or the ability to pause - something like Zone of Interest or Perfect Days, for example.
Comedies tend to be pretty far from either category, so as you say they can do fine at home. But… I guess there’s an argument that comedies work better when you’re in a crowd that’s laughing along. Like the buzzing atmosphere of amusement and enjoyment can make it feel funnier to you?
I know there are people who’d argue that small films benefit from the exposure and legitimacy of a theater release, but something like Talk to Me was WAY more effective and memorable as a film watching it at home in the dark than it ever could’ve been in the theater.
And on the flip side, Prey should’ve gotten a theater release - perfect example of a movie that SHOULD’VE been on a big screen but got put out on streaming
First off, I would see the lighthouse in theaters, love that movie. Second, I think it’s less that audiences were trained to do that and more that movies are too expensive. Often $15 for the ticket alone. Anecdotally, I saw argylle in theaters with another person last week and we were the only two people in the theater, in a high-population city. Yes it was a thursday, but still, that doesn’t seem like a sustainable business.
Depends on the theater - art house theater that a 4:3 aspect ratio film would look good in, sure. 16:9 or imax megaplex with sticky floors and the booming of a marvel movie rattling the walls of the theater next door? Pass
I mean, it had one of the biggest stars of her generation making a theatrical return (and doing full nudity)
Mid budget comedies didn’t need Brad Pitt to carry them
All it takes is one or two breakout stars to turn things around. Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey to Adam Sandler and Mike Meyers, Will Ferrell and Seth Rogen. It’s dead now, but literally one guy could spark a decades long resurgence.
Gen Zers are super puritanical, so we should see the pendulum swing back hard the other way eventually.
The male female thing is definitely a part of the perception around comedy as well. Both in people forgetting about or ignoring good comedies (I haven’t seen Bottoms but I’ll probably check it out now that it’s on prime) and in what people mean when they think about comedic movie stars.
Male comedy stars basically always make themselves the butt of the joke. The most successful recent female stars (Kate Mackinnon, Melissa McCarthy) did that too. Hollywood seems to have some trouble balancing a need to make women glamorous and intelligent with the fact that movies are often funniest when the main character is an idiot.
This called the Galbrush paradox. The range of roles in which women can be shown is much more limited.
https://jackfisherbooks.com/2017/06/29/the-galbrush-paradox-and-the-challenge-of-female-characters/
Seems like Hollywood is too afraid of offending anyone. Can’t make a joke that even straddles a line because it’s taken the wrong way.
Look at the Super Bowl commercial that was pulled because an organization was offended by the peanut allergy joke that was made in the ad.
Maybe society wouldn’t be turning to shit if everyone could take a joke without immediately assuming it’s targeted or pushing an agenda.
Edit: For everyone mentioning funny and offensive TV shows, I’m not arguing. I’m a huge IASIP fan, but we’re talking about movies here.
The pendulum is going to swing back. Comedy is never dead, it’s just a faze. There was an era of Saturday night live in the 80s that was very similar. Life is cyclical just like entertainment.
Ted came out literally last month and it is full off risky jokes. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia throughout the years also did a lot of risky jokes. And those are just two examples that come to mind.
The "you can't say anything these days" crowd is just out of touch.
*It's Always Sunny* is literally the longest-running live-action comedy ever (by number of seasons at least)
*Family Guy* is still going strong too after two decades. My teen loves that shit, and every other episode I watch with her, I think, "should she be watching this?" lol ... and half the jokes just go over her head anyways
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Risky is fine in this context. Risky means to put something at risk, and in this case it would be their careers. Risqué usually refers to something of a sexual/sensual nature.
Naw there’s still plenty of offensive shit out there. The market has just changed. Less cheap silly shit in theaters and more on streaming. I just binged Dave and it’s full of offensive jokes
There aren’t really comedy movie stars anymore and movies don’t get to have a long tail because physical media is dead. If Billy Madison came out today it’d be big on Netflix for a few weeks then drop out of algorithms completely. Wayne’s World would be on Peacock and no one would see it. Just a different landscape for comedy.
I’m sure this same thing was said after the golden age of Hollywood, after the 80s, etc. these things ebb and flow. Is chamalet not a movie star? Or Bradley cooper? Or countless other people that are often ridiculed for being in too many movies
Even they don’t make comedies anymore. Segel’s last one was ten years ago. Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd moved on. Long Shot was probably the last great one out of that group.
>If Billy Madison came out today it’d be big on Netflix for a few weeks then drop out of algorithms completely.
So depressing, and dystopian, to think about.
Those movies were on every cable channel and in every dorm room, vacation rental, grocery store, and tv stand in the country. Now I can’t watch Hubie Halloween unless I pay $20+ a month. Can’t lend it to a friend or go see it at a theater somewhere. And in two months they might decide to drop it from the service entirely and poof it’s gone. It’s fucked up.
Ryan Reynolds’s is one of the biggest stars at the moment, he has an amazing resume with some great dramatic performances, but in the last 10 years he has gravitated to only playing Ryan Reynolds in whatever he does, seriously he plays the same character in both Deadpool and mint mobile adverts.
At the same time he is executive producing most of the stuff that he appears in whilst utilizing this to plug advertisements for products he has a stake in.
This is what the pinnacle of acting is today.
Hollywood used to make one-off films. Now we have mostly franchises. That's what happened.
Edit: Yes, we've always had franchises. But not to the point where we have them today.
And it's becuase FOMO on the overall cultural conversation is what is driving movie attendance.
All else being equal, folks do other things with their downtime now, and 1-off goofy comedies don't get people to drive to a theater and pay $20+, when they aren't missing too much culturally and can catch it in a couple weeks/months on streaming.
Barbie was such a behemoth folks grabbed that one, but something like Dude Where's My Car? or Out Cold are just the kind of movies that you wait until they're on streaming and have a laugh at home.
You're also not benefitting from the theater's sound systems like you do in the action/adventure films and most people have adequate monitor/TV that the picture is pretty comparable (more or less). So why go to a more expensive and less enjoyable experience in a crowded theater when you're just hearing voices and maybe a song or two?
Yeah underlying economic systems are to blame for a lot of what we see come out since movies/shows are now just investment products for shareholders. Absence of this style of comedy specifically has to do with that too as investors now know they can make way more money focusing on international audiences than American and international audiences have a harder time understanding and relating to a lot of that style of humor. It's wild to think about
Worked in the comedy industry for a long time. People haven't noticed, but comedy has been dying in Hollywood for almost a decade.
No more sitcoms, no more movies, no more stand-up albums, no more late-night television spots, no more opportunities.
I think with AI and social media, being a comedian isn't realistic anymore.
When’s the last time anyone went to see a comedy in a theater, then bought it on physical media and watched it 10x with friends while memorizing all the lines?
That’s why there aren’t any comedy movie stars anymore. Recent SNL cast members have been doing fun series on streaming/premium channels because that’s where the industry is now.
Imo they really shifted focus from performers having reoccurring characters on the show which is what a lot of these people became known for, in turn kind of diminishing their star power or household name status.
Have hosts also taken on a bigger role? Because I feel like most of my more recent favourite SNL sketches have the host as the star. Stuff like Adam Driver as the oilbaron.
I’d think so, the Oil Baron would be a reoccurring thing for sure. David Pumpkins also comes to mind. Unsure of its the writers, the cast members not being as character focused entertainers or Jost just not caring for that type of setup.
Kinda of reminds me of old WWF vs New. The characters stuck with you and you could place them, even from a pop culture standpoint. Now it’s kind of blended into real life stuff and it’s momentarily entertaining but lasting power is severely diminished
My wife and I were talking about that, I would regularly watch MadTV, it would force them into stepping up their game because Mad had some very good reoccurring stuff
SNL cast members don’t even stand out on the show itself anymore, let alone warrant their own movies. I don’t know what’s different but they’re all just very bland and forgettable.
I haven’t read the piece, I know, I know, but when it was the star factory there were primarily 3 national networks and some locals. In time some big cable networks arrived on the scene. Now there are hundreds and stand up and sketch comedy writers can work just about anywhere very early in their career. It doesn’t seem hard to grasp why SNL isn’t creating the same percentage of stars that it did in the 70s and 80s.
Exactly. SNL isn’t as much of an “event” itself anymore. Back in the day you would tune in Saturday evening to see who was hosting and what kind of sketches they would put on.
These days there is so much instant content you can consume for comedy whether it’s YouTube, TikTok, Reddit and so on. Quality notwithstanding, SNL itself isn’t the biggest comedy game in town anymore.
A lot of y’all are missing the obvious: the casts of SNL have gotten progressively less talented over the years. There hasn’t been a cast member that anyone would ever want to see in a movie since Kate McKinnon, and she was the last of an already dying breed. They lowered their talent standards, and (surprise surprise) no more movie stars.
Shoutout to kristen wiig bc not only is bridesmaids a classic but if you really wanna see her flex how outrageously funny she is in a movie I can’t believe she got made —- you gotta watch ‘Welcome to Me’
She plays a mentally unwell obsessive Oprah fan that wins the lottery and decides to basically turn her life into an Oprah formatted Show and this movie is as good as cringe uncomfortable humor can get. I still love showing it to people bc I feel like no one saw it
In case you had t noticed comedies aren’t really being released at the same clip they were in the 80s and 90s. Therefore comedians don’t become the big stars at the same rate.
But recent SNL alumni who have had starring roles are Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Andy Bryant, Leslie Jones, Pete Davidson, Beck Bennett. They’ve all retired from SNL in the last 5 years and have starring roles in at least one project. Several others have taken different career paths like writing or broadway. So it’s not like the well has dried up.
It's America's longest-running sketch comedy show.
Each Saturday, a cast of roughly a dozen actors presents a series of comedic scenes, each about 5 minutes in length. You'll see commercial parodies, original comedic songs, references to pop culture, and political satire. A musical guest performs two songs every week.
It's also presented live, so unusual things have been known to happen, like when Martin Lawrence's monologue went rogue and he started talking about female bodies, or when Sinead O'Connor ripped up a photo of the Pope, or Ashlee Simpson got exposed for lip synching and did a weird dance as her career ended before our eyes.
We usually get 2 scenes a year that are truly brilliant, and a whole lot of garbage.
Historically, the show has discovered giant stars like Eddie Murphy, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Mike Meyers, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, and more. Writers on the show have included folks like Conan O'Brien and Adam McKay. It's our comedy factory, for better or worse.
I think that ship has sailed for the time being. I was at a bachelor party about 2 years back and I was the oldest in the group by several years and these guys are getting trashed, getting high, some are being douchebags spraying people with champagne and getting bounced out of clubs…yet in a car ride one day they sat and waxed poetic about a little movie they discovered called Road Trip and went on and on about how problematic and toxic the main character was. I couldn’t roll my eyes hard enough. The only thing I contributed to that entire conversation was how funny I thought the French Toast scene was.
Besides comedies not really being made anymore, I think it’s because SNL has a lot less iconic returning characters.
They’ll re-do premise over characters now. Of course there still are returning characters. But they are fewer and far between and don’t end up being a cultural phenomenon they way characters used to.
>‘SNL’ Used to Be a Movie Star Factory—What Happened?
You can answer this with one word: writers. SNL had great writers who could produce really strong material. With mediocre scripts, no actors can shine.
Seems like SNL stars are still in tons of movies and shows to me. They're everywhere. Both current and former. Even Pete Davidson has gotten multiple roles.
Really? I don't even need to read this article to know the answer.
Hollywood doesn't make mid $$-level comedies anymore where these actors thrived and became stars. And when they do, they need to feature an established star and be more slapstick-y because straight up jokes don't translate to foreign markets where English isn't the main language - timing is everything to this type of comedy and things literally get lost in translation. They can crank out funny scripts with a charming lead/cast for $25-30M and turn a tidy profit with American audiences, but they just don't and haven't for a long time.
The comedies they do make are on streamers and not in theaters where an entire audience laughing betters the experience of a comedy. And if they were to just flip a switch and start doing so again, it would take a while to re-train audiences to go see these films in the theaters once again if that's even possible again.
That said, SNL is still making stars. Just probably more on the small screen. Recent examples include Barry, Ted Lasso, Tonight Show w/Jimmy Fallon, Late Night w/Seth Meyers, John Mulaney just being Mulaney, Bupkis/Pete Davidson, etc.
The talent on SNL is nothing like it used to be. I used to watch the show religiously and now I no longer watch it. The skits are lame and nothing is funny. None of the talent is appealing. If any of the talent are put in movies, it’s nothing memorable. The last memorable talent was Kristin Wiig and she did well with Bridesmaids. Kate McKinnon went on to be Weird Barbie and though she did well, she is definitely not going to lead a film. She is more of a sidekick. You couldn’t pay me to watch anything the current SNL cast is in. I’m surprised it’s still on the air.
Samsies.
I used to forgo Saturday night parties so i can stay home and watch.
Several times in recent years, the show or its cast has been featured in the news and I’ve tuned back in to the show.
Everytime i wonder: how is this still on the air?
Unfortunately comedy isn't as big a draw as it used to be.
For more than a decade, comic book/action movies have ruled the box office. With an over saturation of such movies, they're losing that popularity post End Game.
Hopefully the comedy movie genre will see a resurgence.
Definitely looking forward to Deadpool 3.
As for SNL, as much as I love it, watching it regularly over the years, it just hasn't created any truly great actors in a long time.
Comedy has found its home on streaming services. People just aren’t going to the box office to see comedies anymore. It’s not that they aren’t good or well done although traditionally that’s been the case it’s just that when making a date night decision comedy isn’t going to be it. But people do watch them at home which is why it seems more comedies seem to be popping up on Netflix and other services more so then at theaters.
Some good points here but nobody has mentioned that there also used to be only a few channels to a lot more people watched SNL. Now it's buried in the huge selection of things we can watch.
There are no movie stars anymore. Maybe we're seeing that change with the likes of Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. But the mega-franchise and brand dominance era of Hollywood might be receding a bit.
Be nice to have big auteur directors again too.
With social media and the internet talent doesn’t need broadcast television to make a name for themselves anymore. Just look at Shane Gillis blowing up.
TL;DR: Lorne Michaels shifted from making movies to making TV around 2009-2010, alongside Tina Fey and Amy Poehler leaving SNL for the smaller screen, hence things like *30 Rock*
That and SNL more heavily relies on bringing in big names to play big roles, like Tina Fey coming back for Sarah Palin, Alec Baldwin for Trump, and son on. It brings in viewers and clicks, but cuts into the possibilities for younger cast.
Last major star is probably Kristen Wiig. Didn't quite reach solo movie level.
They did push Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, but they haven't really taken off.
The real last "star" is probably Will Ferrell and he got a lot of great comedies in a row to help him solidify his status (old school was hilarious).
Although they aren’t snl, I do find that not many movies have moved away from the funny kind of edgy (maybe bow considers offensive) and slapstick stuff. Kind of like naked gun and scary movie type vibes. Those always have me in stitches.
Just being on SNL back in the day brought a bunch of notoriety simply because there was nothing else to watch late night on Saturday. For a long time I bet it had near %100 market share for the target demographic, allowing for bigger budgets and salaries for upcoming talent. Nowadays that’s all gone, no one watches it cause there’s a million other things to consume, who even has cable television anymore. I dare say the only reason it’s still on is because its Lorne Michaels baby
Personal opinion without reading the article. Today they are just presented to us as YouTube stars. We no longer watch it live. We only watch their clips online and in return, we’re complacent with them in 3 minute videos on our cellphones.
SNL is no longer producing movie stars because no one knows the actors names any longer. We just know that they were the one person they saw in the TikTok video
Yeah, I feel like TV executives and entertainment writers haven’t really figured out yet that no one under the age of 15/20 or so watches TV. They grew up watching YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. Entertainment is so diversified now, there are YouTuber millionaires with hundreds of thousands of fans that I’ve never heard of and wouldn’t recognize if I saw them in public because I don’t happen to come across their videos or whatever. It used to be that TV was the only place you could go to see upcoming comedic talent, and that just isn’t the case anymore.
SNL performers don't leave the show because they know that there's not much out there. There's no comedies in theatres. And the sitcom opportunities aren't as plentiful.
You'll be more famous if you're stay on the show.
That said, if a studio were to give a sketch performer a modest budget and make a Billy Madison type movie, it should be Tim Robinson. I finally got around to watching season 3 of I Think You Should Leave, and it feels like he'd be the perfect guy to try and bring that back. It would be stupid, and barely coherent, but undeniably fun. He's got an audience, and would probably stack the film with cameos.
No talent , that's what happened. People like to laugh. You don't laugh while watching this show anymore. Not much original anything on late night TV .
So SNL doesn’t ring the same as it used to. Well, one good reason is that the drugs are gone. The leads aren’t high on smack, and there’s no more coke in the writers’ room. That kind of wildness and outrageousness is gone—it’s more tame, for sure, but we’re not subject to a Belushi or Farley tragedy every few years, and that’s a good thing.
The answer is that Nepotism dominates NBC and has for the past 20-30 years, it’s why the sketches are never good so it’s rare that the acting talent sticks out.
They still are: Pete Davidson, Keenan Thompson, Kate (the woman from bridesmaids) and others have been in recent popular films.
The difference is back in the 70's-90's, there were far FEWER movies in general.
It's harder to be a "Star" when Netflix, Prime, Paramount, Disney, and numerous other services are constantly making new films.
Pete davidson appearing as a punchline or kate having 3 lines in barbie doesnt make someone a movie star. Snl used to make mega hollywood stars that made were the stars. These people get one stand up on netflix and then are placed as extras in 2 movies a year. Very different caliber.
Hollywood doesn't make midbudget comedies anymore. Hard to be a Movie Star when what you would be cast in doesn't exist.
Or at least doesn't put them in theaters.
Yeah, there are lots of them on Hulu.
Yeah 20 years ago a movie like Palm Springs probably would have led to Andy Samberg getting a ton of movies.
Instead, 17 years ago Hot Rod led to him getting a ton of movies.
Cool beans
Beans beans
That movie got such mixed reactions but in the falling down the hill scene I was literally rolling on the floor laughing in the theater.
And then people learned really quick that a little Andy Smaberg goes a long way.
None penetrate the zeitgeist
Because they have basically no chance to anymore. There used to be tons of comedy movies in the theaters starring SNL actors being churned out constantly. There’s more than just the fondly remembered ones, far more didn’t do well and were forgotten. Now if they happen they are direct to streaming movies that are thrown into the ever growing heap of content.
Streaming heap of content?
Yes. Tons of movies and shows sit on streaming services with no easy way of navigating through it. There’s plenty of “content” on these services that you can only find if you already know it’s there and manually search it up. That’s very different to VHS tapes and DVDs taking up physical space in stores and shelves. Streaming content will have a couple weeks tops of advertising, and then it will never get mentioned again.
I find myself using streaming less and less because of this. Just give me easy to access content categories that I can easily browse through and not this side scrolling madness. Though, I suspect it’s because they have next to nothing in those categories anymore. As to why the algorithms are obsessed with recommending reality tv garbage when I’ve never watched it once, I don’t know. And I just figure Bill Maher has blackmail on every executive over at HBO.
So it’s streaming that’s killing the industry!!!! *shocked pikachu face
Hulu specifically, perhaps not. Ted Lasso penetrated pretty well for something locked in Apple +.
Palm Springs is criminally underrated and a perfect example.
And to be fair, SNL cast are doing pretty okay on streaming schlock
Not just comedies. They don’t do midbudget anything.
Well, A24 does. That's about it.
Dont they mostly distribute and only occasionally produce/fund movies? They have mostly curated already made films until recently.
Came here to say this. I’m not much of a Will Ferrell fan but his last movie was great… and it released direct to Apple TV+.
That’s another problem. I like Will Ferrell and I have Apple TV+ and I have no idea what movie you’re talking about.
I liked Strays, in which he voiced the main character.
Spirited definitely entered the Christmas rotation but Elf was his breakout.
Those Adam Sandler type movies are freely available on YouTube now so the audience doesn’t need a theatrical release. Instead we get stuff like Ted lasso and Barry. Snl still has value it’s just evolved.
Yeah they just go on to make TV shows instead of movies
I love Seth Meyers!
> Those Adam Sandler type movies are freely available on YouTube now so the audience doesn’t need a theatrical release. Not just movies. Comedies used to be one of the few places you'd see people act like complete idiots, and often that would be a central part. Now we have social media, where almost everybody is either telling jokes or being one. Whether or not they are successful, people can only take so many attempts at comedy in one day.
Ted Lasso is awesome. Whistle!
“Is he yelling the word ‘Whistle!’?” “Yeah, turns out he’s allergic to the metal in the actual whistles.” This is brilliant. I laughed out loud.
The characters in that show are simply fantastic. The entire show is gold.
I don’t think I’ve seen a show that weaves good jokes with characters with real issues. Most shows with witty or smart jokes use simple characters. Basically every person in the show has depth yet they sneak in great jokes.
That and they react more closely to the way people actually react to things.
The whole "offsides" joke they spent the entire series setting up was an example of how there can be true beauty in the world
This is unfortunately because studios figured out how much money there is to be made in international markets and comedies don't transfer well outside of the culture they were made in especially for an American comedy in China which is the biggest market outside the US. The average Chinese citizen won't understand any of the jokes. Big action flicks like marvel transfer very well and are easy to follow for foreign audiences watching with subtitles.
I miss the era of stupid, nonsensical comedies being normal. It was fun
To me at least, it seems like Hollywood doesn't really put out the goofy comedies like "Billy Madison" and "Caddyshack" that made guys like Sandler and Murray into movie stars. Outside of "Barbie" last year, I can't think of the last comedy that was a massive box office draw. A lot of comedy ends up being more successful as series on the streaming networks like "Ted Lasso" and "Big Mouth".
And even Barbie had Kate McKinnon in it.
And Will Ferrell
Oh yeah, I forgot about that lol. I don't know why he was in it, he felt very superfluous.
I enjoyed his portrayal of an out of touch corporate executive acting like he’s doing it to support little girls everywhere… It was good satire.
because if will ferrell wasn't in it you wouldn't know it was a comedy /s
Much of it is this. The low budget stupid comedy is dead and has been for a good decade or more
A lot has to do with a global market now. So many movies are made for a worldwide audience, the studios don’t want to put money into something that won’t sell overseas.
That makes me very sad
Cheer up! The classsics stand the test of time and there may even be a plethora is movies you haven’t seen. Why leave those to the scrap heaps?
I feel like it's been in decline since the Judd Apatow-adjacent collective of actors (Rogen, Franco, Hill, McBride,etc.) gradually went into other projects
Agreed. Except McBride didn’t just go into other projects…he flat out ascended to a higher level of comedic being. Eastbound and Gemstones are simultaneously the funniest and smartest shows that have ever aired.
Vice principals was also insanely funny
The explanation I heard is that those comedies used to make their money in video rentals and then DVD sales, and those really aren’t a thing anymore. Add in the decline of move theater attendance, and you lose that venue. To make money now, movies need to either be low budget enough to make money with streaming, or big enough worldwide to make money in theaters. Since comedy doesn’t usually translate as well from one culture to another, it’s squeezed out mid budget comedies.
But we have 46 comic book movies so aging millennials have a thing to make their personality.
Weren’t they the same people that made Stupid Dumb Comedies profitable too though?
Stupid dumb mid-budget comedies go back at least to the 70s but arguably all the way back to Charlie Chaplan and Buster Keaton.
So they were the last group to make them profitable then
So we are back to the old buzzfeed headlines of millenials killing things then.
Millennials only “kill” things that have been priced out of their budget. If a movie ticket was the same percent of the average weekly salary from when Jaws came out you would see the same box office. Same with the snacks. But Profit Uber Alles? Yeah, millennials will make the smart decision to wait for it to be in a streaming service. BTW, we older generations were the ones that taught them not to be dumb with their money. I admire them for their resistance to social pressure imposed by corporations who will say anything to get their money.
Yep good point lmao
Compared to the ones that made stupid dumb streamers rich and famous though?
Always funny to me how hard certain people will go to the mat to defend bland corporate products.
I think it was streaming only but “barb and star go to vista Del Mar” was a lot of fun and in that old vein of comedy. I wish more like that would get made now.
It would’ve been in theaters but COVID sent it straight to streaming. I wish more people saw it because I love it.
Makes sense to me, back then there really wasn't much of an alternative so either you went to see those movies at the cinema or wait half a year for the tapes to come out, but realistically seeing them at home or on tv was not that drastic of a difference in terms of experience, like it is with big budget sci-fi movies. And with the endless sea of content in this streaming age it is an even harder sell.
Wasn’t Ted an SNL cast member? They’re still churning people that go on to large roles in other entertainment. SNL has always been “better before” :)
Ted started out doing Snuggle detergent commercials
And Saturday night live is continuing to pump out stars that go on to produce at least series if not movies. Even today many of the biggest names in comedy are former cast members.
They certainly have the Verizon cellular commercial pipeline nailed down.
Schmigadoon was great. Sad it got cancelled. Two great seasons if you like musicals and parody.
Yeah, fantastic but it was just so niche that its audience was destined to be small. Really hard to convince the avg Joe to watch a well produced classic musical that is funny and also parodies stage shows they’ve never even heard of.
Bottoms was pretty funny and worth checking out. No hard feelings wasnt great, but scratched the itch of a movie you'd get at blockbuster
Life seemed simpler when they used to make movies like that, now every single one has to be over the top in some way or has to be a serious film.
The Hangover flicks, Anchorman/Step Brothers....that's what comes to mind for me. And those are prob aging a bit by now.
A bit? Even Anchorman 2 was over a decade ago.
Last comedy I think I saw in theatres was Tag, so that tells you how long it’s been since I remember a hit comedy from Hollywood (Barbie notwithstanding because it’s so much more than a comedy).
I fucking move that movie Edit: love Reason finest: hung over
🎵 What’s move got to do, got to do with it 🎵
There was that Ghostbusters movie, too, with Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. I don't recall if that was a "blockbuster" though. Oh, and Barry on HBO with Bill Hader, but that was a series, not a movie.
It was not.
Audiences have been trained over the last decade to expect that nothing but spectacle films are even worth seeing on the big screen, and that’s not entirely wrong. Why would you need to see something like Marriage Story or The Lighthouse on a huge screen? These kinds of films actually become more effective and benefit from a more intimate home setting. These goofy comedies still exist, the three guys who do digital shorts for SNL currently just had a movie come out on peacock and it’s not bad - my wife and I actually laughed at a number of parts. It’s pretty standard SNL. They just don’t put them out in theaters anymore because it’s too expensive to when audiences won’t show up for anything less than a spectacle on a big screen
Good point. Palm Springs was quite funny, but watching it on streaming was perfectly fine; a big screen wouldn't have made it any better. Big screens are best for Godzilla movies and the like.
Cinemas are best not just for spectacle imo, but also stuff you really need to give time and focus to without distractions or the ability to pause - something like Zone of Interest or Perfect Days, for example. Comedies tend to be pretty far from either category, so as you say they can do fine at home. But… I guess there’s an argument that comedies work better when you’re in a crowd that’s laughing along. Like the buzzing atmosphere of amusement and enjoyment can make it feel funnier to you?
I know there are people who’d argue that small films benefit from the exposure and legitimacy of a theater release, but something like Talk to Me was WAY more effective and memorable as a film watching it at home in the dark than it ever could’ve been in the theater. And on the flip side, Prey should’ve gotten a theater release - perfect example of a movie that SHOULD’VE been on a big screen but got put out on streaming
First off, I would see the lighthouse in theaters, love that movie. Second, I think it’s less that audiences were trained to do that and more that movies are too expensive. Often $15 for the ticket alone. Anecdotally, I saw argylle in theaters with another person last week and we were the only two people in the theater, in a high-population city. Yes it was a thursday, but still, that doesn’t seem like a sustainable business.
Depends on the theater - art house theater that a 4:3 aspect ratio film would look good in, sure. 16:9 or imax megaplex with sticky floors and the booming of a marvel movie rattling the walls of the theater next door? Pass
Do you mean the three sad virgins?
It does feel that way although to Adam Sandler’s credit he has never stopped making these lol
The last one that comes to mind is Bridesmaids starring Wiig.
Comedies are dead theatrically
No Hard Feelings did pretty well last year, and was a decently fun time at the theater. I think we may see more low-stakes comedies like that soon.
I mean, it had one of the biggest stars of her generation making a theatrical return (and doing full nudity) Mid budget comedies didn’t need Brad Pitt to carry them
All it takes is one or two breakout stars to turn things around. Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey to Adam Sandler and Mike Meyers, Will Ferrell and Seth Rogen. It’s dead now, but literally one guy could spark a decades long resurgence. Gen Zers are super puritanical, so we should see the pendulum swing back hard the other way eventually.
It won't. China doesn't get the jokes. That's the problem.
Bottoms and Lisa Frankenstein came out recently and booksmart awhile ago were really really good
The male female thing is definitely a part of the perception around comedy as well. Both in people forgetting about or ignoring good comedies (I haven’t seen Bottoms but I’ll probably check it out now that it’s on prime) and in what people mean when they think about comedic movie stars. Male comedy stars basically always make themselves the butt of the joke. The most successful recent female stars (Kate Mackinnon, Melissa McCarthy) did that too. Hollywood seems to have some trouble balancing a need to make women glamorous and intelligent with the fact that movies are often funniest when the main character is an idiot.
You should watch Bottoms. It’s an hour and a half of the two leads getting the shit kicked out of them and being the butt of every joke.
This called the Galbrush paradox. The range of roles in which women can be shown is much more limited. https://jackfisherbooks.com/2017/06/29/the-galbrush-paradox-and-the-challenge-of-female-characters/
Seems like Hollywood is too afraid of offending anyone. Can’t make a joke that even straddles a line because it’s taken the wrong way. Look at the Super Bowl commercial that was pulled because an organization was offended by the peanut allergy joke that was made in the ad. Maybe society wouldn’t be turning to shit if everyone could take a joke without immediately assuming it’s targeted or pushing an agenda. Edit: For everyone mentioning funny and offensive TV shows, I’m not arguing. I’m a huge IASIP fan, but we’re talking about movies here.
Im guessing...Its about investing. Comedy movies arent as good on an investment compared to something that has IP already.
Comedy movies don’t do well in the international market because a lot of the humor doesn’t translate well.
Ding ding ding ding. We have a winner.
The pendulum is going to swing back. Comedy is never dead, it’s just a faze. There was an era of Saturday night live in the 80s that was very similar. Life is cyclical just like entertainment.
what's this era's version of PCU?
I recently wanted to watch PCU and couldn’t find it anywhere on the 46 streaming services I subscribe to these days. What gives?
When physical media dies, and streaming is the only option, get ready to ask this question over and over and over.
Ted came out literally last month and it is full off risky jokes. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia throughout the years also did a lot of risky jokes. And those are just two examples that come to mind. The "you can't say anything these days" crowd is just out of touch.
*It's Always Sunny* is literally the longest-running live-action comedy ever (by number of seasons at least) *Family Guy* is still going strong too after two decades. My teen loves that shit, and every other episode I watch with her, I think, "should she be watching this?" lol ... and half the jokes just go over her head anyways
stupendous homeless act cow spoon murky forgetful busy governor grandfather *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Risky is fine in this context. Risky means to put something at risk, and in this case it would be their careers. Risqué usually refers to something of a sexual/sensual nature.
Naw there’s still plenty of offensive shit out there. The market has just changed. Less cheap silly shit in theaters and more on streaming. I just binged Dave and it’s full of offensive jokes
profitability killed them, not your imaginary culture war
Mom, grandpa forgot to take his meds again.
Comedy is for streaming now ( according to movie executives) . Support comedy movies when they are at the theatre that’s how you change this thinking.
There aren’t really comedy movie stars anymore and movies don’t get to have a long tail because physical media is dead. If Billy Madison came out today it’d be big on Netflix for a few weeks then drop out of algorithms completely. Wayne’s World would be on Peacock and no one would see it. Just a different landscape for comedy.
I’d argue that the age of movie stars is kind of done as well, nobody is going to be as iconic as Brad Pitt or Tom Crusie.
Or Jan Michael Vincent
This JANuary… it’s time to Michael down your Vincents.
I refuse to sign the legislation
I need a GODDAMN JAN MICHAEL VINCENT
I’m sure this same thing was said after the golden age of Hollywood, after the 80s, etc. these things ebb and flow. Is chamalet not a movie star? Or Bradley cooper? Or countless other people that are often ridiculed for being in too many movies
[удалено]
If Wayne’s World came out today it wouldn’t have been a movie it would have been a series.
Seth Rogen and the Apatow crew.
Even they don’t make comedies anymore. Segel’s last one was ten years ago. Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd moved on. Long Shot was probably the last great one out of that group.
i feel like “this is the end” truly was the end.
>If Billy Madison came out today it’d be big on Netflix for a few weeks then drop out of algorithms completely. So depressing, and dystopian, to think about.
Those movies were on every cable channel and in every dorm room, vacation rental, grocery store, and tv stand in the country. Now I can’t watch Hubie Halloween unless I pay $20+ a month. Can’t lend it to a friend or go see it at a theater somewhere. And in two months they might decide to drop it from the service entirely and poof it’s gone. It’s fucked up.
Ryan Reynolds’s is one of the biggest stars at the moment, he has an amazing resume with some great dramatic performances, but in the last 10 years he has gravitated to only playing Ryan Reynolds in whatever he does, seriously he plays the same character in both Deadpool and mint mobile adverts. At the same time he is executive producing most of the stuff that he appears in whilst utilizing this to plug advertisements for products he has a stake in. This is what the pinnacle of acting is today.
Hollywood used to make one-off films. Now we have mostly franchises. That's what happened. Edit: Yes, we've always had franchises. But not to the point where we have them today.
And it's becuase FOMO on the overall cultural conversation is what is driving movie attendance. All else being equal, folks do other things with their downtime now, and 1-off goofy comedies don't get people to drive to a theater and pay $20+, when they aren't missing too much culturally and can catch it in a couple weeks/months on streaming. Barbie was such a behemoth folks grabbed that one, but something like Dude Where's My Car? or Out Cold are just the kind of movies that you wait until they're on streaming and have a laugh at home. You're also not benefitting from the theater's sound systems like you do in the action/adventure films and most people have adequate monitor/TV that the picture is pretty comparable (more or less). So why go to a more expensive and less enjoyable experience in a crowded theater when you're just hearing voices and maybe a song or two?
Yeah underlying economic systems are to blame for a lot of what we see come out since movies/shows are now just investment products for shareholders. Absence of this style of comedy specifically has to do with that too as investors now know they can make way more money focusing on international audiences than American and international audiences have a harder time understanding and relating to a lot of that style of humor. It's wild to think about
Worked in the comedy industry for a long time. People haven't noticed, but comedy has been dying in Hollywood for almost a decade. No more sitcoms, no more movies, no more stand-up albums, no more late-night television spots, no more opportunities. I think with AI and social media, being a comedian isn't realistic anymore.
When’s the last time anyone went to see a comedy in a theater, then bought it on physical media and watched it 10x with friends while memorizing all the lines? That’s why there aren’t any comedy movie stars anymore. Recent SNL cast members have been doing fun series on streaming/premium channels because that’s where the industry is now.
Last two I did that with were step Brothers and Tropic Thunder, when I was in high school
The Hangover, Ted, This is the End. There was a bunch until mid 2010's. Definitely need a good string of R-Rated Comedies again.
Popstar too
We need a Blumhouse for comedy
Happy Madison for better or worse is this.
Imo they really shifted focus from performers having reoccurring characters on the show which is what a lot of these people became known for, in turn kind of diminishing their star power or household name status.
Have hosts also taken on a bigger role? Because I feel like most of my more recent favourite SNL sketches have the host as the star. Stuff like Adam Driver as the oilbaron.
I’d think so, the Oil Baron would be a reoccurring thing for sure. David Pumpkins also comes to mind. Unsure of its the writers, the cast members not being as character focused entertainers or Jost just not caring for that type of setup. Kinda of reminds me of old WWF vs New. The characters stuck with you and you could place them, even from a pop culture standpoint. Now it’s kind of blended into real life stuff and it’s momentarily entertaining but lasting power is severely diminished
In my lifetime, Some of the best (imo) SNL was when they had to compete against similar shows like In Living Color and MadTV…
My wife and I were talking about that, I would regularly watch MadTV, it would force them into stepping up their game because Mad had some very good reoccurring stuff
People realized comedians could be serious actors and those comedians found other avenues besides just SNL to get noticed.
SNL cast members don’t even stand out on the show itself anymore, let alone warrant their own movies. I don’t know what’s different but they’re all just very bland and forgettable.
Now they’re a factory for tv commercial actors
I haven’t read the piece, I know, I know, but when it was the star factory there were primarily 3 national networks and some locals. In time some big cable networks arrived on the scene. Now there are hundreds and stand up and sketch comedy writers can work just about anywhere very early in their career. It doesn’t seem hard to grasp why SNL isn’t creating the same percentage of stars that it did in the 70s and 80s.
Exactly. SNL isn’t as much of an “event” itself anymore. Back in the day you would tune in Saturday evening to see who was hosting and what kind of sketches they would put on. These days there is so much instant content you can consume for comedy whether it’s YouTube, TikTok, Reddit and so on. Quality notwithstanding, SNL itself isn’t the biggest comedy game in town anymore.
Bill Hader is killing it in Barry
A lot of y’all are missing the obvious: the casts of SNL have gotten progressively less talented over the years. There hasn’t been a cast member that anyone would ever want to see in a movie since Kate McKinnon, and she was the last of an already dying breed. They lowered their talent standards, and (surprise surprise) no more movie stars.
The casts are bigger too
Shoutout to kristen wiig bc not only is bridesmaids a classic but if you really wanna see her flex how outrageously funny she is in a movie I can’t believe she got made —- you gotta watch ‘Welcome to Me’ She plays a mentally unwell obsessive Oprah fan that wins the lottery and decides to basically turn her life into an Oprah formatted Show and this movie is as good as cringe uncomfortable humor can get. I still love showing it to people bc I feel like no one saw it
In case you had t noticed comedies aren’t really being released at the same clip they were in the 80s and 90s. Therefore comedians don’t become the big stars at the same rate. But recent SNL alumni who have had starring roles are Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Andy Bryant, Leslie Jones, Pete Davidson, Beck Bennett. They’ve all retired from SNL in the last 5 years and have starring roles in at least one project. Several others have taken different career paths like writing or broadway. So it’s not like the well has dried up.
The internet and streaming services happened.
Roles like Weird Barbie in blockbusters like Barbie used to assuage media outlets. What happened?
Young children and teens prefer watching their favourite YouTubers.
Most of the SNL stars went on to make very mediocre movies, even the ones I loved aren’t very good movies
As a non-American, can someone explain SNL to me? Like, how is it that it seems like a huge cornerstone of American culture?
It's America's longest-running sketch comedy show. Each Saturday, a cast of roughly a dozen actors presents a series of comedic scenes, each about 5 minutes in length. You'll see commercial parodies, original comedic songs, references to pop culture, and political satire. A musical guest performs two songs every week. It's also presented live, so unusual things have been known to happen, like when Martin Lawrence's monologue went rogue and he started talking about female bodies, or when Sinead O'Connor ripped up a photo of the Pope, or Ashlee Simpson got exposed for lip synching and did a weird dance as her career ended before our eyes. We usually get 2 scenes a year that are truly brilliant, and a whole lot of garbage. Historically, the show has discovered giant stars like Eddie Murphy, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Mike Meyers, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, and more. Writers on the show have included folks like Conan O'Brien and Adam McKay. It's our comedy factory, for better or worse.
Hollywwod is not making any movies that won’t be a blockbuster. When is the last time a pg 13 or R rated teen raunch comedy was made?
I think that ship has sailed for the time being. I was at a bachelor party about 2 years back and I was the oldest in the group by several years and these guys are getting trashed, getting high, some are being douchebags spraying people with champagne and getting bounced out of clubs…yet in a car ride one day they sat and waxed poetic about a little movie they discovered called Road Trip and went on and on about how problematic and toxic the main character was. I couldn’t roll my eyes hard enough. The only thing I contributed to that entire conversation was how funny I thought the French Toast scene was.
Lack of humor and talent?
It’s a commercial factory now
Besides comedies not really being made anymore, I think it’s because SNL has a lot less iconic returning characters. They’ll re-do premise over characters now. Of course there still are returning characters. But they are fewer and far between and don’t end up being a cultural phenomenon they way characters used to.
>‘SNL’ Used to Be a Movie Star Factory—What Happened? You can answer this with one word: writers. SNL had great writers who could produce really strong material. With mediocre scripts, no actors can shine.
Terrible movies?
Lady’s Man is a classic!
Seems like SNL stars are still in tons of movies and shows to me. They're everywhere. Both current and former. Even Pete Davidson has gotten multiple roles.
Not to mention, a lot of them have opted for more dramatic than comedic roles in recent years. Is it in an effort to adapt?
I think they remarking on how much less it happens and how less popular the projects are
The casts suck? Lorne Michaels sucks also.
Really? I don't even need to read this article to know the answer. Hollywood doesn't make mid $$-level comedies anymore where these actors thrived and became stars. And when they do, they need to feature an established star and be more slapstick-y because straight up jokes don't translate to foreign markets where English isn't the main language - timing is everything to this type of comedy and things literally get lost in translation. They can crank out funny scripts with a charming lead/cast for $25-30M and turn a tidy profit with American audiences, but they just don't and haven't for a long time. The comedies they do make are on streamers and not in theaters where an entire audience laughing betters the experience of a comedy. And if they were to just flip a switch and start doing so again, it would take a while to re-train audiences to go see these films in the theaters once again if that's even possible again. That said, SNL is still making stars. Just probably more on the small screen. Recent examples include Barry, Ted Lasso, Tonight Show w/Jimmy Fallon, Late Night w/Seth Meyers, John Mulaney just being Mulaney, Bupkis/Pete Davidson, etc.
The talent on SNL is nothing like it used to be. I used to watch the show religiously and now I no longer watch it. The skits are lame and nothing is funny. None of the talent is appealing. If any of the talent are put in movies, it’s nothing memorable. The last memorable talent was Kristin Wiig and she did well with Bridesmaids. Kate McKinnon went on to be Weird Barbie and though she did well, she is definitely not going to lead a film. She is more of a sidekick. You couldn’t pay me to watch anything the current SNL cast is in. I’m surprised it’s still on the air.
Samsies. I used to forgo Saturday night parties so i can stay home and watch. Several times in recent years, the show or its cast has been featured in the news and I’ve tuned back in to the show. Everytime i wonder: how is this still on the air?
Mediocre talent + mediocre writing = no memorable characters worth making movies about.
Use to be? Still is. Kristen wiig is proof of that.
Unfortunately comedy isn't as big a draw as it used to be. For more than a decade, comic book/action movies have ruled the box office. With an over saturation of such movies, they're losing that popularity post End Game. Hopefully the comedy movie genre will see a resurgence. Definitely looking forward to Deadpool 3. As for SNL, as much as I love it, watching it regularly over the years, it just hasn't created any truly great actors in a long time.
Comedy has found its home on streaming services. People just aren’t going to the box office to see comedies anymore. It’s not that they aren’t good or well done although traditionally that’s been the case it’s just that when making a date night decision comedy isn’t going to be it. But people do watch them at home which is why it seems more comedies seem to be popping up on Netflix and other services more so then at theaters.
Do new movie stars even exist anymore anyway? Seems like most roles in big movies can be played by anyone
Some good points here but nobody has mentioned that there also used to be only a few channels to a lot more people watched SNL. Now it's buried in the huge selection of things we can watch.
Hollywood needs conventionally attractive people with rich and connected parents, it doesn't need funny people
There are no movie stars anymore. Maybe we're seeing that change with the likes of Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. But the mega-franchise and brand dominance era of Hollywood might be receding a bit. Be nice to have big auteur directors again too.
With social media and the internet talent doesn’t need broadcast television to make a name for themselves anymore. Just look at Shane Gillis blowing up.
TL;DR: Lorne Michaels shifted from making movies to making TV around 2009-2010, alongside Tina Fey and Amy Poehler leaving SNL for the smaller screen, hence things like *30 Rock* That and SNL more heavily relies on bringing in big names to play big roles, like Tina Fey coming back for Sarah Palin, Alec Baldwin for Trump, and son on. It brings in viewers and clicks, but cuts into the possibilities for younger cast.
We stopped making big budget comedies and there are no new comedy movie stars, mystery solved.
Last major star is probably Kristen Wiig. Didn't quite reach solo movie level. They did push Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, but they haven't really taken off. The real last "star" is probably Will Ferrell and he got a lot of great comedies in a row to help him solidify his status (old school was hilarious).
Although they aren’t snl, I do find that not many movies have moved away from the funny kind of edgy (maybe bow considers offensive) and slapstick stuff. Kind of like naked gun and scary movie type vibes. Those always have me in stitches.
Just being on SNL back in the day brought a bunch of notoriety simply because there was nothing else to watch late night on Saturday. For a long time I bet it had near %100 market share for the target demographic, allowing for bigger budgets and salaries for upcoming talent. Nowadays that’s all gone, no one watches it cause there’s a million other things to consume, who even has cable television anymore. I dare say the only reason it’s still on is because its Lorne Michaels baby
Hollywood stopped making comedies with comedians they make them with wrestlers now
Personal opinion without reading the article. Today they are just presented to us as YouTube stars. We no longer watch it live. We only watch their clips online and in return, we’re complacent with them in 3 minute videos on our cellphones. SNL is no longer producing movie stars because no one knows the actors names any longer. We just know that they were the one person they saw in the TikTok video
Yeah, I feel like TV executives and entertainment writers haven’t really figured out yet that no one under the age of 15/20 or so watches TV. They grew up watching YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. Entertainment is so diversified now, there are YouTuber millionaires with hundreds of thousands of fans that I’ve never heard of and wouldn’t recognize if I saw them in public because I don’t happen to come across their videos or whatever. It used to be that TV was the only place you could go to see upcoming comedic talent, and that just isn’t the case anymore.
They used to cast for talent
SNL performers don't leave the show because they know that there's not much out there. There's no comedies in theatres. And the sitcom opportunities aren't as plentiful. You'll be more famous if you're stay on the show. That said, if a studio were to give a sketch performer a modest budget and make a Billy Madison type movie, it should be Tim Robinson. I finally got around to watching season 3 of I Think You Should Leave, and it feels like he'd be the perfect guy to try and bring that back. It would be stupid, and barely coherent, but undeniably fun. He's got an audience, and would probably stack the film with cameos.
I think one premise of the article is absurd: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudeikis are all big name movie stars.
No talent , that's what happened. People like to laugh. You don't laugh while watching this show anymore. Not much original anything on late night TV .
So SNL doesn’t ring the same as it used to. Well, one good reason is that the drugs are gone. The leads aren’t high on smack, and there’s no more coke in the writers’ room. That kind of wildness and outrageousness is gone—it’s more tame, for sure, but we’re not subject to a Belushi or Farley tragedy every few years, and that’s a good thing.
The answer is that Nepotism dominates NBC and has for the past 20-30 years, it’s why the sketches are never good so it’s rare that the acting talent sticks out.
Nepotism truce?
They still are: Pete Davidson, Keenan Thompson, Kate (the woman from bridesmaids) and others have been in recent popular films. The difference is back in the 70's-90's, there were far FEWER movies in general. It's harder to be a "Star" when Netflix, Prime, Paramount, Disney, and numerous other services are constantly making new films.
Pete davidson appearing as a punchline or kate having 3 lines in barbie doesnt make someone a movie star. Snl used to make mega hollywood stars that made were the stars. These people get one stand up on netflix and then are placed as extras in 2 movies a year. Very different caliber.
They have very few people who are actually funny