35th Season of SNL = Last?

I have thought it has been a long time in coming. I had thought back when they scaled down production and cut the total cast members, that Saturday Night Live was in its last throes. Then, in the modern era of SNL when Jimmy Fallon and Ana Gasteyer led the charge from the show, followed fast by the likes of Tina Fey, Amy Pohler, Chris Parnell, and Darrel Hammond, that Saturday Night Live would have no center and no way to carry on. I watched listlessly as everything I'd loved about the show was gone for good. Saturday Night Live had always managed to reinvent itself, however this most recent turn of events for the show is troubling. The first few episodes of the 35^th season of the popular late night staple lead me to believe that SNL could be taking one last lap around the track as they quietly dim the floodlights to black. Here's why:

1) SNL has done all it can: In terms of a variety show, Saturday Night Live has really cast the mold. But they've got such a firm template set in place that they really have done all that they can. My wife left the room at 11:29PM yesterday and I asked her where she was going; she replied that she didn't like that the first skit was "always political." Sure enough, Fred Armisen was there as Barack Obama, talking politics. While Saturday Night Live is still funny and well written and relevant, there comes a point when the show needs to consider doing a George Costanza and get the heck out on a high note.

2) Direction of show flailing: Going right along with the last, Saturday Night Live feels like it's struggling for direction. Yes, there have been a number of cast changes, additions, deletions in recent weeks. But if Saturday Night Live had a reason for being, then the material would feel fresh and always inventive. Instead there seems to be a comfortable numbness, like they're "coasting" rather than innovating. I'll allow some of the skits even from recent weeks (most of what Kristin Wiig is in, "On the Ground") are really good. But that doesn't feel like it's enough of a reason to keep a whole show going in its current format.

3) Lorne Michaels is getting old: Executive producer Lorne Michaels used to be on the show all the time. I hearken back to the Tina Fey years; it felt like things got a lot harder for the show when she left. I had been thinking I hadn't seen him in a while; he did make a brief appearance this past week, but the story is that, in reality he's getting old. By that rationale I wonder if the show would continue when he's finished. Yes, there are undoubtedly others who could act in his guise as Executive Producer, but when tinkering hands get into a mix they don't (and can't) fully understand the way Michaels has always had such a firm hand in guiding the direction of Saturday Night Live, the results can be bad.

4) Tough to keep new and old tuning in at such an hour: We live in an ever expanding world. While people are doing more, staying up later, and burning the midnight oil more and more, this fact could work against Saturday Night Live now and in the future. With so many people my age and younger especially getting their news and information online, it's tough to build the support of an audience. I have been watching Saturday Night Live for years. But my younger brother got caught up on the whole of SNL, past and present, in large part online. Building brand loyalty in a time like the one we live in now just seems more tenuous than ever. Moving in lock-step with that is the fact that many people my age and older are having kids. This means time is even more valuable than before; who the heck wants to stay up on Saturday nights when they can opt for a few hours peace?

5) Madonna, Elijah Wood, Scarlett Johansen: While I know that Scarlett Johansen and this past week's host Ryan Reynolds are married, there just seems to be a spike in "special guests" lately. It was after seeing Scarlett Johansson, Elijah Wood, and Madonna this week that my wife and I both were struck; "Isn't this what happens when shows are about to go off the air?" It's not empirical by any stretch, but still it's something to consider.

While I would hate to see Saturday Night Live go, I do understand it's inevitably going to happen. Even the best of the best shows have their moment in the sun only to fade off into our fondest memories. For fans we will always have Akroyd and Curtain; Meadows and Shannon. We will always remember the hosting rivalries of Baldwin and Martin; we'll each have our own individual favorite sketches and our own favorite moments which can only be wrought and were made that much more real from the fresh and live setting. But maybe it's time, for all of our sakes that SNL be allowed to live on in our memory lest it begin to slip from topical relevance into caricature and farce.