Taran Killam agrees with Chevy Chase about SNL… sort of
One Saturday Night Live cast member is responding to Chevy Chase’s scathing remarks regarding the current season of the hit comedy sketch show.
In the war of Saturday Night Live alumni bashing the show — specifically Chevy Chase — it looks like one current cast member is ready and willing to throw down. Well, to a degree.
Chase recently told The Washington Post that he’s amazed Lorne [Michaels] has gone so low” with the show and that it has “the worst f—ing humor in the world.”
In a bid to understand the points that Chase was trying to make in his ramblings, SNL star Taran Killam spoke with Fox News about the “changing” show and how much of a deal it is for the show to shift.
The juggernaut of the comedy world has been on for 44 seasons now and the format hasn’t shifted too much from the early ’80s, long after Chevy Chase left the show. Killam pointed out that that first season that Chevy was a part of was brilliant, even saying he owned that season’s box set.
"It’s at best uneven, I think for comedy to stay important and relevant it needs to evolve and it needs to change over time, so I certainly understand if the comedy that [Chase has] been watching since he left is not to his liking, but I certainly don’t disagree that it hasn’t been as good since the first two seasons or that first one season he was on because I own that box DVD set."
Killam did lean a bit towards Chase’s argument, noting that it can be difficult for a show of SNL‘s caliber to change.
"The tricky thing about SNL is, unless you participate in it, it’s really hard to explain how difficult, and complicated, and chaotic the process can be. But as soon as you’re on the inside, you understand how miraculous it is that the show even gets put together and airs on time. So, I give the show all the credit in the world for trying to adapt and change… I think any show that’s been on for 44 seasons now and still has people tuning in is probably doing more things right than wrong."
Taran went on to defend SNL, pointing out that the show’s been on for over 40 seasons and people are still tuning in. That says a lot more about the show than what Chevy Chase could ever comment on.
Next. Chevy Chase bashes Saturday Night Live and more in his ‘comeback’. dark
Saturday Night Live returns to television September 29 with host Adam Driver and musical guest Kanye West. With new writers and a fresh summer of political news at their deposal, SNL is going to have their work cut out for them. We’ll wait and see if Chevy watches too.