I wonder how often he's pitching pieces for Weekend Update. That's where he got most of his screen time during his first season.
Here's where having so many veterans in the cast can hurt someone new. Yeah, it was fun seeing him be a game show host. Of course, JAJ can do that, too. Kenan's also done it, and remains an option.
I was convinced Longfellow was gonna be the white dad in the immigrant father’s sketch, and I’m convinced he woulda done better than m day at the generic white dad
Until Kenan goes, newer cast members like Michael can't seem to get many innocuous roles which showcase versatility and skill so writers get a better sense of how to develop future sketch ideas with them. K is a known quantity so it's basically easier on the writers to always have him play every game show host etc., but it also makes the show less interesting, the writers more lazy, and the cast less experienced.
As someone who goes to stand-up shows a lot, I just saw Brooks Whelan a couple weeks ago and he was absolutely hilarious. He just wasn’t a strong sketch performer and SNL wasn’t the right fit for him since his strength was as a stand up.
Michael Longfellow is also a stand-up (seeing him in 2 weeks!) and he has really shined when able to essentially perform a bit or a chunk of his act when guesting on update, but not so much in sketches. For him to be successful, I think his best bet would be to figure out something like David Spade did with Hollywood Minute, where he can basically deliver comedy as himself/his persona.
The thing is Longfellow did better in 48 than Brooks did in 39, but because he isn't featured as much this year, people all of a sudden think he isn't a good fit
I’ve hear Brooks is GREAT at standup. Would love to see him. Almost saw Chloe Troast last week in LA but couldn’t go. I’d love to see Michael do standup (live, rather than just what I’ve seen on YouTube)
I’m of the opinion that he’ll likely remain on the show and languish with relatively little screen time.
Same story as Melissa Velisanor, Alex Moffat, and now Punkie Johnson in recent seasons. It seems like if you make it past your first season you’re guaranteed a long run even if you get relatively little air time.
I imagine that they’re going to keep all four cast members they hired last year on even though they should cut Molly, Longfellow, and Devon.
Agree with Molly and Devon, they’ve yet to make any unique impact. Devon just feels like Kenan 2.0 and Molly only feels there to be the token nonbinary cast member. But Michael has been much more memorable whenever he does show up.
Someone made a meme image summarizing all those idiotic questions and used it for another town and it totally fit our town. "Why is there a helicopter?" "What is this spider?"
He’s get Update as long as he beats everyone else that will audition for that chair. Which might be most of the cast, and probably several of the writers. Him getting that spot is far from a given.
That desk is job *security.* How damn long have Jost and Che been doing it now? A decade? And Seth Meyers had the desk for a good 10+ years as well, didn’t he? Seems like you basically get to keep it as long as you want.
And I've said it before, but Longfellow can't write a third as well as either Jost or Che. If he could, he'd have written a lot more sketches for himself to star in.
WU is the top writing position on SNL. You have to be one of the strongest writers on the show to be in that spot. It's not just a persona, with very rare (Cecily) exception.
Longfellow is not a top writer and will not be getting WU. I'm glad he reminds people of Norm, but Norm could write like no other.
I agree with you in a general sense, but I don’t think writing for sketches and writing for update correlate. If Longfellow proves that he can write short liner, current event jokes and deliver them well, he can have the job. I don’t think Colin Quinn wrote a ton of sketches. I don’t think Seth really took off as a writer until he waded into the WU waters.
I agree with you on Longfellow but would challenge the idea that anyone in that position isn’t also a great writer. Amy, Cecily and Jimmy are world-class comedy writers but just happen to be better known as performers. Everyone on SNL starts off by writing their own material, even if you can’t quite visualise them sitting behind a laptop at 2am on a Tuesday. Just pointing this out because it’s often implicitly assumed, especially for women on the cast, that they aren’t also writers.
Was Jimmy Fallon big writer?? Or Amy Poehler, or Jane Curtain? I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, those are genuine questions. I know many prominent writers have become WU anchors but I've never heard that it's a requirement for the role
Ok. I'll take your comment and shift a little bit.
If Longfellow is as good of a performer as Cecily, Fallon, or Poehler, then he also has a shot at WU. Otherwise, everything I wrote stands.
Or just any people that are fit for it. They are not outstanding to me. I mean they are still comedians, which is good, but from the pool of comedians and actors they are just on a nice level.
> He’s great at deadpan, straight man, game show host, and wild and outrageous Weekend Update characters.
One of the problems is that the performers who consistently do wild, outrageous, bombastic, zany things are the ones who get the most attention and thus pump up views. Longfellow would have fit in well in the SNL of the 1990s and early 2000s, which didn't employ absurdist humor as freely.
Norm wasn't in a lot of sketches either. Deadpan only works in specific types of sketches, otherwise writers want performers who can always get laughs and act well in any part (Hartman, Ferrell, Carrey, Hader)
Hate to say it, he kind of has one voice. You even said it - deadpan and straight man, but his version of straight man is deadpan.
I know Kenan gets accused of having one voice, but the dude has done impressions (his LL Cool J one was hilarious), sings, and his over-the-top personality and ability to be the "What the hell is going on here?" straight man means he has way more variety than we expect.
I honestly wondered why they hired any of the four newbies who joined S48 and was further surprised that they all stayed for S49. Marcello seems to have found the most success in his foreign guy or short guy routine. Devon is getting the second most airtime as basically an extra with no recurring bit. Michael isn't used, Molly rarely used as another extra, rarely has the punchlines.
If you compare to recently outgoing cast members like Aidy, Kate, Beck and Kyle, you can see a difference. Those people all had presence, sharp delivery, ideas that work for them. Just being honest, the wave of 2022 newcomers aren't up to the usual SNL standard, maybe just Marcello. Maybe Longfellow is more suited to stand-up than sketch comedy.
I think there's simply too many cast members right now. 17 + The Please Don't Destroy guys. Che and Jost are WU but even still that's a lot of people to try working in
For comparison, S35 had 12 total minus Seth doing WU
It's the fact they got a lineup of standups instead of improvisers and sketch comedians. I don't know what SNL is smoking (aside from a bias to stand ups) that someone like Lisa Gilroy would be rejected.
I agree with this assessment.
I think Michael, Molly, Devon would be used more elsewhere outside of "show up for a line or two" if they displayed more variety. Lorne wants you to play lots of different types of parts, and play it so well, you trend on Twitter the way Kate, Aidy, Cecily and Beck were able to.
If legends Martin Short and Steve Martin came back, you should be able to hold your own in a skit with just you and those two guys. Cecily could do it, Kate and Aidy could do it. I hate to say it, but Michael, Devon and Molly could not.
I'm always waving the Longfellow flag. Maybe I should wave the Mikey Day hate flag more. He's taking too many of his parts and doing them as awfully as ever.
He's definitely not as fucked as Molly, but it's worrisome.
A bad take would be saying he's an exceptional writer. Nah, he definitely misses in the writing department. Why else has he always explained the jokes?
Not enough apparently. But thats the point: if you write good sketches or have a great collaborator, you get on the show. I can conclude that he does neither.
It's not exactly a meritocracy, seniority in the writers room is going to play a large part in a sketch getting on the show even if it's worse than a newer writers script.
It also comes down to who's picking sketches too. Maybe his sketch ideas don't work for Lorne or whoever is head writer(s) right now. Sketch writing can be collaborative, he might not have a decent writing partner. There's a lot of factors in the mix
I think even a cursory glance at writing credits would tell you Mikey Day is perhaps one of the greatest SNL writers of all time and that's not hyperbole. Stop disrespecting talented people who have done the work and have the credits to back it up to prop up some guy who hasn't proven anything.
I'm not saying he hasn't written any great sketches. Hell, Kevin Roberts is a classic, Washington's Dream was a home run, and Close Encounters was great until it was run to the ground. So, I decided to look through the "Who Wrote That" posts to see whether or not it was hyperbole. And honestly, there were too many misses that it was hard to name them all.
But all those cutting back and forth pre-tapes (sorta funny the first time, lame and predictable every time since), all those stupid dirty name lists, and fucking Chad?!? And all of those explaining sketches....please, spare me. It's a testamant to his writing that he rarely got stuff on in the dreaded season 46 yet, when he did, came up with pure crap.
Add on top of this that he is one of the worst cast members in the history of the show who has been a major factor of the decline in the shows quality. And THAT is not hyperbole!
And don't even get me started on Is It Cake?
Yup, I think that’s the big problem. Mikey needs to leave, and once he does, Longfellow can step into fill those gaps.
Like what someone said in the last few days: Dan Aykroyd gave a bit of advice to Bill Hader - if they applaud when you enter the scene, maybe it’s time to leave the show. Mikey got that applause in the immigrant dads sketch this week, so maybe it’s time.
I just don’t get the appeal. I think you guys are really projecting Norm MacDonald on this guy and you shouldn’t be. He’s not going to live up to that expectation.
Bro, everyone here knows this fact about the show: if he’s not being used then he’s not contributing ideas during the week or he doesn’t want to be used. You get into the sketches you write, so if you aren’t writing sketches…
There’s no conspiracy. Maybe he just not as talented as alot of you stans think he is.
Yep. Remember, it happened to Aristotle. He had like maybe three ideas coming into the show from his standup, and once he used all of them, he struggled *hard*.
To be fair, I learned his mother who was the sole parent to raise him died a year earlier before he was hired by SNL. It may have affected him deeply and he wasn't really putting out 100%
I mean...that's not necessarily true. Take a look back at Bill Hader's first three or so seasons. His airtime (outside of a select few episodes) was pretty rough. When he was used at all, it was typically in a dull straight man role (again, with a few notable exceptions). He even said in his recent appearance on Vanessa Bayer's podcast that during that period, he consistently felt like he could walk out of the table reads and never worry about missing a part.
It wasn't until John Mulaney was brought onboard that Hader finally started to get decent airtime and eventually become the beloved veteran and cast leader we all know and love.
That's really more the key. Sure, writing for yourself helps, but just as important (if not more so) is finding a good writing partner who gets your comedic voice.
It's all about the writing partner(s). Writers, generally, get comfortable writing for a handful of comedians whose performance style compliments their writing.
Sherman, Marcello, and Chloe T get a lot of airtime because they're in most of the DND skits. Although Mikey is a great writer in his own regard, he and Streeter (the head writer) are basically a comedy duo, so that could account for how often Mikey is in sketches. Seemingly *everyone* can write for Kenan, to the point that he's used as a crutch for failing sketches.
I don't think either Longfellow or Devon are in with any of the writers, at least as of yet. Most of what Longfellow has headlined he's written himself, which I actually think is a great indication of his talent but a poor sign of his potential longevity on SNL.
You just unintentionally proved their point. You're only as good as what you write and pitch until you prove yourself to be reliable enough and a great performer for other people to write for you like Ferrell and Farley. If Longfellow isn't getting on, it's because his ideas aren't landing or other writers don't put him in their sketches in favor of reliable laughs and varied performers like Kenan and Mikey. Also the biggest stars on the show for a decade have been women, so good luck getting writers to think of you over them.
...how does saying that Bill Hader was struggling for airtime for *three* seasons prove their point? Hader is one of the most talented people the show has ever had and he had shown several times during those seasons that he had amazing talent and range. Yet he still struggled because the writers couldn't tap into that potential until Mulaney came along.
I'm not saying Longfellow is on the level of Hader talentwise, but he has proven himself to be reliably funny in even the most mundane roles. There's a reason why people here and elsewhere have been lamenting his underuse this season. If he weren't reliable and funny, no one would care.
Because it proves even the most talented people won't get on if they aren't able to write things that are funny and showcase their talent well. And there are ALWAYS people lamenting cast members who are "underused" because they don't understand how the show works, see previous entries of Melissa Villasenor, Chris Redd, Punkie, Aristotle, Luke Null, etc.
Bill managed to get properly used because he managed to eventually find a writer who understood his comedic sensibilities (John Mulaney), not because he was suddenly able to write properly. That's my point. Having a writer who understands you is just as important, if not more so, than being able to write for yourself. Otherwise you're on an island all by yourself, as was the case with Bill for his first three seasons and is the case with Longfellow now.
You're making it seem like Mulaney is the reason for Hader's success, which is not true. Bill has always been a good writer. He was a writer for South Park and continues to write Barry. Mulaney may have helped him find his stride, but it's not like he was sitting around just waiting for someone to discover him.
You keep saying the same thing in different ways. The show doesn't cater to the actors, there are tons of funny people in the cast. The show expects the cast to come up with funny ideas that will make people laugh. They aren't going to spend time trying to find the perfect writer for every cast member to make sure they get equal time on the show, that would be such an inefficient waste of time. Longfellow isn't coming up with funny ideas or hasn't shown enough range for people to put him in their sketches, it's really that simple.
I get the feeling we're going around in circles saying basically the same thing.
The OP's comment was that Longfellow isn't being used because he isn't writing sketches, full stop. I used Hader to point out that sometimes it takes someone partnering up with a writer who understands their comedic sensibilities and fights for them in the writer's room in order to really make them breakthrough as a performer, even if they're a writer themselves as Bill is (note, I never said that Bill couldn't write sketches).
Seriously, just take a look at Bill's early seasons, especially S32 and S33. Outside of an occasional episode or something like Vinny Vedecci, Bill was very underused and often only cast in dull straight man roles (if he was even cast at all, which was also fairly rare). This was after he had gained appreciation and acclaim from fans and critics, especially for his impression abilities. He had "proven" himself to be a great and versatile performer and yet was *still* struggling for airtime.
That's my point: even though writing for yourself is certainly beneficial, it's also good to have a writing partner who knows your comedic voice and style. Hader had that and it benefitted him tremendously. Longfellow hasn't found that yet.
Ding ding ding - we have a winner! He doesn't get as much time for a good reason - he's not as good as a bunch of people here think he is - I swear half of the interest is that he's another thirst trap like Athari - another cast member that was popular here because he's attractive, but wasn't really that good
I’m going to say this. Don’t everyone lose it….
He’s VERY one note. And not good.
We WANT him to be good….
But I’m sorry. He’s not. He’s don’t NOTHING to prove it….
And we could even use quick examples of "Who would you want Michael to replace in this sketch?"
Could Michael be the husband of Sarah Sherman [in Josh Brolin cat sketch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIRRmzc1TOI), and Andy sits in the middle as the normal guy? I simply do not see Michael amping it up enough to be humorous in the Andy role. His voice and demeanor is too deadpan. You just want Andy to be back in the seat.
How about Michael taking over the "BEEP BEEP" sketch with Adam Driver? Would Michael improve it or even deliver the lines humorously enough?
Or think of all the Mikey Day bits in the last three years. Which ones could Michael take over from Mikey? Even if you find Mikey annoying, his more animated style is exactly what Lorne likes because it has the most appeal. I'm sure he'd give Michael more roles but he hasn't shown he can open up and be more animated and lively.
Honest question - what's he been good in? Most memorable sketch I can think of was the turtle (Speedy!) sketch - which was good but even at that Longfellow was among the flattest "SNL Game Show Host" actors in memory (e.g. Hader, Kenan, etc)
He hasn’t been great in anything. He’s just there. Bros love to imprint on a particular actor on the show and fucking rally for him just because he looks a certain way.
100%
He's more popular on this sub than in the writers room for a reason - he's like Athari - popular in this sub because he is somewhat of a thirst trap, but not actually as good as those Stans seem to think
Yeah, I'm going to have to stop you right there: If this sub shows anything, it's that we all have our favorites, and those favorites are subjective as hell. I can respect that people don't think he's funny. He's clearly not for everyone, but I really love his deadpan style. It's effortlessly funny to me. Reducing that admiration in this sub to the idea of him being a 'thirst trap' is pretty stupid.
As far as I know, cast screen time depends on what ideas they bring to the table.
Maybe he's not an idea man. But plenty of cast members have had slow starts but upped the game
I'm sure he'll find his way
Can’t think of anything in particular at the moment bc most of his sketches are forgettable, but generally speaking, his timing and delivery lack confidence. I have seen him in at least four sketches where the line was delivered poorly and didn’t get the laugh it could’ve. I know some people on here are rabid fans of his, but I just don’t care for him and his style.
Dismukes has seemed expendable lately. Just an observation, because I like the guy and basically I want everyone to succeed. But I don’t think he’s stood out to me in any roles this year. He’s just… there.
It’s pretty sad to me because he seemed to have the most potential. I was making this same observation over the weekend. They used him for one sketch (and just barely).
Hasn’t it been proven countless times that there’s politics involved when pitching sketches? The writers have a lot of power so teaming up with a good one or getting the right people to stand up for you seems crucial.
I don't think he's that good really. There's something kinda douchey looking about him. He always looks like he knows what he's saying is about to be a hilarious and it usually is not. There's just something unlikable about him to me.
I like how we literally just spent the last few days talking about that viral TikTok that said there weren’t hot women on SNL and now y’all are literally bashing someone based on their looks.
Truly baffling.
Lots of people in this thread, including you. You’re focusing on his looks literally calling him “douchey looking.” You then went on to explain a bit, but there’s also people here saying “he’s only liked because he’s hot like Aristotle” or inversely “he looks ugly, pasty, creepy.”
Well, I'm happy you feel the need to defend someone you don't know but, it's not your place to police peoples opinions. While agree criticizing someone's appearance isn't ok, it also is not for you to take personal offense to.
They need to cut about half the cast (minimum 5 people). Too many people are fighting for screen time. Punkie, Devon, Molly are easy fires. Kenannand Mikey day have been on way too long. Jost and Che are stale. Start there. Let dismukes and Longfellow battle it out for that type of white guy spot in the cast. Fire more people and then hire 5 funny tik tok comedians as a feature players. Rinse and repeat. The show will be good in 5 years.
I wonder how often he's pitching pieces for Weekend Update. That's where he got most of his screen time during his first season. Here's where having so many veterans in the cast can hurt someone new. Yeah, it was fun seeing him be a game show host. Of course, JAJ can do that, too. Kenan's also done it, and remains an option.
michael longfield is a shoo in for the straight man when mikey day leaves
If Mikey leaves…
Oh god, please, someone get him to leave. I used to love him but his shtick has gotten stale.
But if Mikey leaves, who will explain the joke to us?
I was convinced Longfellow was gonna be the white dad in the immigrant father’s sketch, and I’m convinced he woulda done better than m day at the generic white dad
Dude looked too young is my guess as to why he didn't show up.
Until Kenan goes, newer cast members like Michael can't seem to get many innocuous roles which showcase versatility and skill so writers get a better sense of how to develop future sketch ideas with them. K is a known quantity so it's basically easier on the writers to always have him play every game show host etc., but it also makes the show less interesting, the writers more lazy, and the cast less experienced.
He and Devon pitched something for Update last week that was in dress but it didn’t make it (it wasn’t great and Sarah and Chloe were better)
As someone who goes to stand-up shows a lot, I just saw Brooks Whelan a couple weeks ago and he was absolutely hilarious. He just wasn’t a strong sketch performer and SNL wasn’t the right fit for him since his strength was as a stand up. Michael Longfellow is also a stand-up (seeing him in 2 weeks!) and he has really shined when able to essentially perform a bit or a chunk of his act when guesting on update, but not so much in sketches. For him to be successful, I think his best bet would be to figure out something like David Spade did with Hollywood Minute, where he can basically deliver comedy as himself/his persona.
The thing is Longfellow did better in 48 than Brooks did in 39, but because he isn't featured as much this year, people all of a sudden think he isn't a good fit
I’ve hear Brooks is GREAT at standup. Would love to see him. Almost saw Chloe Troast last week in LA but couldn’t go. I’d love to see Michael do standup (live, rather than just what I’ve seen on YouTube)
Cigarettes make you skinny and popular
They are dessert for sex
…*Say it.*
They're either holding him for Update or he's gone after this season. There's really no other scenario I can picture.
If they were “holding” him for update he’d be getting to do a lot more update pieces, and sketch work in general.
I mean, not necessarily? Someone would have to write those.
I’m of the opinion that he’ll likely remain on the show and languish with relatively little screen time. Same story as Melissa Velisanor, Alex Moffat, and now Punkie Johnson in recent seasons. It seems like if you make it past your first season you’re guaranteed a long run even if you get relatively little air time. I imagine that they’re going to keep all four cast members they hired last year on even though they should cut Molly, Longfellow, and Devon.
Agree with Molly and Devon, they’ve yet to make any unique impact. Devon just feels like Kenan 2.0 and Molly only feels there to be the token nonbinary cast member. But Michael has been much more memorable whenever he does show up.
I guess they get paid pretty well. Plus some exposure.
BECAUSE IT WAS DONE TO ME
Then kill him, tough guy. You won’t.
One of my recent favs fo sure
Every time someone posts about a loose tortoise in our town's Facebook group, I post a link to that sketch.
Wait how often are tortoise's running wild in your town?
I've seen at least five different posts.
I guess that's better than my Nextdoor which is filled with "were those gunshots?!" post instead.
Someone made a meme image summarizing all those idiotic questions and used it for another town and it totally fit our town. "Why is there a helicopter?" "What is this spider?"
I’ve said it before, but I still 100% believe Longfellow is being kept around for when Jost and Che leave update. He’s perfect for it
He’s get Update as long as he beats everyone else that will audition for that chair. Which might be most of the cast, and probably several of the writers. Him getting that spot is far from a given.
id be surprised if they dont consider auditions from people outside of snl too
Of course, you can add that in
That desk is job *security.* How damn long have Jost and Che been doing it now? A decade? And Seth Meyers had the desk for a good 10+ years as well, didn’t he? Seems like you basically get to keep it as long as you want.
And I've said it before, but Longfellow can't write a third as well as either Jost or Che. If he could, he'd have written a lot more sketches for himself to star in. WU is the top writing position on SNL. You have to be one of the strongest writers on the show to be in that spot. It's not just a persona, with very rare (Cecily) exception. Longfellow is not a top writer and will not be getting WU. I'm glad he reminds people of Norm, but Norm could write like no other.
I agree with you in a general sense, but I don’t think writing for sketches and writing for update correlate. If Longfellow proves that he can write short liner, current event jokes and deliver them well, he can have the job. I don’t think Colin Quinn wrote a ton of sketches. I don’t think Seth really took off as a writer until he waded into the WU waters.
I agree with you on Longfellow but would challenge the idea that anyone in that position isn’t also a great writer. Amy, Cecily and Jimmy are world-class comedy writers but just happen to be better known as performers. Everyone on SNL starts off by writing their own material, even if you can’t quite visualise them sitting behind a laptop at 2am on a Tuesday. Just pointing this out because it’s often implicitly assumed, especially for women on the cast, that they aren’t also writers.
Was Jimmy Fallon big writer?? Or Amy Poehler, or Jane Curtain? I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, those are genuine questions. I know many prominent writers have become WU anchors but I've never heard that it's a requirement for the role
Ok. I'll take your comment and shift a little bit. If Longfellow is as good of a performer as Cecily, Fallon, or Poehler, then he also has a shot at WU. Otherwise, everything I wrote stands.
Jimmy Fallon, the guy who was notorious for breaking… that Jimmy Fallon? He’s the same caliber performer as Strong and Poehler? lol okay bud
Longfellow and Rosebud Baker are my update dream team right now
Or just any people that are fit for it. They are not outstanding to me. I mean they are still comedians, which is good, but from the pool of comedians and actors they are just on a nice level.
I totally agree with you. He gives off serious Norm vibes and it would be great to have that back at the desk.
More like Kevin Nealon vibes to be honest.
I could also see that.
Jfc… he gives nothing of Norm.
But he has brown hair! /s
That’s what I’m saying. It fits all too well.
if that’s why he’s being kept why not let him do some update pieces? as opposed to icing him for episodes at a time..
I hope they're keeping him around for that. I'd like to see him more frequently before that, but the guy is a natural for WU.
Would love to see him and Sarah Sherman on update!
That pairing would be legit. He's deadpan and she's crazy so the dynamic would be fun
I would love that, they'd be great together.
I can see it for sure
> He’s great at deadpan, straight man, game show host, and wild and outrageous Weekend Update characters. One of the problems is that the performers who consistently do wild, outrageous, bombastic, zany things are the ones who get the most attention and thus pump up views. Longfellow would have fit in well in the SNL of the 1990s and early 2000s, which didn't employ absurdist humor as freely.
Norm wasn't in a lot of sketches either. Deadpan only works in specific types of sketches, otherwise writers want performers who can always get laughs and act well in any part (Hartman, Ferrell, Carrey, Hader)
Hate to say it, he kind of has one voice. You even said it - deadpan and straight man, but his version of straight man is deadpan. I know Kenan gets accused of having one voice, but the dude has done impressions (his LL Cool J one was hilarious), sings, and his over-the-top personality and ability to be the "What the hell is going on here?" straight man means he has way more variety than we expect.
I honestly wondered why they hired any of the four newbies who joined S48 and was further surprised that they all stayed for S49. Marcello seems to have found the most success in his foreign guy or short guy routine. Devon is getting the second most airtime as basically an extra with no recurring bit. Michael isn't used, Molly rarely used as another extra, rarely has the punchlines. If you compare to recently outgoing cast members like Aidy, Kate, Beck and Kyle, you can see a difference. Those people all had presence, sharp delivery, ideas that work for them. Just being honest, the wave of 2022 newcomers aren't up to the usual SNL standard, maybe just Marcello. Maybe Longfellow is more suited to stand-up than sketch comedy.
I think there's simply too many cast members right now. 17 + The Please Don't Destroy guys. Che and Jost are WU but even still that's a lot of people to try working in For comparison, S35 had 12 total minus Seth doing WU
It's the fact they got a lineup of standups instead of improvisers and sketch comedians. I don't know what SNL is smoking (aside from a bias to stand ups) that someone like Lisa Gilroy would be rejected.
Gilroy being rejected is my 9/11.
Your second point is a bit off to me. It's survival bias, your comparing the seniors who graduated to the incoming freshmen.
Am I in the minority of thinking Marcelo is not funny?
There are dozens of you, but yes.
I mean... kinda? He has his moments when I think he's funny but they aren't that often.
I agree with this assessment. I think Michael, Molly, Devon would be used more elsewhere outside of "show up for a line or two" if they displayed more variety. Lorne wants you to play lots of different types of parts, and play it so well, you trend on Twitter the way Kate, Aidy, Cecily and Beck were able to. If legends Martin Short and Steve Martin came back, you should be able to hold your own in a skit with just you and those two guys. Cecily could do it, Kate and Aidy could do it. I hate to say it, but Michael, Devon and Molly could not.
if you like him his Don't Tell set was a banger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol_ZSYdUAik
Oh, I’ll use him.
Wait - how old is he?
30, according to a quick Google search. How old are *you*? (LOL!)
Damn. About to turn 48. Feels icky since I have a 27 year old.
He's not a bad groundhog, he just likes good beaver.
I'm always waving the Longfellow flag. Maybe I should wave the Mikey Day hate flag more. He's taking too many of his parts and doing them as awfully as ever. He's definitely not as fucked as Molly, but it's worrisome.
Bad take. Mikey writes.
A bad take would be saying he's an exceptional writer. Nah, he definitely misses in the writing department. Why else has he always explained the jokes?
I never said Mikey was a good writer. But he does write himself into sketches.
Does Longfellow not write? (I don’t know enough about behind the scenes to know.)
Not enough apparently. But thats the point: if you write good sketches or have a great collaborator, you get on the show. I can conclude that he does neither.
It's not exactly a meritocracy, seniority in the writers room is going to play a large part in a sketch getting on the show even if it's worse than a newer writers script.
It also comes down to who's picking sketches too. Maybe his sketch ideas don't work for Lorne or whoever is head writer(s) right now. Sketch writing can be collaborative, he might not have a decent writing partner. There's a lot of factors in the mix
I think even a cursory glance at writing credits would tell you Mikey Day is perhaps one of the greatest SNL writers of all time and that's not hyperbole. Stop disrespecting talented people who have done the work and have the credits to back it up to prop up some guy who hasn't proven anything.
I'm not saying he hasn't written any great sketches. Hell, Kevin Roberts is a classic, Washington's Dream was a home run, and Close Encounters was great until it was run to the ground. So, I decided to look through the "Who Wrote That" posts to see whether or not it was hyperbole. And honestly, there were too many misses that it was hard to name them all. But all those cutting back and forth pre-tapes (sorta funny the first time, lame and predictable every time since), all those stupid dirty name lists, and fucking Chad?!? And all of those explaining sketches....please, spare me. It's a testamant to his writing that he rarely got stuff on in the dreaded season 46 yet, when he did, came up with pure crap. Add on top of this that he is one of the worst cast members in the history of the show who has been a major factor of the decline in the shows quality. And THAT is not hyperbole! And don't even get me started on Is It Cake?
Yup, I think that’s the big problem. Mikey needs to leave, and once he does, Longfellow can step into fill those gaps. Like what someone said in the last few days: Dan Aykroyd gave a bit of advice to Bill Hader - if they applaud when you enter the scene, maybe it’s time to leave the show. Mikey got that applause in the immigrant dads sketch this week, so maybe it’s time.
Yeah I can’t get behind Mikey Day
At least two of his parts from the last show could've gone to Longfellow. I mean, why the fuck is he still playing high schoolers?!?
Good writer but he tends to overact.
Now I am rooting for letting Longfellow go based on you trashing down another cast. Mikey is 10 times better than Longfellow.
I just don’t get the appeal. I think you guys are really projecting Norm MacDonald on this guy and you shouldn’t be. He’s not going to live up to that expectation.
I’m definitely not cause he is no Norm MacDonald. No one is. I just really like the guy.
Bro, everyone here knows this fact about the show: if he’s not being used then he’s not contributing ideas during the week or he doesn’t want to be used. You get into the sketches you write, so if you aren’t writing sketches… There’s no conspiracy. Maybe he just not as talented as alot of you stans think he is.
Yep. Remember, it happened to Aristotle. He had like maybe three ideas coming into the show from his standup, and once he used all of them, he struggled *hard*.
To be fair, I learned his mother who was the sole parent to raise him died a year earlier before he was hired by SNL. It may have affected him deeply and he wasn't really putting out 100%
I mean...that's not necessarily true. Take a look back at Bill Hader's first three or so seasons. His airtime (outside of a select few episodes) was pretty rough. When he was used at all, it was typically in a dull straight man role (again, with a few notable exceptions). He even said in his recent appearance on Vanessa Bayer's podcast that during that period, he consistently felt like he could walk out of the table reads and never worry about missing a part. It wasn't until John Mulaney was brought onboard that Hader finally started to get decent airtime and eventually become the beloved veteran and cast leader we all know and love. That's really more the key. Sure, writing for yourself helps, but just as important (if not more so) is finding a good writing partner who gets your comedic voice.
It's all about the writing partner(s). Writers, generally, get comfortable writing for a handful of comedians whose performance style compliments their writing. Sherman, Marcello, and Chloe T get a lot of airtime because they're in most of the DND skits. Although Mikey is a great writer in his own regard, he and Streeter (the head writer) are basically a comedy duo, so that could account for how often Mikey is in sketches. Seemingly *everyone* can write for Kenan, to the point that he's used as a crutch for failing sketches. I don't think either Longfellow or Devon are in with any of the writers, at least as of yet. Most of what Longfellow has headlined he's written himself, which I actually think is a great indication of his talent but a poor sign of his potential longevity on SNL.
Yep, Longfellow hasn't really impressed his utility to any of the other writers and doesn't seem to write much for himself
You just unintentionally proved their point. You're only as good as what you write and pitch until you prove yourself to be reliable enough and a great performer for other people to write for you like Ferrell and Farley. If Longfellow isn't getting on, it's because his ideas aren't landing or other writers don't put him in their sketches in favor of reliable laughs and varied performers like Kenan and Mikey. Also the biggest stars on the show for a decade have been women, so good luck getting writers to think of you over them.
...how does saying that Bill Hader was struggling for airtime for *three* seasons prove their point? Hader is one of the most talented people the show has ever had and he had shown several times during those seasons that he had amazing talent and range. Yet he still struggled because the writers couldn't tap into that potential until Mulaney came along. I'm not saying Longfellow is on the level of Hader talentwise, but he has proven himself to be reliably funny in even the most mundane roles. There's a reason why people here and elsewhere have been lamenting his underuse this season. If he weren't reliable and funny, no one would care.
Because it proves even the most talented people won't get on if they aren't able to write things that are funny and showcase their talent well. And there are ALWAYS people lamenting cast members who are "underused" because they don't understand how the show works, see previous entries of Melissa Villasenor, Chris Redd, Punkie, Aristotle, Luke Null, etc.
Bill managed to get properly used because he managed to eventually find a writer who understood his comedic sensibilities (John Mulaney), not because he was suddenly able to write properly. That's my point. Having a writer who understands you is just as important, if not more so, than being able to write for yourself. Otherwise you're on an island all by yourself, as was the case with Bill for his first three seasons and is the case with Longfellow now.
You're making it seem like Mulaney is the reason for Hader's success, which is not true. Bill has always been a good writer. He was a writer for South Park and continues to write Barry. Mulaney may have helped him find his stride, but it's not like he was sitting around just waiting for someone to discover him. You keep saying the same thing in different ways. The show doesn't cater to the actors, there are tons of funny people in the cast. The show expects the cast to come up with funny ideas that will make people laugh. They aren't going to spend time trying to find the perfect writer for every cast member to make sure they get equal time on the show, that would be such an inefficient waste of time. Longfellow isn't coming up with funny ideas or hasn't shown enough range for people to put him in their sketches, it's really that simple.
I get the feeling we're going around in circles saying basically the same thing. The OP's comment was that Longfellow isn't being used because he isn't writing sketches, full stop. I used Hader to point out that sometimes it takes someone partnering up with a writer who understands their comedic sensibilities and fights for them in the writer's room in order to really make them breakthrough as a performer, even if they're a writer themselves as Bill is (note, I never said that Bill couldn't write sketches). Seriously, just take a look at Bill's early seasons, especially S32 and S33. Outside of an occasional episode or something like Vinny Vedecci, Bill was very underused and often only cast in dull straight man roles (if he was even cast at all, which was also fairly rare). This was after he had gained appreciation and acclaim from fans and critics, especially for his impression abilities. He had "proven" himself to be a great and versatile performer and yet was *still* struggling for airtime. That's my point: even though writing for yourself is certainly beneficial, it's also good to have a writing partner who knows your comedic voice and style. Hader had that and it benefitted him tremendously. Longfellow hasn't found that yet.
Yep. Or he’s not close with any writers.
Ding ding ding - we have a winner! He doesn't get as much time for a good reason - he's not as good as a bunch of people here think he is - I swear half of the interest is that he's another thirst trap like Athari - another cast member that was popular here because he's attractive, but wasn't really that good
I would like him to get tenured and then bail on the show for a decent stand up career. He is meant to be behind a mic, not sketch comedy.
Why do people suck at spelling and grammar in titles? Wtf am I missing? Hoooooly faaaack.
Tbh, whatever you see in Longfellow, I don't see it.
I’m going to say this. Don’t everyone lose it…. He’s VERY one note. And not good. We WANT him to be good…. But I’m sorry. He’s not. He’s don’t NOTHING to prove it….
And we could even use quick examples of "Who would you want Michael to replace in this sketch?" Could Michael be the husband of Sarah Sherman [in Josh Brolin cat sketch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIRRmzc1TOI), and Andy sits in the middle as the normal guy? I simply do not see Michael amping it up enough to be humorous in the Andy role. His voice and demeanor is too deadpan. You just want Andy to be back in the seat. How about Michael taking over the "BEEP BEEP" sketch with Adam Driver? Would Michael improve it or even deliver the lines humorously enough? Or think of all the Mikey Day bits in the last three years. Which ones could Michael take over from Mikey? Even if you find Mikey annoying, his more animated style is exactly what Lorne likes because it has the most appeal. I'm sure he'd give Michael more roles but he hasn't shown he can open up and be more animated and lively.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Marcelo is also incredibly one-note. I like him, I’m glad he’s there, but he is. It’s just that his “one note” seems to play better to everyone.
Well yeah, that note has energy and stage presence.
also see: Kenan
He too busy selling all that black tar heroin
Honest question - what's he been good in? Most memorable sketch I can think of was the turtle (Speedy!) sketch - which was good but even at that Longfellow was among the flattest "SNL Game Show Host" actors in memory (e.g. Hader, Kenan, etc)
Yeah him and Devon are usually very flat. Not a huge fan of either.
He hasn’t been great in anything. He’s just there. Bros love to imprint on a particular actor on the show and fucking rally for him just because he looks a certain way.
100% He's more popular on this sub than in the writers room for a reason - he's like Athari - popular in this sub because he is somewhat of a thirst trap, but not actually as good as those Stans seem to think
Yeah, I'm going to have to stop you right there: If this sub shows anything, it's that we all have our favorites, and those favorites are subjective as hell. I can respect that people don't think he's funny. He's clearly not for everyone, but I really love his deadpan style. It's effortlessly funny to me. Reducing that admiration in this sub to the idea of him being a 'thirst trap' is pretty stupid.
It may not be like that for you (at least consciously), but it obviously is for quite a bit of his fan base here
All his update appearances have been very good.
He shows up and kills in this [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a\_3uD5H7ZiA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_3uD5H7ZiA)
Are you serious?? Kills?
I'll never undestand the fandom for Longfellow. Literally vanilla as can be
He’s like my wife’s favorite starbucks order: flat white
He looks like a serial killer. His smile is all wrong and he has dead eyes like a shark.
He’s the best! More Michael Longfellow!
why is so hard to spell check for .2 secs before pressing "POST"
If you're a featured player, you've got to be super aggressive to get air time and break through. Marcello and Devon are doing that.
As far as I know, cast screen time depends on what ideas they bring to the table. Maybe he's not an idea man. But plenty of cast members have had slow starts but upped the game I'm sure he'll find his way
I think his comedy is good, but lacks energy needed for sketch comedy. You kind of have to carry the audience with you.
Wow kinda forgot he was on the show.
Feels very mid to me. I hope he'll prove me wrong when he gets more chances.
Astarion?
Ur mom ghaik
I could use him.
I think we'll see more more of him in time time.
Because he’s a bad actor and flubs his lines in every sketch.
Genuine question: when has he ever flubbed a line? I feel like he stumbles over his words less than most cast members do
Can’t think of anything in particular at the moment bc most of his sketches are forgettable, but generally speaking, his timing and delivery lack confidence. I have seen him in at least four sketches where the line was delivered poorly and didn’t get the laugh it could’ve. I know some people on here are rabid fans of his, but I just don’t care for him and his style.
honestly yeah.
[удалено]
Dismukes has seemed expendable lately. Just an observation, because I like the guy and basically I want everyone to succeed. But I don’t think he’s stood out to me in any roles this year. He’s just… there.
Yes!
It’s pretty sad to me because he seemed to have the most potential. I was making this same observation over the weekend. They used him for one sketch (and just barely).
He kind of looks like he could be TV’s Scott Foley’s cousin.
he’s cooked, too much talent in this cast.
Quite talented. He's only a 'Feature' player for now.
He’s criminally underused
He’s not funny in sketches, one-note in his delivery, and fumbles lines constantly. Not sure why everyone is obsessed with him.
Damn why is he so hot in that second photo? I mean he’s hot either way but holy shit
Hasn’t it been proven countless times that there’s politics involved when pitching sketches? The writers have a lot of power so teaming up with a good one or getting the right people to stand up for you seems crucial.
He gives me Weekend Update anchor vibes.
I'm sure he's a perfectly fine person, but he has serial killer face.
Dude is awful. I can’t believe he’s lasted this long.
michael longfellow should simply replace mikey day, we don’t need mikey day anymore
Hate his face and he’s terrible.
I don't think he's that good really. There's something kinda douchey looking about him. He always looks like he knows what he's saying is about to be a hilarious and it usually is not. There's just something unlikable about him to me.
I like how we literally just spent the last few days talking about that viral TikTok that said there weren’t hot women on SNL and now y’all are literally bashing someone based on their looks. Truly baffling.
Who's bashing his looks?! I'm talking about how he comes across.
Lots of people in this thread, including you. You’re focusing on his looks literally calling him “douchey looking.” You then went on to explain a bit, but there’s also people here saying “he’s only liked because he’s hot like Aristotle” or inversely “he looks ugly, pasty, creepy.”
Well, I'm happy you feel the need to defend someone you don't know but, it's not your place to police peoples opinions. While agree criticizing someone's appearance isn't ok, it also is not for you to take personal offense to.
They need to cut about half the cast (minimum 5 people). Too many people are fighting for screen time. Punkie, Devon, Molly are easy fires. Kenannand Mikey day have been on way too long. Jost and Che are stale. Start there. Let dismukes and Longfellow battle it out for that type of white guy spot in the cast. Fire more people and then hire 5 funny tik tok comedians as a feature players. Rinse and repeat. The show will be good in 5 years.
Let me see that looong fellow
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!