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Tina Fey could take over ‘Saturday Night Live’ for Lorne Michaels: source

Interesting topic. They have a lot of qualified former cast members. I'd like to see Mike Myers, but perhaps he's too old.
 
Interesting topic indeed. Would a star who left the cast years ago for better things be open to coming back and putting on a weekly live show? I dunno. Maybe a producer credit, but the day to day grind?

That would be a little (and a very little) like saying to Jordan Peele "hey, this movie thing is going great for you, but would you be open to coming back to sketch comedy?" If I was gonna point to someone to keep SNL going post-Lorne, I'd be more inclined to nominate Keenan Thompson.
 
Seth Meyers might also be an interesting choice because, like Fey, he's been a head writer on the show and also hosted Weekend Update and also knows most every aspect of the business side of things from his time at Late Night - but like several other former cast that were mentioned in the article, returning to SNL would also mean walking away from his own show, so he'd need to have incentive(s) to do so.

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. SNL is Lorne's brainchild and during the few years when he left, the show tanked before he came back and assumed the reins again. Also, while SNL has obviously done something right as it's been around for nearly 50 years, at the same time, aside from election season and a few viral sketches here and there, it's not been terribly memorable for a while. Though MAD TV and In Living Color haven't been with us in years, many agree the sketches on those shows overall were sometimes better, more creative and genuinely funnier than SNL.
 
SNL arguably "is" Lorne Michaels. He's been the caretaker of the show. The first few seasons were Comedy Gold with the likes of Dan Aykroyd, Belushi, Chevy Chase, and the rest. It's had ups and downs in the decades since. Comedy is hard. If Michaels steps down, the show should be ended. It's his legacy...
 
AbrahamJSimpson said:
Legacies go on. Shows live on.
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True, but all shows end. Gunsmoke ran for 20 seasons. Back then 30 episodes per season were common. That's a lot of shows to write, produce, and direct.

My point is that SNL has probably gone on too long. Michaels may want to close it out...
 
Here's where we do inside baseball.

Saturday Night Live is produced by Lorne's production company: Broadway Video.

Broadway Video was a co-producer of 30 Rock in conjunction with Tina's Little Stranger Inc. So they're already business partners.

The question going forward would be if Broadway Video retains some production rights to SNL. If they do a similar co-prod deal with SNL, Lorne could potentially remain in an emeritus position. Perhaps continue that for a year or two for transition.

This show was designed as an omnibus show, similar to Today and Tonight. There is no consistent host, no permanent cast. So in that way, it's very different from traditional series programming.
 
tbolt909 said:
True, but all shows end. Gunsmoke ran for 20 seasons. Back then 30 episodes per season were common. That's a lot of shows to write, produce, and direct.

My point is that SNL has probably gone on too long. Michaels may want to close it out...
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It has gone on too long when it’s a loser for NBC’s bottom line. I can’t think of anyone I’ve known in my life who wanted their work to end when they say farewell. That’s somewhat the opposite of a legacy.

The show—hell, broadcast TV in general—doesn’t have five more decades give or take. But there’s no reason the EP enjoying retirement means the entire rest of the crew should be tossed out if the show continues to be profitable for the network.
 
AbrahamJSimpson said:
But there’s no reason the EP enjoying retirement means the entire rest of the crew should be tossed out if the show continues to be profitable for the network.
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That's a good point. The people who work on that show work for the show. Some union engineers may be NBC employees. But a lot of the staff work for Lorne and his company. If the show goes away, so do their jobs. In fact if the show goes away and is replaced with movies or other filmed content, then the studio loses a client, and that staff gets laid off.
 
TheBigA said:
That's a good point. The people who work on that show work for the show. Some union engineers may be NBC employees. But a lot of the staff work for Lorne and his company. If the show goes away, so do their jobs. In fact if the show goes away and is replaced with movies or other filmed content, then the studio loses a client, and that staff gets laid off.
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That's always been part of Show Biz. Gigs come and go.
SNL has provided job security for many people I'm sure.
I never suggested Michaels is a heartless ogre who wants to eliminate someone's job. If NBC is satisfied with the show that's being delivered and Michaels wants to hand over the reigns to someone else, so be it...
 
tbolt909 said:
My point is that SNL has probably gone on too long. Michaels may want to close it out...
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In a sense, that is like saying that "60 Minutes" has gone on too long and, because it is old, it should be put to sleep.

If it is profitable for the network and the producers, it can go on as long as they both want. There are lots of jobs, people and careers involved, not just the producer.
 
Theater of My Mind said:
Look past the time slot. SNL has been a major talent incubator for NBCUniversal. So many cast members have gone on to star in major series, films and production roles that remain in NBCUniversal's orbit. They're probably not going to get rid of the farm team.
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When it’s a drain on the P&L, of course they would, and should. They clearly aren’t there, and more power to ‘em.
 
Theater of My Mind said:
Look past the time slot. SNL has been a major talent incubator for NBCUniversal. So many cast members have gone on to star in major series, films and production roles that remain in NBCUniversal's orbit. They're probably not going to get rid of the farm team.
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Interesting point - and one I hadn't really thought of before reading your post. NBC's current late night hosts, Fallon and Meyers, both came from SNL; 30 Rock was born from there; Conan O'Brien is a former SNL writer and the list goes on...
 
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