Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/super-cool-ad-inserter/inc/scaip-shortcode-inserter.php on line 37
It seems an impossible task to document 40 years of an ever-evolving show like Saturday Night Live, but Bao Nguyen gives it a go with his new documentary. It’s a chronological history recounted through clips and contemporary interviews with cast and crew members, hosts and various observers. Nguyen manages a nice mix, from amusing backstage anecdotes to sharper critiques around the show’s diversity failings. As someone who hasn’t watched SNL regularly since the original-cast years (when it was a rare slice of weird on TV), I actually appreciated the condensed nature of the information: It effectively showed how the show has adapted over the decades, pivoting from the early, more free-form days through pop-culture riffs and an increasingly role in political satire aimed at the viral-video generation.
This article appears in Jun 10-16, 2015.
