Posted on 08/01/2025 4:22:00 AM PDT by dennisw
Saturday Night Live could be axed by NBC when its elderly creator and producer Lorne Michaels finally steps down from the money-losing show, an expert predicted.
Robert Thompson, who founded the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, shared the gloomy forecast after Stephen Colbert's talk show was canceled by CBS.
He thinks NBC may be moved to axe legendary sketch comedy show SNL and Michaels' other shows for the network - The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers - when the 80-year-old mogul decides to retire. Speaking days after CNBC revealed SNL, Fallon and Meyers lose a combined $100 million a year, Thompson said, '(Lorne Michaels) cant keep doing that forever.
'If he decides to retire, or cant do those shows anymore, NBC would be [in] an interesting position.' He continued, adding the network would have the 'opportunity to get out of late night in one fell swoop instead of overhauling every program.
'It would be the easiest time to say, we had a good run.' Thompson told the Daily Mail part of the reason the shows are 'vulnerable' is the challenge that NBC faces in replacing Michaels, a visionary who first created SNL in 1975.
SNL remains a cultural zenith that attracts the most elite of A-list celebrities to guest host and perform musical acts. It's also been a launch pad for some of the greatest names in comedy
It costs $4 million an episode to produce, or around $100 million a year annually.
But even those numbers are not enough to help SNL or its stablemates Fallon and Meyers cover their costs with traditional advertising, CNBC reported, which has declined across the board as viewers shun linear TV for streamers.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Don’t forget Norm...
Built their own coffin. Too bad. Many like me never missed a show for the first 30 years. When they made a hard left turn, I never looked back.
There were some really great comedians after the original cast: Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Billy Crystal, Phil Hartmann, Bill Murray, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Chris Farley, Fred Armisen, Darrell Hammond, Bill Hader, Kenan Thompson, Will Ferrell and Norm MacDonald were standouts. I'm not fond of Tinal Fey, but she is multi-talented and has had a continuing career after she left. I did like Ana Gasteyer, Nora Dunn and Cheri Oteri. Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Seinfeld fame also got her start on SNL.
“SNL remains a cultural zenith that attracts the most elite of A-list celebrities to guest host and perform musical acts.”
BULLCRAP
Bingo. So much they didn’t even need to write. Gold Jerry, Gold!
Much better. As was reruns of Monty Python.
Hooks died. Poor Victoria isn’t doing well but alive living in Nashville area.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.