That Show Hasn't Been Funny In Years: an SNL podcast on Radio Misfits

It’s an election year, so Nick revisits some of the most iconic political impressions in “Saturday Night Live” history. In Part 1 of this series, Nick focused on impressions performed by guest stars and hosts rather than regular cast members. In Part 2, cast members are showcased, and you’ll hear the background stories about the impressions, who wrote the bits and sketches,...

In this episode, Nick looks back at the night that consumer advocate, author, attorney, and future presidential candidate Ralph Nader hosted “Saturday Night Live.” It was a notable show, not just for Nader’s appearance, but because it was a night of many firsts. It marked the debut of cast member Bill Murray, who made an incredible impression right from the start with fresh chara...

In this episode, Nick reviews the performance of “The Summer Jobs” tour of stand-up comedy that he recently attended in Chicago. The hilarious show was performed by “Saturday Night Live” cast members James Austin Johnson, Devon Walker, and Andrew Dismukes. Nick not only reviews the comedy show but also provides a bio of each performer, sharing their comedy background and pl...

Dave Attell is one of the best and most influential stand-up comedians of the past three decades. His uproarious nightclub shows, brilliant TV specials, guest appearances on talk shows, regular spots on “The Daily Show,” and his groundbreaking and hilarious show “Insomniac with Dave Attell,” have cemented his reputation as a comedy legend, especially in New York. However, h...

On November 22nd, 1980, actor Malcolm McDowell hosted “Saturday Night Live,” and to put it kindly, it was a disaster. The episode started with a lousy Cold Open, followed by an uninspired monologue (which you will hear), a brutal bit involving an S&M “Leather Weather” report, many sight gags that bombed HARD, and a sketch featuring McDowell and Gilbert Gottfried in drag...

Nick takes a hilarious look back at one of the funniest (and dumbest) sketches in SNL history: “Colonel Angus.” Written by Tina Fey and featuring the weird and hilarious Christopher Walken as the Colonel, this crude, one-joke piece revolves around making as many sexual references as possible connected to the main character’s name, filled with nudge-nudge gags for about five minut...

“Monty Python’s Flying Circus” was a major influence on the early days of “Saturday Night Live.” As Monty Python gained huge popularity in America, SNL was also making its mark. In this episode, Nick looks back at the time Michael Palin and John Cleese appeared on SNL in 1997—and absolutely bombed. They not only bombed, but they did so while performing one of Python&#...

Season 49 of “Saturday Night Live” has wrapped, and in this episode, Nick takes a comprehensive look back at the entire season. He reviews all 20 episodes, sharing dates, details, behind-the-scenes stories, and more. Nick ranks the episodes from best to worst, discussing the standout hosts and musical guests, both good and bad. He also highlights the top five funniest sketches of the y...

Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the most acclaimed writer/directors in the history of film, with such credits as: “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” “Punch-Drunk Love,” There Will Be Blood,” “Licorice Pizza,” and more. In this episode, Nick looks back at P.T.A.’s connection to “Saturday Night Live,” including talking about his early...

On Saturday, December 11, 1982, actor Nick Nolte was supposed to be the host of “Saturday night Live,” but (for unexplained, and possibly booze related reasons) he was a no-show. Instead, for the first – and only – time, a current cast member stepped in as host, and it was: Eddie Murphy. In this episode of “THAT SHOW…”, Nick looks back at that infamous SNL...

Nick looks back at some of the most memorable characters in “Saturday Night Live” history that never took really off and became as legendary as they should have. The outrageous ESPN commentators Pete Twinkle and Greg Stink (played by Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte) are featured here, along with Lilith-Fair standup comedian/singer Cinder Calhoun (portrayed by the great Ana Gasteyer), nov...

Breaking character and laughing during a sketch on “Saturday Night Live” used to be frowned upon back in the day, but over the years, performers cracking up and losing it on stage, has become a thing that audiences love, and that Lorne Michaels more than tolerates. In this episode, Nick plays back some classic examples of “breaking” during sketches, and gives you the backgr...

Nick looks back, analyzes, tells some secret stories, and plays back a good portion of one of the most notorious episodes in the history of “Saturday Night Live.” It’s the night that “Mr. Television Himself” (as he insisted on being introduced that evening) Milton Berle hosted the show, and the results were altogether insane. While SNL, at that point, was firing on al...

In this brand-new episode, Nick is joined by comedian, writer, and actor Jon Rudnitsky, who was not only a cast member for one season of “Saturday Night Live,” but he was also the very first guest on this podcast!! Nick and Jon catch up, chat about the best SNL bits ever, and talk about what Jon has been up to for the past two years (including stand-up tours, television, and movies), a...

Kristen Wiig is widely considered to be one of the best cast members in the history of “Saturday Night Live,” and her contributions to the show are legendary. She was a cast member for seven terrific seasons, came back for eight uproarious cameos, and now, she has hosted SNL five times,  officially making her a member of “The 5-Timers’ Club.” In this episode, Nick loo...

Game show parodies/satires have been a huge part of “Saturday Night Live” since the very beginning back in 1975. In fact, it seems that there is a game show sketch in almost every episode of the show (and it’s usually the first one of the night), because it’s a winning formula that’s rich with possibility, they are easy to cast, and they almost write themselves. In th...

A very important part of every episode of “Saturday Night Live” is the opening monologue performed by the host. It establishes the tone, introduces the audience to the star, and hopefully entices viewers enough to continue watching for at least a few more minutes. In this episode of “That Show…,” Nick looks back at four of the most memorable monologues from past SNL e...

We all know that “Saturday Night Live” has had some pretty incredible and funny surprise celebrity cameos over the years. Since the very beginning, SNL has had a wonderful habit of bringing out celebrities to have some fun, and shock audiences at home and in the studio by simply popping on stage. In this episode, Nick looks back at some of the more recent surprise cameos that delighted...

In this episode, Nick focuses on the great musical talent and knowledge of former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Fred Armisen. Before Armisen entered the world of comedy, and became a cast member on SNL, he was a musician in many bands, including the legendary Chicago punk band Trenchmouth. His connection to the world of punk rock snuck into this work on SNL a bunch of times, and in...

It’s always a gamble when a professional athlete hosts “Saturday Night Live,” simply because many of these jocks are just not cut out to perform comedy, or even be on a stage. Sometimes the gamble pays off, oftentimes, it does not. In this episode, Nick looks back at 5 SNL episodes that were hosted by jocks, and analyzes what worked and what didn’t, what was funny and what...

Sometimes sketches bomb so badly that they never make it to air. In this episode of “That Show…”, we look back at a supremely weird sketch called: “A Song For Daddy,” that is widely considered to be one of the biggest trainwrecks in the history of SNL. The components were all there: a completely absurd premise; an inexperienced, unfunny host who was a total pain in th...

Nick welcomes his special guest Steve Cochran to the podcast. Steve is a legendary broadcaster, stand-up comedian, writer, actor and host of the outstanding WLS-AM morning drive show “The Steve Cochran Show.” Nick and Steve worked together for years, and they talk a bit about that, the comedy work they’ve done, and their shared love of all things SNL. They talk about Steve’...

Nick focuses on one of the best, and most underappreciated cast members in “Saturday Night Live” history: Bobby Moynihan. This remarkably talented comedic actor spent 9 seasons of SNL, creating some of the funniest characters and hilarious moments to ever happen on the stages at Studio 8H. Nick will play back some of the most memorable stuff, including visits from the Food Network&#821...

Nick looks back at the only time that Ron Howard hosted “Saturday Night Live,” it was on October 9, 1982, and it featured some purposely edgy material, including Ron’s monologue in which he downs a beer on stage, and a controversial sketch called “Opie’s Back!” In the sketch, Howard returns to his classic role of Opie Taylor, only this time Opie is a tough cop w...

Nick welcomes Esmeralda Leon to the podcast, who is his buddy and the co-host of the final segment of every episode of “The Nick D Podcast.” Esma has worked in the radio and broadcast business for years as a host, news anchor, traffic reporter, voiceover artist, contributor to comedy shows, and more. She has been a fan “Saturday Night Live” for years, and in this episode, s...