Live from New York… ‘Saturday Night Live’ turns 50: How the variety show has impacted TV

nypost.com:

Season 50 is about to premiere (on Saturday, Sept. 28 on NBC), does the show still have the juice – and what is its legacy?Nicole, 28, a New York City resident, told The Post that the show “has always been a staple” in her life “when humor was needed.”“The references are endless, like I will always say ‘I need more cowbell‘ if I want the music louder, or that I live in ‘a van down by the river’ when someone asks me where I live,” she said, referring to the iconic sketches featuring Will Ferrell, Christoper Walken and Chris Farley.“Moments like that, where everyone knows what you are talking about are golden,” she added. “Humor can be universal, and in many ways, ‘SNL’ is universal, almost immortal.” Elizabeth, a fan from Texas, told The Post that the show is, “a New York institution.

I look forward to hearing about it and watching the skits.”But, not everyone agreed. Brooklyn resident Michael, 52, told The Post that he thinks “SNL” has grown stale. “Let’s say Donald Trump’s running.

Every week, it’s stupid already. Every single week, Alec Baldwin. It’s too much. I’m like, ‘Again?’ Opening up with Alec Baldwin.” While New York native Olivia, 25, quipped: “New Yorkers miss the old ‘Saturday Night Live.’”Bob Thompson, who is the founding director of Syracuse University’s Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture and a Trustee Professor of Television and Popular Culture, told The Post that the first season of the show “really was extraordinary.”In the current TV landscape, however, the sketches blend into all the comedy that’s available “all over the place” on streaming, cable, YouTube and TikTok.