In which Lorne Michaels fails to get it.
Sep. 12th, 2014 06:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yendiThe headline was great news. Comedian Michael Che will be added as a new anchor for Weekend Update. Che was wonderful on The Daily Show, and given how utterly awful Colin Jost was, replacing him (and with the first ever person of color behind the desk) is a great move.
But no.
Che is replacing Cecily Strong. Who was fucking wonderful.
Pull quote from the article:
"Mr. Michaels said that Mr. Che, who has had a career as a stand-up comedian in New York, formed a close relationship last year in the writers’ room with Mr. Jost, one of the show’s two head writers." So after a year in which the show was hamstrung by the brotastic idiocy of making the cast even more male than ever, they're going with two men behind the desk. And basically kowtowing to Jost because he's the head writer, even though he's been awkward and awful at telling jokes in front of the camera.
The argument about Strong wanting to be in more skits sounds great until you remember that she was in as many skits as any of the female cast members last season (more than most) while doing hosting duties. This is all about Jost, folks. Yes, he's a talented writer, but that's not a reason to make this decision.
Look. There are only a handful of really strong performers at the show right now, and the majority of them are women (only Bobby Moynahan and Jay Pharaoh stand out amongst the males, while the women, now that Noël Wells is gone, are as strong a group as they've ever had).
On the plus side, we might see the return of The Girl You Wish You Had Never Started a Conversation With. As silver linings go, it's a small one, but I'll take what I can get.
But no.
Che is replacing Cecily Strong. Who was fucking wonderful.
Pull quote from the article:
"Mr. Michaels said that Mr. Che, who has had a career as a stand-up comedian in New York, formed a close relationship last year in the writers’ room with Mr. Jost, one of the show’s two head writers." So after a year in which the show was hamstrung by the brotastic idiocy of making the cast even more male than ever, they're going with two men behind the desk. And basically kowtowing to Jost because he's the head writer, even though he's been awkward and awful at telling jokes in front of the camera.
The argument about Strong wanting to be in more skits sounds great until you remember that she was in as many skits as any of the female cast members last season (more than most) while doing hosting duties. This is all about Jost, folks. Yes, he's a talented writer, but that's not a reason to make this decision.
Look. There are only a handful of really strong performers at the show right now, and the majority of them are women (only Bobby Moynahan and Jay Pharaoh stand out amongst the males, while the women, now that Noël Wells is gone, are as strong a group as they've ever had).
On the plus side, we might see the return of The Girl You Wish You Had Never Started a Conversation With. As silver linings go, it's a small one, but I'll take what I can get.