'Wasn't That Special' Season 21 Clips Package
As always, for those who have signed up for the podcast at the Executive Producer level, we send out notable video and newspaper clips that aided us in preparing for the episode. Below are some of the Saturday Night Live sketches and media clips we reference throughout the episode, to enhance the listening process.
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Here are some of the materials we discuss throughout the Season Twenty One episode:
Wake Up and Smile
Hands-down the best sketch of the season. The show can’t pull out a bloody severed head very often, but when it does, it is glorious.
Get Off the Shed
On Will Ferrell’s first show, a star is born.
Jacuzzi Lifeguard
Whether you like this sketch depends largely on your personal feelings about Jim Carrey. But Ferrell, a newcomer, holds his own against the biggest comedy star in the world.
Ted Kaczynski’s Class Reunion
Ferrell really shows off what a great performer he would come to be. Calm, relaxed, and comfortable - this showed he had a different gear from the rest of the cast.
First Date Manners
Okay, maybe this is just in the clips package as an excuse to mention Elle MacPherson.
St. Gabriel’s Bake Sale
Nancy Walls had a pretty good recurring character! And then, after the season, she was gone.
The First Mary Katherine Gallagher
One of the few recurring characters we didn’t get sick of. And this was the debut.
Old Glory Insurance
The best commercial of the season.
Lampreys
The first couple of episodes in the season showed a silliness from the writers that had been missing in previous seasons. This isn’t hilarious, but it’s just weird enough.
Surprise Party Discoveries
The Joe Pesci Show
Jim Breuer was a suboptimal cast member, but even Breuer critics have to admit this impression is an A-plus.
Fuzzy Memories: Scary Neighbor
The “Fuzzy Memories” bits replaced Jack Handey’s “Deep Thoughts.” This one, from the January 13, 1996 show, featured a young and thin Jim Gaffigan.
Before the season started, there was a great deal of anticipation about what the new overhauled cast would look like:
And it immediately got some good reviews, especially among Tom Shales, a frequent show critic.
But the good review weren’t universal:
The new season was dominated by cast members plucked from the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings, reviewed here just after the SNL takeover. You will recognize some names in here.
Of course, the biggest name among the new cast members was Will Ferrell, who had some harsh things to say about SNL Season 20, the year before he joined. In this interview, his self-confidence comes through loud and clear - he effectively says he is going the SNL to turn the show around.
Season 21 also saw the addition of writer Adam McKay, who discusses his audition here:
Here is new cast member Cheri Oteri’s audition:
And Will Ferrell’s audition:
David Koechner discusses his time on SNL:
Forgot to bring it up in the comments for the episode proper, but WTF with Dan Patrick(?), or anyone questioning what “the shed” MacGuffin is in the piece, as if it’s some intangible, Lewis Carroll like thing only Will Ferrell would know about.
Did he think that the majority of viewers/listeners were so ingrained in urban city culture that a simple yard tool shed that’s small enough for children to climb on, but big enough to cause a disaster if the child slips off of that big of an unknown concept!? I get it an ice breaking question but that was…well it seemed like something you’d see asked in an SNL talk show parody sketch ;)