'Wasn't That Special' Season 33 Bonus Materials
As the Wasn’t That Special co-hosts watch each season of Saturday Night Live, they compare notes on each episode, chatting back and forth about both popular and long-forgotten sketches. Some of the topics they discuss make it to the final podcast; others are left on the cutting-room floor.
But for those of you who join at the Executive Producer level, you will have access to Christian and Scot’s behind-the-scenes notes, as well as bonus materials the co-hosts used to prepare for the episode.
Below is the Season Thirty-Three bonus notes section, with the clips coming soon.
So please help keep the podcast advertisement-free and upgrade to the Executive Producer level, which will keep these emails coming in the future!
Episode One: LeBron James
Christian: LeBron among the better athlete hosts, but still not great.
The All-But-Certain-To-Be Next President - Clinton (Poehler) lays out vision of assumed win in 2008
Christian: Pretty wild to hear her talk about her plans for 2016.
Scot: Clinton predicts future job as UN Secretary General. Secretary of State is not quite that, but kinda close!
Monologue -James solves the health care problem off-camera
Christian: Huh. LeBron writes left handed.
Scot: Characters are from LeBron's Nike commercials at the time.
Penelope (Kristen Wiig) at Children's Hope Auction
Christian: I do actually laugh when she ducks into frame in a creative way.
Scot: Don't understand the attraction here.
The Lyle Kane Show - dweebs Hader and James are out-of-place on BET
Scot: Brought back from a sketch at the end of S32. I'm ... intrigued?
Best of Solid Gold - DVD highlights Solid Gold Dancers (Rudolph, Wiig, Forte, Poehler, LeBron)
Christian: Nothing here but nostalgia.
TV Funhouse - Ambiguously Gay Duo
Scot: A Harper Steele co-write.
Christian: In retrospect, Steele's involvement is very interesting.
106 & Park - Top Ten Live - Rudolph and Kenan host with Kanye guesting
Scot: Prescient: Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV VMAs.
Christian: Wait - this happened BEFORE Kanye interrupted Taylor Swift? WOW.
Episode Two: Seth Rogen
Christian: I get real Aykroyd vibes from Bill Hader, with the bonus that Hader does much better impressions.
A Message from Kevin Federline - Kevin Federline (Samberg) tells what he knows about being a good parent
Christian: Sure, he's mostly forgotten, but this is good!
Scot: You got your wish. A non-political cold open. - This might have played better at the time?
Big Kids - Children Jeremy (Rogen) & Stacia (Wiig) are cute only to parents (Hader) & (Poehler)
Scot: Wiig is pulling a Melanie Hutsell character performance - Annoying for annoying sake without real laughs or a point.
Christian: How DARE you invoke Hutsell! I laughed the whole way through - the difference is that Hutsell's performance wasn't intentional - this is. The reaction shots are great.
A Message From Fred Thompson - Fred Thompson (DAH) sort of wants to be America’s next president
Christian: Is Hammond begging for applause ad-libbed? Because he seems to do it a lot.
Scot: Decent impression.
Spoon - “The Underdog”
Scot: From the best album of the 00s.
America's First Colonists - Rogen’s settlement revolved around marijuana
Christian: Wiig has taken over Ana Gasteyer's "disapproving woman" bit.
Rowlf (Rogen) & The Swedish Chef (Samberg) sing “Beyond The Sea”
Christian: I feel like this sketch is related to the last one in one important way.
Scot: Good, clean fun.
Episode Three: Jon Bon Jovi
Scot: Why were Foo Fighters even there? (Maybe the looming strike meant they wanted to squeeze them in?)
Vinny Vedecci - guest is Jon Bon Jovi
Christian: Just because I like Hader I can't overlook the fact that he's wringing laughs out of a lot of the same jokes over and over. I'd criticize Kattan for it, so I have to here. But yes, the cigarette thing and robot horse are good.
Scot: Really picks up momentum as it goes - the robot horse thing was great.
Where's My Purse - Ship captain (Wiig) obsessed with finding lost purse
Scot: Really close but something did not click for me.
Episode Four: Brian Williams
Scot: Started promising but fell apart late. That debate sketch was a series of bad decisions
Barack Obama [real] at Bill (Hammond) & Hillary (Amy Poehler) Clinton’s Halloween party
Christian: The Pickup Artist was a ridiculous yet awesome show. Funny that they make fun of Hillary's laugh, same as Republicans do with Kamala Harris. Obama isn't asked to do much and he doesn't. Horatio Sanz gets barely any recognition applause.
Scot: Sanz has lost a ton of weight - Obama seems so stiff - totally decent open.
Brian Williams Monologue
Christian: It's a decent monologue, but Williams repeats the lie that he was shot at in Iraq, the lie that eventually cost him his career.
Bronx Beat - fireman (Williams) gives home safety preparedness suggestions
Christian: Is Williams doing a Ray Romano impersonation?
Scot: Was hoping the disease they mention was diverticulitis, for old times' sake. (Editor’s note: For longtime listeners, diverticulitis was mentioned often in Doug and Wendy Whiner sketches in the early 1980s.)
Riley's Way - TV actor (Williams) learns he won’t be in spin-off series
Christian: Williams is actually OUTSTANDING in this. Perfect pacing and escalation.
Publisher's Clearing House - sweepstakes winner’s (Williams) subdued reaction baffles cheery Cheryl (Wiig)
Christian: Breaking: Wiig is really, really good.
Scot: I love Wiig's attempts to get Williams excited.
Larry King Live - Harry Potter outtakes depict gay Dumbledore (Hader)
Christian: I enjoyed the term "booty owl."
Scot: These Larry King Live sketches are an endless stream of content that wouldn't fly today.
Before the Debate - Democrats conspire to stop Hillary Clinton
Christian: Man, this drags. The seed of something interesting with them ranking grievances, but is a snoozer otherwise.
Scot: Williams says the media has decided on Clinton as the nominee; boy, that tune would change! - really slow-developing - bad ending - Woof.
After this episode, the show halted production for three months during a writer’s strike.