The Televigion Week - Live (12/11/24)
Thoughts on SNL with John Mulaney, Junior Taskmaster and We Are Not Alone
It's been an odd week where I've ended up watching some live TV. This is not the usual state of affairs1, but I stayed away for two nights for work, and could not cast from my phone to the hotel TV. It didn't even have any apps on it. Does that mean it was a Dumb TV (not Smart)? I ended up pressing the Guide button on the remote and scrolling through channels. I could have gone one better and literally hit the "channel up" button from BBC One to the rude channels, but the lack of information and excessive nostalgia might have killed me.
After watching the last ten minutes of an episode of Richard Osman's House of Games (surprisingly engaging for a quiz show, but only because my brain is wired well to the style of questions so I can feel smug) I put my laptop on and rejoined the current world by streaming something I could choose (see number 2 in the list).
And then on Friday night, tired after being away and unsure what to watch, I was recommended Junior2 Taskmaster by my cousin, looked for it on the Channel 4 app and it said Unavailable, and I realised "Oh, it's on TV right now!" Is it just our household that doesn't put live TV on almost ever? Let me know in comments, messages or emails!
So, this week we have some thoughts on a bit of live-watched TV, segueing into "We Are Not Alone" on a retroactive Mike Wozniak link3, then back to the theme of Live, with an episode of Saturday Night Live, from before the US election results.
Junior Taskmaster (Channel 4) - Full disclosure, I have only watched this from about 8.20pm (watching live is weird). But I think I've got the vibe. I mean, we all know the vibe, it's existed for 18 series with Greg Davies, Alex Horne and celebrities doing amazing and ridiculous tasks and being very competitive for no good reason. Now we have Rose Matafeo, Mike Wozniak and some very carefully chosen children to make this spinoff work. The new presenting pair have a lot of charisma and great chemistry with the children. They both understand the assignment of course, since they are both excellent prior competitors on the main Taskmaster (as it now has to be called). But I'm not quite sure of the point of this? The format works brilliantly with comedians and occasional non-comedians, i.e. funny people who are more famous for other things, not people without a sense of humour. That just wouldn't work. So what do children add? I suppose there's a naivete, and a spontaneous innocence, but there are adult contestants who can bring that. They're usually the best ones. And for children, the tasks have to be tailored to fit to be understandable to them, and a little bit more guided. So, is this to attract a family audience at 8pm on a Friday night? From a quick glance at the schedules, it is up against MasterChef The Professionals, Gardeners World, Coronation Street and Susan Calman's Grand Day Out. It's certainly offering something different to all of them. And I did love that Rose is happier to laugh at Mike (who is so naturally funny), which makes for a friendlier overall vibe. And it cannot be denied that more Taskmaster and more silliness in the world is a good thing. So, long may it continue.
We Are Not Alone (UKTV, now known as streaming service U) - This is a comedy sci-fi series from 2022 about an alien invasion of Earth, from the point of view of a new and very rubbish government run by the aliens in Clitheroe. I've been meaning to watch it since it came out, and hadn't because of middling reviews. It's created and written by possibly my favourite Two of The Six Idiots (Horrible Histories, Yonderland, Ghosts - yes, utter geniuses of comedy) and is listed on Wikipedia as a film, but is on UKTV as three roughly half hour episodes. It seems it was intended, had it done well, to become a series, but it didn't, so it didn't. I watched all three episodes/the film and it started surprisingly well. I was immediately charmed in the same way as I am by Ghosts and Yonderland (graffiti saying "Sod Off" and a great run of a joke of cars electrocuting their drivers, culminating in some beautiful off-screen swearing). It's damn efficient too; within 5 minutes we've got the premise, lovely world building with comedy prime minister Miles Jupp and news reports, and a touching moment where a comedy death in the opening moments is then treated seriously, with real impact on the main character. The aliens first attempts to pronounce Clitheroe had me literally laughing out loud, particularly Mike Wozniak's Gordan, and the punchlines in episode one are always incredibly satisfying, as they're organic to the scene and the world. These writer's training in sketch means they see scenes this way, and want them to have comedy purpose. However, it does go off the rails somewhat in episode 2, like it doesn't know where it is going. There are some barnstorming lines and jokes, but it all feels rushed. And Episode 3 is also less polished, but on balance better than 2. Some of the side characters are performing in a different and much worse show, but they redeem it all with an epic final battle that ends up being between paintball guns and deadly laser weapons that have been poorly charged thanks to Earth's limitations. I understand exactly why it didn't strike a pop culture chord or get picked up, but is worth a watch for some of the excellent setup of an interesting world, with great jokes you'd otherwise miss out on.
Saturday Night Live Season 50 Episode 5 - John Mulaney (YouTube in the UK, or live TV in the US!) I'm on somewhat of an SNL kick at the moment, thanks to my ongoing obsession with The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, and watching each Lonely Island SNL Digital Short before they discuss it. I'm also writing my own sketches for my Substack world of Fancy Falls, so it feels right to see what the 50 year old institution of sketch comedy is up to. And the answer is, more of the same! This is no bad thing. SNL is a training ground where very funny people work under intense pressure of deadlines to produce a show of sketches every week, and then perform (most of) them live. It is often stilted, cliched, hammy and route one, but is a space that is allowed to exist to find and grow comedy talent. Nothing like it exists in the UK, and our comedy industry is in a very poor state, without anything like it. I stumbled on this episode because of the cold open where Kamala Harris appears as herself (alongside Maya Rudolph playing her for one last time before the election) and then just kept watching the clips. It's not the whole show, which can be interminable to watch, but I think it lets you see what the show is for this week. The host is John Mulaney, who was a writer on the show for a number of years and has since hosted it six times. He looked old this time, but there are reasons4. Here are the sketch names, plus a quick Televigion response. 2024 Pre-Election Cold Open - The Kamala Harris cameo cold open felt hopeful before Thursday, and crushing watching it now. John Mulaney Stand-Up Monologue - He looked tired and his jokes were more dull than he is capable of since they were for a network audience. What’s That Name: Election Edition - A gameshow sketch with a solid premise and a good punchline. Port Authority Duane Reade - An insane musical number, which is a John Mulaney staple when he hosts (as he wasn't able to get them in as a writer) Weekend Update: Dodgers Win World Series, NYC Legalizes Jaywalking, 2024 Presidential Election, Trump's MSG Rally - As ever, a toothless and boring part of the show. Watch John Oliver or The Daily Show for this done properly. Reba McEntire on the 2024 Election - Another staple of SNL, a passable over the top impression, with very little comedy idea behind it. The audience seem to love it. The Couple You Can’t Believe Are Together - See previous, only it's not someone famous. Little Richard - It meant very little to me as a non-US native who didn't get the point. Beppo - How the hell are they making full feature film looking shorts in a week? This was hilarious, looked great, and could outdo some cinema released films for style. I'm amazed. Chappell Roan: Pink Pony Club (Live) - I'm not a music guy, but am glad I now know roughly who Chappell Roan is. New York City Council Campaign - A very funny pre-tape with a solid premise. Overall, I'd have made it through the show, having grabbed some snacks during Weekend Update. I love SNL, even though it is often a bit rubbish. But it is comedians working hard to be as funny as they can be, which I'll always find some joy in.
So it's all comedy this week. That was not intentional. But I do feel invigorated to be writing my own comedy, so maybe that is coming out in my choices. As ever, I welcome any comments or thoughts you have.
Finally, I'm starting a new section to include potential future watches, as I've had a few recommendations of shows to start or return to. It's yet another list I'll never reach the end of, but such is life. Hopefully some of these will pop up in the coming weeks. Let me know if you have any other additions, or any input to a discussion of these shows.
The Televigion Backlist
Territory (Netflix) - An Australian neo-Western series, and another recommendation from my cousin. It is slightly outside my usual comfort zone (it might not be funny, and certainly isn't sci-fi or fantasy), so likely well worth a try.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video) - Set in the 1950's, about a fictional female stand-up. I watched either one or two seasons of this roughly when it came out (2017), but the Televigion Mum has been marathoning it while on holiday and raving about it.
Scavenger's Reign (Netflix) - An odd and acclaimed animated sci-fi show I heard about on a Nebula video from Jacob Geller.
Shogun (Disney+) - A highly acclaimed and award winning historical drama, based on a novel and mostly in Japanese. Recommended by the world at large.
Footnotes
Unless you count the summation of moments that make up the transition from CBeebies to whichever streaming service has been chosen for a given switch on. I don't imagine we're the only household leaving the TV on CBeebies as standard, to make sure it is child-friendly at any given moment.
This week, whenever I've written the word "Junior", it has seemed to be spelled incorrectly. Juniour is what's in my head, like I'm correcting an American spelling for color. I know this is wrong, but it's happened every time I've written it.
I actually watched We Are Not Alone earlier in the week, you'll be disinterested to hear. And you'll already know that if you're reading these footnotes.
As I understand it, he has recently had a baby, and in some mixed up jumbling of the rest of his timeline, was a successful and hilarious writer and performer, had a failed sitcom, cheated on his wife, had a baby with another woman, got divorced, was in rehab for substance abuse, and then managed a comeback to comedy. It's a complicated story, I recommend you watch Baby J, his return to stand up after most of it happened. And definitely most of the rest of his back catalogue, once you know the context. My favourite of his work might be The Sack Lunch Bunch.