History YMMV / SaturdayNightLive

** The Japanese game show sketch where Chris Farley plays an American tourist who accidentally ends up on a game show where the players face [[Yubitsume Yakuza-style punishments]] when they answer incorrectly.

* EnsembleDarkhorse:

* TheScrappy: Kyle Mooney’s take on Baby Yoda/Grogu from ''Series/TheMandalorian'' has been poorly received by viewers due to taking a beloved, innocent character and turning him into a hideous, crass, sex-crazed jerk. It also comes off as the show desperately trying to be hip by cashing in on the character’s popularity, especially since Mooney’s take constantly threatens [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Baby Groot]], who has not been relevant in years. Nonetheless, the show keeps bringing him back to raucous applause by the studio audience.

** Seasons 44 onward have caught flak for what is perceived to be an overreliance on Kate [=McKinnon=]'s talents, the feeling that several of longer tenured cast members have overstayed their welcome and take too much screen-time from the newcomers, as well as humor surrounding the Trump administration that lacks the satirical bite of programs such as ''Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver'' and ''Series/TheLateShowWithStephenColbert''. Additionally, many skits (especially those focusing on the Democratic primaries in Season 45) rely on StuntCasting from both former cast members and celebrity guest stars[[note]]For example, in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=142DfJ4Ch1U this sketch]] based off the December 2019 primary debate, only ''three'' of the eight candidates depicted ([=McKinnon=] as Elizabeth Warren, Colin Jost as Pete Buttigieg, and Bowen Yang as Andrew Yang) were portrayed by current cast members.[[/note]] beyond the week's host to vary degrees of effectiveness. Even Creator/AlecBaldwin admitted he became tired of appearing as Trump. The announcement that Creator/JimCarrey would play Democratic presidential candidate and eventual winner Joe Biden in Season 46 got as many groans as cheers from fans who feel that a season with ''20'' cast members shouldn't need a ringer to play the part, especially when his appearances tended to quickly move away from an impression of Biden into contrived parodies of ''other'' celebrities (Creator/JeffGoldblum, Creator/BobRoss, etc.) and even Carrey's own character Film/{{Ace Ventura|PetDetective}}. Notably, Carrey retired from the part just after Biden was elected, resulting in the show have little to no presidential sketches. Making matters worse is that the COVID protocols during filming has made for some messy execution due to the lack of rehearsal time previously allowed, and the difficulty in getting audiences have caused the viewers to seem noticeably colder to all the jokes.

* DoNotShootTheMessage: The Try Guys sketch from the Creator/BrendanGleeson/Willow episode was supposed to mock [[WorstNewsJudgementEver the amount of attention the Ned Fulmer cheating scandal received from mainstream news given the other world events that were happening during the time (the approaching midterm elections in the US, the Russia-Ukraine war, etc.)]] as well as ''WebVideo/TheTryGuys'' video series having a relatively niche audience compared to most popular media. However, because the show inaccurately depicted the scandal as a simple extramarital affair rather than the serious case of workplace misconduct that it was, this led to the show generating criticism for seemingly downplaying the ongoing issue of sexual misconduct in the workplace and the sketch's intended message being lost in the controversy.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Inevitable for such a topical show. The sketches and musical guests will date an episode to the year and even the very week it aired. Sometimes, this borders on WereStillRelevantDammit, but, much like ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' and ''MAD Magazine'' in its heyday, this show tries to avoid being behind the times.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** The infamous UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump-hosted episode in Season 41 garnered much criticism, but after the show's many, many [[TakeThat insulting sketches directed towards the man,]] most liberal viewers have forgiven ''SNL'' over it.
** Season 46 had a similarly controversial episode hosted by Elon Musk - not only did they waste no time ripping on him in ''Weekend Update'', the next episode would be hosted by the memetically popular Creator/KeeganMichaelKey.
** The seasons during the Trump era in general were criticized for bringing in too many guest stars to play political figures on a recurring basis (especially Alec Baldwin as Trump) and wasting the actual cast. Season 46 saw an increase in ensemble sketches, with more of the political sketches occupied by cast members.

** Creator/LorneMichaels most definitely has his favorites. Some of these favorites include Creator/JimmyFallon, Creator/TinaFey, Creator/AmyPoehler, Fred Armisen, Creator/WillForte, Creator/KristenWiig, Taran Killam and Creator/KateMcKinnon. There were surely some from the past, but it seems even more blatant now.

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: When it was announced that Creator/KimKardashian would host in an early episode in Season 47, eyebrows were raised, given that she is known for having a [[DullSurprise flat delivery]], the Kardashian family being rather controversial, and there were concerns that it would be in the same level of controversy as the episodes previously hosted by Donald Trump and Elon Musk. When the episode was aired, it was surprisingly well-received among viewers, and drew the usual amount of laughter the show is known for. The monologue was also well-received, as Kardashian would not only engage in SelfDeprecation, but also poked fun at her own family as well.

** For Dick Ebersol, Creator/EddieMurphy (who managed to survive the cast member culling following Jean Doumanian's dismissal) was his pet UpToEleven, and he wasn't shy about letting you know that. SNL was basically the Eddie Murphy Show from Season 7 to 9 (until Murphy left). After that it became the Creator/BillyCrystal[=/=]Creator/ChristopherGuest[=/=]Creator/MartinShort show. Even people who defend Ebersol's tenure tend to admit that Ebersol definitely thought in terms of "This person/people are the lead(s), and everyone else is backup."

* ValuesResonance: The "Buckwheat Dead" sketch was originally meant to satirize the way the American media handled Music/JohnLennon's murder and the assassination attempt on UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan. Today it seems to be even more relevant than it was in the early '80s, as the problems/phenomena the sketch presented (inadvertently glorifying killers by extensively focusing on them and turning them into celebrities; desensitizing audiences to violence by showing it repeatedly; inappropriate product placement) are still with us, even more so. Additionally, it showcasing how everyone who knew killer John David Stutts was aware of his plans to murder Buckwheat but did nothing about it became far-sighted in wake of [[UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} The Columbine High School massacre]], which sparked debate about whether it could have been prevented if those who knew the assailants would have seen the warning signs and intervened. Multiple states have since enacted "ref flag laws" to this effect.

** The entire purpose of the character Pat (played by Creator/JuliaSweeney) was everyone else's inability to determine Pat's sex. In the '90s, the concept was absurdly hilarious and even praised by some who felt it balanced out the sex divide among the cast at the time. However, Pat would be horrifyingly offensive today with the increased presence of the transgender community and awareness of the troubles they face regarding their sex, especially with increased awareness of genders outside the male/female binary [[note]]though [[WordOfGod Sweeney herself]] has [[https://www.salon.com/2015/05/05/julia_sweeneys_snl_backstage_stories_you_could_just_watch_how_many_more_adam_sandler_and_david_spade_and_chris_farley_sketches_there_are_that_white_male_energy_that_i_wasnt_part_of/ denied that Pat is transgender]].[[/note]].

* ValuesResonance: The "Buckwheat Dead" sketch is even more relevant than it was in the early '80s, as the problems/phenomena the sketch presented (inadvertently glorifying killers by extensively focusing on them; desensitizing audiences to violence by showing it repeatedly; inappropriate product placement) are still with us, even more so.

** Creator/KyleMooney is considered one due to the fact the majority of sketches where he plays a starring role have been cut from episodes due to time constraints and left to be uploaded to the show's Website/{{YouTube}} page, to the point of often being nicknamed Kyle "Cut for Time" Mooney. Many viewers have noted that the sketches are often funnier than the ones that were actually broadcasted, exacerbating his status as this. Season 47 seems to mitigate this as of this writing, as the sketches he had a starring role in were broadcasted more.

** Accusations of certain cast members hogging up too much spotlight go all the way back to the days of Creator/EddieMurphy, with the man literally hosting and episode while he was still a cast member. People didn't complain then because Murphy's legendary run was viewed as being just ''that'' good, but in recent years, many of Lorne Michael's favorites receive backlash from overexposure. This also works in individual cases where a cast member may be great, but when they're pushed to the center stage so often it feels like too much of a good thing.

** After several divisive short-lived attempts at casting a Joe Biden impersonator during his presidential campaign and run (with Jim Carrey relying too much on his persona as an actor and Alex Moffat getting a very lukewarm reception to his one-time appearance), James Austin Johnson's portrayal was the first actor to receive a near-unanimous welcome reception for having the most accurate Biden mannerisms. Similarly to Darrell Hammond above, though Alec Baldwin had cast a very big shadow over the role of Donald Trump with his frequent guest appearances (with Taran Killam stepping in as he began to taper off), Johnson's Trump -- the impression he became most popular for on social media before joining the cast -- was also met with overwhelming praise. The mere fact that he got to lead the opening sketch in the first episode of a season, let alone his own first season and still as a featured player, speaks to the confidence put in him.

** Seasons 44 onward have caught flak for what is perceived to be an overreliance on Kate [=McKinnon=]'s talents, the feeling that several of longer tenured cast members have overstayed their welcome and take too much screen-time from the newcomers, as well as humor surrounding the Trump administration that lacks the satirical bite of programs such as ''Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver'' and ''Series/TheLateShowWithStephenColbert''. Additionally, many skits (especially those focusing on the Democratic primaries in Season 45) rely on StuntCasting from both former cast members and celebrity guest stars[[note]]For example, in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=142DfJ4Ch1U this sketch]] based off the December 2019 primary debate, only ''three'' of the eight candidates depicted ([=McKinnon=] as Elizabeth Warren, Colin Jost as Pete Buttigieg, and Bowen Yang as Andrew Yang) were portrayed by current cast members.[[/note]] beyond the week's host to vary degrees of effectiveness. Even Creator/AlecBaldwin admitted he became tired of appearing as Trump. The announcement that Creator/JimCarrey would play Democratic presidential candidate and eventual winner Joe Biden in Season 46 got as many groans as cheers from fans who feel that a season with ''20'' cast members shouldn't need a ringer to play the part, especially when his appearances tended to quickly move away from an impression of Biden into contrived parodies of ''other'' celebrities (Creator/JeffGoldblum, Creator/BobRoss, etc.) and even of Carrey's old character Film/{{Ace Ventura|PetDetective}}. Notably, Carrey retired from the part just after Biden was elected, resulting in the show have little to no presidential sketches. Making matters worse is that the new COVID protocols during filming has made for some messy execution due to the lack of rehearsal time previously allowed, and the difficulty in getting audiences have caused the viewers to seem noticeably colder to all the jokes.

** After several attempted impressions of Joe Biden failed to catch on, Creator/JimCarrey was cast as a regular in Season 46. Reviews of his impression were mixed, however, with more than a few viewers noting that Carrey's typical LargeHam performance and mannerisms are too different from the soft spoken, calm real life figure -- indeed, as early as his second appearance Carrey's performances often veered away from parodying Biden to other celebrities (such as Creator/JeffGoldblum and Creator/BobRoss), to the point that (at what ended up being his final appearance) he would end up pulling an ActorAllusion to one of [[Film/AceVenturaPetDetective his most famous roles.]] After Biden won the election, Carrey announced he was retiring from the character, being replaced by Alex Moffat for the rest of Season 46 and then new cast member James Austin Johnson in Season 47.

* AcceptableTargets: Used with varying degrees of intensity: the more the writers hate it, the meaner they'll be. So far, everything has been ripe for parody.

** Many cast members with short and forgettable tenures went on to major stardom that had nothing to do with their time on the show. Creator/GilbertGottfried (before his comedic person took shape), Anthony Michael Hall (''SNL'''s youngest cast member at 17 years old), Creator/HarryShearer, Creator/RandyQuaid, Creator/RobertDowneyJr (nephew to Jim Downey, a one-time feature player and former writer on the show), Creator/JoanCusack, Creator/SarahSilverman, Creator/JaneaneGarofalo, Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus, Creator/BenStiller, and Creator/DamonWayans were all cast members at some point. Additionally, Creator/LarryDavid, Creator/ConanOBrien, Creator/BobOdenkirk, Creator/JBSmoove, and Creator/JohnMulaney were all writers on the show who made occasional appearances as extras in sketches.

* DorkAge: The show has had plenty of ups and downs in its [[LongRunners decades-long]] history. However, there are three seasons that are generally singled out as being particularly embarrassing:
** Season 6 (1980-1): The first season after Creator/LorneMichaels left the show and the entire cast was replaced (including the last of the original cast). Lorne wanted Creator/AlFranken to take over as producer, but NBC president Fred Silverman refused because of a segment Franken did on SNL mocking Silverman (Silverman was relatively humorless). Silverman instead chose Jean Doumanian to produce SNL, and she proved extremely inept at the task. Many of the sketches were extremely crass, and critics wrote scathingly of the show's decline in quality. Dick Ebersol took over as producer late in the season (only one episode was made that season after he was hired before a writer's strike ended it) and stayed on for another four years. Creator/EddieMurphy and Joe Piscopo were the only Doumanian cast members to make it into the following season, and the entire season helped lead to Silverman's career taking a nose-dive after success in the 70's; this got an honorable mention in ''Literature/WhatWereTheyThinkingThe100DumbestEventsInTelevisionHistory'', which took several shots at Silverman.
** Season 11 (1985-6): The first season after Lorne's return, the entire cast was replaced again, this time with a new cast that included such famous or soon-to-be-famous names as Creator/RobertDowneyJr, Creator/AnthonyMichaelHall, Creator/RandyQuaid, Creator/JoanCusack, and Creator/DamonWayans. However, such an eclectic group didn't work well together, and the show once again faced critical bashing and danger of cancellation. Creator/JonLovitz, Creator/DennisMiller, Nora Dunn, and A. Whitney Brown were the only cast members kept for next season, where a group of new cast members led by Creator/DanaCarvey and Creator/PhilHartman saved the show.
** Season 20 (1994-95) The first season after Hartman left (and two seasons after Carvey left), the cast was now led by the likes of Creator/AdamSandler, Creator/ChrisFarley, and Creator/DavidSpade, who weren't versatile enough to play the wide range of character types usually expected of the main cast members[[note]] In ''The Chris Farley Show'' book, Jim Downey compared it to a football team trying to win a game using only special teams players.[[/note]]. Sketches often had very thin premises, many centering around the Creator/OJSimpson trial, and levels of sophomoric humor reached critical mass, resulting in lambasting by critics. Also, reports of behind-the-scenes turmoil, much of it involving Creator/JaneaneGarofalo (who joined the cast that year but left in disgust midway through), led to the perception of general decay. More than half the cast was replaced after the season, and a new group led by Creator/WillFerrell helped create another resurgence.