History YMMV / SaturdayNightLive

** The Creator/AmySchumer / Steve Lacy episode has an ad that promotes COVID as a ''good'' thing because it gives you a paid vacation.

** Seasons 44-47 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 having 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.

** 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 having 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.

* DontShootTheMessage: 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.

** The Creator/SydneySweeney episode features a sketch where she plays a Hooters waitress and annoys the rest of the waitstaff by making significantly larger tips than they do. While Creator/BowenYang [[FanDisservice doing poorly makes sense]], the other two waitresses are played by the very attractive Creator/ChloeFineman and Creator/SarahSherman, making it bewildering why the male customers find them unattractive.

* AwardSnub: Creator/PedroPascal losing the 2023 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy Award to ''Series/TedLasso'''s Creator/SamRichardson caught some fans off-guard, considering almost every sketch from Pascal's hosting debut went viral (two even received sequels prior to the delayed Emmy ceremony), and the reception of ''Ted Lasso'' took a dive in its third season.

** Creator/GarrettMorris is the prototypical example of a cast member whose career went absolutely nowhere after leaving the show, while his tenure in the show itself is held as a prototypical example of how African-American cast members fared on the show during its early years (not getting enough screentime or roles, unless they were stereotypical). Many later black cast members have said they took pains not to end up like him. Morris has carved a niche as a comedic character actor, though.

* WinBackTheCrowd: After a long period of being seen as [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny stale and worn-out]], the show massively regained its lost popularity during the 2016 Presidential elections and the subsequent Trump administration, likely due to the heated political climate during the former and the massive controversy surrounding the latter. This in turn ended up getting the show [[http://www.avclub.com/article/saturday-night-live-enjoying-its-highest-ratings-o-249926 its highest ratings in over 20 years]]. However, this has started to cause a BrokenBase between the show's viewers. Many people enjoyed the coverage of the extreme chaos of the Trump administration and found the skits hilarious, but there were also people who saw anti-Trump humor in general to be stale -- or at least toothless compared to what shows like ''Series/TheDailyShowWithTrevorNoah'', ''Series/TheLateShowWithStephenColbert'', ''Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver'', etc. -- and tuned out as a result.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Over the years, the show would grow a reputation of not being considered an edgy sketch show, thanks to the many DuelingShows that always try to one-up the humor — the biggest offenders being ''Fridays'', ''Series/InLivingColor'', and ''Series/MadTV''. In particular, the classic reputation of the earliest seasons often baffles younger viewers, who little realize that ''SNL'' was one of the very first shows to employ the raunchy, sex-and-drug-fueled humor that is all-pervasive on television today.

*** Creator/PeteDavidson has been pointed to by many as the show's biggest breaker since Fallon, with the same accusations of doing so intentionally being hurled his way. And unlike Fallon who was at least a strong impressionist, Davidson is often seen as having little if any in the way of range, [[WTHCastingAgency thus leading to questions of why he's even on the show]].

* ProductionRelatedPeriodPiece: The cold open of the episode hosted by Music/JenniferLopez in 2001 features Will Ferrell apologizing to her for his treatment of her earlier in the week. What is this in reference to? A sketch from a special prime-time episode of ''SNL'' which aired the previous Thursday night and probably hasn't been repeated since its original airing (unlike the regular episode hosted by Lopez).

--->'''Nic:''' They probably think I'm the biggest jerk who's ever been on the show!
--->'''Lorne:''' [[TakeThat No, no, that would be Steven Seagal]].

* WTHCastingAgency:
** Creator/FredArmisen being the original actor to play Barack Obama, given he looked absolutely nothing like him. While hair and make-up helped on a little bit, the real life figure ''is'' light-skinned, and Armisen is of mixed race[[note]]born to a Venezuelan mother and a half-German, half-Korean father[[/note]] with fairly dark skin, the actor ultimately just doesn't pass as a black man. There was also the fact that his delivery sounded little like him, as if the only direction the actor was given is "this person pauses a lot." While Armisen is a beloved cast member, pretty much everyone was happy to see Creator/JayPharoah take over as the president.
** Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump hosting was met with quite a bit of backlash given [[OvershadowedByControversy Trump had already become quite controversial at the time.]] Combine that with the man's lack of acting skills, and the result was a panned episode that [[OldShame everyone involved seems to regret.]]
** Pete Davidson's continued involvement on the show has been fairly divisive, as many have called out that he has very limited range, can't go through a sketch without breaking, and has started to contribute less and less as his tenure goes on, to the point where the show itself lampshades this. Even fans of Davidson have noted that his talents don't translate well for this kind of show.
** Similarly, Leslie Jones's work on the show had come under fire due to her roles mostly amounting to [[AdamWesting Jones playing some variation of herself]]. That, combined with her making several noticeable gaffs have caused some to say that Jones didn't really fit in with the format.
** Many viewers, critics, and even former cast members such as Creator/DavidSpade and Creator/TaranKillam have questioned recent seasons' reliance on StuntCasting for politicians, as it's been said that the current cast could be easily be playing these roles instead and it's unfair to take these opportunities away when the cast members already have limited opportunities to be on screen due to the large cast size (Season 46 has ''20'' cast members in total).
** Kate [=McKinnon=] playing so many members of Donald Trump's cabinet (and even the occasional Trump opposition politician, such as Senator Elizabeth Warren), with an especially high number of performances in drag, has been criticized by a few as stretching out a joke far too thin, and yet again giving [=McKinnon=] too much on her plate in favor of cast members who rarely get a chance to shine. Her impression works in some cases, but others don't represent the politician much more beyond "Kate being her wide-eyed quirky self." Perhaps the best example of the latter is her portrayal of Warren; during the sketches centered on the 2020 Democratic primaries, it was often common for [=McKinnon=] to forget to speak in the soft, whispering tone the real Warren does, and instead speak in her trademark energetic delivery before catching herself.
** After several attempted impressions of Joe Biden failed to catch on, Creator/JimCarrey (who had previously guest hosted three well-received times) was brought in as a special guest in the first stretch of Season 46 to handle the role. Reviews of his impression were mixed, however, with more than a few viewers noting that Carrey's typical LargeHam performance and mannerisms were 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.
*** After the show had seemingly settled on Johnson as the show's Biden impersonator, the show suddenly decided to replace him in the role with Mikey Day in Season 49. This decision, presumably made on the assumption that Donald Trump would be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee and require Johnson for that part, has been received poorly by both critics and viewers with the general consensus being that Day, whose impressionist skills were already considered subpar, is a major step down from Johnson's acclaimed impression. Detractors also note that the show has previously had no issues having one cast member portray two presidential candidates, as when Creator/DanaCarvey portrayed both UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush and Ross Perot during the 1992 election, so there's no reason Johnson can't portray both.

** Creator/AlecBaldwin quickly became iconic as Creator/DonaldTrump after having been portrayed by Creator/DarrellHammond during the 2016 primary (and thorough the 2000s as a private businessman), solidified by Baldwin reprising the role all the way through the Trump presidency.

** The infamous "[[WordAssociationTest Word Association]]" sketch with Creator/ChevyChase and Creator/RichardPryor, which starts out harmless before the interviewer (Chase) starts using racist words and phrases, slowing angering the applicant (Pryor).

** As iconic and hilarious as Creator/JohnBelushi's Samurai character is, there's no way a white man playing a Japanese man would fly nowadays without accusations of cultural appropriation. Similarly, "[[https://youtu.be/iBqwZsV1V0g The Arakawa Group]]", meant to be a Japanese takeoff on "The [=McLaughlin=] Group", featured '''''4''''' white men playing Japanese men and doing so in a manner that would have been considered incredibly offensive even at the time it was aired--such as introducing themselves with exaggerated bows and "Hye!"

** 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 and he was only on the show for four seasons so his time in the spotlight was fairly brief in the grand scheme of things. But in recent years, many of Lorne Michael's favorites receive backlash from overexposure, particularly since many of these cast members now stay on the show for over ''ten'' seasons. 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.

** The announcement NFL player Travis Kelce would be hosting in Season 48 led to a lot of skepticism, primarily because of the show's mixed record of athlete hosting stints and Kelce being relatively unknown to non-football fans compared to past players who have hosted. Kelce's episode quickly became one of the most acclaimed of the season, with critics and viewers praising his comedic timing, character commitment, and chemistry with the cast.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: A ton of the non-actors who have hosted the show--musicians, politicians, athletes--have proven to be very talented comedians as well. Even the actors themselves--plenty of well-known dramatic actors have turned out to be very funny people. And the musical guests who haven't hosted but have still participated in a skit have generated plenty of laughs too. There's also occasional moments where underused cast members finally get a chance to shine resulting in this.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: A lot of ''SNL'''s sketches from the 1970s were drug-influenced (such as one that had an UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln portrait calling UsefulNotes/RichardNixon a "dip.") and a lot of the writers and cast members at the time were high as kites. These days, the writers and cast members aren't like their 1970s counterparts (at worst, they get high from sleep deprivation in writing and planning the show; at best, some of the cast and crew members smoke weed, but only in their off-hours), but there are some crazy sketches and characters that seem like they're the product of a drug-influenced mind (''Toonces, The Cat Who Can Drive a Car'', Creator/WillFerrell's impression of Harry Caray, Creator/BillHader's Stefon[[note]]who is heavily implied to be on cocaine, meth, prescription pills, and possibly ecstacy, according to [[WordOfGod Bill Hader]][[/note]], just to name a few).

** Creator/ChristopherWalken's "The Continental" recurring character is based around the premise of a wealthy lothario trapping women in his deluxe hotel room and trying to force himself on them. This use of RapeAsComedy was already edgy for the time period but certainly wouldn't fly today.