Showbiz Commentary: Heidi Oringer

Oct. 16 -- If everyone in the United States were to exhale completely, then in unison, inhale as quickly and fiercely as physically possible to their utmost lung capacity, that moment would not suck as much as Saturday Night Live does now.

The show launched what looks to be a dismal 27th season on Sept. 29. In light of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the cast and writers tried to be compassionate and respectful. They opened with New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani addressing the audience surrounded by high-ranking members of the city's police and fire department.

Reese Witherspoon hosted. Alicia Keyes served as musical talent. Paul Simon gave a moving performance. The elements were all there, but understandably, it was still difficult to present a comedy show so soon after what had happened. I decided to give SNL the benefit of the doubt and lay off for a bit.

I can do this no longer.

In the weeks since, I have watched the show with a keen eye. As it airs on Saturday nights at 11:30 p.m. ET, I unfortunately find myself before the telly instead of cutting a rug with my imagined paramour Rick Springfield, or limo-ing from party to party with my close friends. (They go to bed early these days.) In my heightened state of viewing, I have kept an open mind, conscious of the difficult political atmosphere and the constant care with which these comedians and writers must deal with current events.

But still, it sucks.

Where's the Edge?

Many have said that Saturday Night Live lost its edge way back when they lost original cast members Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin and others.

Although I certainly agree the first ensemble cast was simply outstanding, they were not the only ones. The show has turned out countless talented people and remained a strong entity for large portions of its first quarter century. Some notable exceptions were when both Eddie Murphy and Lorne Michaels bailed in the early 80's.

At that time, they brought in third-string players like Jim Belushi (hardly a substitute for his late brother), Anthony Michael Hall (always the geek from The Breakfast Club) and Robert Downey Jr. (certainly not the hardee-har-har type … especially now!). This was along the lines of really bad decision-making, like when they added Cousin Oliver to The Brady Bunch. SNL did bring in Martin Short at that time as well, but he could not carry the show alone. I guess you could say he fell Short. (Hey … that's why I don't write for SNL either!)