Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This week, I am looking at the second season of Severance and the documentary SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night. Plus I have thoughts on The Pitt and Hollywood Squares.
Severance returned this week to much fanfare after a nearly three year break. I really enjoyed the first season of the show but I didn't remember a ton of the details, just the broad swaths and I was not about to rewatch the first season or even the finale because I just don't have the time. So I was very curious if I would feel confused or disoriented when the second season started. And the answer is... only in the ways I think I was supposed to. I think the show did a good job with bringing us back into the world after so much time off because the characters were a little disoriented too. So I felt like there was a conscious effort by the writers to sort of remind the viewers what was going on and not in a cheesy way, but in an organic way that makes sense for characters trying to make sense of things.
The episode started with some cool camera work of Adam Scott's Mark running through the halls of the severed floor of Lumon and it was very clear that this was a show that was more self-assured going into Season Two. The first season certainly felt experimental but not like it was a show that knew a lot of people were going to watch it. The beginning of this premiere felt like when a big show came back in the fall season after a summer off and knew everyone was going to be watching. It then smartly proceeded to reset a lot of things for the second season while still dangling some threads from the first season.
One thing I appreciated a lot about the second season premiere of Severance is how funny it could be at times. The show was sometimes very dour in the first season but this second season premiere was having a lot of fun (especially the "Lumon is Listening" video). But you can also see the show introducing various mysteries and manipulations of the main characters so it's clear things are going to get darker as the season progresses. The cast remains excellent, led by Scott who really is the perfect fit for the lead role. And Ben Stiller's direction is really something to behold. I'll surely be talking about this one more as the season continues.
I've watched the first two episodes of Peacock's new SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night documentary that premiered this week ahead of the big 50th anniversary celebration in February. The first episode deals with the audition process and features clips of many SNL cast members at their initial auditions (as well as some famous names who didn't get cast). The second episode is a week in the life of an SNL writer. Both episodes are fantastic and I would highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of Saturday Night Live or at least appreciates the institution that it is.
By its nature, SNL is always up and down. And everyone has an opinion of the best era of the show. It can be a frustrating watch but there is nothing else with that kind of history on television. And to be run by Lorne Michaels since the very beginning is a run we'll probably never see on TV again once it ends. The first episode was really touching because you can tell just how much SNL means to so many cast members past and present. The second episode was a really fascinating look at what it means to be an SNL writer with some of the writers being very honest in their feelings as they feel the crunch or their skit doesn't make it to air.
The documentary is certainly done with the corporate approval of SNL and NBC so it's not looking to dig deep into some of the show's problems. It's a celebratory documentary but a very effective one. The third and fourth episodes, about the Cowbell sketch and the infamous season that led to Lorne Michaels return are a little less interesting on the surface to me but how much I enjoyed the first two episodes, I'm looking forward to finishing it.
SCRIPTED PREMIERES THIS WEEK
It's a pretty light week for premieres outside of Thursday, which has three premieres. On Wednesday, Apple TV+ has the new thriller Prime Target starring Leo Woodall. Apple's promotion has been completely tied up in Severance so this seems a bit like an afterthought. On Thursday, Netflix has the second season premiere of The Night Agent. The first season was a surprise hit when it premiered in March 2023 and has already been renewed for a third season. Also premiering Thursday is the third and final season of Harlem on Prime Video, which has flown under the radar for its entire run as well as spinoff The Family Business: New Orleans on BET+. Rounding out the week is the premiere of Watson on CBS, which will get a preview after the AFC Championship Game and therefore a strong sampling.
ODDS & ENDS
- I didn't get a chance to watch The Hunting Party, which was previewed after football on NBC Sunday night. So stay tuned for thoughts on that show next week!
- I didn't think the third episode of The Pitt was quite as strong as the first two - I felt like there were a few moments that didn't quite land (some of the residents are struggling to find their footing as characters). But Noah Wyle continues to crush it. He is such a great lead character who is incredibly dynamic every time he's on screen. I also like this version of a procedural that mirrors an emergency room where the arcs for each guest to the emergency room last an undetermined amount of time. Some arcs are already done, some only last an episode, others stretch on for awhile. I feel like it's very accurate for the comings and goings of an ER and the real time element really makes that hit home.
- I decided to give Hollywood Squares a try because I enjoyed the late 90s edition with Whoopi Goldberg back in the day and I can be a bit of a sucker for game shows. But this wasn't it for me. The show has always been just barely about the gameplay and more about messing around but this felt so heavily scripted and at least the first group of stars was just on a level that I was not enjoying. On top of that, both contestants were a little bit over the top which is also too often the case with current game shows. So I won't be checking out more episodes.
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