‘I was picked because I have gray hair and glasses’

We might be entering the slowest part of summer, but there’s still some news to discuss in this Friday edition of Popculturology. Hopefully you’re having a better week than the astronauts who might be stuck on the International Space Station until 2025.

There’s also a chance I might put out a special edition of the newsletter on Friday or Saturday, depending on what kind of news Disney breaks at D23 this weekend, so keep refreshing those inboxes ...

“Our current lack of comedic imagination”

Lorne Michaels is out of ideas.

I know that sounds like a ridiculous thing to say. Lorne Michaels created Saturday Night Live, an iconic TV show that established him as a foundational figure in modern comedy. And I’m a guy with a newsletter.

But would a guy with new ideas go back to Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris? Would a guy with new ideas chase Internet buzz and offer the role of Tim Walz to Steve Martin?

The Lorne Michaels who used SNL and the key portrayals of presidents, vice presidents and presidential candidates to launch entire careers wouldn’t keep going back to celebrity cameos. He would turn to Chevy Chase, to Dana Carvey, to Will Ferrell, to Kate McKinnon.

Unfortunately, the past few presidential elections have seen Michaels and SNL turn to celebrities for these plum roles. First it was Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. Then came the onslaught: Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump, Rudolph as Harris, Jim Carrey as Joe Biden, Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer, Robert De Niro as Robert Mueller. Major role after major role after major role taken away from SNL’s actual cast.

In the process, Michaels created an SNL audience (or, at least people who like to talk about the show on social media) who expect to see famous people playing other famous people. They’ve been Jimmy Fallon-brained, pushing aside quality for comfort. (Seriously, The Hollywood Reporter was even suggesting that SNL bring Baldwin back to play Trump despite James Austin Johnson absolutely owning that role.)