Chevy Chase has become known as a bit of a crusty character, especially in the past few years, but his growing reputation as a, potentially, slightly difficult person to deal with on a regular basis hasn't done anything to hamper his career as one of the great funny men of the last few decades. Of course, that all started with his stint on Saturday Night Live back in the '70s, so it makes perfect sense that anyone who gets a chance to interview him would ask what his thoughts were on the current crop of shows from the long-running sketch series. Well, Chase did, indeed, give his impression of his old stomping ground now, and it was an expletive laced joy to behold:
First of all, between you and me and a lamppost, jeez, I don't want to put down Lorne or the cast, but I'll just say, maybe off the record, I'm amazed that Lorne has gone so low. I had to watch a little of it, and I just couldn't fucking believe it. That means a whole generation of shitheads laughs at the worst fucking humor in the world. You know what I mean? How could you dare give that generation worse shit than they already have in their lives? It just drives me nuts.
First off, let's keep in mind that Chevy Chase must have known he had little to no hope of this comment being kept off the record as he spoke to The Washington Post. And, second, while Chase doesn't specify what it is exactly about the humor on SNL right now that makes it "so low," it's pretty clear he doesn't find much of anything positive about the show right now. It also sounds like not only does he feel that anyone who does find SNL funny part of "a whole generation of shitheads," but he also feels like the comedy on Saturday Night Live should be lifting those shitheads up somehow, while, instead, it's actually making their lives worse.
It's possible that Chevy Chase sees the current state of humor on SNL as being lowbrow, and not as sophisticated or important as it was when he was on the show. Having said that, though, he also revealed that he hasn't thought much of the show, or some of its well-known players, for quite some time. When asked, point blank, when the show was last funny, here's what he had to say:
I'd have to say, that after the first two years, it went downhill. Why am I saying that? Because I was in it? I guess. That's a horrible thing to say. But certainly I never had more fun. I really loved it and enjoyed it. I didn't see the same fun thing happening to the cast the next year.
Well, at least he's honest. While acknowledging that it will certainly seem horrible for him to say that the show was no longer funny once he left, he does stick to his guns on that assessment. Chase also notes, though, that some of this comes from the fact that, while he was still a cast member at SNL, he remembers how much fun he had and simply didn't see that kind of enjoyment shine through from others on the show once he'd left. To be fair, though, since he was no longer privy to the inner workings of the show or its cast, he wouldn't have known for sure who was enjoying being there and who wasn't.
Chevy Chase might not be particularly enamored of Saturday Night Live right now, but the show is still a solid enough hit with the late-night viewing masses that it will enter Season 44 at the end of this month, so it has to be doing something right for all the shitheads out there. To see what else you can catch on the small screen in the coming weeks, check out our fall premiere guide.
