Emmy Episodes: Saturday Night Live

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. This year, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Saturday Night Live: Season 41, Episode 13 “Melissa McCarthy / Kanye West” (B)
Nominated for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (Melissa McCarthy)

McCarthy’s episode begins with her doing a celebration in honor of her fifth time hosting and her joining the five-timers club, only to realize that she’s only hosted four times since her fifth appearance was part of the fortieth anniversary special and doesn’t actually count. What I didn’t know offhand is that McCarthy has been nominated for an Emmy each and every time that she has hosted, making this her seventh bid in six years. She has been nominated three times for “Mike and Molly,” winning on her first try in 2011. She’s also a recent Oscar nominee for “Bridesmaids,” and she’s definitely one of America’s leading ladies of comedy at the moment. I’d say that the fact that she’s been nominated for every hosting gig and never won actually reduces her chances of winning this year since there’s nothing especially funny about this hour that finds McCarthy going outside her comfort zone. In nearly every sketch, she’s a loud, obnoxious person, overreacting and vomiting on people during a test screening or saying ignorant things about black people on a bus that turns into a “Speed” situation. I do like McCarthy and think that she can be funny, but this isn’t the best showcase for her. I think people just like her and that’s why they vote for her. This and Tracy Morgan’s hosting jobs are the least impressive of the five nominees this year. They’re both obviously respected comedians who enjoy playing the same kind of role over and over again, but I don’t think that needs to merit Emmy attention.