Saturday Night Live Political Satire 2017
SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video
When real-life politics is a theater of the absurd, it’s a common misnomer to say that television comedy writes itself. But nothing can be further from the truth, as America’s longest running program featuring political satire—“Saturday Night Live”—demonstrated yet again in 2017. True political satire moves beyond surface-level impersonations, instead attacking those in power who are dangerous precisely because of what they say and do. After its deft comedic narration of the 2016 presidential election, it wasn’t until the Trump administration offered up a full cast of unbelievable political apparatchiks that “SNL” kicked into full parodic gear. Recurring guest Alec Baldwin continued his brilliance as the venal, egotistical, and deceitful Trump. But it was the portrayal of Trump’s clownish coterie that was brilliant. The moment guest Melissa McCarthy portrayed Trump’s unhinged press secretary Sean Spicer, it was clear that Spicer’s political future was doomed. And Kate McKinnon’s acting genius is repeatedly on display as she embodies an array of political characters—from Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to special prosecutor Robert Mueller and presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway. For helping the American public come to terms with an unprecedented presidential administration by flaying its daily political absurdities through biting satire, “Saturday Night Live” wins a Peabody Award.
PRIMARY PRODUCTION CREDITS
Executive Producer: Lorne Michaels. Producers: Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward, Lindsay Shookus, Erin Doyle, Ken Aymong. Writers: James Anderson, Kristen Bartlett, Jeremy Beiler, Zack Bornstein, Joanna Bradley, Megan Callahan, Michael Che, Anna Drezen, Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Nick Kocher, Dave McCary, Brian McElhaney, Dennis McNicholas, Drew Michael, Lorne Michaels, Josh Patten, Katie Rich, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, Streeter Seidell, Will Stephen, Kent Sublette, Julio Torres, Bryan Tucker. Talent: Alec Baldwin, Vanessa Bayer, Beck Bennett, Aidy Bryant, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, Leslie Jones, Colin Jost, Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney, Bobby Moynihan, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Sasheer Zamata, Mikey Day, Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor. Director: Don Roy King.