Hugh Laurie has a long and distinguished career as a sketch comedian and writer. A product of that most elite of British sketch comedy training grounds, the Cambridge University Footlights Club (where he worked with Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry, and followed such luminaries of the previous generation as several of the Monty Python troupe), Laurie has perfect comedic timing and a dry and ironic wit that would even impress his alter ego, Dr. Gregory House.
I was looking forward to watching Laurie on his return visit to Saturday Night Live. His last outing as host of the venerable series was a year and a half ago. In that appearance, while I enjoyed Laurie’s monologue, a couple of the sketches, and the reprise of his fabulous folk-ballad satire, “Protest Song,” I felt at the time that the sketches written for him did not play to his greatest strengths and he seemed (very) slightly out of his element. It didn’t help that the season as a whole was mediocre at best. The sketches were silly rather than funny some had (for me) a high cringe factor.
This season, SNL is has been experiencing a bit of a renaissance (as has happened several times since the show began airing back when I was in college). The writing is sharp as is the acting — much of that fueled by political humor, giving SNL an energy it hasn’t had for a while. So I was hoping for a more satisfying series of sketches and lots of Hugh. I was not disappointed.
Last night’s SNL, it's final live show of 2008 — and it's Christmas show — was a really good outing. Hugh seemed much more at ease with the material and with being back on live television than he had two years ago. The sketches seemed to rely more on his strengths as a comedic actor with great timing, and some of them really hearkened back to his days writing and performing on A Bit of Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry on the BBC in the 1990s. As such, most of the sketches were “situational" moments we've all encountered one way or another, bent perversely (or subversively) for comic effect, but containing an element of truth. SNL also made effective use of Laurie’s considerable musical talent (and unexpectedly nice baritone singing voice) both in the monologue and in several of the sketches.
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Article comments
1 - Orange450
Barbara, even though I still don't think that SNL really capitalized on HL's gifts, I think his appearance last night was a big improvement over his 2006 appearance. I was mortified for him two years ago. Probably wasted emotion on my part - but not as wasted as his talent was at that time.
I enjoyed most of the sketches last night too - with the exception of the lamps. It's so much fun to see/hear him with his American accent, but not doing House. It was also great to see Maya Rudolph - that Bronx Beat sketch was hilarious, and I don't think it would have been as good without Maya and Amy. I got the Dickens reference in the monologue before it was out of his mouth - but I'm a New Yorker, so I guess that accounts for it. I've been through the same experience any number of times :-)
I wish HL could have been the musical guest AND the host. It would have been a real treat to hear him do two songs instead of Kanye West, who didn't do much for me. I sincerely hope that HL went straight to JFK from the set, on his way home for a well-deserved holiday break.
2 - Barbara Barnett
I'm not a regular viewer of SNL anymore. I was addicted to it throughout college and into the mid-1980s (with a chaser of SCTV immediately following in the 80s). Of course they've always done topical humor the best and their sketch work has always depended on the acting chops of their troupe. And guest star.
I've never been a fan of the over-the-top sketches either on SNL or on Fry and Laurie: their just not my cuppa tea (never have been). So I enjoyed most of the sketches. I like silly (love Monty Python, Blackadder, etc) but not the over-the top silly stuff.
The 2006 show, I thought was pretty lame. I cringed throughout it. Of course I also cringed in my XFiles heyday when Duchovny hosted (once) and I hated every sketch.
They used HL in nearly every sketch (and I understand that that's not all that usual). He's a great mimic and gifted comic actor, and he did pull off everything required of him. Would have loved to see more political humor playing on the differences between the UK and American politics.
3 - Boffle
Thanks for posting so quickly, Barbara. I enjoyed last night's show too. Loved the Christmas medley: that really was brilliant and the layered build up to giving the tiniest gift and then the capper: great stuff. On the Dickens one, I thought the audience was a little flat, not the joke. In fact, I thought he wasn't really thrown by the response, but sort of expected it. ;-)
Loved his singing, as always. From ABof&L years, Jeeves and Wooster, through House and his work with Band From TV, he's always shown himself to be a wonderful singer and expressive musician. Truly a multi-talented performer! He sings well and can so funny with it at the same time. Not many can do that.
Loved the Lamps sketch, but it took a little rewatching to get into it. Surreal stuff that goes a little sideways from expectations, that I love. Plus it was made funnier when it was followed by a real commercial with toys coming to life: a cliché ready for a satirical take.
I love Orange450's idea of having him be the musical guest and the host. A performance of Such A Night live would been awesome: his NoLa-style piano playing just gets better and better.
I have to disagree with you, though, on redoing the Murdoch parody sketch from ABoF&L or really any of the sketches from back then (except possibly some of the musical numbers). They did that sketch beautifully back then, no reason to remake it. It's ironic enough imho that he made it and then ended up having his show on Fox.
Love that Laurie is game for the new stuff. Hope he gets to come back and develop more and more of whatever he's got on his mind. He is truly a comic treasure as well as a dramatic genius. That's not hyperbole, he really is. If only there were more of him so we could get a new book, some movies, more comedy, more music and still keep House on our TVs. Santa?
4 - Douglas Mays
I thought the episode was good overall.
Actually, very British, his 'Dickensian' joke didn't flop. One of those dry jokes done with a nod and a wink. Part of the audience caught it. Damn sophisticates!
Anyway, thumbs up overall.
best,
DM
5 - Barbara Barnett
I have to disagree with you, though, on redoing the Murdoch parody sketch from ABoF&L or really any of the sketches from back then (except possibly some of the musical numbers). They did that sketch beautifully back then, no reason to remake it. It's ironic enough imho that he made it and then ended up having his show on Fox.
that is one of my favorite sketches of the entire four series of A Bit... And it was simply brilliant when they did it back then (14 years ago?) I just thought given the season (and since they retrod Hugh's "Protest song" last time, it would have been irony upon irony. but only if they were doing retread, which they weren't. That's all. I think it is actually better left as is in the annals of comedy parody genius.
6 - Sue
I thought SNL was terrible last night. They did not use Hugh well at all. Any actor could have done everything he did, and there would not have been much difference in the outcome.
I don't think Hugh was impressive in the monologue. I don't think he was last time either. Hugh seems to be most uncomfortable when he is being himself. He is great at the extremes of comedy and drama, and just average at stuff in the middle.
None of the sketches were well written. The "Bronx girls" segment lasted twice as long as it should have. They waited too long to bring Hugh into it. He did not impress in that segment.
The "dinner" segment also was not impressive or funny. The concept was okay, but it did not convert to a sketch very well. It could have been Hugh or anyone else in that sketch with little difference.
The wedding sketch was fair. Again, it went on too long. It just wasn't funny. That problem is in the concept and the writing.
The lamp sketch was just downright embarrassing. An actor of Hugh's stature should not have to stoop down to the level of wearing that costume and being in such a poorly conceived sketch.
The cat woman sketch also just wasn't funny.
Last time he appeared on SNL, the sketches were funny and the concepts were more fully developed. The haunted house with the guy passing air was funny, and it gave Hugh a vehicle he could work with. The hospital sketch was funny. He got an opportunity to sing his own song. This time, he didn’t sing his own song, probably because Kanye didn't want competition for the musical spot.
If I were Hugh, I wouldn't do this show again. I can't see how he comes out of this looking good. Because he is so spectacular on House, he has to be impressive in anything else he does.
7 - Allison
I thought this show was 90 minutes of pure hell. It was a total waste of Hugh Laurie's immense talents; I think I laughed once (and that was probably at a commercial).
How can you have a show with Hugh Laurie, and NOT do a spoof on House??
There were only 2 things that saved this show for me. One was that I got a few presents wrapped while it was on. Two was that I still got to look at Hugh Laurie. He's still hot no matter how bad the show is.
8 - Luisa Borges
First, how amazing did he look on this show. Dressed up, dressed down, with christmas sweaters, in a t-shirt. I mean hot doesn´t even quite cover it.
I loved the stills of him, the 007 ones were priceless. How cool was that? And the Royal Guard? Great stuff, he must have had a ball doing that. The deer look...all just perfect.
OK, enough gushing about his looks already.
Loved the opening monologue. Noticed how he was nervous, but in such a nice way. And even so he was able to deliver the goods, so to speak.
I absolutely adore british comedy. The way its played, the jokes, the physicality of it and Hugh is a master at all that. Great at playing but overtly funny scenes (the clowning stuff) and straight ones.
My favourite ones: the wedding speach, the lamps, the office, the butcher, and the holliday dinner and the cat ghostwriter. I adored Weekend Update, though he was not in it.
Also love to hear him sing, gorgeous voice, and his accent is heaven to my ears. The first time he sang, the christmas carol bundle, that is so difficult to do, shift mid song, keep the pitch, that piece alone, was top dollar.
As far as SNL goes, I used to be a great fan back in the day. And I do mean way back in the day (in the late 70s). Their tv comercials spoofs were the stuff of legend, I can still remember "Swill mineral water from the lake - everything you want in a mineral water, and more" with its Heinz ketchup take and the "anticipation" song still make me laugh. The canon camera, the shirt in a can, the list is endless. The many anthological Weekend Updates. Loved it all.
But not since the "Wayne´s World" years have I watched a single full episode of it. It kinda just lost me after that. So, I have just watched the 2 that Hugh hosted.
To me, Hugh could read a grocery list or the back of a serial box, and I still would think he deserves an Emmy for it. He is that good. So I thoroughfully enjoyed watching his 2 shows as host. And I afterwards I always have this wish to see him do more comedy gigs. His TV interviews are funny enough, he sure can tell a joke, in that offhand, british diversionary way.
9 - j.i.m.
Barbara wrote, "The Bronx Ladies sketch was an hysterical take on every American woman’s fascination with British-accented men. Ordinary American men haven’t a chance when a Brit’s around."
I beg to be excused from this definition of the American woman. Give me an American man with his own special accent any day. You don't know what you have until it's gone!
10 - Tourmaline
Good to hear our boy did well! Now, how to get a British broadcaster to screen his appearances before the next millennium....?
11 - Barbara Barnett
"I beg to be excused from this definition of the American woman. Give me an American man with his own special accent any day. You don't know what you have until it's gone!"
j.i.m. Of course I was jesting (sort of). But those accents (esp. the British accent) seems to cause women to go quite wild. I remember in the movie Love, Actually one of the film storylines played off of this exact phenomenon.
12 - Luisa Borges
j.i.m, your comment was really fun to read.
Barbara, your reply was also.
Funny that it got me thinking, the stuff about the english accent (espeacially the posh one, which is Hugh´s) is legend, so there´s at least a moderate crowed of gals that rock to this. Remember in Lisa Edelstein´s Chelsea Lately interview they said something about that.
Having said that, Hugh can be used as example of j.i.m´s point, when he speaks with his american accent he stays just as sexy as with his english one.
13 - Andreina
"I thought SNL was terrible last night. They did not use Hugh well at all. Any actor could have done everything he did, and there would not have been much difference in the outcome. "
I agree 100% with Sue. Although Mr.Laurie is always excellent at anything he does, he should have spent Saturday Night at home with his family. I hope that he never does SNL again. That show does not showcase his talents. When he was on Conan on Decmber 9th. O'Brien said that the writers of SNL would be ecstatic to write for Hugh. DAH! I cringed for Mr.Laurie as he gamely did his best in those humourless sketches. He is such a class act to even consider getting into that Lamp suit. How hard could it be to create intelligent quirky skits that highlight the actor's incredible range and comedic timing? They did it beautifully for John Malkovich last week in the NOGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS sketch. The writers should have looked at A BIT OF FRY AND LAURIE to see real comedy. Even on House he can deliver poignant dramatic lines with feeling and still interject the humour that lies beneath. I am afraid to suggest that they are hampered by the fact that Hugh is English. Forget that...funny is funny! Please never do SNL again Hugh, you are much too funny and talented for that show. Go on Craig Ferguson and do a silly sketch with him. At least that would be amusing.
14 - Barbara Barnett
"Having said that, Hugh can be used as example of j.i.m´s point, when he speaks with his american accent he stays just as sexy as with his english one."
Point very well taken! Compare and contrast: Bertie Wooster and Gregory House. No comparison and what a contrast!
15 - ValentineBaby
I agree that it was embarassing to watch Hugh in such lousy-written "comedy". IMO there's much better comedy written into House MD and it's a drama show.
I have a non-related question. I thought Hugh's family moved over here, but on Ellen's and Conan's shows, Hugh mentions that they travel back and forth a lot to see each other. Anybody know the answer? I was hoping for his sake that they moved here.
16 - Val
My take on SNL was that it had some good bits and some bad bits. Overall, I was laughing; Hugh Laurie could just about do anything and I think I'd enjoy it.
I really enjoyed the Christmas dinner and wedding sketches. Whereas the lamp sketch took some getting used to, but I found my self laughing at the site of Laurie in that ridiculous outfit and enjoying the (all) musical numbers.
I will definitely take another look at it and take your review into it with me. Maybe it will shed new like on the not-so-great bits for me.
17 - flippet
"I thought SNL was terrible last night. They did not use Hugh well at all. Any actor could have done everything he did, and there would not have been much difference in the outcome. "
I have to third (or fourth?) this comment. The writing was horrible. The sketches were unfunny. For some of them, perhaps the idea was amusing, but they lost a lot once 'fleshed out'...and were simply too long.
The accent sketch--cute idea, but at least twice as long as it should have been. And the accent thing has been *so* overdone with the poor man...every interview I've seen, they harp on it. (Conan, anyone?) I adore Hugh, and the accent, and *I'm* sick of hearing about it....I can't imagine how tired of talking about it he must be.
Wedding sketch--I can just imagine the writer's room for this one...'hey awful wedding speeches!' 'yeah, those are hysterical!' And then they made the mistake of trying to write it. The funny died before a lick of it was written. And again--far, far too long.
Lamps...ugh. Like boffle said, the funniest part of that was the toy commercial immediately afterwards. I have no problem dressing Hugh up ridiculously, if you're going to be funny about it. This was epic fail.
The holiday dinner---funny for the first two or three outbursts, then, overkill. The singing was nice, but better out of context.
The cat sketch was the only one that even halfway worked for me. But then, I'm a complete sucker for Hugh in glasses and a cardigan. Nerd hot.
I do appreciate that they used him in nearly every sketch---I'll take watching Hugh over not watching him. I just wish the writing had been, oh, any good at all. And I'll agree with those that wished for a display of his musical talents...he's just too amazing to waste all of that.
18 - rbrown1205
"Ordinary American men haven’t a chance when a Brit’s around. Especially when that Brit happens to be Hugh Laurie."
Glad that you qualified that comment!! I for one don't get, for example, Hugh Grant. It is the extraordinary man around which ordinary men do not have much of a chance. Hugh Laurie is one of those extraordinary men, Brit or not.
I really like your insights, thank you for offering them so regularly.