In a particularly embarrassing moment that showed how played out the format has gotten, the camera panned to a teleprompter that read “Sentimental Moment” as a stage direction. In an era when Sarah Silverman and Stephen Colbert have completely broken down self-aggrandizing culture in politics as well as comedy, this misplaced tribute to Bob Saget under a veil of insults and child molestation jokes seemed like a tired effort to praise someone who already earned more praise than he ever deserved.
Everyone in the room could sense that vibe, which is why so many decided to make jokes about how unfunny and unworthy Bob Saget actually is. But the only comedian who truly got the point across was Norm Macdonald, who gives what has to be the funniest legitimate dive ever broadcast on Comedy Central. Ostensibly, Macdonald’s intentionally forced performance (he kept his face glued to note cards) and exceedingly corny jokes hearkened back to his worst dives on Weekend Update on SNL back in the '90s. Some audience members were no doubt offended by how little Macdonald seemed to care about his job. But Macdonald was actually translating the dated, manufactured, and sophomoric qualities of the roast into terms the audience could understand: no laughter, because it wasn’t funny. He took one for the team, and was rewarded by howling laughter from the roasters and the utmost appreciation by everyone on stage or in the know.
When Saget himself took the stage, you could sense what all the roasters had been talking about when they said Bob Saget was not actually a comedian. Unlike in his recent HBO special That Ain’t Right, Saget actually made jokes this time. Some of them were funny, or at least respectable, but the most notable part of the routine was that it didn’t sound like a Bob Saget routine. The swearing was not at the forefront of the humor, he didn’t predominantly riff on corrupting the Olsen twins, and seemed more like an actual comedian than a dirty storyteller. It was clear that Saget had always wanted to be roasted — insulting himself and others has been the staple of his life and post-Full House/America’s Funniest Home Videos work. But if he had truly deserved it, the roast would have been in the Friar’s Club, and not on Comedy Central.
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