I have been endlessly fascinated with the paracalculus of suck to awesome applied to shows like SNL.

"Anything after 79 is bullshit!" "Anything after 93 is bullshit!"

When did the Simpsons start to suck, again? Was it after season 5 or 6? Or was it still pretty good until season 12? Was it when they introduced fantastic elements outside of the Halloween episodes?

And didn't M.A.S.H. really start to suck when BJ started wearing that fucken pink shirt? Or was it when Trapper left in the first place?

In the end, we are all going to die by fire--pointless, conceptually muddled, fire.

"The fire was okay, but it didn't really start to suck until--AAAGH FIRE!!!"

:::gulp:::
:::slams drink on table:::
:::apologetically droops out of bar:::

2001 is being extremely generous.

Really, the plug should have been pulled in the mid-90s, when every sketch was lame and the studio audience was mostly quiet except for nervous laughs and awkward "uh, should I be laughing now?" chuckles.

And now thanks to internet clips there is no reason to ever sit through a whole episode of that uneven mess ever again.

Never mind SNL, let's have a Joel vs Mike debate. But give me ten minutes so I can go and make some popcorn.

(It takes that long because I can't stand microwave popcorn. If you want the best tasting popcorn in the world, here's how to do it: use 3 tbsp canola oil, and half a cup of corn. Put the oil and a couple of kernels in a covered pot, heat over medium heat till those kernels start popping. Pour in the rest of the corn. Pop for about 5-6 minutes, or until it slows down to 1-2 seconds between pops. Shake the pot every now and then, and oven mitts are a good idea at this stage. Once the it slows down to 1-2 seconds between pops, turn off the heat. Leave it covered for another minute or so, as some of the kernels might pop even after the heat is turned off. Add salt, if desired. Enjoy!)

As the cosmic cycle of Death and Rebirth goes on, so too does the SNL cycle of Funny and Suck, forever waxing from Suck to Funny, forever waning from Funny to Suck.

Also, I find the Joel v. Mike divide usually comes down to who was the host for the first few episodes of the show you saw. I started watching Joel episodes, and still have a soft spot for him and his accordion vacuum.

Joel for the win

Joel, no contest. Mike had his moments but his delivery wasn't as good and he marked the beginning of the end of MST3k writing for themselves instead of the audience.

1) Mike on Comedy Central
2) Joel on Comedy Central
3) Mike on Sci-Fi Channel

Joel on the Bridge, Mike in the theater.

The first ones I saw were Joel yet I'll say that the Mike episodes were way better hands down. Better delivery, better writing. Too many Joel jokes flatly spelled out the premise right before the punchline.

The best you can say about the Joel episodes was that Frank + the Doctor > Bobo + Pearl.

but a short summation of why Joel was lamer?

He was the prototype French Stewart.

Dr. Forester remains high up in the FBI most wanted list.

Meanwhile TV's Frank writes a tell-all about his affair with Gypsy and Cambot is seized by the police after recording them beating an Occupy Gizmonics protester.

i like the way you think