Saturday Night Live has been through its ups and downs since it began in the 1970’s and in the past couple of years it seems to be mostly downs.

It seems that there was a certain point a few years ago where SNL lost the spark that made it so great and became a very generic sketch show that had lost its relevancy. I think it was mostly due to the mass exodus of the show’s best cast members to the big screen or other projects that left a large hole that no new cast member was able to fill. In 2006 SNL lost many of their major cast members, including Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Finesse Mitchell, Chris Parnel and Horatio Sanz, many of which had been with the show for several years. I think SNL went through a period where it lost its personality and either tried new things that just didn’t fit or tried to force their new stars into the old mold, but to no avail.

However in the past year or so it seems like SNL may have found itself once more…

Relative newcomers to the show, Andy Samberg and Bill Hader have both found success outside of the latenight weekend time slot; Samberg with the massive success of the Digital Shorts and Lonely Island collaboration, and Hader with the Apatow crowd. So the ‘new’ SNL has some star power, but what is different about the show itself?

Not that long ago, it seemed like SNL was working with the philosophy that all they had to do is make fun of the president and throw in a few obnoxious characters and their job was done. Well it’s easy to make fun of George W. Bush and the “I’m making loud noises” schtick only really works with Will Ferrell. Lately, though it seems like the type of comedy the SNL staff is working with has changed.

One example is the skit, “What up with that,” where Kenan Thompson plays a spotlight-craving stage performer turned talk show host with guests like former vice-president Al Gore, James Franco and others. At first glance this would seem like any other ‘crazy character’ sketch, but when it gets time for the interview of his guests, Thompson keeps singing, and dancing… and doesn’t stop. It’s at this point that you realize the skit has nothing to do with the over the top songs or acting, but the very notion of inviting such huge guest stars on, just to ignore them. Not many shows save Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show, Great Job! have the comedic balls to make the statement that it’s not how you use the celebrity, but how you misuse them.

While SNL will never be what it was in decades past, it can be something new. The current cast is probably the best it has been in a few years and the writing staff has finally gotten their act together and are writing comedy instead of recycling it. Now if only they would stop choosing teenage pop stars for their hosts…