When The Lonely Island joined “SNL,” Seth Meyers was also still cutting his teeth. Though he would go on to be the show’s head writer and one of the Weekend Update anchors, the podcast coverage begins at a time when Meyers was still a regular cast member appearing in a variety of sketches in addition to writing them. Meyers not only offers amusing, self-deprecating memories about his work on the show, but he also provides an outsiders perspective on what The Lonely Island was doing. Because the group are such good friends and collaborated at “SNL” for so long, Meyers isn’t shy about honestly critiquing the SNL Digital Shorts. Despite the success of something like “Laser Cats,” Meyers has no problem admitting that he’s not sure that he likes them as much as everyone else seems to. These are the kind of candid, insightful conversations that I love to hear from comedians.
Because of Meyers’ place on the show, especially as he moves on from being a regular cast member, the podcast also has plenty of tangents that focus on other sketches that aired during the episodes where SNL Digital Shorts debuted. With a makeshift theme, a segment called “Seth’s Corner” offers his perspective on what was happening at “SNL” that week. The result is even more fascinating conversations about the inner-workings of “SNL,” including audio clips from sketches that got cut at dress rehearsal or just before airtime, and it’s all accompanied by the kind of in-depth background that you almost never got when the episodes themselves were airing.
If you’re a comedy fan, The Lonely Island & Seth Meyers podcast is what you should be tuning into each week, and since they only just covered “D**k in a Box” at the time of this writing, there are still dozens more to break down with the gang. Plus, for those who want the most comprehensive package, they’re also covering the movies they worked on during their time at “SNL,” with two episodes dedicated to the underrated comedy treasure “Hot Rod,” which is a whole other compelling and interesting conversation. You can listen wherever podcasts are available for download.
