Saturday Night Live has been getting a little more political lately, but the only political humor in this weekend’s James Franco-hosted episode was in the cold opening. That's a shame, because one of the sketches that didn't make the cut would have been the episode's most subversive segment.
In the sketch, two St. Louis TV news anchors (Kenan Thompson and Cecily Strong) struggle through the morning show Rise and Smile as Ferguson continues to protest. New cast member Leslie Jones plays a traffic reporter and steals the scene. They could have done without Franco in this one.
While it’s understandable that the sketch was cut, it's a shame that the TV audience didn't get to experience it. The news anchors' frustrations and awkwardness mirror the way the real media has been covering Ferguson, Eric Garner, and countless other stories of police brutality. Jon Stewart famously ditched an attempt at humor or satire with his monologue about Garner.As Vanity Fair points out, sometimes the SNL sketches that get cut are the show's most relevant bits.
H/T Vanity Fair | Screengrab via Saturday Night Live/YouTube