Saturday Night Live: Shaping TV Comedy and American Culture

Arie Kaplan has written jokes and comedy sketches for the television series TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest.... He has also written humor articles for MAD Magazine. Aside from his work as a comedy writer, Arie has written numerous nonfiction books for young readers on subjects ranging from the life of Vlad the Impaler to the history of pop music. As a comics writer, he has written comic book stories and graphic novels for DC Comics, Archie Comics, Bongo Comics, IDW Publishing, Penguin Young Readers Group, and other publishers. He is the author of the acclaimed nonfiction book From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books, which was a 2008 finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. He lives with his family in New York City. Please check out his website, www.ariekaplan.com

"In its 39 seasons, NBC's Saturday Night Live has both shaped and skewered American pop culture and politics, transformed little-known comedians into household names, and inspired the development of similarly edgy sketch comedy programs. Launched in 1975 by producer Lorne Michaels, the show has changed the way we think about comedy, television, and ourselves. It remains as relevant today as it has to viewers for almost four decades. Kaplan presents an overview of the late-night show by focusing on its more memorable characters, the ongoing challenge of cast diversity, its satirical political commentary, and its career-launching capacity. Including SNL content as recent as January 2014, this title provides a too-brief look at the show's rich history, highlighting recent cast members and characters whom the intended audiences will be sure to recognize. As such, many former cast members and their characters are noticeably absent. Despite this shortcoming, the book design is attractive and accessible and features pertinent photographs and useful sidebars that expand the narrative. Among the additional resources is a catchphrase quiz. While Tom Shales's Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live (Little, Brown, 2002), aimed at an adult audience, remains the most comprehensive account to date, Kaplan's slim volume provides currency and may encourage young fans to seek out more information about this cultural and comedic phenomenon." ―School Library Journal

"This book tells the history of the popular, sometimes controversial, long running comedy show, better known as SNL. The introduction describes the beginning of the show and how this new brand of comedy was received across the country. Iconic characters and the actors who portrayed them are highlighted. The first part describes how the writers tackled edgy topics such as violence, poverty, and religious hypocrisy and made fun of celebrities through parody. It explores the gender balance and racial diversity the show brought to the American television industry, and its treatment of politics through satire. The last part of the book focuses on the show's major stars. The book includes a Catchphrase Quiz, a list of the actors and writers, and source notes. This book would be very useful for pop culture studies. Bibliography. [Editor's Note: Available in e-book format.] Recommended."―Library Media Connection

They say dying is easy; it's comedy that’s hard. And writing about comedy is hard as well. Kaplan does a fine job of detailing the history of the iconic TV show Saturday Night Live, introducing some of the cast's biggest stars over the eras. But chronicling their finest bits―Eddie Murphy's Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Dana Carvey's Church Lady, Tiny Fey as Sarah Palin―doesn't work very well, especially for those readers who've never seen them. However, there are other things this book does very well: explaining the show's social and political impact; introducing the controversies regarding the show's slowness in hiring writers and performers of color (and the perception of the show as a 'boys' club'); and showing how a weekly live television show comes together. The book contains plenty of great photographs that may entice readers to find old clips of memorable moments on YouTube. A bibliography, a quiz, and a list of SNL writers who went on to other things (Al Franken, U.S. senator) concludes.