Here’s Why Garrett Morris Doesn’t ‘See the Courage’ in Today’s ‘SNL’

Founding Saturday Night Live cast member Garrett Morris believes that, compared to the current era of SNL, his work on the show was a lot more experimental — creatively and biochemically.

When watching SNL in Season 50, it’s hard to believe that the show once considered itself to be the height of counterculture in TV comedy. Today, Lorne Michaels’ comedy institution is one of the most sought-after stops on any massively famous politician, movie star or musician’s publicity campaign, and SNL is a veritable “who’s who” of comedians who will, themselves, write and star in award-winning movies and television shows as soon as they leave 30 Rockefeller Plaza. For decades now, Studio 8H has been the home of the biggest stage in comedy and, arguably, entertainment as a whole,  but it wasn’t always such a corporatized force of comedic marketing momentum — and Morris isn’t sure that he likes the new version better.

During an interview with The Guardian, Morris, who served in the cast of SNL for the first five years of its existence, explained that he still tunes in every Saturday night to see how his old show is doing. However, Morris admitted to feeling that the special ingredient that made SNL a success in the first place is sorely missing — and he’s not talking about all the cocaine.

“I don’t see the courage,” Morris said of today’s Saturday Night Live, “the experimental impulses. That was the whole core of what happened the first 10 years. I keep expecting it to attack in a funny way and bring out the foibles not only of individuals but of the government and all that. And nowadays, although people still check it out, I think they’re catering to too many people too much of the time.”

Now, to be fair, Morris’ path to SNL is very different from those of the current cast and writers' rooms — today, artists spend their whole lives honing their sketch and improvisational comedy skills with the specific intention of landing a spot in the SNL operation, while the original cast was a motley crew of varied performers with a wide range of backgrounds, and few were as motley as Morris. A seasoned thespian and regular performer on Broadway, Morris’ strong roots in experimental theater informed his artistry on SNL, as well as his perception of what sketch comedy should be.

Morris recalled his early years working with politically motivated theater companies in Harlem before Michaels selected him for a drastic career change. “Every three months or so, the cops would be coming up the stairs with AK-47s,” Morris remembered of his work with the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School in the 1960s. “The third time it happened, I said, ‘Call me an Uncle Tom if you want to, but I gotta find another line of work.’”

As such, it’s no surprise that Morris wanted his work on SNL to have a similar social consciousness and creative tenacity, nor is it shocking that watching Moo Deng throw shade at Chappell Roan on “Weekend Update” doesn’t scratch his itch for courageous comedy. However, Morris still has hope for young artists in the comedy industry, saying, “I like what I see coming up. I have no doubt that the new crop of comics will hold us in good stead.”

Hopefully, they’ll learn from his example and stay away from the AK-47s.