Andy Samberg's cut Digital Shorts - The SNL Process for cutting a skit

As fans of SNL know, there's a long process in determining what skits get made. First the writers write up these scripts (either by themselves or as a team) and then submit them to the head writer (who is currently Seth).

The head writer okays a some of them to move forward. The writer then works directly with the actors they wrote into the skit and coaches them through the skit. They practice all week, with the guest host. Those are the skits that make it into the longer dress rehearsal on Saturday.

Then they show the skits to the live audience for a few reasons. First, this is a dress rehearsal so the actors get the best practice they can with the skit: in front of a large live audience.

Second, they use this audience to determine whether or not the skit is any good. If they have 20 skits, and they have to cut 6 of them, then they only keep the ones with the best response.

Now, how does this fit with Andy Samberg? In addition to Andy playing in a lot of these skits, he also creates videos for SNL (the Digital Shorts).

So they show these digital shorts to the rehearsal audience to see if they get the largest laughs. Nowadays, most of them do. The first season, with the Lonely Island dudes were making more songs, most of their videos made it past the rehearsal. However, in the second season, a few of their videos did not.

That means that the audience liked the skits more than the digital shorts. So some of those videos got delayed. One got cut.

Because they are videos, SNL just showed them again in a future rehearsal to see if it was funnier than the skits that week. I'm sure the context of the other skits around it would also change how funny it is. So, a few of the skits that got delayed at least one week include The Complaining Fast Food boss (starring Fred; anybody remember the title of this?), Nurse Betty, and Roy Rules (that audience must not have liked the crass rap for whatever reason). I think Nurse Betty actually got turned down at least two weeks. But they finally found the right show for it. In season 1, I believe that The Tangent got delayed a week (with Fred Armisen).

The video that never got shows was one where Andy was playing a cop who had lobster claws for hands. I heard that was pretty much the entire gag, so it makes sense that it got turned down. I believe it got turned down three times before they gave up on it.

This is also why there always wasn't a digital short every week. Some weeks were the delays where they weren't well received.

Plus, lately, some of the stars will have ideas for shooting a video of them in action (Brian and Peyton), and so the Lonely Island dudes make those videos instead.

That's it!

- TAE