Television
This time, 'Saturday Night Live' has it
By Toni Fitzgerald
Apr 14, 2008 - 9:03:25 AM

The presidential candidates have been a huge draw on cable and talk shows this year, and so too have faux news and spoofs on shows like Jon Stewart's "Daily Show."

It was that sort of humor that made the show so hot during the last presidential election cycle, especially among younger viewers. It still is.

But this time around, even bigger buzz may be building around "Saturday Night Live.” The NBC show has seen big ratings gains since its return a month ago from the writer's strike. That's thanks mostly to its barbed political humor, which skewers the Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls with biting impressions and “Weekend Update” segments.

Saturday’s “SNL” averaged a 5.2 metered market household rating at 11:30 p.m., its top rating for an April original episode since 2005. The long-running NBC skit show bettered the same night last year, which averaged a 4.9, by 6 percent.

And it topped last fall’s 4.5 pre-strike average for originals by 16 percent, putting all half-dozen episodes that have aired since the strike above the prior average.

The strong ratings have undoubtedly been driven by the nation’s strong interest in the presidential election. That’s pushed up primetime viewership on cable, where CNN and MSNBC have recorded record ratings for their primary coverage.

Appearances by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the two senators battling for the Democratic presidential nomination, have recently lifted daytime or late-night talk shows like “The View” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” while presumed Republican nominee John McCain is a favorite guest of comedians David Letterman (“The Late Show”) and Stewart.

But while earnest chat show appearances and debates are certainly a draw, this year’s intense political standoffs are also ripe for satire, which explains why “SNL” was so sorely missed during the strike and why it’s done so well since its return, even garnering an Entertainment Weekly cover a few weeks ago.

"SNL" usually does well during presidential election years, but its long strike hiatus may have further whetted appetites for its return.

“SNL’s” first post-strike episode in late February averaged a 6.1 metered-market household rating, 36 percent better than last fall’s average and its best rating in more than a year.

While ratings have fallen a bit since then, the show has remained the top-rated non-sports program on broadcast on Saturday for every original episode since then.

Ashton Kutcher hosted Saturday’s episode, with musical guest Gnarls Barkley. The opening skit showcased all three presidential candidates grilling Gen. David Petraeus, including a joke about sniper fire stemming from Clinton’s recent controversy.