‘Saturday Night Live’: Why ‘Whiskers R We’ works for Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, and many others
Tonight, NBC is replaying the episode of “Saturday Night Live” from the fall featuring Kristen Wiig and with musical guest The xx. We’ll start by saying that we think that Wiig is one of the best cast members of the past couple of decades, but this show didn’t really bring home a lot of re-watch value to the table. Most of the political sketches were funny in the moment, but they’re all kind of depressing now.
So for the sake of our SNL Re-Watch series (which we do anytime there’s a repeat), we want to touch on the question in the title. Why in the world is Whiskers R We anywhere near as funny is it is? Why is this a sketch that we enjoy so much no matter who is in it? The version of it featuring Wiig and Kate McKinnon on this occasion was wonderful, but there hasn’t been an edition of it to date that we’ve hated.
The live animal factor – Obviously, one of the reasons why this sketch works so well is that you’ve got that unpredictability in that you never know how the kittens are going to react. It’s a part of what made Brian Fellow so fun when Tracy Morgan was a part of the cast. The animals are all handled innocently enough that it doesn’t feel exploitative, and seeing McKinnon and her random guest handle them always is worthy of a laugh or two.
The variance – Some cats are described using innocent puns; meanwhile, others have parallels to current events and others are just completely off the rails. Like the cats themselves, you never quite know what is going to be said about them.
The formula – Given that you have these two unstable elements, it’s a good thing that the sketch follows a routine. Every time, you meet some cats, the guest hits on McKinnon’s character in an uncomfortable manner, and it’s a series of one-liners, one right after the next. It’s very similar to the “adult actresses” played by Cecily Strong and Vanessa Bayer where even though you know what’s coming, you still find a way to enjoy it.
It’s late in the show – This is big to a sketch like this. If we saw it early, it probably would have an “oh, this again?” feel to it. Because it’s typically right near the end of the show, we’re tired and are just ready to laugh at something stupid.
Why do you think this sketch continues to work, or do you think that it was a dud from the start? Share below, and head over here to check out our new SNL Wishlist series, where we detail why certain people should come in and host the show. (Photo: NBC.)