The Johnny Carson Award (2009)

With each award of the 2009 Poolies I will give a rundown of the nominees, how many points they received and what I voted each one. For some categories The Quiet Pool Perspective will welcome guest voters to write about why a show or character won that specific award.

The Johnny Carson Award for
Best Late Night/Variety Series

Rank. Show- Total Points...(My Rank)
5th. The College Humor Show- 3 points

4th. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart- 10 points

3rd. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno- 16 points...(2nd)

Runner-Up
2nd. The Late Show with David Letterman- 18 points...(3rd)

The Poolie Goes To
1st. Saturday Night Live- 27 points...(1st)

And now with his take on Saturday Night Live here is T-time of Solomons Lines...

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Saturday Night Live has always taken more than its fair share of criticism. The Saturday Night Dead insult seems to pop up every off-night, and it has certainly walked some low roads, but it has always been the standard bearer for late night and this year is no exception. The show is in a pretty good place in 2009 with an excellent cast, some snappy writing and a good crop of recurring sketches. More often then not, SNL depends on a quality host, and there have been a few of those this year as well.

The 2009 cast doesn't have a lot of big names but it really is as talented as any outside of the early 90s. Kristen Wiig has become the star, bringing life to a number of memorable characters. Perhaps the funniest female in the program's history, she has mastered a squad of recurring characters, notably the Target Lady. She performs equally well in small parts and in one off sketches, the skit in which she loves surprises is one of the best of the year. Bill Hader has also come into his own this year, making the leap to full fledged star. Will Forte has produced quality in bunches to single out one more performer from a cast that is solid all the way through.

The hosts have ranged from outstanding (The Rock) to atrocious, (Michael Phelps) but there have been enough quality guests to keep the season entertaining. From old friends like Tracy Jordan to new faces like Bradley Cooper, each show has left us with something memorable. While a few shows have been duds, and Weekend Update has become must-fast-forward-tv, the SNL format is still going strong. With a young cast that has yet to come into its own, Saturday Night Live is on top once again.