SNL Ratings Soar: Highest Since 2002

The highly anticipated return of "Saturday Night Live," featuring Tina Fey as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, delivered the show's highest ratings since 2002, NBC said Sunday.

Saturday's show, hosted by the Olympian swimming sensation Michael Phelps, averaged a 7.4 rating and an 18 share of the available TV viewing audience in Nielsen's 55 metered markets. The overnight ratings will be revised by Nielsen Media Research later in the week.

Illustrating the interest in both Mr. Phelps and the political skewering that viewers expect from "SNL," the episode ranked as "SNL's" most popular since December 2002, when Al Gore hosted the program. NBC said the episode was up 64 percent from last year's season premiere.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[eclectablog]

Too bad it was the lamest episode in history once you got past the opening skit. All summer to prepare and that's all they had?! Really? Okay, the newspaper commenter-guy in Weekend Edition is pretty funny but, other that that? LAME!

[kalapa]

High ratings nothing to do with Phelps. I tuned in to watch Tina Fey & Amy Poehler. Can't call what Phelps did "hosting". Its remarkable how he managed to suck the fun out of every scene he was in. The guy has no personality to speak of, and he's fugly to boot.UGH!

[nibblybits]

Maybe the next skit can be on Sarah Palin's tanning bed...

http://narconews.com/Issue54/article3191.html

[justaskinman]

Yeah, noooooo sh*t. Ratings tanked when SNL stopped making fun of Bush because of 9/11.

[confusedintexas]

Palin Vice Presidency by Colin Nissan

Pregnant rape victim: So, I was raped and now I'm pregnant.
Sarah: Aww, that's the miracle of life, isn't it?
Pregnant rape victim: Um, no actually, because I was raped.
Sarah: But now you're going to have a beautiful baby.
Pregnant rape victim: No, I'm going to have a rapist's baby.
Sarah: Have you thought of any names?
Pregnant rape victim: No, not yet because I was a little busy GETTING RAPED!
Sarah: Well, you have time, how far along are you?
Pregnant rape victim: The police report was filed about four months ago, so...
Sarah: ...any weird cravings yet? I couldn't get enough Pad Thai when I was carrying Bristol.

Sarah: Vladimir, because Alaska is the closest US state to Russia, I really have a deep understanding of the complex issues of your nation.
Vladimir Putin: O...kay.
Sarah: Speaking of neighbors, that wasn't very neighborly of you guys to attack Georgia like that.
Vladimir Putin: Well, it's quite a complicated situation with regards to the province of South Ossetia. You see, for years the people of Georgia...are you listening to me?
Sarah: Uh huh. Hey, do you guys have moose here?
Vladimir Putin: Moose?
Sarah: You know, with the big antlers?
Vladimir Putin: I suppose we do, yes.
Sarah: I thought you might because it's cold and snowy here like it is in Alaska.
(awkward silence) I make a mean moose stew. I'll bring you some next time.
Putin: Please don't.

[hotcognition]

Does this affect what people think about the candidates?

check this out...


http://sitemaker.umich.edu/jginges2

[vazzy13]

Really? Aside from Tina Fey's skit that show was the worst thing I've seen in a long time - it was pure boring crap!

[FaceYourFears]

After 10 mins it was too painful to watch....

[GetoffMylawn]

Not only that, I had a barbeque at my house on Sunday, 12 people sat around my TV for ten minutes as we watched the skit again off the tivo.
Tina was awesome.
Palin is such a horrible liar.

[WFV]

I am more than hopeful this is a short-term gig for Tina Fey.

[marymansour]

keeping my fingers crossed as well.

[WHATISTHIS]

THE MEDIA DONT WANT YOU TO SEE!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1185304443/bctid1786848892

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiEjJdRfEoA

[contemporarymom]

Soooo that makes Obama taking the high road? Laughable all that does it make folks want to stick up for Sarah against the malicious mean old media - brilliant keep helping us Repubs we love it.

[America08]

I didn't enjoy the show. It wasn't that funny to me.

[lioness39]

I, for one, don't even want to see a comic version of Palin. She is just too repugnant.

[contemporarymom]

Yeah Tina Fey is brillant, her and the interst in Sara is why the ratings were high, as for the rest of the show - it fell flat and stunk.

[huffybike]

And rightly so! They opened the show right: http://www.entertonement.com/collections/3484/Tiny-Fey-as-Sarah-Palin-Sketch

I posted this on another thread this morning, but it must be said again: best line of the night: http://www.entertonement.com/clips/25871/Saturday-Night-Live/Saturday-Night-Live-Season-34/Saturday-Night-Live-Season-34x01/I-Can-See-Russia-From-My-House

Tina Fey must have been working on the voice and accent since the convention speech; her Palin is soooo much better than Poehler's Clinton.

[toomanyLennys]

SNL Totally wimped out. They've actually helped her. Palin is a monster. Hey, let's go back to doing abortions with coat hangers! - Personally, I don't think its such a great idea. Think what John Belushi would have done to her - or Chevy Chase.

C'mon, SNL, you can do better than that.