Not only is Saturday Night Live not funny anymore, the show has also lost a lot of credibility. According to MSNBC, Pepsi has been sponsoring SNL-produced sketches about a character named MacGruber, a parody of the TV series “MacGyver”. The series of sketches aired on recent episodes of SNL during their commercial breaks, culminating in three commercials that aired during the Super Bowl. All three of them promoting Pepsi.

NBC Entertainment Co-Chairman Ben Silverman stated that it was a justifiable action because the sponsorship meant that there were fewer commercials in the broadcasts that featured MacGruber. Silverman goes on to say: “They made it very funny and obvious, so I don’t think there was any confusion. Everything is ongoing experimentation, but the reality is we need to evolve and do more and more things.”

This seems to be more of a desperation move – another Sarah Palin-like stunt for attention instead of simply drawing interest through good, consistent comedic performances.

NBC’s decision to go through with this peculiar way of advertising had nothing to do with accommodating the audience with fewer commercials. The viewers were tricked into watching a not-so-hidden commercial. MacGruber, looking like a part of Saturday Night Live, garnered their full attention.

Peter Arnell, the branding expert responsible for Pepsi’s Super Bowl ad campaign, stated: “The creative space is `SNL’s‘ and they were commercials we would have bought, so the economics were as normal as it ever was. It’s the un-advertising advertising.”

Lorne Michaels, creator of Saturday Night Live, was unavailable for comment on Monday.

Odds are, most of the people who were watching the broadcasts, with its low ratings, were the loyal viewers. They were betrayed, being used as guinea pigs for a corporate experiment.

Saturday Night Live needs to be funny again if they want to stay on the air much longer. The nostalgic factor and the 33-plus years they’ve been on television will only take them so much further. Can SNL be funny? Yes they can. We’re waiting.

Written and submitted by: Tom Domen