That Show – Black Jeopardy with Doug

That Show Hasn't Been Funny In Years: an SNL podcast on Radio Misfits

Nick looks back at one of the best, most surprising, and most subtle political sketches in SNL history: “Black Jeopardy with Doug.” The sketch appeared on an episode of “Saturday Night Live” from October 2016 (during the intense height of the Trump/Clinton campaign) in which host Tom Hanks plays a MAGA hat-wearing Trump supporter who appears on “Black Jeopardy,” and finds surprising commonalities with the black people involved on the show. The result is a beautifully written and performed game show parody, that also works as a layered, complex, hilarious, and ultimately optimistic take on how even the most opposite of humans can actually connect during the most divisive of times. It’s one of the best political sketches ever, and here, Nick talks about the creation and writing of the sketch, how it played that night (it was HUGELY overshadowed by a little dude named ‘David S. Pumpkins,’ who made his debut on the same episode), and the aftermath of its airing. You’ll hear from co-writer Michael Che talking about the inspiration for the piece, and you will hear the wonderfully funny sketch in its entirety. It is a landmark piece of political satire that has become funnier and richer with each passing year, and it’s closely examined on this episode of “That Show Hasn’t Been Funny in Years.” [EP39]