When I was little, I would try and stay up late to watch David Letterman or just to spend more time with my parents. I never did that on Saturday night. That night was reserved for sleep so I could wake up early and watch cartoons. A few years later, after I'd matured a little, I finally caught Saturday Night Live on NBC.
I've only been watching consistently for the past two seasons, but it it really gives me something to look forward to throughout the week. SNL is a vareity comedy show, and features popular musical aritists and a 'Weekend Update' newscast. I've seen some of the classic skits in re-runs, so I can saftely say that throughout the show's 20-year history, it's been consistantly good, IMHO. Every week, a new guest hosts the show. High-profile celebrities as well as everyday men you've never heard of have hosted, and tons of major bands and artists have performed on Saturday Night Live.
The best new characters introduced during the last two years include the 'Roxbury Guys', two club-hopping men who constantly bob their heads to the same old song. I also like the 'Spartan Cheerleaders', two weird kids who were rejected by their highschool team and decided to cheer on their own. My absolute fav is 'Goth Talk', a hilarious sketch of a cable-access TV show run by two teenage Goths. And of course, Mango rules!
Some of this stuff you really have to see to find funny, but even if sketch comedy isn't your thing, you have to laugh at the cartoons by Robert Smigel. The anime pic on the left is taken from the 'Abiguously Gay Duo' cartoon, which I think will be short-lived due to its very un-PC premise: two obviously gay guys fight crime. It portrays homosexuals in a harsh, uncaring light, and while my politics rebel against it, I still find it funny.
NBC