SNL Second-Guessing: Final Word on Why "Beavis and Butt-Head" Works

Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl

SNL Second-Guessing: A Final Word on Why "Beavis and Butt-Head" Works

For our final SNL Second-Guessing, we look back on Ryan Gosling and Mikey Day's "Beavis and Butt-Head" sketch and why it had such an impact.

Published Sat, 21 Sep 2024 20:38:06 -0500
by Ray Flook
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In one week, NBC's Saturday Night Live kicks off its milestone 50th season with the first of cour new shows in a row – and five new shows during the first six weeks. Here's who's on tap (host/musical guest): Sept. 28th: Jean Smart / Jelly Roll; Oct. 5th: Nate Bargatze / Coldplay; Oct. 12th: Ariana Grande / Stevie Nicks; Oct. 19th: Michael Keaton / Billie Eilish; Nov. 2nd: John Mulaney / Chappell Roan. The SNL 50 cast sees Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline on board as new featured players – with Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker promoted to the main cast. Unfortunately, we also learned that Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney, and Chloe Troast would not be returning -with good vibes going out to all three for healthy, successful personal and professional lives.

It also means that we will be wrapping things up with SNL Second-Guessing – once again, taking our lead from whichever episode NBC is repeating tonight. For the Season 49 rewind before SNL 50 gets underway, the long-running sketch comedy/music series is looking to end on a strong note with host Ryan Gosling and musical guest Chris Stapleton (April 13, 2024). To stick with that theme, we're going to end strong with a look back at what was easily the best live sketch of last season, "Beavis and Butt-Head" – why it worked, what Heidi Gardner and Kenan Thompson had to share about it, and when Gosling and SNL star (and Gosling's co-star in the sketch) Mikey Day took their roles outside of Studio 8H.

"Beavis and Butt-Head" Was SNL Lightning in a Bottle

Set during a NewsNation livestream event on AI involving Gardner's interviewer, Bobbi Moore, and Thompson's expert professor, the sketch takes a sharp left turn when Gosling and Day show up in the audience – definitely not as Beavis and Butt-Head. That's what made the sketch work so well. On one hand, we had the overall absurdity of the premise – of course, they're the popular animated duo. But if Gosling and Day didn't make their denials comically convincing, the sketch would've gotten very old, very fast. Still, the biggest reason why the sketch got so much attention was Gardner's reaction to seeing Day  – a momentous break that meant so much more because Gardner isn't known for breaking (with Chloe Fineman having her break moments, too).

In our original review of the Gosling/Stapleton show, we credited the show with having "breaks" that made sense because the sketches themselves were strong in their own right – none of them needed to be saved by the cast "breaking." In terms of SNL's history, it was also a fascinating example of how the times have changed around Studio 8H. It's always been understood that SNL EP Lorne Michaels wasn't a big fan of the cast "breaking" character, feeling that it takes viewers out of the "reality" that the sketch was trying to convey. In general, I tend to agree with him – and if this had just been Gosling "breaking," it would've gotten pretty old, pretty fast. But seeing everyone appreciating each other's comedic work through laughter reminded me of just how much of a family/community effort SNL truly is. Still, there was at least one person who was nervous about Michaels' reaction…

Heidi Gardner on "Beavis and Butt-Head," Breaking Big & More

"This makes me feel almost even worse and unprofessional. When I looked and saw Mikey [Day] in the dress rehearsal, I lost it. I was shocked. I'm thinking about it right now and laughing. I recovered and tried to tell myself in between dress and the live show, 'You can't laugh like that again,'" Gardner revealed to Vulture, adding that she thought she would be prepared for it not that the "shock" was gotten out of the way during dress rehearsal. "I was trying to imagine seeing him in my head, so I was prepared for it, but I just couldn't prepare for what I saw. I really tried. I even saw Mikey out of the corner of my eye seconds before I went live. I saw the red shorts. I knew I couldn't look over there again. Mikey even told me later that he was bending down and hiding himself so I wouldn't see him."

While she had a chance to preview some of what Day and the show's effects team had in store for the sketch, it wasn't until the sketch itself hit that Gardner got a better appreciation for Day's Butt-Head. "The dress rehearsal was when the prosthetics made their debut — the noses and the mouths. I didn't know about Mikey's exposed gums and teeth," she explained. But if there's one thing that SNL EP Lorne Michaels has had a love/hate relationship with over the past nearly 50 seasons is cast members breaking – arguing that it takes the viewers out of the reality of the sketch.

While she appreciated the reaction from the audience, Gardner admits that she "left the stage a little bit in shock" when the sketch ended – worried that she hadn't done right by the sketch and others in the sketch. "It's really hard for me to give myself any sort of credit because I didn't do the job. I hope, for those guys and their portrayals of Beavis and Butt-Head, that it helped how shocked I was by how funny they were," she explained. "And I hope it helps people think of the sketch. I'll never be able to shake looking over my shoulder and seeing what I saw. That's really special."

SNL: Kenan Thompson on "Beavis and Butt-Head" Sketch, Not Breaking

"It's hit or miss. Sometimes I can hold it, sometimes I can't. I got lucky on 'Beavis and Butt-Head' that I cracked so hard at dress rehearsal," Thompson shared during an interview with Variety, sharing that having enough of a sense of what was to come helped him keep things in check when the show went live. "I haven't had a break like that in a while where I was in tears and I couldn't talk. It was that funny to me, and what I was about to say next was funny to me. And I was frozen. I was literally quivering, and then I started to panic. Because I was like, I can't talk without cry-talking. I don't want to waste the line! It could throw off everything. It was like, three seconds of just chaos."

Though he hasn't "been quiver-lipped in a long time," Thompson admits to "smirks" creeping in every now and then. "Not that I'm a control freak, but I definitely had a moment where I [realized I] don't have control at all. I can't just sit here and laugh! We're supposed to be doing a job. And I'm laughing, and the camera is just stuck on me because it's my line, and I can't get it out," he added. And Thompson had nothing but praise for Day's and Gosling's performances and Day's writing.

"It's the absolute best to find something so funny, written by someone you adore. I've known Mikey for almost 25 years, so you're rooting for them. Ryan is such a gem. People who are that successful don't have to be. He doesn't have to be as warm as he is. He's a professional, so he's playing it very real. We know it's very funny, but that's what makes it funny — the fact that he's so in it and not messing with it. That's kind of the art that we're trying to show."

Gosling, Day Bring Beavis and Butt-Head to "The Fall Guy" Red Carpet

If you had a chance to check out our coverage of The Fall Guy red carpet premiere from back in  May, then you know the biggest headline-grabbing moment might have been when film star Gosling and Day stepped out in full-on Beavis and Butt-Head mode. But the duo was there to do much more than just remind people of what might've been one of the best SNL sketches in a long time (a high honor) – taking over Emily Blunt's (Gosling's co-star) interview time in all the best ways possible. Check out Gosling & Day crashing Blunt's red carpet interview – kicking in at around the one-hour mark:

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