Tuesday is the famous all-night writing marathon ahead of every new SNL episode, but the week actually begins with a pitch meeting on Monday morning. It’s the first chance for the writers and cast members to vibe with the host and start getting positive feedback on ideas. Some, like Tina Fey, bring legitimate ideas. Others, like Conan O’Brien, do not.
I was listening to an old episode of Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend earlier this week, and in it, Tina and Conan discussed the process of writing for SNL. I’d heard Fey’s quote about how the system was designed by people on cocaine and is now executed by people not on cocaine before, but I’d never heard their entire conversation. It is fascinating, and mostly because they talk about that Monday pitch meeting and how some people are really into it and some are not.
