The Criterion Episode (2024 Re-release)

Summary

The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast

Episode: The Criterion Episode (2024 Re-release)

Date: December 30, 2025
Guests: Mike Schur, Jake Tapper, Alan Sepinwall

Overview

This episode is a celebratory, hilarious deep-dive into the anatomy of Lonely Island’s iconic SNL Digital Shorts. Seth Meyers reunites with Mike Schur (TV creator, SNL alum, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine showrunner) and Jake Tapper (journalist and comedy enthusiast), with a late-in-the-show appearance by TV critic Alan Sepinwall. Their mission? To establish a Criterion Collection of the very best of the first 34 Lonely Island Digital Shorts, dissecting their impact, quality, and legacy—while inventing tongue-in-cheek comedy categories along the way.

The conversation is lively and affectionate, punctuated with behind-the-scenes stories, blunt assessments, and playful bragging. The team also invites the podcast’s fans into the process, weighing popular vote with their own comedic standards.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Establishing the Comedy "Criterion"

• The main goal: To determine which SNL Digital Shorts by the Lonely Island are worthy of entry into the “Criterion” collection, signifying all-time classic status.
• Criteria Debate (11:45–13:00):
  • Schur & Tapper agree only about 20% (“one out of every five”) can be true Criterion—akin to “grading A’s.”
  • Seth suggests a 75% fan-vote threshold for a short's inclusion, referencing sports hall-of-fame induction processes.

2. Creating “Additional Reading” and “Kim’s Videos” Categories

• Recognizing some shorts aren’t all-time greats but are essential to understanding the Lonely Island’s evolution, they invent two extra categories:
  • Syllabus/Additional Reading: Key for context, not quite Criterion (15:10)
  • Kim’s Videos: Deep cuts for comedy cinephiles (24:32), named after a legendary NYC video store.

3. The Shortlist Process: Rapid-Fire Rankings

• The group goes through all 34 digital shorts, quickly voting “yes” or “no” for each one.
  • If tapped as Criterion by both, they discuss what made it classic.
  • If not, they decide if it’s “Additional Reading” or “Kim’s Video” worthy.
  • Hilarious asides and memories punctuate the process (e.g., Seth’s James Mason impression, inside SNL stories).

4. Required Classics and Stories

• Lazy Sunday [15:47–17:14]:
  • Universally acknowledged as a Criterion-level short.
  • Schur recounts watching it live at SNL, knowing instantly it was historic:

    “It’s like landing on the moon for SNL comedy. Like, I remember where I was the moment that Lazy Sunday aired.” —Schur (16:53)

• Natalie’s Rap [27:49–31:09]:
  • Praised for taking host-driven comedy to a new level.
  • Schur highlights how it opened a new lane for hosts, but the Lonely Island wisely resisted repeating the formula with less capable rappers.
• Dick in a Box [32:39–33:39]:
  • Seen as being at the top tier (“on the cover of the Criterion Collection”).
  • “It’s basically Lazy Sunday but with, at the time, the greatest pop singer in the world.” —Schur (33:15)
• Dear Sister and Iran So Far:
  • Both recognized for their innovative parody and “next gen” comedy sensibility.

5. Category Debates and Honorable Mentions

• Laser Cats: Divisive; some consider at least one iteration essential due to its cultural imprint; Alan Sepinwall advocates for its inclusion (49:12).
• United Way Ad with Peyton Manning: Seth’s favorite, but others say it’s a “Peyton Manning sketch, not a Lonely Island one”—earning it a unique “ESPN Classic” designation (36:04).
• Other recurring bits:
  • “Roy Rules” (funny but not top-tier)
  • “Best Look in the World” and “Harpoon Man” get cult-favorite praise.

6. Ethics and Comedy Integrity

• Across several discussions, the team lauds the Lonely Island’s refusal to pander:
  • Only casting hosts in rap shorts if they could truly deliver (30:22).
  • Avoiding “cheap nostalgia” and seeking substance through satire and cleverness (52:15).
• Schur:

  “They have incredible… for real, like, the most incredibly high ethical standards. Ethical is such a funny way of putting it, but it is true.” (31:00)

7. Lively Guest Chemistry and Running Jokes

• Jake Tapper drops casual flexes about his “lake house” (27:27).
• Seth and Mike reminisce about SNL writing room days, failures, and the emotional “life raft” friendships that kept them going (5:36–11:41).
• The crew affectionately teases each other throughout, e.g., Tapper’s news references (“filibuster”), Seth’s football memories, and self-effacing stories about sketches that bombed.

8. Alan Sepinwall's Cameo (47:47+)

• Alan brings the critic’s eye, agreeing with most decisions, but lobbies for “Roy Rules” and at least one “Laser Cats” to be in the Criterion.
• Points out how Dear Sister demonstrated Lonely Island’s skill for plucking out recent “nostalgia” references that felt archetypal even outside their original context (51:31).

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Notable Quotes

• On the impact of Lazy Sunday:

  “I remember it so clearly because of how obviously important it was in the history of comedy.” —Mike Schur (16:53)

• On Natalie’s Rap:

  “That’s like a one in a million that you can take over a digital short or a sketch like that and perform at that level.” —Mike Schur (28:00)

• On Dick in a Box versus other shorts:

  “It’s basically Lazy Sunday. But you replace Parnell…with, at the time, the greatest pop singer in the world.” —Mike Schur (33:15)

• On comedy ethics:

  “Ethical is such a funny way of putting it, but it is true. They have the most incredibly high ethical standards.” —Seth Meyers (31:00)

• On category nuance:

  “It’s not Criterion by any stretch, but I would actually argue, if I were teaching this class, you need to watch this early juvenilia.” —Mike Schur on “The Tangent” (25:02)

• On Chris Dodd vs. Christopher Walken:

  “Yeah, I mean, it’s got the two Chrises, the big two, you know… our Chrises were Dodd and Walken.” —Seth Meyers (50:18)

• On the United Way sketch:

  “I think this is the best performance in a sketch ever given by an athlete.” —Schur (36:45)

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Segment Timestamps

• [02:01] – Show proper begins, Mike Schur and Jake Tapper introduced.
• [11:45–14:43] – Establishing voting processes and voting breakdown.
• [15:10–28:00] – Rapid-fire short ranking begins, including Lazy Sunday and Natalie’s Rap discussions.
• [32:39–33:39] – “Dick in a Box” awarded top Criterion status.
• [47:47–54:04] – Alan Sepinwall joins; Laser Cats and general summary.
• [54:31–55:00+] – Reflections on Lonely Island’s evolving greatness and future short criteria.

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The Official “Criterion Collection” (Listener and Panel Consensus)

Guaranteed In:

• Lazy Sunday
• Natalie’s Rap
• Dick in a Box
• Dear Sister
• Iran So Far

Contenders/Mixed Votes:

• The Mirror
• Andy’s Dad
• Laser Cats (pending tie-break from The Lonely Island team)

Special Categories:

• Syllabus/Additional Reading: Lettuce, Young Chuck Norris, Cubicle Fight, The Tangent, etc.
• Kim’s Videos: Deep-cut oddities cherished by insiders.
• ESPN Classic: Peyton Manning United Way.

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Tone & Takeaways

High-spirited, affectionate, and insightfully self-deprecating. The panel finds joy in both the hits and the misses, revering The Lonely Island’s influence on both comedy and the SNL format. For fans, this episode is a love-letter to the art and craft of sketch comedy, SNL history, and internet culture. It’s full of delightful rabbit holes, inside references, and the warm camaraderie of sharp, passionate comedy minds.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[A]

Hey, everybody. Welcome to the show. It's your old friend Seth Voicenote Myers. On the eve of Christmas Eve, sitting in a bathroom by myself to record this special message to all of you. We just recorded our second Criterion episode where I was joined by Lin Manuel Miranda and Amir Kweslov Thompson. And we ran through the second set of 30 plus digital shorts to decide whether or not they rose to the standard of a Criterion episode, or whether they were simply Kim's video, or whether they just fully didn't deserve any sort of label whatsoever. It was a fantastic episode. I can't thank both of them enough for joining us, but I also can't thank our friends Mike Scher and Jake Tapper, who earlier joined us to run through the first set of digital shorts and gave us this very idea to do a roundup with a couple of special guests. And to prepare you for part two, we thought we would do a holiday re airing of part one while we all rest through the holiday seasons to say yes, a gonk. As we recently learned that a gonk was sort of a British elf. So, you know, this is a good time of year to see a gonk. Anyway, do enjoy and happy holidays to all the Quaids who celebrate It's a.

[B]

Lonely island and Seth Meyers cryt.

[A]

Also, I'm adding a second quick voice note to say that I'm in the bathroom for acoustics. I'm not going to the bathroom. And I feel like most of you who are listening know that. But I didn't want to a week from now get a text from Sandberg saying, were you number one or number two? You didn't say if it was number one or number two. All right, enjoy Quaid's.

[C]

Podcast episode. Oh, shit.

[A]

Hey, everybody. Welcome to a very special episode of the Lonely island and Seth Meyers podcast. Before we start, I wanna stress that we've put exactly as much thought into this episode as all previous episodes, which is not much. But I am joined by two luminaries who are going to help us select the Criterion collection of the first 34 shorts we have covered on the podcast. We are joined by by Mike Scher and Jake Tapper. Hello, gentlemen.

[D]

Thank you.

[C]

Hello. How are you, Seth?

[D]

It's about time.

[A]

Really good.

[D]

It's about time.

[A]

Yeah. Okay, slow your roll, Tapper. So real quick, just credits wise. Mike Scher and I met at snl. He then went on to work in the Office. Played Mo's on the Office.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

He's created a bunch of shows. Parks and Rec. Good place, man. On the inside right now, Ted Danson on Netflix just got picked up for season two. Congratulations.

[C]

Thank you very much.

[A]

Most importantly, though, for the purposes of this Brooklyn Nine Nine with Andy Samberg. So there is a connection. Multiple connection points, really, considering the SNL time as well. And then Jake does new stuff.

[D]

I do.

[A]

So you guys reached out because you have some thoughts.

[C]

That's right. Jake actually reached out to me. I'll let him tell most of the story, but he reached out to me and basically said, I think you and I should be the official judges of what is and is not part of the Criterion Collection. And I have to say that when he said it, it made perfect sen. Number one, he and I have never actually met before.

[A]

No, that's good.

[C]

And number two, as you put it, I mean, I worked at snl, admittedly before the Lonely island showed up. And he is a newsman. And so when you put all of that together, I think it makes perfect sense why he and I should be the official judge and jury of what is and is not Criterion. Yeah, agreed.

[D]

I should also note that we were texting about the pod. We had been texting about the podcast. We are fans of the pod.

[C]

Right.

[D]

Listeners, we should say more discriminating than fans, but listeners to the pods. Consistent listeners, I think. Mike, you and I have both listened to every single one as of today, correct?

[C]

Oh, absolutely. And also I should note that Jake started sending me again. He and I have never actually met, but he started sending me his reviews of every episode. I would say essentially in real time. Like, I don't know what time the pod is posted, But Monday morning, 6am.

[A]

I thinking that's good. Yeah.

[C]

And so, like, the length of time of the pod after it is posted is when he texts me his thoughts about the pod.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

That's great. And I'm very excited to find out you guys have never met. Cause this pod works on stranger chemistry. If anything, the people who listen to it like the fact that nobody here knows each other.

[C]

I will clarify. We have corresponded for many years. Yes, I've done some charity stuff for Jake's excellent charity.

[A]

Here we go. Here we go.

[C]

And we have corresponded about a number of things, including once, I believe. I believe the way it started, Jake, was you just sent me a very nice text or asked someone for my email or something and just said that you were a fan of Brooklyn Nine. Nine. Isn't that how this. Yeah. Yeah. So again, it makes perfect sense.

[D]

Oh, no, it might have been the good place.

[C]

Oh, okay.

[D]

But I'm a Fan of both is the truth.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

It would have been way better if you were like. Cause I don't ever remember liking Brooklyn Nine nine, so.

[D]

That's true. Also, you asked me to blurb your book.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

Which was a delight because it was fun to read and everybody should go buy it. Um, look, niche is not the right word, but it is a rarefied audience that listens to the Lonely Island Seth Meyers podcast as religiously as Mike and I do. And also fans of the Lonely island and fans of the pod, obviously, and fans of Seth Meyers.

[A]

There you go.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Hey, I wrote down something. Shirk. So Mike and I met, and I do want to establish, because I think the history of SNL is a big part of this podcast. Mike and I are dear friends, but you were more than a friend when I started the show. You were, I feel like, my first. And I think to succeed, you need many of these. You were my first life raft.

[E]

Ah.

[A]

As I was struggling at that place, I could always come to your room. You were running Weekend Update at the time, so you were a man with a far bigger job than I had. And I would come to your room and I would pitch you dumb ideas, and we would often write them up, and a lot of them went to dress before getting cut, but we got to wear costumes and see what the set looked like. And that was fun. But I just had an idea for a sketch, and I realized I was like, oh, this would be a sketch I would come to your office to tell you about.

[C]

Great.

[A]

So just flashback 2001. It's October 01, and I walk into your office, I go, oh, God, wait, is it.

[C]

There's anthrax in the building. We have to get out of here.

[D]

Okay, great.

[A]

Let's meet at your apartment. So my idea is, like, there's a serial killer. And, you know, he's got that, like, thing where he's, like, plastic all over the room.

[C]

Sure.

[A]

He's just done one of his kills. And there's a knock at the door, and it's someone who says, I grew up in this house. Can I look around?

[C]

Can I tell you that I wrote a sketch version before you got to snl? It was a family having dinner. And I think Farrell and I can't remember who. The host probably came to the house and were like, we're brothers. We grew up here. Can we look around? And then they just told stories, and they were just the most horrifying stories that you've ever heard. And I thought it was very funny. And Shoemaker. Shoemaker used to decide the order at the read through, put it up very high. It was like number four in the read through. And that was always a good sign because it meant that you were optimistic about it. If you're a shoemaker.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

And it's, I mean like everything I wrote my first year, it just played to like dead like my memory of it. And I'm sure you have this too is of the only sound in the room is the sound of 150 scripts being turned page by page. Like there's no like that's a silence that doesn't exist elsewhere in nature. It's like the absence of sound more than it is a sound. And that's how that sketch played. And like every one of those read throughs in my first year was brutal. Brutal to sit there.

[A]

I do want to shout out only for the purposes that then we'll find a clip and play my terrible British accent. But you wrote one of my favorite sketches that I got to be in at a time where again, life raft era. Just being in a sketch was very important.

[C]

Sure.

[A]

You wrote one of my favorite all time sketches, Hot Air Mystery Balloon Theater.

[F]

Yeah.

[A]

On the contrary, my dear Miss Petit.

[B]

I believe the killer is still in this very hot air balloon basket.

[A]

How do you know, Professor? In due time, Admiral.

[B]

But first let's look at the facts.

[A]

Do please explain where the idea came from and who the host was.

[C]

I have no idea where it came from. Hot Air Balloon Mystery Theater was a old timey like Agatha Christie kind of era mystery story. Killer detective, like Sherlock Holmes detective. But the whole thing was taking place in a hot air balloon, like in the basket of a hot air balloon. And so there was a lot of like the detective saying, like you had ample time to kill Mr. You know, Witherford and get from this part of the basket all the way to this part of the basket without being noticed. And then there were like reenactments.

[A]

We all chased each other around a little basket.

[C]

You chased each other a lot. I don't remember who I wrote it for, but I submitted it like four times. It just made me laugh. It felt.

[A]

Did it. It was a four time because I will say it aired with Ian McKellen who seemed like the perfect person for it.

[C]

Well, that was the trick. I don't remember who I wrote it for originally. I think I submitted it maybe three total times. But the third time was when Ian McKellen hosted it and it was like, oh my God, this is now undeniable. Now this will Work because he's doing it. And I really loved it. And everyone picked a different sort of archetypal British mystery theater. You were sort of James Mason. You went like James Mason. And it really delighted me. And I thought of it as like, it was one of the first things I wrote. I sucked at this job. Not false modesty. I sucked at the job for a good year and a half or so until I finally figured out how to. How to write. And it was one of the first things I wrote that I was like, oh my God, this is like a legitimate sketch premise. And it didn't get chosen. And I was convinced it would work. And I resubmitted it and it didn't get chosen. And finally Ian McKellen did it and you were there and Poehler had shown up and all these great people did it. And it finally got to air with Ian McKellen playing the lead detective. And it probably was like a what? B minus.

[A]

B minus. But air is great. Age is great. It's not any worse than a B minus.

[D]

Now, Seth, you do a James Mason. You do a Mason accent.

[A]

I was our Mason until Hader showed up.

[D]

Can we hear a little air?

[A]

Lolita. You know, again, I fell out of favor. I fell out of favor Once Bill did all the dead British people. Once he showed up, all the 85.

[C]

Year old British celebrities were taken up by Bill Hader.

[A]

Yeah. The other thing. Well, two things I want to say about it. One, it was. Then there's the hallways of SNL have black and white photos from sketches of throughout the years. And the best pictures are from sketches that have a lot of people in them that have really funny costumes. The mise en scene of Hot Air Mystery Balloon Theater is great. And I remember that was the first sketch I was in that was on the wall.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[A]

I was always looking for like touchstones where I'm like, well, they're not going to fire a guy in who's on the wall. They framed it. Think of the money they paid on the framing. And the other thing about resubmissions is a lesson I learned is you don't tell the host. I remember one saying, I'm so happy we're doing this. This is like the fifth time I've submitted it. And then the host, the host who thought they had inspired you is like, oh, so I'm just.

[C]

And also four other people rejected this. Why would I do it?

[A]

So I'm just word me.

[C]

You're like, yeah, I have the. I'm staring at it right now. I got Marielle and the photographer from SNL to get me a print of that sketch. Cause it meant so much to me that it aired. It's on my wall right now. I'm looking at it.

[A]

Fantastic. So you know how great the photo is.

[C]

Yeah, it's a great photo. It's an excellent photo.

[A]

Uh, all right. Now, just on logistics, because we started talking about the idea of naming the Criterion Collection shorts, we did not discuss what that really meant, but we did reach out to viewers and let them vote without giving them any, you know, rules. And they very clearly picked some over others. My question to you guys before we get started is, what percentage of shorts do you believe should be Criterion Collection? Not judging, but, like, is it the top 25%? Is it the top 33%? What do you think rises to it?

[D]

20 max.

[C]

20.

[D]

20 max is my take. I'm willing to go to 25, but 33, then you're just. That's just loose morals.

[C]

It's a morality issue for you. Yeah, I think that's when you're talking about Criterion Collection as a concept, you're talking about on a grading system. These are the A's, right? Yeah. So A, B, C, D, and below. That's 20%. 20%, 20%, et cetera. So I. I would say no more than the top. I mean, really, an A is top 10%, but I would say you're breaking them into five categories, and the top category is Criterion. And so I would say 20% is one out of every five, I think is the most you could say.

[A]

All right. I also feel as though we're going to have different. So in the NFL Pro bowl voting, you have the fans, the players, and the coaches. So I do want to let you guys know, a perfect system, you will be, at best, a third of this voting block.

[C]

Okay, that's fine.

[A]

But my question to you as well is the voters, our listeners who voted, do you think it's like the hall of Fame because they voted yes or no? Do you think it has to be 75% of voters for it to be a yes?

[D]

Oh, interesting.

[C]

I think it depends how many voters there are.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

3000. 3000 plus.

[C]

Really?

[A]

Yeah, we had 3000 plus vote.

[C]

Yeah, I think you need, like, whatever, 2250 out of 3000 or something. I mean, the one problem with that is that, like, Internet voting is famously unreliable. You might get people who are trolling you. You might get people who are like, you know. Or do you feel like based on what you've seen so far, that it's pretty. People are taking it seriously.

[A]

I feel it's, I feel looking at the results. Yeah, I do think they are.

[C]

I would say that you need minimum 2/3. I would say it's a minimum like Senate confirmation hearing kind of a deal where you need minimum 2/3 of the vote. But after that I think it's up to you guys to decide.

[D]

Yeah. Senate confirmation hearing is just a simple majority, but I take what you're, you're talking about.

[A]

Oh man, is it good to have like a news guy here.

[C]

I meant non filibuster version, right? Yeah, six. That's 60%.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Okay. The breaking the filibuster, two thirds.

[C]

Breaking the filibuster.

[D]

That's what it takes to convict in.

[C]

An impeachment and an impeachment trial. Yeah.

[A]

Jake, we gave you a list of words we didn't want to hear on this pod. Filibuster was definitely on it. Very disappointing. How quickly.

[D]

Markup committee appropriations.

[A]

All right, so this is very interesting. I'm going to say just for fun, 75% and it was actually 3072 voters. So that's 2304. And I'll tell you that six, only six of the 34 from the fans, which is about right. I think that's what we're talking about.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So I guess my question to you guys is, do you want to talk about the no brainers of the first 34 that you think are criterion?

[D]

Well, we're obviously not going to talk about all 34 or even the top 10 or 15 or what.

[A]

I mean, look, let's just go through real quick. Lettuce. What do you guys think about lettuce?

[C]

No, no. By the way, my suggestion was going to be we go through them each. If it's no, no, we just move on.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

If it's no, yes, we discuss briefly. If it's yes, yes, we're good and we can talk about why.

[A]

All right, so let us. No, no.

[C]

Correct.

[A]

I feel like I do want a category for lettuce, which I feel like I want to call syllabus.

[D]

I think that's fair.

[A]

Right? Like it's on the syllabus if it's a class.

[C]

You're not going to believe this. I suggested a second category and my name for it was additional reading, which is basically what you're saying.

[A]

Basically.

[C]

So it's basically like this is not criterion, but in order to fully understand the oeuvre.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

This is like a highly suggested additional research you do into this topic.

[A]

Yes. It cannot be Dismissed.

[C]

That's right.

[D]

It's essential knowledge, but it's not maximum appreciation.

[C]

Correct.

[A]

All right. Lazy Sunday.

[D]

Of course, yes.

[A]

All right. So there we have our first Lazy Sunday.

[B]

Wake up in the late afternoon. Call Parnell just to see how he's doing.

[C]

Hello.

[B]

What up, pawns? Yo, Sam Burke, what's cracking? You thinking what I'm thinking? Man is happening. Reverse my hunger pangs I stick it like duck magnolia and back on some got all the muff frosty. I love Those cupcakes like McAdams loves Ghost.

[C]

Can I tell a brief story about Lazy Sunday?

[A]

Yes.

[C]

By the way, I was at the show. I'd left the show. I believe my last show was the last show before this Anne golden era began. When did they get hired? Did they start at 05 or 06?

[A]

05.

[C]

Yeah. So I left at the end of the 04 season. So it was right before they started. I was back for that show, and I was in Amy Poehler's dressing room, and Lazy Sunday aired, and I was standing next to Will Arnett. And I remember this clear as day. He and I looked at each other and he was like, that was incredible. And I was like, yeah, that's going to be a thing. And at the time, the only way that you could see stuff on SNL was, like, if you had TiVo'd it, you would, like, bring your friend to your home and show it to them.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But then, you know, college humor and YouTube started because of Lazy Sunday and all that sort of stuff. But I remember, I literally. It's like landing on the moon for SNL comedy. Like, I remember where I was the moment that Lazy Sunday aired. I happened to be at snl, but, like, I remember it so clearly because of how obviously important it was in the history of comedy.

[A]

That's a very funny where, like, I remember where I was. Where were you? I was there.

[C]

I was there. Yeah.

[A]

Well, then that's obviously you remember.

[C]

It's like Neil Armstrong saying, I remember where I was when I landed on the moon.

[A]

I, my dad, rest in peace, Franco Harris. We had dinner. I don't know if I told you this, we had dinner in Pittsburgh with Franco Harris. And I know a lot of people listening to this podcast might not be huge football fans, but Frank Ojares was the centerpiece of the most famous play in NFL history called the Immaculate Reception. And we sat down for dinner with him, and of course, my dad told him where he was during the Immaculate Reception. And I then said to Franco Harris, I go, I bet you're the only guy that doesn't have to tell people. Doesn't feel the need to tell people. And then he immediately, which is really funny, goes, I'll never forget where I was. I was in the backfield.

[C]

Jake, are you just going to allow Seth to tell a Steelers anecdote like that without returning one of your own?

[D]

I feel like after the Eagles thumped the Steelers, he's entitled to his memories and nostalgia for a team no longer exists.

[C]

That's kind of you.

[A]

Classic rope a dope. Let you guys get confident. Loved everything about it went according to plan.

[D]

I certainly understand Seth not wanting to talk about the game. That's fine.

[A]

I want to say that your last I was very sad when you left snl. Sure. I felt very a C, as you famously like to say.

[C]

Kind of you to say.

[A]

And do you remember your last table read? I think it was also the end of Seinfeld, so it was a really hard time for me. But I read a sketch about the guy who played the bass that was the transition music out of Seinfeld, like Boom Goom Goon. And it was just him doing a farewell concert.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Because Seinfeld. And then I remember writing in on by the way, this was also a real paper turner in that. That's all you heard. But I would be like also shout out to Mike Scher, who's leaving, leaving us all.

[C]

The same day I left, Paula Pell and Tracy Morgan, two other beloved figures of the show, also left. And I remember I was very emotional the day I left for obvious reasons. It had been six and a half years and Tracy was at goodnights. And then people were holding up signs that were like, I love you, Paul Lepel. And I was like, ah, all right. Well, yeah, I guess that's, that's like a perfect SNL send off is that you're really emotional and the show kind of flips you off a little bit. Like these two other people that people like more are leaving.

[E]

Sure.

[D]

What were you leaving to do?

[C]

Go to work on the Office.

[D]

Nice.

[C]

Season one of the Office was starting.

[A]

What? But when was the Comeback?

[C]

So The Office season one writing was from like June to October of 2004.

[A]

Gotcha.

[C]

And then they were editing it and it until March. So after we were done writing, I got hired to the Comeback in December. And I was there from like December through April. Then the Office aired and then got picked up for season two. So then I went back to the Office to do season two. So it was between seasons one and two.

[D]

Do you think that you should recuse yourself from judging Japanese Office.

[C]

It's possible.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, we'll get there.

[C]

Although based on the way that these things are going nationally, not only am I not gonna recuse myself, I'm gonna just double down and insist that I'm right.

[A]

I should also say, feels crazy to say it now. It sounded a little bit nuts that you were leaving to reboot that popular British show.

[C]

Oh, well, I mean, it was.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So briefly, you and I and Poehler and Matt Murray and a bunch of people were watching the British Office before it was airing in America because you had a friend.

[A]

Yep.

[C]

Who was sending you like region one DVDs or whatever.

[A]

And we watched the Christmas special.

[C]

We watched the Christmas special and when dawn left and then spoiler alert for a 15 year old piece of art came back and kissed him, I jumped out of my chair and thrust my arms in the air like my team had won the Super Bowl.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Because that's how much we cared about that show. And so I went off and interviewed for a bunch of shows. Cause I was leaving to my then girlfriend, now wife, J.J. philbin, had moved out to LA. We had to be together in order to make it work. So I interviewed on a bunch of shows, had an interview at the office, and was like, I don't think this is a good idea at all. I think this is a terrible idea. I didn't say that. But Greg Daniels, who was adapting it was so smart and interesting. It was pretty clear to me that like, he was the guy that I should work for. So I was just like, this is going to be a disaster, but if he offers me a job, I'm going to take it. And then. It was the greatest decision of my life.

[A]

The two most emotional things I watched in that office were both with you, which was the Christmas episode of the Office and Game 7 of the Yankees Red Sox.

[C]

That's right.

[A]

Yeah. So there were some very good things that happened in that office.

[C]

Hey, guys.

[F]

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[A]

Young Chuck Norris.

[D]

No, no, but I do like it a lot.

[A]

But no, you took your time.

[C]

It was really, really intense.

[A]

I thought your Internet had gone out. I would also say, not necessarily syllabus E. There's another category.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

Kim's Videos.

[C]

Ooh, like cool, underground alt.

[A]

Kim's Videos was a video store in New York that like the cinephiles would go to. And the people who worked there were sort of like the Jack Black for music in high fidelity. Right? Like, oh, you know, this is the one you want to watch. Young Chuck Norris. Maybe it's Kim's video.

[D]

I think so, yes.

[A]

Okay, the tangent, Kim's Videos. I don't even think it's Kim's video.

[C]

No, I Do. I'm going to make an argument. I actually think it's additional reading. I think it's syllabus.

[A]

Interesting.

[C]

The simple reason is that, first of all, a heroically great performance from Fred and everyone who knew Fred was like, oh, my God. I think it presages a lot of Fred's other characters, a lot of stuff he did on Update. I felt like they were the first people to figure out how to do it. It's a great performance by Hader as the executive, but also the way it zips through time. I remember thinking, oh, this is a live action Saturday TV funhouse.

[A]

Be it any kind of cereals that have sugars on them. That's an obvious thing to do.

[F]

Jerry, it's me.

[A]

Listen, I'm on the street. He's exactly what we're looking for.

[C]

These guys do.

[D]

No.

[C]

Here, I'll put you on with him.

[A]

Listen, listen. Cover up the entire thing. Passports have to change every four years.

[C]

Like they were tapping into the same energy that Smigel tapped into. It's not Criterion by any stretch, but I would actually argue, if I were teaching this class, I would say, like, no, you need to watch this early Juvenalia in order to truly understand what the Lonely island accomplished. That's my argument.

[A]

All right. I think that's probably one of the nicer things anybody's ever said about the tangent Close talkers.

[C]

No, no. Yeah.

[D]

And I say that reluctantly because. And I'm sure everybody here is great admirer of Steve Martin and everything he's.

[A]

Meant, but, yeah, I mean, if there was anything we proved that episode is that Steve Martin can be written for us so poorly that it doesn't work.

[C]

That it ruined Steve Martin.

[A]

Not ruin Steve Martin. It's just he can't save it.

[C]

I want to say, though, and this is an important disclaimer. I don't know, Jake, if you want to say something along these same lines, it goes without saying. And Jake sort of made reference to this by how closely and intensely we listen to this podcast. I love everything that these three ding dongs have done in their lives.

[D]

100%.

[A]

100%.

[C]

I love every single thing. I have made this argument to their faces. I believe that the Lonely island is arguably the most important comedy collective that has ever been at snl. If you take away Lauren and maybe Jim Downey, I think they are geniuses and I devour everything they make. So when we say, no, not Criterion, not Kim's videos, not additional reading, that is not an indictment of the piece. It's merely A reflection of how much we revere the things that are criterion.

[D]

And if I could just say we have a lake house. And when we go out on the boat at the beginning of any weekend, I'm immediately blasting, I'm on a boat. And one of my proudest moments as a father was when my son learned all the lyrics to Finest Girl.

[A]

Oh, that's great.

[D]

The Bin Laden song. I mean, yes, 100% what Scher said.

[A]

And when I go on a boat, I take out my phone and I make everybody watch Close Talkers.

[C]

I just want to say, incredible way to work into casual conversation, that you own a lake house.

[A]

Yeah. Really nice.

[C]

Really smoothly done like that.

[A]

If you said, I have a boat, we'd be like, where you keep it? Wait, don't track. Tap it. Where you keep it. Natalie's rap.

[D]

Yes.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah, again, you know, we talked about it on that episode. Completely created a whole new thing.

[D]

Yeah, you're in it, too. I mean, we should know.

[A]

I am in it.

[D]

You have a lyric.

[A]

I have that golden touch.

[C]

Let me say a couple of things about Natalie's rap that I think put it over the top. Obviously, like, proving that for the first time, the host can also explode out of one of these digital shorts. That was the first one of those where, like, it was like, oh, my God, that's the host. That's not Parnell or Samberg. That's the host now getting this boost. And I think that probably more than Lazy Sunday, Natalie's rap is probably responsible for the run that they had, because the hosts were now coming in going, like, do for me what you did for her. You know, generally a bad idea when you're talking about someone as talented as Natalie Portman to be like, I could do that, too. But the other thing I will say is when I was running Update, Parnell used to do those raps that were like, the, er, lazy Sundays. He would come on as himself and talk about the host, and then he would perform a rap. I always really liked them and thought that he was like, a better rapper than he ought to have been, given his personality profile as, like, the everyman suburban dad guy. But I also. He's a SNL cast member, so it was like, of course that SNL cast members have things like that in their bag. I didn't think that any host could do what she did in Natalie's rap. That's like a one in a million that you can, like, take over a digital short or a sketch like that and perform at that level. And I think it was like a eye opening thing for the show. Not just for Lonely island, but for the whole show. It was like if you tap into what is what these people are really talented at, they can like be a rocket ship and take the show to another level. That's why I think it's criterion. We're sitting here today with film star Natalie Portman. Hello. So, Natalie, what's a day in the life of Natalie Portman?

[A]

Like, do you really want to know? Please tell us. I don't see mother off that yak and that Durbin doing 120 game while I'm swerving. Damn, Natalie, you a crazy chick. You shut the up and suck my.

[D]

I agree. And I would also add that it also is something that I can understand why hosts would want to be in them. Because it really, like, when I think of Natalie Portman, that's like one of the first five things I think about that just like comes to your flat. Same with Rihanna and Shyrani and same with Bolton and Jack Sparrow. Like, those are now things that I associate with that guest star or guest host in like Top of Mind.

[A]

But Steve Martin, you don't think of close talkers. Is that what you're getting at?

[E]

Okay, that's correct.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

To his benefit. To his benefit.

[A]

The other thing about Natalie rapping is it was a burden for the guys that they rose too many times because of course then every host did want that.

[C]

Right, right.

[A]

And the incredible thing they did was not fall into the trap of doing other raps with other. Because every. I shouldn't say every 95% of celebrities think they can rap. And the fact that they only did the one who could. Yeah. To an impressive level was, you know.

[D]

I mean, that's the ethical standards that these ding dongs have. Like, they wouldn't do that. Like, that would be an affront to their morality, their comedy morality.

[A]

It's true. They have incredible. For real, like, the most incredibly high ethical standards. Ethical is such a funny way of putting it, but it is true. Doppelganger.

[C]

No, no.

[A]

Kim's videos.

[C]

No, no, I don't think so.

[A]

Laser cats.

[D]

I think laser cats is criterion. Really, I do.

[C]

I do not. Thanks for saving my life earlier today, Admiral Spaceship.

[D]

I owe you one.

[C]

As long as we have cats that shoot lasers out of their mouths, we'll be okay.

[A]

Oh, geez. I'm getting a transmission from base.

[E]

Hello.

[C]

A princess has been kidnapped. Robotron, let's roll. I believe it's Kim's videos or additional reading. Whichever one you want, but I do not believe it's criteria.

[A]

Now we're gonna get to at least two more. Do you believe any Laser Cats?

[D]

I stick with just number one.

[A]

All right. My testicles.

[C]

No. No.

[A]

Correct. Peyote?

[C]

Nope.

[A]

Correct. Andy Walking.

[C]

Nope.

[A]

Cubicle fight.

[C]

I would say additional reading.

[D]

No.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

I like it, though. And Dane Cook's good in it.

[A]

He is good in it. Harpoon Man.

[D]

I would put Harpoon man in Kim's videos.

[C]

What's above Criterion? Is there, like, a super criterion within Criterion?

[A]

It's just called Harpoon.

[C]

Oh, Harpoon. This in Harpoon, then. Yeah.

[A]

Criterion Collection named their better one Harpoon after Harpoon Man. So Citizen Kane is Harpoon.

[C]

I see.

[A]

In the criteria.

[C]

Gotcha.

[A]

So that's actually a cold run for our geniuses insofar as they were not churning out Criterion. But then, of course. Dick in the Box.

[D]

Yes, of course.

[A]

Dick in a Box holds. Based on the 3072 votes we had the most yeses.

[D]

Wow.

[C]

You know it's Christmas and my heart is open wide. Open wide. Gonna give you something so you know.

[A]

What'S on my mind?

[B]

A gift for your special satay of the town.

[C]

Take a look inside.

[A]

It's my In a Box.

[D]

I think Dick in the Box might also be on the COVID of the Criterion Collection.

[C]

I think so, too, because it's basically Lazy Sunday. But you replace Pardell, an incredibly talented comedian, with, at the time, the greatest pop singer in the world.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And so it's the same family of kind of digital short, but now you've got, like, Mozart composing with you, and as a result, it elevates it.

[A]

And Mozart has comedy chops.

[C]

Yeah, man.

[A]

Cause it's not just the singing. It's the real funny moves.

[C]

And you put Wig and Maya in the background. Yeah.

[D]

And also, just to refer to the last episode of the pod, it's not something that you would see on Delta Airlines, which I think is a plus for it.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Good call.

[A]

Laser Cats 2.

[C]

No, no.

[A]

Nurse Nancy.

[D]

No, no.

[C]

But the name Scott Garbasiak goes in the Criterion Collection of great.

[A]

That goes in the Schur Collection. Schur. Absolutely. Let me tell you something. Mike Scher will write a dumbass name off the top of your head. I wish I had done some of my research. Classic surname. Do you have any just throw out for us?

[C]

Oh, God. I mean, there's thousands. I mean, Toby Flenderson on the awesome.

[A]

Flenderson.

[D]

That's a great one.

[C]

Yeah. Which came from an SNL sketch I wrote that I was in, which you were in that aired oh, my God. He had aired that thing.

[A]

Aired one of my all time favorite Flenderson.

[C]

Bose Flenderson. Giant carbos.

[A]

Flenderson's giant carbos.

[C]

It was based on those, like, Lexus ads or whatever, where people come out and they present a brand new SUV to their wife or their husband or whatever. And there's a giant red bow on the top. And so you saw that happen a bunch of times. And then Seth's wife took him outside and presented a car to a new car. And he reacted very angrily. And his wife was like, you don't like it? And he's like, no, it's fine. But it doesn't have one of those giant red bows on the top. So I hate it. And he stormed back inside. And then it was for Flenderson's giant carbos, which are like, when you want to present your spouse with a new car for Christmas, you got to get a Flendersons.

[A]

Every time I see one of those ads, I think about my dad trying to get a bow around a car on Christmas morning. And the amount of like, fuck it, just fucking bow. All right. Body fusion.

[C]

No, no.

[D]

I mean, I appreciate it, but no.

[A]

I would say Kim's videos.

[D]

Yeah, that's fair.

[A]

That's a classic. Kim's video. Andy popping into frame.

[C]

No, no.

[A]

Business meeting.

[C]

No. But you know that I love. This is the. Maybe the greatest classic. Too many of the Lonely Island.

[A]

Yeah, you love it. Too many.

[C]

Love it. Too many. And this was a excellent one with an excellent ending. I should add to the building being.

[A]

Destroyed, but no United Way ad.

[C]

This is a hard one. What did you say, Jake? No, I ultimately said no. But I love this sketch so much.

[A]

I think it has a unique. On its own, I think it's ESPN Classic.

[C]

Oh, new category, new category. Espn ESPN Classic.

[A]

ESPN Classic.

[C]

All right.

[A]

And it just goes ESPN Classic Comedy.

[D]

So this is just because you're a sports fan and you're kind of like putting it aside in a special.

[A]

I just think for sports comedy, it's as high as you get.

[C]

You wrote it, right, Seth?

[A]

I did, yes.

[C]

So the thing that I want to give you props for specifically is when athletes host you. And I loved it. People like us love it. Who are huge sports fans.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And they're usually, like, good in, like a clumsy way because they're not scared about the crowd or the live TV aspect. Cause they perform live all the time, but they're usually not, like, excellent comedians. I think this is the best performance in a sketch ever given by an athlete. That I can think of.

[A]

It's unreal.

[C]

It's incredible. And granted, he's literally playing himself and he's playing football, but the only things that come close to me are Tom Brady in the sexual harassment video, which is a very specific kind of. You don't have to act to act in this thing. Jeter in the. Derek Jeter sucks. No, I don't.

[A]

Thank you.

[C]

Back and forth that you wrote.

[A]

You I believe.

[C]

I think we wrote together. Yeah. But I think this is the best athlete acting ever. Peyton uses football to teach valuable lessons of communication. Check, check, check.

[A]

Check.

[D]

Watch the sail.

[C]

Watch the Sam.

[E]

Pink, pink.

[B]

Watch The Blitz. Brown 55 Razor.

[A]

Open.

[D]

Get open.

[B]

Get your head out of your ass.

[E]

You suck. Let's go.

[D]

Let's go. Get back in here.

[B]

Let's go.

[C]

Except you. I can't even look at you. You know what? Go set the portal. That for 20 minutes.

[E]

That's right.

[C]

You stay in there.

[A]

Dear sister.

[C]

Yes, I agree.

[A]

I'm not gonna tell you much about the voters, but I will tell you they do too.

[C]

I agree.

[D]

It's an obvious one. Honestly.

[F]

Dear sister, by the time you read this.

[A]

Roy rules.

[C]

Roy rules. I say no, no.

[D]

Because I know there are more than a hundred of these. And, you know, if there were 200, who knows, maybe Roy rolls would be in the top 40. But in the top hundred, and it's 101 from a certain year. And I don't even know if you guys are adding the new ones from this season, But I just don't think it's top 20. But, you know, it might be top 25.

[A]

Syllabus Kim's videos.

[C]

Yeah, I would agree to that. Also, a special shout out to succulent rubdowns. And my dong is his peg leg. You can't ignore that kind of lyrical genius.

[A]

They're great.

[D]

Yeah, I think Syll. Yeah. Syllabus.

[A]

Talking dog.

[C]

No.

[D]

Can I also say, one of the reasons I give it a strike against talking dog is because the best dog SNL skit, not a lonely island skit is when the scientific, like, now we know what the dog thinks, and the dog was a trump voter.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

That's just the best dog skit ever.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Seth, what do you think is the best driving cat sketch ever?

[A]

Don't put me on the spot. I mean, I haven't done any research. Can I just. I like the ones where the cat knows how to drive. I'm sorry.

[C]

Oh, okay.

[A]

I'm just disappointed. I'm like, ugh. Oh, I ran so far.

[D]

Yes, yes. It's a classic.

[A]

Classic.

[C]

Nestle in.

[B]

When we're wrestling, you could be the port that I park my vessel in.

[C]

So I try to mute the tv but you can still see me with your sleepy brown eyes but up you can. Thighs and your hairy butt. Yeah.

[A]

That's great. Brian Diaries.

[C]

No, no.

[A]

And I will say you should probably recuse yourself.

[D]

Yeah, I'm gonna recuse. I thought we were. I thought just.

[A]

Cause it's like Newsman v. Newsman. We know how to. People getting punched right before eating.

[C]

No, no.

[A]

Kim's videos, though. Grandkids in the movies.

[C]

No, no. Cute. Not Criterion.

[A]

The mirror.

[C]

I say. Yes.

[D]

That's the one with Elliot Page, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Correct.

[D]

Yeah. I'll give it to. Yeah.

[E]

Oh. Oh.

[B]

Someone's in here.

[D]

Someone's in here.

[A]

Hero song.

[C]

This was the hardest one for me.

[D]

I understand why. Let me guess why. Because it is really good. But it could have been better.

[C]

I wouldn't put it like that. Because Andy's my friend.

[A]

But I don't think it could have been better. I think it hit the ceiling of what it is.

[C]

I kind of agree. I think it's incredibly well executed. But its sum total is not quite at the level that you would need for Criterion in terms of substance. It's just an incredibly well executed premise and idea. But at the end of the day, it's one joke. And I think the Criterion requires more than one excellent joke.

[D]

That's a better way of saying when I said. I mean, I think the issue is act one is great, act two is hilarious. And there isn't an act Three.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I still think for me, and it's why it's a solid Kim's videos is that I love so much when Andy sings big.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

And gets so far over his skis. And so like, when I think of, like, favorite lyrics of mine that make me smile every time I think about him. It's just like when I look out on the city. Like, it's just the best.

[B]

So much crime and evil everywhere, deceit and lies. Brothers turning on their brothers. Sisters stealing from their sisters. Where the dying go to die.

[C]

It's an incredible performance. It's a great observation about characters like Batman. There are really excellent twists in it. Like, I think you mentioned this on the pod when he opens the recycling and he shakes his head sadly at the cardboard. Yeah. There's just little tiny grace notes in it that are wonderful. I think it's absolutely syllabus or Kim's videos, but not quite Criterion.

[A]

Andy's dad.

[D]

Yes.

[C]

I say no.

[A]

Oh, interesting. All right, we'll start with a yes. Make your case. Tapp.

[D]

First of all, always great to see Downey. I mean, he's just really good. And Jonah Hill, he's got that great, like, incredibly. Since straight delivery.

[A]

He's a wonderful actor.

[D]

Yeah. And just the love scenes, it's just hilarious. It's just a very hilarious. Although I will say I don't think of the skit when I think of Jonah Hill. Unlike Rihanna and Natalie Portman.

[A]

Yep.

[D]

But, yeah, I mean, I just. It's a consistent laugh.

[C]

Is this a joke? No.

[A]

I mean, I wish it was a joke.

[C]

It would be easier if it was a joke.

[A]

It's just that Ben is my dad.

[C]

Yes, your dad.

[A]

My boyfriend. Whatever.

[C]

Yeah, but it's not as if you're.

[A]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's gotten extraordinarily physical.

[C]

I mean, take that however you want. I agree with all that. I think Downey's incredible. If you could ever get Downey to do your sketch, it was like a home run every time, because the guy's incredible. I have, like, a tiny quibble with it. Andy's great. Jonah's incredible. Downey's great. I think that ultimately, the thing that gets the biggest laugh is, like, Jonah kissing Downey. And I just can't quite bring myself to say this is a Criterion Collection thing when it's not quite gay panic, but it's like, gay panic adjacent, where it's like, ha, ha, ha, that man is kissing that other man, and I can't. And it's funny. They didn't do anything wrong. It's not homophobic or anything.

[A]

No.

[C]

But I think the reaction to it is, like, a little bit over the top based on the premise of the.

[A]

It is that trick where the reaction is almost makes you judge it more than the actual work. If you watched it quietly in a room, you wouldn't feel that way.

[C]

That's right.

[D]

I felt the comedy wasn't gay panic adjacent as much as it was. Look at Jonah making out with this old man.

[C]

That is the charitable read on it, certainly. And I do think it's also a little bit of, like, this very famous actor Jonah Hill is kissing Jim Downey. And, like, the two personalities involved are also part of it. But I just. I don't know. It doesn't quite rise to the level of criterion for me.

[A]

Laser Cats 3D.

[D]

No.

[C]

No.

[A]

Daiquiri Girl?

[D]

No.

[C]

No.

[A]

Best look in the world.

[C]

No, no.

[A]

A hardcore Kim's video for me.

[C]

Excellent.

[A]

Kim's Video, I feel like that's the dude where a guy slides it across the counter, he's like, hey kid, you want comedy? Because I will say, much like Roy Rule's lyrics, cool breeze tickle in your knee pits is as good a line as they've ever written.

[C]

I laughed so hard when I watched it again after the pod, I remembered I had a, like a, A Proustian memory of seeing it the first time and seeing the words pale stems across some like meaty white legs and like bursting out laughing. Yeah, I think it's absolutely. Kim's videos category was made for the best look in the world to me.

[B]

Secret amateurs for the jam. So button up shirt and grab your pants.

[D]

Jimmy Capps crowning like a newborn. I mean, that is Nobel prize winning poetry.

[A]

Yeah, but.

[C]

But you guys also, in the original discussion, absolutely nailed the problem with it, which is that it starts a full octave and a half too high and too fast. Too fast.

[A]

Just amazing.

[D]

And it's also contradictory, as you point out. It's contradictory.

[A]

Yeah, it's great. It's great. And then Japanese office.

[C]

No.

[D]

Oh, I say no. But I do wonder, recusal wise, if Mr. Schur is bringing any of his office baggage with him.

[C]

I will say. So when Steve hosted, was it the first time or second time he hosted? I don't remember now.

[A]

Second.

[C]

Second. It was a very big deal when he hosted the show for us. Even though I think by that point the show, the Office was fairly well established and it was a very big deal that he hosted. It was a big deal that Rain hosted. Like, you know, I worked at snl, but you still feel like SNL at some point, some level is an arbiter of what matters in the culture. And when he did the Japanese Office, I remember being a little bit rankled. Like, I was a little rankled. I loved the first time when Rain hosted and you did the like parody of the Office with his monologue. I was like, they're nailing this. Everyone's nailing it. Sudeika's nailing it. Wig's nailing it. Everyone's great. This. I was a little bit like, oh, okay. It didn't feel right to me in some way. It didn't, like, I don't know, it didn't scratch the itch of reflecting the show in the way that I was hoping the show would be reflected somehow. I don't know how to describe it.

[A]

I do like that there was lazy Scranton. Right. So I like that SNL was in the world of the Office and Then the Office was in the world of SNL, 100% Uroboros, as you like to say, Jake.

[D]

I find it was going back to milk a cow a second time.

[C]

Right, Yeah.

[D]

I mean, that's. If Rain had not done his Office homage with Sudeikis and wig and all that. And then this was the first time that we saw that maybe.

[C]

I also just don't quite understand the premise of it because it's like they stole the show from me, but I stole it from the Japanese version. But then all the actors in the Japanese version are white people. It sort of didn't track to me somehow.

[A]

And on the 34th one, we run into our first logic problem.

[C]

We knew we'd get there eventually.

[A]

All right, so just to go through, you guys said yes to Lazy Sunday, Natalie's rap, Dick in a Box, you said yes. Yes on Dear Sister, a yes on Iran so far, a yes on the Mirror, you were a split on Laser Cats, a split on Andy's dad. And I think that's basically where we are. I'm going to bring in our final guest, who is Alan Sepinwall, who is joining us now. Hello, Alan.

[E]

Gentlemen, good to see you.

[C]

Hello, Alan.

[A]

Alan is a television critic for Rolling Stone. I think he was the first person who recapped television.

[E]

Maybe not the first, but one of the first.

[A]

We used to just watch tv, and that would be. You never think about it again. And then Alan was like, no, I'm going to write. And we did it for the Sopranos and NYPD Blue. He's written a great many books. Two books on the OC Breaking Bad book on the Sopranos. He and Matt Zoller Seitz wrote a great book about the 100 greatest television shows. Alan, thank you for joining us.

[E]

My pleasure to be here.

[D]

Thank you.

[A]

You've been listening a little bit, and I just want to open the floor. Have these two made any terrible mistakes?

[E]

Terrible? No. I mean, they're definitely going, you know, small haul here, which I think I endorse. You know, I had a short list myself, which was a little longer. I think the only one I might strongly disagree on is Roy Rules, which I have, like, just the softest of soft spots for, just because there's so many great jokes in there. Like I think Andy noted in the episode you did on that, when he says he loves wearing T shirts and Roy is wearing, like, a button down and a tie, it doesn't get better than that.

[A]

Yeah, not a big tent joke, but a pretty great joke.

[E]

But there's so Many of them in that one sketch. Yeah. So I would say that. I would agree. United Way is. It's a great sketch. It does not feel like a Lonely island sketch. It's a Page Manning sketch, so that shouldn't be on there. So, wait, did you guys not take any of the Laser Cats?

[D]

We split. I was pro first. Laser Cats.

[C]

I was anti.

[E]

I feel like you have to have a Laser Cats somewhere in Criterion.

[A]

Right.

[D]

I agree with that 100%. Yeah.

[A]

So you missed. We did say, though, what if there were, like, two other categories? One is additional reading, which is. These are important if you were doing a college course on it. And another would be Kim's videos, which is. This is not, you know, high art. But if you're sort of like a deep cut fan.

[C]

Outsider.

[E]

Yeah, but I just think that Laser Cats is so fundamental to the story of the Lonely island and of the digital shorts. You have to have one on there, even if you're not like, the hugest fan of the idea or the execution. It's. I mean, they did five of them. Seven, seven, seven.

[D]

Alan, which one would you put on? If you could only pick one?

[A]

Which one was Chris Dodd in? I would probably do.

[E]

I think Chris Dodd was in 3D, which is also the one with Walkin. So it's got Walken, it's got Chris Dodd, it's got Keenan, it's got Andy getting his bionic eye. I mean, I think that's your winner right there.

[D]

I love how Chris Dodd is mentioned alongside Chris Walken. And.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, it's got the two Chrises, the big two, you know, kids. Before it was like Evans and Pratt and Pine. Our Chrises were Dodd and Walking. Alan, is it safe to say that you were a fan, having written two books about the OC that you were a fan of Dear Sister?

[E]

Yes. I remember watching that and realizing what they were doing and saying, wait, they're doing a parody of that. And I just couldn't believe it. And like, a lot of their humor, they just kind of kept going to the well and going to the well. And the more they did it, the funnier it got, until you get to the moment where the song just sort of keeps restarting over and over and over again in the span of about 10 seconds. That's. I mean, maybe that's in some ways like the quintessential Lonely island sketch, because, a. It goes back to their origins with the boo. It's making fun of something that by that point was relatively obscure.

[C]

Right.

[E]

And, like, they sort of kept Picking at the scab over and over again until they got through all of it.

[A]

So it did not require any knowledge of the oc?

[E]

No.

[A]

And I would argue that while OC fans might have liked that moment of, oh, I recognize this, I don't think OC fans enjoyed it any more than, say, I did. Not having known the scene.

[D]

Agreed.

[E]

Almost certainly not.

[C]

I can say that, by the way, my wife, J.J. feldman, wrote for the OC and was there for that episode. And her head exploded when we watched it, because she was like. Cause it had been years since that had aired. It had been some long amount of time. And what she realized in that moment, which I think is important to note here, it was marking the Lonely island as, like, the next gen comedy. Like, for them, that was nostalgia. Now, where for people in my generation and my wife's generation, it was like, that was just our lives. But for the Lonely island, they were, like, tapping into a fairly recent nostalgia, but a nostalgia nonetheless, which I think is a kind of crucial point.

[D]

Interesting.

[A]

She worked on the show when that episode aired.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Does she remember where she was?

[D]

In the backfield?

[C]

She's with Neil Armstrong.

[A]

I also. Because, again, it speaks to the integrity, the ethics of these guys. It was not the cheap nostalgia where you get a laugh because everybody recognizes what you're doing. No, it was genuinely not built on them. It was. They were nostalgic for it, but they knew that that had no currency with their audience.

[C]

Yeah, exactly.

[E]

It's like, cool guys don't look at explosions. It's just sort of. It's taking a trope and, you know.

[A]

Hanging a hat on it and anything else. Alan, we do appreciate you coming on. I feel like they just had to have some quality control here.

[C]

Smart.

[E]

No, no, I think they did a good job. I mean, the only one I even really thought about that's not on their list is the tangent. And that's one I think I discovered through the pod because it was so hard to find for so long.

[A]

Yeah.

[E]

But I think that's probably more of a Kim's video anyway.

[A]

Yeah, I think that might be, like, in a. I don't know, a grad school program on Fred.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

They maybe show you the tangent.

[E]

Yes.

[C]

Yep. Yeah, that's a good call. It's like when you. You go and look at, like, the Mona Lisa or whatever, but then if you're a student who's studying at the Louvre, they'll be like, you should look at these early sketches of the Mona Lisa, and they're like. They're like pencil sketches where you can see the future. Genius. But it isn't quite fully realized on the page.

[A]

Yeah. You're like, at one this. At one point, this is Nick. But it didn't start at Nick Fain. Yes.

[C]

And when. Nick. When. If you're a Nick Fane fan, to understand Nick Fain, you have to go back and watch the tangent. Yes. 100%.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[E]

And, like, Andy doesn't have to be the central character in A short for it to be Criterion, because he's not in Natalie's rap. He just does a verse. But it has to, in some way, like, have the sensibility of those guys in order, I think, to qualify.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

And I think that's why United Way isn't Criterion.

[A]

Okay, we get it. All right. Fucking. The one I wrote isn't Criterion. Jesus. Back to it a third time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, my God. Great. Thanks.

[C]

But harpoon man is. Harpoon man is to be clear.

[D]

So we decided on the 34 that we went through. We decided six unanimously, and then we diverged on two. So I picked eight and. Sure. Picked six. I think that's good because they get stronger. I think the Lonely island oeuvre, I think, like, as they proceed, I would.

[C]

Say the next 34 are likely to have more than 6, 100% that we both would agree on. Yeah.

[A]

And just to echo what you said earlier, every single one of these is fun to go back and watch.

[C]

Yeah, they're all great.

[A]

Yeah.

[E]

I will say, just because, you know, the odds of me and Mike being on this podcast again a second time, maybe not that high. One day I was at the Parks and Rec writers room, and they played Captain Jack Sparrow on the writers room TV at least seven times.

[C]

I mean, endlessly. Yes, absolutely, endlessly. And also, that was, like, the first one that my son got into.

[D]

So good.

[C]

And, like, knew all the words, too. So, like, I think Jake's right. The speed at which the Criterion is filled up is going to accelerate.

[A]

So it's good that we sort of tap the brakes a little bit, you know, purposefully. We're appreciating their excellence.

[D]

There was a mindfulness to this.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Good word for it.

[D]

That's also one of the reasons that we're honored that we are chosen to be Criterion judges.

[C]

Yeah. And that no one else will get to weigh in one way or the other. This is the definitive.

[A]

Agreed. And just real quick. And I do appreciate your time. Before we go, Jake, if you could just help me do the ad read for. We're doing Msnbc is the sponsor and I would love to get you to join in for that tired of the.

[D]

News, warm bath of resistance nonsense.

[A]

All right. I can't put it on a tee and then be mad at Tapper for taking a great big hack.

[C]

I will say, just for the record, to prepare for this, I did some research. I looked into what the Criterion Collection's actual mission statement is. Oh, it's interesting. If you want to hear it.

[D]

Yes, please.

[C]

What it says on their website is this. It says, Since 1984, the Criterion Collection has been dedicated to publishing important classic and contemporary films from around the world in additions that offer the highest technical quality and award winning original supplements. And what's interesting about that is how completely unhelpful it is in terms of determining what it is that they're looking for in a Criterion Collection movie.

[A]

I love Criterion Collection. I do feel like in recent years they've maybe expanded a little bit. Have they? I'm all for it, by the way. But, you know, all of a sudden it's like tremors or whatever. I don't know if that's it, but I feel like there's a couple, like, tremors is good. Tremors is good. But if you, you know, like, all of a sudden, if you're like, oh, okay, well, yeah, I did something for Criterion.

[D]

You know, I did an introduction for the Manchurian Candidate. So I feel like that's also that Criterion expertise. I actually did something for Criterion, Seth. Which you didn't bring up. I don't know why.

[A]

No, I know. Well, you kept bringing it up on text. All right, gentlemen, thank you. I really appreciate this special episode.

[D]

And it's sad because you're not gonna end it by telling us that you love us.

[A]

Of course I was. Well, I know I would feel insincere if I did. So let me just say, with a firm handshake, I appreciated our time together.

[E]

I appreciate our time together, too, Seth.

[A]

Yeah, see, that's really nice.

[D]

Good job.

[C]

Love you guys.

[A]

Hey, everybody, this is Seth. We have just signed off with Mike and Jake and Alan and we wanted to do a quick recap. We realized that would be a helpful thing to do here at the end. So, as I see it, and I do want to talk one last time with our Lonely island trio to make sure they sign off as well, Here are the no brainer Criterion Collection nominees after our first 34. Lazy Sunday is in. Natalie's Rap is in. Dick in a Box is in. Dear Sister is in. Iran so far is in. So those are the Five for sure. And then there were two yes votes for the mirror from Mike and Jake, but the mirror did not receive a plurality of votes from you, the listeners. Andy's dad did receive a plurality, but did not receive 75% of the plurality and was a split vote between Jake and Mike. So I'm gonna ask the guys how they feel about that. People getting punched almost got 75% from the voters. Two nos from our guest pickers, so that one will come up as well. And then we are gonna have to discuss Laser Cats. Laser cats received over 75% of the vote. It got a yes from Jake. It got a no from Mike. It got a yes from Alan. So on that, I feel as though we're gonna have to let the guys be maybe the tiebreaker. So we have five in for sure. We have three maybes. And I also want to run down with the trio how they feel about our Kim's videos, how they feel about the additional reading selections as well. All right, thanks, everybody, for listening. Thanks one last time to Alan and Mike and Jake. And the next time I'll be back, it'll be with the fellas. All right, Be well.

[C]

All.

[E]

Right.