The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast — "Tizzle Wizzle Show" (Oct 7, 2025)

Main Theme / Purpose

This episode brings together Seth Meyers and The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone) for a deep-dive into their time at SNL, focusing on the creation and legacy of their SNL Digital Shorts—especially the "Tizzle Wizzle Show." The group engages in behind-the-scenes reminiscence, shares stories about cast members and guests, discusses the evolution of their creative process, and revisits classic sketches, including ones that never aired. The tone remains light, irreverent, and filled with in-jokes, tangents, and warmth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Chaotic Comedy Chemistry & Podcast Tone

• Opening Banter: The episode launches with the usual playful back-and-forth, mock complaints about recording methods, and riffing about 'being really rolling' (i.e., on ecstasy vs. recording tape) [00:04–00:26].
• Classic Film Tangent: The group detours into a detailed riff on Basic Instinct, TV edits, and the atmospherics of '90s thrillers, noting the comedy inherent in awkwardly dubbed-for-TV curse words.
  • Akiva: “If you go onto the DVD extras…there’s a thing…like an edited thing of all the clips of the TV version… it seems like it’s a comedy” [00:48–01:44].
  • On "Atmos": Akiva highlights heavy visual 'atmosphere' (smoke/fog) from ’80s/‘90s action films and jokes about its overuse [02:47–03:56].

2. SNL Production & the Creative Process

• Art/Commenter Feedback: They discuss fan comments about a drawing that made Andy look like Mark Cuban (“cube job”), segueing into how online communities interact with their work [05:23–06:13].
• Lost Demos & Tech Fails: The group laments lost demo recordings of “Shy Ronnie” due to casual data management at SNL, poking fun at Jorma for being a "massive flake" [07:37–08:18].
• Writing Music on SNL: Seth expresses surprise at how beats are bought/sold in hip hop, crediting their shorts for not patronizing the audience [09:36–10:11].

3. Revisiting Unseen or Underloved Material

• Weekend Update’s “Nicolas Cage” (Andy Samberg’s Impression): The group watches/re-enacts a cut “Nicolas Cage” Weekend Update bit.
  • Seth observes, "It’s great that it didn’t air because Get in the Cage is better than that" [15:20–15:27].
  • Discussion about how recurring characters get progressively refined over multiple tries (e.g., Wayne's World, Get in the Cage) [29:47–30:13].
• “Mark Wahlberg Talks to Christmas Animals”:
  • Andy performs the bit, riffing with the gang about whether the reindeer in the sketch was real and joking about being “mauled by a reindeer” [21:44–23:44].

4. The Anatomy of The “Tizzle Wizzle Show”

• Context & Influences: The sketch is called a “perverse take on children's programming,” echoing shows like Wonder Showzen, Yo Gabba Gabba, and The Wiggles [29:17–34:02].
• Execution & Review:
  • “Short and sweet,” says Seth.
  • They praise the execution, comedic escalation (“jammies, then knives, then pills, then war”), and the solution of using glow sticks to suggest violence without showing it [32:53–33:56].
  • Jorma: “Don’t have a cow. Callback. My favorite part.” [33:45–33:50]
• Who Made What?: Jorma believes “The Jammy Shuffle” started with an idea of his, but all agree it was collaborative, and Yorma was especially involved in the song production [28:51–41:13].
• Criterion or Not?: The group jokingly debates if the short is "Criterion Collection" worthy, ultimately deciding it's "Kim's Video" tier—very good, but not quite top-shelf [34:25–34:43].

5. Sketch Structure and Table-Read Memories

• “Kickspit Underground Rock Festival”:
  • They revisit the Juggalos-inspired festival sketch with Sudeikis and Nasim, noting its collaborative "junk-drawer" nature at the rewrite table, and the joy of pitching band names and event ideas [41:42–45:30].
  • Mike O’Brien, the writer, shares (via voice note) that only Yorma could do the sketch’s voiceover justice:
  • “It’d be like if you went to Star Wars and some regular guy was doing Darth Vader’s voice…” [46:17–46:31]

6. SNL Ephemera & Behind-the-Scenes

• Revealing SNL Dynamics:
  • The hallway outside Lorne’s office is described as the scene of both Kanye debating with Che and "where Baze would have told you your stuff was last cut." [39:29–40:11]
  • Sketches may be cut for reasons as trivial as "too many daggers in one show" [34:49–34:56].

7. Listener Interaction & Ongoing In-Jokes

• Bee Archive/NYT Puzzle Recap Segment:
  • They finally circle back to their ongoing New York Times games “tease,” running down what words they missed (e.g., "cidification," "fontina," "finito") and riffing on their puzzle failures [51:01–52:39].
• Name-Dropping & Viewer Comments:
  • Listeners correct a mistaken “penis” postcard—insisting it said “pelvis”—and there's a long-running gag about Yorma’s propensity to drop celebrity names (“name-dropperitis”) [49:00–50:06].

8. Reflections on Friendship and Collaboration

• Nostalgia & Affection:
  • Recollections of first SNLs, Bill Hader's 20th anniversary texts, and the enduring decades-long alliances underscore the episode [24:24–25:07; 24:30–24:35].
  • The group wraps with warmth and humor, referencing Shawshank Redemption and missing their friend Yorma (who arrives just in time for the “sign off”) [50:14–53:00].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Clean TV Movie Dubs:
  "I've never in my life seen [a DVD extra] just cutting to the funniest times. It seems like it's a comedy." — Akiva Schaffer [00:48–01:44]

• On Children’s Sketch 'Violence':
  "The glow sticks, just solving the problem of how we will not actually watch the violence." — Seth Meyers [33:50–33:56]

• On Why SNL Material Gets Cut:
  "Do you think Nick Cage got cut because it also had a dagger?" — Seth Meyers [34:49–34:56]

• On Revisiting “Mark Wahlberg Talks…”
  "I know for a fact I've never been mauled by a reindeer. But I immediately was like, oh God, I hope I don't get mauled." — Jorma Taccone [23:44]

• On Collaborative Writing:
  "All it is is a perfect structure to just throw on dumb ideas." — Seth Meyers (re: 'Underground Festival' sketch) [43:39–43:47]

• On Podcast Placement:
  "Never leave the pod. You leave the pod, you get trashed." — Akiva Schaffer [35:18]

• On Friendship:
  "Not to be all Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption, but I miss my friend." — Seth Meyers [50:16]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:10–04:00]: Opening riff on recording techniques, "rolling," and Basic Instinct TV dubs
• [07:37–08:18]: Lost “Shy Ronnie” demo discussion
• [12:04–14:28]: Andy Samberg as Nicolas Cage on Weekend Update (excerpt and reactions)
• [21:44–23:44]: “Mark Wahlberg Talks to Christmas Animals” performed and recapped
• [32:53–33:56]: “Tizzle Wizzle Show” watched and dissected
• [43:39–45:39]: “Kickspit Underground Rock Festival” sketch breakdown & O’Brien’s voice note
• [50:16–50:37]: Closing sentiments and reflections on missing Yorma
• [51:01–52:39]: New York Times games recap
• [52:54–53:00]: Yorma joins in as the show wraps (“Later, Arnold!”)

Closing Thoughts

This episode stands out for its insider SNL anecdotes, warmth and comedic improvisation among old friends. If you love hearing how iconic sketches are made, want to know what bits almost made it to air, or just enjoy gleeful riffing about absurd showbiz moments, this episode delivers. The discussion around "Tizzle Wizzle Show" and other shorts is less about nostalgia and more about understanding how comedy is crafted through risk, failure, and joyful collaboration—plus, how a good glow stick can solve any problem.