See how Nasim Pedrad’s SNL “Talk Show with Ravish” sketch almost didn’t air: Live TV!

I remember during the Jude Law episode of Saturday Night Live last month (#35.17), when late in the night, newcomer Nasim Pedrad got to carry a sketch as a precocious kid named Ravish who hosts her own talk-show from inside her living room. Something didn't seem right from the start — not in terms of laughs, but in terms of the set itself. You could see it wobbling and wondered what was up (as I noticed in my original recap of SNL)? Now we know.

The show released this rare behind-the-scenes footage from the commercial break, when it looked as though the set wouldn't be ready in time. You can hear producers and others saying "We're screwed," and scrambling to find a parody — "any parody" — and almost re-air a spoof ad for Cialis. But at the very last second, cast members Fred Armisen, Jenny Slate and Bobby Moynihan take their positions, and when the screen fades to black to start the scene, the audience applauds even more enthusiastically than usual. And this is why there's always something a little more special about going live. The more you know! Roll the clip.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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3 thoughts on “See how Nasim Pedrad’s SNL “Talk Show with Ravish” sketch almost didn’t air: Live TV!

  1. That was awesome.
    I should remember that every time I take a very clinical assessment to the value of a particular SNL piece–they’re really flying this whole thing by the seat of their pants and the fact that they put ANYTHING on the air is some kind of victory.

  2. Weird to see how the sausage is made. And instead of nauseating me, it made me admire the sausage makers that much more.
    Had enough of this hackneyed extended metaphor yet?

  3. Having seen that, I would like to see a few more. Heck, if SNL started selling DVD’s of the entire show. Dress rehearsal, all the way to the sign off, with background stuff like that, I would buy it.
    I doubt I’ll ever get to see an SNL live, but it would be fun to see how they put it all together.

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