The Incomparable Mothership

In honor of the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live,” six of us create custom-built episodes of SNL by participating in a fantasy draft of sketches, hosts, musical guests, commercial parodies, digital shorts, and more.

SNL Draft II

Host Jason Snell with Kelly Guimont, David J. Loehr, Lisa Schmeiser, and Shelly Brisbin.

Kelly: The Wolverines, Robin Williams (1988), Hans and Franz, What’s Up With That?, Mr. Bill Goes to Los Angeles, Happy Fun Ball, Kevin Nealon, Elvis Costello “Radio Radio.”

Lex: The Tonight Song, Norm MacDonald (1999), Tom Brokaw Pre-Tapes, SuperFeud, “My Testicles”, The Love Toilet, Norm MacDonald, Nirvana.

David: Blues Brothers “Soul Man”, Steve Martin & Martin Short, Anthony Coleman Takes Another Puppetry Class, Theodoric of York: Medieval Barber, Don’t Look Back In Anger, First CityWide Change Bank, Seth Meyers, “King Tut” (Steve Martin).

Lisa: Alan Dershowitz argues for Trump, Donald Glover, Former Porn Star Commercials, Adam Driver in Aladdin, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Laughs”, Macy’s Children’s Clothing, Poehler/Meyers, Chappell Roan.

Shelly: Clinton/Palin on sexism, Paul Simon & Turkey, Sprockets, The Pepsi Syndrome, Back Home Ballers, Taco Town, Jane Curtin, Patty Smith “Gloria.”

Jason: NFL Video Countdown (1987), The Five-Timers Club, More Cowbell, Haunted Elevator, Synchronized Swimming, Schmitt’s Gay, Dennis Miller, Mr. Mister.

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Book Club travels to the far future for the sci-fi/fantasy mash-up “Moonbound” by Robin Sloan. Here be dragons! Not to mention wyrd multidimensional witches at the bottom of a pool, Arthurian proto-heroes, friendly sentient robot hive minds, and plucky talking beavers!

Book Club: "Moonbound"

Host Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Erika Ensign, Scott McNulty, Joe Rosensteel, and Heather Berberet.

What are we reading?

Scott:

Aleen:

Erika:

Heather:

Joe:

Jason:

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Arrakis. Dune. Desert Planet. But maybe not the one you’re thinking of. In our own very peculiar way we honor David Lynch by discussing the feature film he probably liked the least, 1984’s “Dune.” Sting with a knife! Patrick Stewart riding a sandworm! How does it all compare with the modern version? Does it have its own special lower-budget charms? (Don’t mention the voiceovers…) What about the voiceovers? And how much does nostalgia fit into our appreciation of this movie?

"Dune" (1984)

Host Jason Snell with Steve Lutz, Erika Ensign, Dan Moren, and John Siracusa.

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

From deep down in the lower levels to high up near the surface, we’re traveling through the post-apocalypic society of “Silo” on Apple TV+. Do eggs exist? What’s in daddy’s secret closet of mystery? Why are Pez dispensers outlawed? We begin with non-spoiler thoughts and then after the spoiler horn, we break down season one and two. (There are no spoilers for the Hugh Howey stories the show is based on!)

"Silo"

Host Jason Snell with Heather Berberet, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, and Aleen Simms.

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Live, from The Incomparable, it’s Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night,” a film that purports to capture the 88 minutes before “Saturday Night Live’s” first live broadcast 50 years ago. All of our panelists agree it’s a well-made movie. There are many actors and comedians playing actors and comedians. But does it all hold together?

"Saturday Night"

Host Lex Friedman with Monty Ashley, David J. Loehr, and Kelly Guimont.

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Blending classic Disney animals with a mysterious Miayazki forest, “The Wild Robot” is a story of overcoming your programming and not allowing yourself to become trapped in loops of behavior—whether you’re a robot or maybe even a human being.

"The Wild Robot"

Host Jason Snell with Brian Warren, Brian Hamilton, Annette Wierstra, and Katie Mack.

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

It’s the end of the world and a robot apocalypse has happened, so what are the robots up to now? One robot butler takes an unusual journey through the darkly absurd world of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s “Service Model.” All bytes will be sorted and preserved, Uncharles.

Book Club: "Service Model"

Host Jason Snell with Joe Rosensteel, Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms, Scott McNulty, and Katie Mack.

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Are fairy tales real, or are they mental refuges from the horrors of real life? Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” toggles effortless between bizarre, Miyazaki-like fantasy (inverted toads!) and an all-too-real tale of violence and treachery in fascist Spain. It’s dark, beautiful, full of disgusting bugs, and manages to use Del Toro muse Doug Jones as not one but two separate monsters!

"Pan's Labyrinth"

Host Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullán, Steve Lutz, Tony Sindelar, and Monty Ashley.

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

We send off the crew of the USS Cerritos and salue the completion of the five-year mission of “Star Trek: Lower Decks.” This show expanded what “Star Trek” could be—in several dimensions. And yet it was also utterly, completely a “Star Trek” series. We try to find the special alchemy that brought it all together.

"Star Trek: Lower Decks"

Host Jason Snell with David J. Loehr, Moisés Chiullán, Scott McNulty, and Joe Rosensteel.

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

The writers of “The Expanse” are back with a new series, and “The Mercy of Gods” is an alien invasion story that goes to some extremely dark places. But sometimes, dark is good… right? Right?! Plus: What are we reading?

"The Mercy of Gods"

Host Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Heather Berberet, and Aleen Simms.

Next book: “Service Model” by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

What are we reading?

Heather: The Pandominion series, Infinity Gate and Echo of Worlds by M.R. Carey

Aleen: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Scott: Jack Taylor series by Ken Bruen, Playground by Richard Powers

Jason: Inverted Frontier series by Linda Nagata (Start with Edges)

Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.