Under the Dome–Possibly The Worst Season Finale Ever

Under the Dome Finale

I never really expected a satisfactory explanation on Under The Dome, but the season finale was just terrible.  The episode just felt like a series of events pulled out of thin air. The cliff hanger of Barbi being hanged is hardly a cliff hanger as nobody has any fear that it will actually happen.

Stephen King is writing the second season premiere episode. Can he turn the show into something sensible now that it has deviated widely from the novel?

More in the next SciFi Weekend.

Cast Changes At Saturday Night Live With Cecily Strong Joining Weekend Update

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Seth Meyers will be leaving Saturday Night Live in February to take over as host of Late Night. The New York Times reports that Cecily Strong, the Girl You Wished You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With at a Party, will be hosting Weekend Update along with Meyers starting this fall. Lorne Michels, who produces both SNL and Late Night is also hoping that Seth Meyers will continue working on SNL just to do Weekend Update. This might be possible as Late Night doesn’t have a Friday night show, giving Meyers some time off to moonlight on a second show.

With Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Jason Sudeikis all leaving, following other recent major departures from SNL, this is being called one of the biggest transitions in the history of the show. Lorne Michaels has this to say about cast transitions:

“People attach to the cast they see in high school,” Mr. Michaels said. “In those years they generally can’t drive. They don’t have any money. Staying up late is exciting. Being with friends up late is really exciting. So they’re very connected to the cast they see then.”

The cast I was most attached to was the original cast: : John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Laraine Newman,  Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner,  Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase. Maybe it was because I was in high school when they started, but I do think they were by far the best group. As with Community, Chevy Chase left earlier, then the rest of The Not Ready For Prime Time Players left in 1979-80. Replacing them was even more difficult than replacing the cast members who left recently.