Today is Seth Meyers 41st birthday, and it’s hard to believe just how long he’s been in our lives. He debuted on Saturday Night Live in 2001 — the same year as Amy Poehler — and it didn’t take long for him to become one of the more memorable presences on the show.
Before anything else, he was known for his Red Sox fandom. When Derek Jeter hosted the show in December 2001, Meyers provided one of the better moments in an otherwise “meh” episode when he “debated” Jeter in a version of the Weekend Update segment Point/Counterpoimt. The topic at hand? Derek Jeter Sucks Vs. No, I Don’t. Jeter is an affable straight man in this sketch, but it’s Meyers parody of an obnoxious Sawx fan that makes it a stand out. Of course, this was before 2004, when the Sox won the first of the three World Series titles in a 10-year span, so it’s quite likely that at least a bit of Seth’s rage was real.
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The following year, when the Yankees were eliminated in the first round by the Angels, ending the streak of four straight World Series appearances, Seth was a bit kinder, offering some advice to Yankees fans, along with Matt Damon, who was hosting that week.
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Indeed, Seth’s Update commentaries were a big part of why he became one of SNL‘s better-known names in the early-to-mid 2000s. He did have a few recurring characters, like Dave Zinger, a scientist who was more interested in “zinging” his colleagues that getting any work done, but that sketch only appeared a few times, and never became one of the show’s signature segments.
But when Seth appeared on Update, he often did his best work, and when Tina Fey left the show in 2006, he was the obvious choice to join Poehler as the co-anchor. That duo lasted for three years, and developed a fair amount of chemistry over the period. Perhaps more than anything else, they were known for the “Really?” segment, which quickly became a crowd favorite.
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When Poehler left the show for her starring role in Parks And Recreation, Seth was all alone at the Update desk — the first person to do it solo since Colin Quinn. This gave him a chance to develop an individual personality at the desk. Amusingly, though, the most memorable thing about Seth’s solo run on Update was how he interacted with the correspondents. Specifically, his always hilarious encounters with Stefon.
Meyers and Bill Hader could never get through those sketches without cracking up, and of course, no one in the audience could blame them. By the time Hader left the show in 2013, it was undeniable that a certain romance had developed between the character and the news anchor. That’s why it made perfect sense that Hader’s final episode saw the pair get married. It was a great ending to one of the best Update segments ever, and everyone wished the happy couple the best of luck.
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At the halfway mark of last season, Meyers finally left SNL after a 12.5 year run (surpassed only by Darrell Hammond in length) to replace Jimmy Fallon as the host of Late Night. The show premiered on February 24th 2014, so its one-year anniversary is fast approaching. The thing is, at this point, the show hasn’t really done that much to stand out. It’s not a bad show by any means, but so far, it feels like it merely exists, and doesn’t have any signature qualities. It doesn’t have the eccentricity that Craig Ferguson and Conan O’Brien have brought to the table, and while Meyers is not lacking in charm, he lacks the exuberance that makes Jimmy Fallon so likable.
So, can Late Night with Seth Meyers make a name for itself? If I were a betting man, I would say yes. Again, the show isn’t bad, it just feels a bit too anonymous right now. What Meyers needs to know is look back at those early SNL clips, where he loudly proclaimed his love of the Red Sox and his hatred for Derek Jeter. Meyers became a breakout star because his personality shined through so clearly. Now, he needs to bring that same attitude to his Late Night persona. If he does, it could quickly develop into one of the better late night talk shows on television.
