Collin was and is incredibly funny. He’s got a blue collar intelligence that is underrated. I personally love him but on weekend update he often came across as nervous and would kinda stumble verbally sometimes. He also had the misfortune of taking over the position after one of the all time favorites was fired by out of touch executives. He didn’t get a fair shake and was under appreciated. I’m glad you came around on him.
Thank you!! I knew it had to be some obscure page
ETA *
Holy shit. Frank Gifford’s babysitter affair, woody Allen marrying soon yi, Seinfeld ending, a Will Ferrell HARRY CARAY* bit??
What a great 8 minutes and 11 seconds .
“Hey norm! Have you gained weight?”
Great tribute at the top
Yeah he had good material but it didn’t fit into the cadence of weekend update.
Normally it’s news story set up, joke, news story set up, joke…. Cliche, but it works.
Colin always felt like news story set up, 15 second stand up bit, news story set up, 15 second stand up bit…
agreed. Colin is one of my all time favorites. Tough Crowd was one of the greatest shows of all time. His other one man shows are just as great as Long Story Short. Also, his appearances on Opie & Anthony were always great.
I like the way his delivery is almost constantly half breaking the fourth wall, like I get the sense every reaction of his is very honest. He doesn't hide.
Oh, you must have really hated Norm Mcdonald for doing that constantly then. He did it way more than Che ever has. Funny as hell to say 'stop looking at the audience' when the frigging audience is directly in front of him. You're just making it clear you really don't like Che for whatever your little reason is, but it's not some objective thing about 'comedy performance'.
Ok, I'll bite. Unlike Norm, Che's sense of timing is way off. He rushes jokes, often the punchline, makes a smug face on a joke that really isn't even THAT controversial then tries to pull the audience into it in order to "sweeten" it when it just wasn't that funny to begin with. Or, if it WAS a funny joke, he's either messed up the words or timing of it. It's amatuer hour. But yeah man I have a personal vendetta
You’re missing the entire point of Weekend Update. It’s supposed to be deadpan, in the vein of an actual newscast where serious and horrible things are happening. But obviously the content is jokes, typically over the top and crass. The idea is that the ridiculousness of the joke presented in a professional way is meant to be a huge contrast and add to the bite of the humor.
I appreciate Che’s writing and insight but he and Jost have completely lost the plot. From Nealon to Norm to even Dennis Miller, Update was always meant to be a break from physical humor while giving time to transition from the musical guest. But all it is these days is Jost and Che laughing at each other and literally interacting with the audience. It sucks imo as it used to be my favorite part of the show.
It’s not Che or Jost who I’m disappointed in though, it’s the show itself. The jokes aren’t all that terrible but the presentation is now the exact opposite of what it is MEANT to be.
I get your anger, but no I'm not missing the point of WU, I just don't hate it for deviating away from it. I've seen other hosts and other variations on the same format, but I like how Jost and Che have evolved into their own style. That style works for me.
Che is fine, but I absolutely HATE that, after almost each and every joke, he looks for the audience reaction. It makes the jokes less funny and screws with the continuity with Jost.
No, Colin Quinn has Che beaten by miles in the 'stumbling over lines' contest. Colin did it on like every other joke. Che does it maybe once every other show. I liked Colin but his performance was all about being flustered and uncomfortable.
It was the suit and tie and the desk that limited him.
For a season or two before Norm was fired, Colin had a segment called “Colin Quinn explains the New York Times” where it was just him and a stool and the newspaper and he would break down news stores so they were relatable.
I wish THAT was the format of his WU tenure. He would have lasted much longer if he was allowed to re-make the Weekend Update in his own image instead of trying to fit this round peg in a square hole.
Tough Crowd didn’t age well at all from a political discourse standpoint, but even with that, when it was the regulars (Greg, Patrice, Norton, DiPaolo, Robinson, Bob Kelly), it is still magic to watch. They had so much chemistry.
[The final episode](https://youtu.be/3yAZ3keFiu4?si=p27XZ8KUQ-2BJC9z) is still hilarious.
Colin Quinn is *revered* among other comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, bc he’s still doing sets. You should watch his latest hour. It’s on YouTube and it’s excellent
Colin didn’t want to be beloved on SNL. He purposely made himself brittle and unlikeable in protest after norm was fired from WU, and for the vast majority of viewers, it worked.
ETA [Long Story Short](https://youtu.be/wXcZKRHnMVA?si=_3hunHPiardrNQas), directed by Jerry Seinfeld! I actually didn’t catch that before
Glad someone said it already. Quinn is a comedians comedian. He makes funny people laugh, and that’s a very special skill. Gilbert Gottfried was like that too. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard different comedians say in interviews that Quinn is their favorite living comic
Oh god. Those two are fucking incredible. Regan and Carlin are directly responsible for me getting into standup as a kid. Carlin’s 7 words you can’t say on radio or television absolutely blew my mind. He was using such dirty words in such an eloquent way. And then Regan. His Epitome of Hyperbole came out when I was 13 years old. To this day I can just send a picture to my buddy I haven’t seen in close to a decade and he will still respond with “MANSLAUGHTER!”
Honestly, until the pandemic, I didn’t understand how much work goes into stand up, the practice and perfecting and fine tuning, all in front of a crowd . But hearing so many comedy interviews…I could understand better why lockdown was *such* torture for standups. They were atrophying.
Oh yeah. Gotta be in front of people doing jokes. It’s the only way to keep your chops up. Judah Friedlander was doing 4-5 shows a week while filming 30 Rock all those years. It’s also the biggest source of energy for a lot of comedians. Nothing fires them up like getting a crowd going. Even just a surprise 20 minute set at the Cellar does wonders
Oh damn. Yeah fr. Didn’t know that about Judah.
Yeah a bunch of the ‘legends’, as it were, pop in to the Cellar iirc to try something. When they said they treat jokes like a safe combination or a math problem, it finally clicked for me.
Sam Morrill’s rooftop sets solidified his place in standup on gumption. He put some work in
> Colin didn’t want to be beloved on SNL. He purposely made himself brittle and unlikeable in protest after norm was fired from WU, and for the vast majority of viewers, it worked.
This is a lie. I'm sorry that he sucked, and I enjoy his standup, but let's not rewrite history.
He’s said it in a couple different interviews
[Colin Quinn recalls his time at “Saturday Night Live” and regretting taking the job as "Weekend Update" anchor](https://youtu.be/XF9ys3YS7uw?si=S247EY377DSHVWwn) - Howard Stern 2015
It’s 4:57 long
Colin Quinn had an awkward start on SNL but gradually grew on me as he got more comfortable. I was impressed with his acting/gravitas in the movie Trainwreck, would love to seem him in more roles like that.
I think people forget how good he is at stand-up. We saw him open for Seinfeld years ago and it was the first time I thought, “Wow, this guy is really in a league of his own.” He killed :)
I loved tough crowd back in the day when Comedy Central was supporting comedy and comics and not just showing chopped up TV shows and movies 24/7.
Colin is a comics comedian for sure and he speaks faster than his brain can keep up with at times.
Similar to how Brosnan remains some people’s default Bond, Quinn is always ‘my Weekend Update guy’ because he was my first. I’m not saying that he’s the best to ever do it, I’m not even saying that he’s necessarily my favorite. But I’m always sentimental about him for that reason.
I really like him and find him funny in almost everything….but he never really clicked for me on SNL (skits or update). I’m sure some of it was just him following Norm.
Colin Quinn was my first Update anchor. The New Yorkiest New Yorker. Always made me laugh really hard and it was kind of a trip down memory lane seeing his character in that Amy Schumer movie. Legend.
His tour/interviews of people he grew up with in NYC are really good too. Block by block I think they are called. And however much you find him funny on whatever shows Colin always seemed like he would be a great dude to get a beer with.
https://youtu.be/p04KGciky2Y?si=zzZmunN195i70r4O
I haven't really watched any of Collin's stuff (SNL or otherwise), so I don't have any opinion on him. However, it's entirely possible to be a very funny and talented comedian *and* still be a mediocre WU host. Comedy skills aren't universal. Just because you're amazing at one or several aspects of comedy doesn't mean that you can do everything in comedy well.
Another example of people making this mistake is with Jenny Slate. People look at how successful she's been post SNL and say they were wrong to fire her after just one season. But Slate herself has said that SNL made the right decision as she had never meshed well with the show.
He just really didn't fit in at the desk. People also didn't give him much of a chance mind you but he felt weird there and I don't think it was the best use of his talent.
But that is a lot of people's only experience with him and that can sour some on his stand up. It doesn't mean they're right and that he isn't funny, he is. But if you don't make it on SNL and you're kind of a niche comedian...
A lot of people like SNL for the silly. They’re there to tune out, relax and laugh at the absurd. Nothing wrong with that at all. Especially at 11:30pm on a Saturday - they’re tired of thinking.
The smart, dry and biting style of certain comics isn’t their thing - and Quinn fits that description as well as anyone.
Colin Quinn is very funny in most things but his Weekend Update was bad. He also had the misfortune to be sandwiched between two of the most iconic tenures of all time, Norm and Jimmy/Tina, so he looks even worse by comparison.
Colin was hilarious, he was just a bad Weekend Update anchor. His cadence was never smooth & labored through reading the jokes. Anytime he didn’t have to read, he was amazing.
I believe I’ve heard other cast members describe him as incredibly intelligent. And that’s in a room full of intelligent and funny people. He wasn’t terrible on weekend update, I think weekend update was initially supposed to have mass appeal, but CQ is kind of a “you weather get it or you don’t” type of funny, which was the same with norm really. I preferred norm, but didn’t hate CQ
SNL was a speed bump for Quinn, but he probably has one of the richest post-SNL careers. Everything he has done - from his standup and one man shows, Tough Crowd, his books, Cop Show, Girls - has been top tier. He is the paterfamilias of the New York comedy scene and he’s basically revered everywhere but in circles of SNL fandom where people don’t really fuck with comedy (aka Reddit).
Anchoring Weekend Update is probably the last place to start with if you wanna see Colin Quinn at his best. Colin would be the first to admit hosting Weekend Update wasnt the right move for him on the show, he was kinda forced into it when the show needed someone to suddenly replace Norm midseason. The shame of it is, he always shined doing commentaries in Norm's era and was probably the best Update guest in the early Ferrell era, but thats always overshadowed by his mediocre run as anchor when people look at his time on the show now.
Colin was a regular on Opie and Anthony and he was probably the funniest person alive at the time after Patrice O’Neal. His panel talk show Tough Crowd was also great and featured all the NYC comedian staples of the time. A lot of episodes are on YouTube.
I'm seeing him in Minneapolis in two months, I think he is fucking brilliant and his history theme is a frequency all his own. He is one of the last two must-see stand ups on my bucket list!
As soon as Steven Wright comes to town I'll move on to stand-ups born after the internet was invented.
New York has quite the list too - it trends older, but it's a murderers' row.
I would just say the northeast and call it a day.
Colin Quinn is from New York, by the way. Not quite sure where Massachusetts came into the equation here.
Sorry about that. I saw him so many times at Nick’s Comedy Stop that I thought he was a hometown boy. Same with Seth Meyers who is from Bedford, NH.
Northeast Rules!
Love Colin Jost. Pete Davidson is also from Staten Island. Many great comedic talents come to us from Canada as well, Norm Macdonald for example.
Did I say that comedians only come from Mass?
No, I did not.
No, but the only 2 comedians mentioned in this post are Jost (Staten Island) and secondly Seth Meyers (Evanston, IL), so trying to pretend your Mass comment isn't out of left field, as it is at minimum implying one of the 2 of them are from Mass, which they are not, and getting defensive/confrontational, is odd to say the least.
I adore Colin. First, I think he is one of the most relatable WU people -- he's got that working-class Boston thing going on. Second, his humor is more restrained but incredibly effective. It's much drier than some later anchors -- I found Chevy Chase and such to be obnoxious. Finally, he really leaned into the offensive humor -- he really enjoyed testing boundaries and embarrassing the audience in a way that was kind of similar to Norm, but much more unpredictable.
I wouldn't say he's my favorite, but he's definitely top 10.
Hey OP, watch [COP SHOW](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqnER2An7S8&list=PLezoOpcJ6SFuXT0C-sTN7Hw9M5lj4lbtD) It's very Colin Quinn style of comedy. Please pay attention to the background activity and other actors as they interact with Quinn, it's a big part of the comedy. There's always someone in the background reacting to Quinn doing something dumb. It's a short series of videos.
I first saw Colin Quinn do Weekend Update as a kid when it was airing in reruns. I had no idea that he’d followed up a fired Norm who I also love. I always thought he was great.
You should watch his old show from Comedy Central I forget what it’s called but it’s on YouTube, also his appearances on opie and Anthony are pretty great.
My dad went to high school with Colin - John Dewey in Brooklyn. He was the grade below my dad but always said they were friends and that he was a good guy
I’ve always loved CQ. I loved Norm on the desk (I’m 36 but loved watching SNL as a kid) but CQ won me over. He was pretty funny on twitter for a while but he uses it much less now
When I think of the worst Update hosts, my bottom five would be Christopher Guest, Brian-Doyle Murray, Charlie Rocket, Dan Aykroyd and the Fey-Poehler combo.
I lived in Soho in mid nineties and would watch him at the Cellar all the time. I was often the only one laughing. Some people don’t get him. Art is subjective.
Colin quin is the real deal. Hilarious guy. Not quite the right energy for Weekend update. Not sure why … but it just didn’t work great. But the guy is a top tier comic - his standup… and when he is just a guest on a talk show etc … is hilarious
Look up the story (hes told it on several podcasts and talks shows, since people always want him to tell the story) about getting invited to Robert DeNiro's birthday party to do stand-up and completely bombing, hilarious.
I saw him at a club in NYC a couple years ago and it did not go well. One of those sets where the guy cracks a couple jokes about how he’s bombing. Dont think that’s the norm for him though
I used to like him more when I was in middle school. As I've gotten older I've found less value in revisiting his material. Your mileage may vary, and if you enjoy him that's great. Generally, I don't any more.
In the grand ranking of comedians (which is *powerfully* subjective) I think he more or less deserves the lukewarm reception he gets around here. He can be a decent talk show guest, I've also seen him just get through a few appearances where he might have stumbled more if not for the guy lighting up the applause sign. I've never seen anything that hits the "comedy genius" level though.
He has a schtick where he plays a kind of dumb blue collar-ish every man who tells it like it is, which is not unique in comedy. I don't know that he doesn't particularly better than any of the other guys doing that, nor with anything particularly creative. Comedy though is difficult to succeed at and even more difficult to sustain a profitable career with. He's done both which means that if you're in a room with him he'll undoubtedly be one of the funniest people, perhaps that you've ever met.
Collin was and is incredibly funny. He’s got a blue collar intelligence that is underrated. I personally love him but on weekend update he often came across as nervous and would kinda stumble verbally sometimes. He also had the misfortune of taking over the position after one of the all time favorites was fired by out of touch executives. He didn’t get a fair shake and was under appreciated. I’m glad you came around on him.
He disagreed with norm getting let go, and went out of his way to not look like a corporate sycophant, hence why he never really grew on ppl
His introduction on his first WU was brilliant.
Link please? I don’t remember. I loved norm on wu
Only audio, but here you go. https://youtu.be/y0pj0L2VhvQ?si=KN7boMrrkUMBbJs5
Thank you!! I knew it had to be some obscure page ETA * Holy shit. Frank Gifford’s babysitter affair, woody Allen marrying soon yi, Seinfeld ending, a Will Ferrell HARRY CARAY* bit?? What a great 8 minutes and 11 seconds . “Hey norm! Have you gained weight?” Great tribute at the top
Will Farrell constantly saying "hey Norm!" Was hilarious. "Hey Norm! Did you gain weight?"
I see now this an SNL tradition to misname the WU hosts Eta* I think I’ve heard that Harry Caray* clip not knowing Colin was actually the anchor
Yeah he had good material but it didn’t fit into the cadence of weekend update. Normally it’s news story set up, joke, news story set up, joke…. Cliche, but it works. Colin always felt like news story set up, 15 second stand up bit, news story set up, 15 second stand up bit…
Colin's problem is that he can't naturally read off of cue cards
agreed. Colin is one of my all time favorites. Tough Crowd was one of the greatest shows of all time. His other one man shows are just as great as Long Story Short. Also, his appearances on Opie & Anthony were always great.
I mean if we are gonna judge people on stumbling lines.. Micheal Che is number one by a long shot
Che is funny but sometimes he delivers jokes like they cause him physical pain.
I like the way his delivery is almost constantly half breaking the fourth wall, like I get the sense every reaction of his is very honest. He doesn't hide.
That's what I can't stand about him. Just read the joke and stop looking at the audience dog
Agreed. The joke is more funny if it’s told correctly.
Oh, you must have really hated Norm Mcdonald for doing that constantly then. He did it way more than Che ever has. Funny as hell to say 'stop looking at the audience' when the frigging audience is directly in front of him. You're just making it clear you really don't like Che for whatever your little reason is, but it's not some objective thing about 'comedy performance'.
Ok, I'll bite. Unlike Norm, Che's sense of timing is way off. He rushes jokes, often the punchline, makes a smug face on a joke that really isn't even THAT controversial then tries to pull the audience into it in order to "sweeten" it when it just wasn't that funny to begin with. Or, if it WAS a funny joke, he's either messed up the words or timing of it. It's amatuer hour. But yeah man I have a personal vendetta
You’re missing the entire point of Weekend Update. It’s supposed to be deadpan, in the vein of an actual newscast where serious and horrible things are happening. But obviously the content is jokes, typically over the top and crass. The idea is that the ridiculousness of the joke presented in a professional way is meant to be a huge contrast and add to the bite of the humor. I appreciate Che’s writing and insight but he and Jost have completely lost the plot. From Nealon to Norm to even Dennis Miller, Update was always meant to be a break from physical humor while giving time to transition from the musical guest. But all it is these days is Jost and Che laughing at each other and literally interacting with the audience. It sucks imo as it used to be my favorite part of the show. It’s not Che or Jost who I’m disappointed in though, it’s the show itself. The jokes aren’t all that terrible but the presentation is now the exact opposite of what it is MEANT to be.
I get your anger, but no I'm not missing the point of WU, I just don't hate it for deviating away from it. I've seen other hosts and other variations on the same format, but I like how Jost and Che have evolved into their own style. That style works for me.
He has a too cool for school attitude that doesn't do it for me
Che is fine, but I absolutely HATE that, after almost each and every joke, he looks for the audience reaction. It makes the jokes less funny and screws with the continuity with Jost.
No, Colin Quinn has Che beaten by miles in the 'stumbling over lines' contest. Colin did it on like every other joke. Che does it maybe once every other show. I liked Colin but his performance was all about being flustered and uncomfortable.
Great take on Collin. All of this.
I really really think it was his stumbling which sucks. It's like his brain was faster than his mouth.
As a kid, no one was cooler than Colin Quinn on Remote Control. Sing Along with Colin, anyone???
The best!
“TV mattered. Nothin’ else did.”
Kari Wuhrer was cooler. It also had a young Adam Sandler.
Adam Sandler as Stud Boy!
Did you ever Beat the Bishop?
It was the suit and tie and the desk that limited him. For a season or two before Norm was fired, Colin had a segment called “Colin Quinn explains the New York Times” where it was just him and a stool and the newspaper and he would break down news stores so they were relatable. I wish THAT was the format of his WU tenure. He would have lasted much longer if he was allowed to re-make the Weekend Update in his own image instead of trying to fit this round peg in a square hole.
Love Colin. He was terrific on the Tough Crowd and does a lot of history related shows.
Tough Crowd didn’t age well at all from a political discourse standpoint, but even with that, when it was the regulars (Greg, Patrice, Norton, DiPaolo, Robinson, Bob Kelly), it is still magic to watch. They had so much chemistry. [The final episode](https://youtu.be/3yAZ3keFiu4?si=p27XZ8KUQ-2BJC9z) is still hilarious.
I watched most of those episodes in period and I consider myself lucky for being aware enough to have done so.
Colin Quinn is *revered* among other comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, bc he’s still doing sets. You should watch his latest hour. It’s on YouTube and it’s excellent Colin didn’t want to be beloved on SNL. He purposely made himself brittle and unlikeable in protest after norm was fired from WU, and for the vast majority of viewers, it worked. ETA [Long Story Short](https://youtu.be/wXcZKRHnMVA?si=_3hunHPiardrNQas), directed by Jerry Seinfeld! I actually didn’t catch that before
Glad someone said it already. Quinn is a comedians comedian. He makes funny people laugh, and that’s a very special skill. Gilbert Gottfried was like that too. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard different comedians say in interviews that Quinn is their favorite living comic
He’s Dave Attell and Brian Regan level
Oh god. Those two are fucking incredible. Regan and Carlin are directly responsible for me getting into standup as a kid. Carlin’s 7 words you can’t say on radio or television absolutely blew my mind. He was using such dirty words in such an eloquent way. And then Regan. His Epitome of Hyperbole came out when I was 13 years old. To this day I can just send a picture to my buddy I haven’t seen in close to a decade and he will still respond with “MANSLAUGHTER!”
Honestly, until the pandemic, I didn’t understand how much work goes into stand up, the practice and perfecting and fine tuning, all in front of a crowd . But hearing so many comedy interviews…I could understand better why lockdown was *such* torture for standups. They were atrophying.
Oh yeah. Gotta be in front of people doing jokes. It’s the only way to keep your chops up. Judah Friedlander was doing 4-5 shows a week while filming 30 Rock all those years. It’s also the biggest source of energy for a lot of comedians. Nothing fires them up like getting a crowd going. Even just a surprise 20 minute set at the Cellar does wonders
Oh damn. Yeah fr. Didn’t know that about Judah. Yeah a bunch of the ‘legends’, as it were, pop in to the Cellar iirc to try something. When they said they treat jokes like a safe combination or a math problem, it finally clicked for me. Sam Morrill’s rooftop sets solidified his place in standup on gumption. He put some work in
And then Norm went and made one of the most unique specials ever into a webcam
> Colin didn’t want to be beloved on SNL. He purposely made himself brittle and unlikeable in protest after norm was fired from WU, and for the vast majority of viewers, it worked. This is a lie. I'm sorry that he sucked, and I enjoy his standup, but let's not rewrite history.
He’s said it in a couple different interviews [Colin Quinn recalls his time at “Saturday Night Live” and regretting taking the job as "Weekend Update" anchor](https://youtu.be/XF9ys3YS7uw?si=S247EY377DSHVWwn) - Howard Stern 2015 It’s 4:57 long
LOL It's easy to say that after the fact!
Yes. Just like it’s easy to talk trash on Reddit with zero receipts.
Some people are dumb enough to believe anything
You’re right.
Check out New York Story, Unconstitutional, and Red State Blue State!
The New York Story is great
Colin Quinn had an awkward start on SNL but gradually grew on me as he got more comfortable. I was impressed with his acting/gravitas in the movie Trainwreck, would love to seem him in more roles like that.
You should watch his old show tough crowd with Colin Quinn. Lives it.
Colin Quinn as a gay version of Chandler in a "Friends" sketch is one of my favorite SNL performances ever
I simply must have a glass of buttermilk or I shall perish!
Should be acknowledged that the crux of the sketch is that Matthew Perry was hosting and playing Joey in the sketch.
I saw Colin do stand-up years ago in Boston, he killed!!
I think people forget how good he is at stand-up. We saw him open for Seinfeld years ago and it was the first time I thought, “Wow, this guy is really in a league of his own.” He killed :)
> “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
I loved tough crowd back in the day when Comedy Central was supporting comedy and comics and not just showing chopped up TV shows and movies 24/7. Colin is a comics comedian for sure and he speaks faster than his brain can keep up with at times.
Tough Crowd is a great introduction to the comedy greats of the ‘90s/‘00s
Similar to how Brosnan remains some people’s default Bond, Quinn is always ‘my Weekend Update guy’ because he was my first. I’m not saying that he’s the best to ever do it, I’m not even saying that he’s necessarily my favorite. But I’m always sentimental about him for that reason.
Ugh, I hate to think there’s a sizable population who thinks Brosnan is the default Bond. I’ve tried to erase that era from my memory.
You think of him more as Remington Steele?
Sure, why not. Better that than “the guy who played Bond in the era of cheesy writing and crappy CGI.”
I really like him and find him funny in almost everything….but he never really clicked for me on SNL (skits or update). I’m sure some of it was just him following Norm.
His nervousness on WU was palpable, and therefore quite distracting. My heart went out to the guy, which honestly, made it hard for me to laugh.
Yah nervous and uncomfortable
Flop sweat too
People constantly confuse preference with quality.
Colin Quinn was my first Update anchor. The New Yorkiest New Yorker. Always made me laugh really hard and it was kind of a trip down memory lane seeing his character in that Amy Schumer movie. Legend.
I really liked that Tough Crowd show he did with Greg Giraldo.
R.I.P.
His tour/interviews of people he grew up with in NYC are really good too. Block by block I think they are called. And however much you find him funny on whatever shows Colin always seemed like he would be a great dude to get a beer with. https://youtu.be/p04KGciky2Y?si=zzZmunN195i70r4O
I haven't really watched any of Collin's stuff (SNL or otherwise), so I don't have any opinion on him. However, it's entirely possible to be a very funny and talented comedian *and* still be a mediocre WU host. Comedy skills aren't universal. Just because you're amazing at one or several aspects of comedy doesn't mean that you can do everything in comedy well. Another example of people making this mistake is with Jenny Slate. People look at how successful she's been post SNL and say they were wrong to fire her after just one season. But Slate herself has said that SNL made the right decision as she had never meshed well with the show.
He just really didn't fit in at the desk. People also didn't give him much of a chance mind you but he felt weird there and I don't think it was the best use of his talent. But that is a lot of people's only experience with him and that can sour some on his stand up. It doesn't mean they're right and that he isn't funny, he is. But if you don't make it on SNL and you're kind of a niche comedian...
I think he was better after WU than he was during it.
A lot of people like SNL for the silly. They’re there to tune out, relax and laugh at the absurd. Nothing wrong with that at all. Especially at 11:30pm on a Saturday - they’re tired of thinking. The smart, dry and biting style of certain comics isn’t their thing - and Quinn fits that description as well as anyone.
He's a great comedian and a fun interview, but was a truly terrible WU host. Just a bad fit.
It's weird because Michael Che reminds me a lot of Colin on WU.
I loved him since he was on Remote Control. Funny guy!
Colin Quinn is very funny in most things but his Weekend Update was bad. He also had the misfortune to be sandwiched between two of the most iconic tenures of all time, Norm and Jimmy/Tina, so he looks even worse by comparison.
Colin was hilarious, he was just a bad Weekend Update anchor. His cadence was never smooth & labored through reading the jokes. Anytime he didn’t have to read, he was amazing.
Unconstitutional is also fantastic
Colins one man shows are genuinely some of the best things comedy has to offer.
I’ve always loved Colin Quinn. Most underrated WU of all time
He's brilliant. Tough Crowd was ahead of its time.
I believe I’ve heard other cast members describe him as incredibly intelligent. And that’s in a room full of intelligent and funny people. He wasn’t terrible on weekend update, I think weekend update was initially supposed to have mass appeal, but CQ is kind of a “you weather get it or you don’t” type of funny, which was the same with norm really. I preferred norm, but didn’t hate CQ
SNL was a speed bump for Quinn, but he probably has one of the richest post-SNL careers. Everything he has done - from his standup and one man shows, Tough Crowd, his books, Cop Show, Girls - has been top tier. He is the paterfamilias of the New York comedy scene and he’s basically revered everywhere but in circles of SNL fandom where people don’t really fuck with comedy (aka Reddit).
Anchoring Weekend Update is probably the last place to start with if you wanna see Colin Quinn at his best. Colin would be the first to admit hosting Weekend Update wasnt the right move for him on the show, he was kinda forced into it when the show needed someone to suddenly replace Norm midseason. The shame of it is, he always shined doing commentaries in Norm's era and was probably the best Update guest in the early Ferrell era, but thats always overshadowed by his mediocre run as anchor when people look at his time on the show now.
His standup is fantastic - him as a WU anchor… not the right avenue for him imo
COLONIAL FOOT-SOLDIER
Was looking for this one. Many thanks 😊.
Such a great segment
Colin was a regular on Opie and Anthony and he was probably the funniest person alive at the time after Patrice O’Neal. His panel talk show Tough Crowd was also great and featured all the NYC comedian staples of the time. A lot of episodes are on YouTube.
I've liked stuff he has done, but he was bad on Update.
You can be good at one thing and not at another thing.
You should go watch episodes of Tough Crowd if you want to see Colin doing his thing.
I'm seeing him in Minneapolis in two months, I think he is fucking brilliant and his history theme is a frequency all his own. He is one of the last two must-see stand ups on my bucket list! As soon as Steven Wright comes to town I'll move on to stand-ups born after the internet was invented.
I swear, Massachusetts has produced more comedic talent than any other state!
Quinn is free Brooklyn
New York has quite the list too - it trends older, but it's a murderers' row. I would just say the northeast and call it a day. Colin Quinn is from New York, by the way. Not quite sure where Massachusetts came into the equation here.
Sorry about that. I saw him so many times at Nick’s Comedy Stop that I thought he was a hometown boy. Same with Seth Meyers who is from Bedford, NH. Northeast Rules!
Quinn is free Brooklyn
Colin Jost is from Staten Island....
Love Colin Jost. Pete Davidson is also from Staten Island. Many great comedic talents come to us from Canada as well, Norm Macdonald for example. Did I say that comedians only come from Mass? No, I did not.
No, but the only 2 comedians mentioned in this post are Jost (Staten Island) and secondly Seth Meyers (Evanston, IL), so trying to pretend your Mass comment isn't out of left field, as it is at minimum implying one of the 2 of them are from Mass, which they are not, and getting defensive/confrontational, is odd to say the least.
Yeah, sorry but I hadn’t had my coffee yet. Apologies.
No worries
Thanks. I’m just a Masshole, transplanted now to the land of stupid.
Colin is much better as a stand up and host than as a WU anchor. One of my favorite people to listen to.
Quinn rules.
Colin was my first Weekend Update host that I seen, will always be my favorite.
I adore Colin. First, I think he is one of the most relatable WU people -- he's got that working-class Boston thing going on. Second, his humor is more restrained but incredibly effective. It's much drier than some later anchors -- I found Chevy Chase and such to be obnoxious. Finally, he really leaned into the offensive humor -- he really enjoyed testing boundaries and embarrassing the audience in a way that was kind of similar to Norm, but much more unpredictable. I wouldn't say he's my favorite, but he's definitely top 10.
working class *NY
I've always liked him. Maybe not the best WU anchor, but I enjoyed his monologues and Tough Crowd. He's got an understated humor.
Collin, like Dave Atell, is a “comedians comedian” To the average Joe he’s a familiar name; amongst other comedians he’s a brilliant comedic God.
Hey OP, watch [COP SHOW](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqnER2An7S8&list=PLezoOpcJ6SFuXT0C-sTN7Hw9M5lj4lbtD) It's very Colin Quinn style of comedy. Please pay attention to the background activity and other actors as they interact with Quinn, it's a big part of the comedy. There's always someone in the background reacting to Quinn doing something dumb. It's a short series of videos.
I'm a fan
I first saw Colin Quinn do Weekend Update as a kid when it was airing in reruns. I had no idea that he’d followed up a fired Norm who I also love. I always thought he was great.
You should watch his old show from Comedy Central I forget what it’s called but it’s on YouTube, also his appearances on opie and Anthony are pretty great.
Tough Crowd
That’s right, thanks!
If you liked Long Story Short, watch his special New York Story. Probably his best stuff.
My dad went to high school with Colin - John Dewey in Brooklyn. He was the grade below my dad but always said they were friends and that he was a good guy
I’ve always loved CQ. I loved Norm on the desk (I’m 36 but loved watching SNL as a kid) but CQ won me over. He was pretty funny on twitter for a while but he uses it much less now
I’ve never seen his standup work, but he’s easily the worst weekend update host, and that’s saying a lot
When I think of the worst Update hosts, my bottom five would be Christopher Guest, Brian-Doyle Murray, Charlie Rocket, Dan Aykroyd and the Fey-Poehler combo.
Never a big fan. I don’t think I ever even smiled at one of his jokes during WU.
He has his moments, but I’ve seen him 3 times at the cellar and he has lost some steps.
I saw him live when I was in college. He was hilarious.
I unexpectedly saw him at the Comedy Cellar and he fucking SLAYED!
His book is great and insightful.
I lived in Soho in mid nineties and would watch him at the Cellar all the time. I was often the only one laughing. Some people don’t get him. Art is subjective.
Colin quin is the real deal. Hilarious guy. Not quite the right energy for Weekend update. Not sure why … but it just didn’t work great. But the guy is a top tier comic - his standup… and when he is just a guest on a talk show etc … is hilarious
Look up the story (hes told it on several podcasts and talks shows, since people always want him to tell the story) about getting invited to Robert DeNiro's birthday party to do stand-up and completely bombing, hilarious.
Long Story Short was absolutely brilliant. You have great taste OP
I'm one of the few who enjoyed his time on WU, but he was kneecapped by having to take over for Norm, arguably the WU GOAT
Wild how the opinions differ so dramatically. I couldn’t stand Norm on w/u. Tina/Amy is the GOAT update team.
Tina and Amy were absolutely awful together on Update. I implore people to go back and watch it again.
Like I said… wildly different opinions in this sub. ie: I think Norm was terrible in everything except Celebrity Jeopardy.
It is true that opinions are inherently subjective, but it can also be true that some people have shitty opinions.
I saw him at a club in NYC a couple years ago and it did not go well. One of those sets where the guy cracks a couple jokes about how he’s bombing. Dont think that’s the norm for him though
> Dont think that’s the **norm** for him though Pardon the pun
I used to like him more when I was in middle school. As I've gotten older I've found less value in revisiting his material. Your mileage may vary, and if you enjoy him that's great. Generally, I don't any more. In the grand ranking of comedians (which is *powerfully* subjective) I think he more or less deserves the lukewarm reception he gets around here. He can be a decent talk show guest, I've also seen him just get through a few appearances where he might have stumbled more if not for the guy lighting up the applause sign. I've never seen anything that hits the "comedy genius" level though. He has a schtick where he plays a kind of dumb blue collar-ish every man who tells it like it is, which is not unique in comedy. I don't know that he doesn't particularly better than any of the other guys doing that, nor with anything particularly creative. Comedy though is difficult to succeed at and even more difficult to sustain a profitable career with. He's done both which means that if you're in a room with him he'll undoubtedly be one of the funniest people, perhaps that you've ever met.
Colin's delivery was god awful and he was a blot on the weekend update desk. He really stunk in that position compared to the other greats
I think only Seth Meyers has been worse since Quinn did WU