Bowen Yang Bails On SNL, And The Overreaction Proves The Show Is Dead

I hope you called to check in on your loved ones… Bowen Yang is leaving Saturday Night Live.

Who could forget the sketch where he… Actually, I can't think of any, and that's why the wild overreaction to his departure shows just how bad SNL has gotten in recent years.

Yang's sudden departure was reported late this week, with the final episode coming on Saturday. The cast member himself took to Instagram to announce the news.

"I loved working at SNL, and most of all, I loved the people. I was there at a time when many things in the world started to seem futile, but working at 30 Rock taught me the value in showing up anyway when people make it worthwhile," he wrote, per The New York Post.

But here's what's insane: I was seeing words like "icon" thrown around when discussing Yang. Unless that word changed meanings and no one told me, that's not the word, especially when you're comparing him to a show that has produced countless icons.

Chase, Belushi, Akroyd, Murray, Murphy, Sandler, Myers, Carvey, Hartman, Spade, Schneider, Farley, Macdonald, Ferrell, Shannon, Oteri, Poehler, Fey, Hader, Samberg, Forte, Wiig.

The list goes on forever, but "Yang" probably isn't going to get added to it.

How many memorable sketches was he in? How many times did someone say, "Did you see the new Bowen Yang sketch? I was cracking up!" How many recurring characters did he have that transcended the show, weaved their way into mainstream pop culture, and then got turned into a bad movie?

I'll tell you the answer to all of them: none.

Who could forget this Bowen Yang classic? Oh, yeah; all of us. (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images)

The most memorable thing Yang did was look visibly upset because big, bad Dave Chappelle hosted.

What a legacy.

However, I don't think this is an indictment of Yang as an actor or comedian; it's an indictment of SNL's current lack of star-making power.

Everyone has their favorite era of the show, and it's usually the one that was going on when you were in high school. That's why I've got a soft spot for Bill Hader, Will Forte, Kristin Wiig, and the Lonely Island.

But in the years since, the show has not had the same impact on people. Part of that is because Trump shattered the brains of everyone who works at 30 Rock, but I think another reason is that SNL isn't the premier place to see up-and-coming sketch comedy.

Scroll through TikTok or YouTube for about 90 seconds, and you'll find a sketch that is funnier than anything that has aired on SNL in several years.

SNL will survive without Bowen Yang — I mean, no s--t; it survived without all of those names listed above.

But if Yang is heralded as one of the biggest success stories of the five years for the show, it is dying a slow, unfunny death.