Is Elon Musk funny? Will that matter? The tech tycoon and Tesla CEO worth roughly $170 billion hosts “Saturday Night Live” (11:30 p.m. Saturday, NBC, TV-14).
Not everybody is happy about that. Many — including some “SNL” talent — see Musk as a symbol of crushing inequality. In a since-deleted tweet, Aidy Bryant (“Shrill”) observed that “The 50 wealthiest people in America today own more wealth than the bottom half of our people.”
In some ways Musk’s appearance is beyond absurd. And that may be the only funny thing to come of it. It’s difficult to envision J.P. Getty appearing on a comedy show when he was the world’s richest man.
More than a century ago, John D. Rockefeller made a show of giving dimes to small children, but it’s hard to see him on the vaudeville stage.
Musk is hardly the first non-showbiz type to host “SNL.” In its early years, it was hosted by activists Ralph Nader and Julian Bond — not known as funny guys. In the 1990s, tax-cutting presidential candidate Steve Forbes hosted. And of course, in 2015 so did “Apprentice”-star-turned-candidate Donald Trump.
Forbes’ performance has been ranked among the worst in the show’s nearly half-century history. Right up there with Michael Phelps and Steven Seagal!
Comedy has long had an adversarial relationship with the rich. Charlie Chaplin was a very well-paid performer, but he still played The Little Tramp. Well into the 1970s, rich people on television were depicted as pathetic jokes, sadly out of touch with life. We rooted for Gilligan and “the rest,” not the “millionaire and his wife.” No series has continued this tradition so well as “The Simpsons,” where the town plutocrat, Mr. Burns, lives a pitiable existence about a century removed from reality.
But is this “Simpsons” philosophy itself dated? Burns’ character reflects attitudes of writers who came of age before America’s infatuation with “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” It’s no coincidence that shows like “Dynasty” became popular at the same time that some people convinced themselves that taxation and public investment were the only thing holding us back and that all problems could be solved if wealth and its “invisible hand” lifted all boats.
To many people, that philosophy has made self-anointed demigods of folks like Elon Musk and created the wealth distribution that Aidy Bryant described. How much has pop culture’s worship of the wealthy contributed to this staggering chasm?
The real question is not about Musk or his performance, but why exactly he wants to host and why “SNL” invited him. To Musk, it seems to prove that to even the richest, celebrity is a currency that money cannot buy. And as for “SNL,” it seems to say that vast wealth endows one with a notoriety that will garner more viewers, clicks, likes and attention. But the question remains, will it be funny? Will the “SNL” writers make Musk and all that he represents the butt of their satire? If so, will Musk be able to take the joke?
— Showtime launches the new talk-sketch and music variety series “Ziwe” (11 p.m. Sunday, TV-MA), hosted by writer, comic and internet star Ziwe. The focus will be on the peculiarities of pop culture and America’s discomfort zone: race and guilt. Not available for review.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— The Disney Channel unspools a marathon of episodes of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” (5 p.m. to 11:40 p.m., TV-PG).
— Selena Gomez hosts “VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World” (8 p.m., ABC and CBS), featuring performances by Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, J Balvin and H.E.R.
— A nostalgia shop owner peddles sordid souvenirs in the 2021 shocker “Memories of a Murder” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— As a comet’s trajectory threatens life on Earth, a family seeks shelter in the 2020 drama “Greenland” (8 p.m., HBO).
— A travel writer discovers the igloo that mends her broken heart in the 2021 romance “Baby, It’s Cold Inside” (9 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): an interview with two men, now in their 90s, about their anti-Nazi resistance; engineering the helicopter that flew on Mars.
— A mentor’s daughter needs protection on “The Equalizer” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Ryan Seacrest hosts “American Idol” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
— With America in the war, Martha’s motives come under suspicion on “Atlantic Crossing” on “Masterpiece” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
— Flashbacks on “Good Girls” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— A drug war takes its toll on “The Rookie” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— “United Shades of America” (10 p.m., CNN) looks at the lack of inclusivity in elite school programs.
— A local priest falls under suspicion on “Mare of Easttown” (10:05 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— Facing arrest, Elektra needs to dispose of some belongings on “Pose” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
— Diana Ross portrays singer Billie Holiday in the 1972 biopic “Lady Sings the Blues” (10 p.m. Saturday, TCM, TV-MA), co-starring Billy Dee Williams.
SATURDAY SERIES
Two helpings of “Dateline” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … Professional soccer (8 p.m., Fox) … A vintage helping of “Saturday Night Live” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
SUNDAY SERIES
“American Ninja Warrior” (7 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) returns … Lisa hurts Marge’s feelings on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … One step ahead of the aliens on “D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow” (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … Game night on “The Great North” (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
Stolen ordnance on “NCIS: Los Angeles” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … A therapeutic breakthrough on “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14) … A dentist feels violated on “Bob’s Burgers” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Counting Crows on “Batwoman” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … Brian distrusts the new cat on “Family Guy” (9:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … A mother-and-child reunion on “NCIS: New Orleans” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
