American comedy show Saturday Night Live has taken a humorous pop at adverts aired during the Super Bowl on the eve of the big game.
The sketches parody "how some of the big game’s TV advertisers might try to capitalise on the politics of the moment," as Fox News puts it, with the first fake ad using a "montage of historic moments from Black history and the civil rights movement" while promoting a brand of crackers.
"We’ve learned once again that freedom isn’t free. But we must always strive for equality and we must always reach for Cheez-its," the clip’s narrator says. "Cheez-its – historically delicious."
The second fake ad, for Papa Jones, makes use of references to the so called Pizzagate conspiracy theory, featuring the phrase "Sorry, Democrats, you’ll have to get your child sex pizza over at Hillary’s Pizzeria."
The last two fake ads are for Bud beer, one promoting the COVID-19 vaccination while the other urges viewers to "Don’t Trust Pfizer."
The SNL episode has witnessed a somewhat mixed reaction online, as some netizens didn’t seem to find it funny.
This SNL spoof of the CBS NFL Today might be the least funny thing they’ve done. I defy you to find one laugh. And maybe the worst impressions ever, especially the Bill Cowher one. Boring
— Al Hughes Dukes (@Alsboringtweets) February 7, 2021
Super Bowl Pre-game Show Cold Open - SNL https://t.co/vjcpHiX9MO
Most of their skits are this bad
— nicky flash (@Bloom_City) February 7, 2021
This #SNL Super Bowl cold open is truly awful.
— Stuart Goldman (@stuart_goldman) February 7, 2021
Some, however, did appear to appreciate the parody commercials.
Great parodies of Super Bowl commercials on #SNL cold open.🤣
— Nina L. Diamond (@ninatypewriter) February 7, 2021
And there were also those who noted how non-political the cold open was.
now that a democrat is back in the White House they have no interest in political satire
— The Catch Fence ™ (@TheCatchFence) February 7, 2021
Seems like the first non political cold open in years and years
— Trip McNeely (@thetripmcneely) February 7, 2021