Saturday Night Live Fantasy League: Scoring System (Upated 11/23/14)
September 08, 2014
The Saturday Night Live Fantasy League is fantasy sports for comedy nerds.
That's what I've told people, when pitching the idea of this Fantasy League centered SNL that I have built up this past year, and sure it's a simplification of the idea but as opening lines go, it works pretty well for me. For those new to the concept, here is a bit more information:
Saturday Night Live is an institution, but forty seasons of television ago the late night landscape was the land of Johnny Carson. With Carson no long wanting to air reruns on Saturday night, NBC had space to fill. Though it was a relatively popular slice of the airwaves, back when America had it's three channels, it was also a time slot that was low risk enough for a wry Canadian kid named Lorne Michaels to make something of it with a talented group of Not Ready for Primetime Players culled from Second City and the National Lampoon's radio show. And so it was, that forty years down the line, with an ample history of chaos, turnover, crises, all of which were enough to write a few books about, while also supplying the television and film worlds of comedy with some of their biggest names... that Lorne is now the king of late night, not only steering Saturday nights, but also the Late Show AND the Tonight Show on NBC for good measure.
So it's with this institution, much like a sports league with it's history and cast of legendary alumni and stars of tomorrow, that the idea of the Saturday Night Live Fantasy League was born. Soon, the twenty-one teams of our Season 40 League will be introduced, making up two separate leagues (the Repertory for those returning, and the Featured, for the new-comers) and three separate divisions (with new names!), and within them all the Cast and Host rosters, showing the results of two drafts over the last week!
Though yes before this season's teams are announced, and remember if you want to get involved in the SNL Fantasy League next year just let us know through Trivia Club's twitter or facebook pages, let's establish the ground rules. The fantasy league, and all cast members and hosts drafted by players, are scored on a points system based on things that happen during the show, and furthermore during sketches, to remove biases points aren't aren't given to people who are 'funnier', but instead what is said and done.
Yeah we're dissecting comedy and not for comedies sake, but for... I suppose, stat geeks sake. Shut up it's fun!
Scores will be tallied after each new episode by league commissioner Russel Harder, host of Trivia Club (you should still look to keep me honest, fine viewers), and at the end of the season the second Phil Hartman Trophy winner will be honored within the Repertory League, with a new Championship being awarded to the new Featured League!
We encourage you to start your own leagues, suggest changes to our system, or just to read and mumble, “This is Trivia Club? Why aren’t I drinking?” Which is a very good question, indeed.
Russel Harder hosts Trivia Club in Toronto at Cardinal Rule (5 Roncesvalles Ave) every WEDNESDAY, at Hitch (1216 Queen St East) every SECOND and FOURTH MONDAY of the month, Handlebar (159 Augusta Ave) on the FIRST TUESDAY of every month, and Lou Dawg's (76 Gerrard St E) on every other TUESDAY!
Scoring System
If the commissioner determines that a team member has committed any of the following, that team receives the corresponding number of points, rounded up to the nearest full point. Gray areas abound, so all scoring is at the discretion of the commissioner.
CAST POINTS
SPOTLIGHTS
TV/Internet promo w/ host and/or musical guest: 5 points
In the cold open: 7 points
Says "It's SATURDAY NIGHT!" to open the show (if multiple cast members say LIVE FROM NEW YORK…, it will be divided between them. half points rounded up): 10 points
In the opening monologue: 10 points
on Weekend Update: 7 points
SKETCH
Cast member in a sketch: 5 points
Cast member does voice over in sketch, though does not appear: 3 points
Cast member in a sketch as NPC (background, no dialogue or comedic beat): 2 points
PRE-TAPED (including digital shorts, parodies, and pre-taped segments within live sketches)
Cast member in a pre-taped sketch: 7 points
Cast member in a pre-taped sketch as NPC: 3 points
POST-SONGS (anything happening after the second song)
Cast member in a sketch: 3 points
Cast member in a sketch as NPC: 1 point
IN SKETCH (points are blanket points for the entire sketch, unless otherwise noted)
Reoccurring character; Including celebrity/politician: 5 points
In sketch along-side former SNL cast member: 2 points
In sketch along-side former (but not that night's) SNL host: 5 points
Lorne Michaels dares to acknowledge your cast member: 10 points (plus 5 points if your cast member talks down TO Lorne)
VOICE-OVER (in sketch, for puppet/animated character, as announcer, etc.)
Cold open: 5 points
Sketch (any between cold open and post-songs): 3 points
Post-Songs: 1 point
Breaks/Laughs during a sketch: minus 2 points
Causes cast-mate to break: 5 points (multiplied per cast member)
Open-mouth kissing: 10 points
Kissing: 5 points
Crying: 5 points
Sings/Dances: 5 points
Blurkled Nudity: 5-15 points (both boobs/full front will get you 15, 10 for one boob, 5 for a butt shot)
Swearing (productive; per word): 2 points
Swearing (destructive; per word) : minus 5 points
Jumps through window/door/wall: 2 points
Performs as TWO or more characters in a single sketch: 5 points (not PER, just 5)
Appears as “him/herself”: 5 points
Sneaker-upper (when an impression becomes notorious to the point where the "celebrity" shows up on camera along-side the impersonator, though impersonating the host is not included in this): 20 points
INTERSTIALS/GOODNIGHT
Introduces Musical Guest (when the host is also the musical guest): 2 points
First cast member embraced by the Host: 5 points
In costume during the goodnight: 2 points
SEASON OVERALL
Cast member leaves mid-season, only to be replaced by new mid-season featured cast member: minus 10 points
Is made a rep player mid-season: 25 points (Featured Cast only)
Not on the show for three straight weeks: minus 5 points (minus 5 for each week after, pregnancy leave not included)
THE ELVIS COSTELLO
“I’m sorry ladies and gentlemen, but there’s really no reason to do this song here tonight…”
After the Cast Draft, if a new cast member is brought onto the show (be it pre-season or during the season) the team with the first draft pick has the ability to replace a cast member on their roster with the new cast member. If they decline, then the option goes to each team down the draft ladder. If they DO replace a cast member on their team with the new cast member then that person is available to the next team down the draft ladder. The order of decline/replace follows the order in which we drafted cast members at the beginning of the season, round to round. Currently following round ONE order.
HOST POINTS
Host Points will be given to all hosts drafted in the Host Perspectus Draft, whether they host a specific episode or simply make a guest appearance.
SPOTLIGHT
In the cold open: 15 points
Says "It's SATURDAY NIGHT!" to open the show: 15 points
Monologue (though not that night's host): 10 points
SKETCH
Sketch: 5 points
Pre-taped: 10 points
Weekend Update: 10 points
IN SKETCH (points are blanket points for the entire sketch, unless otherwise noted)
Reoccurring character; Including celebrity/politician: 5 points
Your host is impersonated, but doesn’t appear: 2 points
In sketch along-side former SNL cast member: 2 points
In sketch along-side former (but not that night's) SNL host: 5 points
Lorne Michaels dares to acknowledge your host: 5 points (plus 5 points if your host pulls a “Tracey Morgan” talks down TO Lorne)
Breaks/Laughs during a sketch: minus 2 points
Causes cast-mate to break: 5 points (multiplied per cast member)
Open-mouth kissing: 10 points
Kissing: 5 points
Crying: 5 points
Sings/Dances: 5 points
Blurkled Nudity: 5-15 points (both boobs/full front will get you 15, 10 for one boob, 5 for a butt shot)
Swearing (productive; per word): 2 points
Swearing (destructive; per word) : minus 5 points
Jumps through window/door/wall: 2 points
GOODNIGHT
Isn't hugged by any cast member when saying goodnight: minus 5 points
Doesn't thank the cast when says goodnight: minus 10 points
Embraces Musical Guest first: 2 points
Embraces Cast Member first: 10 points
SEASON OVERALL
If SNL featuring said HOST gets 5.0 rating or higher: 15 points
And what about the MUSICAL GUESTS, you might be asking me? Each week, the team owners will submit the titles of the TWO SONGS that will be performed by the MUSICAL GUEST of the week, no later then 11PM EST on the day of that GUESTS appearance. Guessing the first song correctly is 5 points, the second song correctly is 10 points. Guessing the correct song(s) but in an incorrect order is 2 points.
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