“Saturday Night Live” will soon go dark for the summer, but there are plenty of ways to get your funny fix over the months to come. From TV to movies, Twitter to YouTube, here are a few picks to keep you laughing.
Summer flicks
Summer comedies are a box office staple, and this season promises to offer up some gems. "A Million Ways to Die in the West," a slapstick western from "Family Guy" main man Seth MacFarlane, has the makings of a a must-see movie — at least if its expectedly crude-but-funny trailer is any indication. It hits theaters May 30. In the sequel "22 Jump Street," Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum go undercover at college, graduating from the high-school roles they played in the earlier film. And in "Tammy," opening July 2, the always-hilarious Melissa McCarthy is having a bad day, which makes for a good day at the movies.
Rifftrax
Still missing “Mystery Science Theater 3000”? Former head writer Michael J. Nelson and co-stars Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett are now making us laugh over at Rifftrax.com. They offer up hilarious commentaries on B-movies, recent blockbusters, and the same kind of educational shorts that MST3K skewered so well. You can watch the offerings online or on DVD, and on July 10 and 15, you can hit up a local theater near you to watch a big-screen version of the guys riffing on instant classic “Sharknado.” While you wait, tune into their online take on Kristen Stewart’s pathetic pauses in “Twilight.”
'Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'
Former "SNL" player Jimmy Fallon has become the go-to guy for TV gags so good they routinely reach viral video status the next day. Fallon regularly delivers clever, current-event filled monologues — a late-night host staple — but it's when he hits the stage with any of his star-studded pals that things really take off. From Water War face-offs that leave guests like Lindsay Lohan all wet, to tongue-twisting games able trip up small-screen great Bryan Cranston, Fallon's "Tonight Show" (weeknights at 11:35 p.m. on NBC) has it all. Our favorite part? It might just be the semi-regular video mashup feature Fallon brought with him from his "Late Night" days that sees "NBC Nightly News" man Brian Williams deliver the dopest rhymes.
Twitter
You can read Twitter for news, for links, for live reaction to events such as the Oscars or NFL Draft, or you can read it for the laugh-out-loud comedy of some of its users. Drunk Hulk (@drunkhulk) smashes through seriousness with his ALL-CAPS commentary on current events. The sometimes-R-rated Karl Welzein character (@DadBoner), creation of comedian Mike Burns, shares his ever-unraveling personal life, edible inventions (“Gatorpagne,” a hangover cure made of Gatorade and Champagne), and his life advice with the world. And user @pourmecoffee, launches missiles at everything from politics to movies. (“Remember to celebrate Star Wars Day by starting out strong, then getting worse and worse and hardly even caring anymore.”)
'Convos With My 2-Year-Old'
There's no shortage of funny stuff on YouTube, and one of the funniest bits is the comedy series "Convos With My 2-Year-Old." Dad Matthew Clarke reenacts actual conversations he's had with his toddler, Coco. While the real-life Coco makes punchline-worthy appearances alongside her pop, the real star of the show is comedian David Milchard, a grown man who plays the tiny tot to perfection. There's just nothing like seeing a typical parent-tyke power struggle — making a bed, bath-time fun and, of course, just trying to get dressed — played out between a harried father and his towering, bearded daughter.
'Saturday Night Live' online
Sure the season will soon be over, but the "SNL" YouTube channel is still packed with some of the best sketches from season 39, as well as backstage clips. And fans can remember the show's classic early seasons by visiting its website, where unforgettable material — like Eddie Murphy's "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood," Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd's "Festrunk Brothers" and Will Ferrell's "More Cowbell" — lives on.
The season finale of "SNL" airs Saturday at 11:30 p.m. on NBC.