The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special

Silly, but if you like Halloween or SNL, not a waste of time by any means. It's quirky and inane, like the Addams Family. Not as classy or deep, but witty in a sort of hit and run Oscar Wilde kind of way. Halloween used to be simple and more fun than bloody or violent. It isn't the classic that The Great Pumpkin is, but it is sort of like the next best thing. There is nothing like Rocky Horror, but Hedwig is pretty cool if you want more of that kind of thing. Same with David S. Pumpkins. It is family friendly, for the most part, unless you are a Klansman.

Well at least for my weird little family. My kids, 8 and 3 when this came out, think this is the most hilarious thing ever. We have an October tradition of watching the original sketch then the cartoon on repeat. Even did a David S. Pumpkins costume a few years ago. It's part of it!

It is meant for families, kids, adults? It's very confusing as to who this is for. Based on the people involved it should have been funny or good but it is neither. Tom Hanks, whom I thinks is awesome, could place this on his resume right between Turner and Hootch and The Man with One Red Shoe if he were listing his works by quality.

Saturday Night Live has been awful for several years now so it's no surprise that this special is not funny. If you are familiar with the Tom Hanks sketch, you know that it was a thin premise that should have been quickly forgotten. Sadly it wasn't and now you will see this every Halloween and ask why.

What a gross disappointment. All of the saccharine of a Charlie Brown holiday special and none of the charm. Trite script and animation, no laughs.

This might have been appropriate in an 8:00pm time slot for 7 year olds...but in Saturday Night Live's Time slot? No. Lorne Michaels should be embarrassed.