Others say...

"Pictre should be improved"
What surprises me is how little the other reviewers comment on the picture quality. While one cannot deny that there is some great history-making comedy in here, I believe more cara could have been put into restoring the tapes. Not all are bad but there is a significant amount of color bleeding as well as fuzziness that should have been taken care of, especially at this price. The sound quality is great as are the performances so it is not a massive problem. While it is great tosee the Kinks perform, it is interesting to still note an above-average number of pre-new wave/punk acts on the show that have not allways aged well (e.g. Paul Simon).

""Death is just God's way of asking you out""
And who once said that on SNL, during one of the darker sketches of the show's classic second season? Gilda Radner. That's right. Gilda Radner...

"Saturday Night Live -- The Complete Second Season" continues the experience of "The Complete First Season", which often seemed like not just a sketch comedy show, but the saga of American life in the last quarter of the twentieth century and the personal journeys of its seven cast members. The journeys continue in this DVD boxed set. See Chevy Chase make the mistake that would blight his career by leaving SNL prematurely. Watch John Belushi's comic timing falter for the first time in over thirty episodes as he deals with having been kicked out by the woman he loved since high school -- then cheer as he returns to form, despite a knee injury, after winning her back and marrying her over the holidays. Thrill to the irony of rookie Bill Murray, destined someday to become one of the great legends of American comedy cinema, announcing to viewers that "I don't think I'm making it on the show."

And yet "The Complete Second Season" is also funny. Screamingly funny. And not just due to the classic sketches we've all seen over and over again, but due to many of the forgotten sketches as well. Belushi, Chase and Curtin filmed on location as Amish police officers. (What must that shoot have been like?) Aykroyd robbing a bank, ineffectually disguised with a stocking over his head and two oranges over his eyes. Newman as a bee, sucking pollen from a rose through a straw -- an image simultaneously amusing and poetic.

The music is also fabulous, even when it's bad. (Who exactly thought the McGarrigle Sisters were a viable music act?) An amazing number of musical guests actually perform their most famous songs, rather than insisting on less populist repertoire. George Harrison duets with Paul Simon on "Here Comes the Sun". The Kinks perform "You Really Got Me" and "Lola". And, strangest and most memorable of all, Brian Wilson performs "Good Vibrations" without the Beach Boys, without a theremin, with just himself and a piano.

"SNL -- The Complete Second Season" merits the same high recommendation from me as "The Complete First Season". Live from New York, there were giants in those days. And remember, "Don't shoot -- we're Siamese priests!"

"SNL year two."
Year two of SNL was better than year one. It introduced the coneheads and Bill Murray. The skits were better and the guests interacted better with the cast members.

"Ah. the 70's I miss them"
This collection is for the hardcore fans of SNL. There are alot of skits that were pretty much on the edge or cutting edge of comedy and therefore the laughs here are contextual and nostalgic. The musical geusts were the biggest treat for me. Frank Zappa,James Taylor and the duet with Beatle George Harrison and Paul Simon to name a few make this a collector's dream. No shortage of real laughs however, and what a display of creativity and boldness these "not ready for prime time" players put on.

"Love these sets! But..."
I'm loving the SNL box sets so far! They really take me back. Of all the season 2 episodes, the one that holds a special place in my heart is the Broderick Crawford episode, as it was the very first SNL episode I ever saw, when I was just 10. Looking at that episode today, it's very bittersweet--Crawford at that point was the oldest host ever, and had to perform most of the sketches from a comfy chair. Still, he was very professional and you can tell he showed up for rehearsals (a far cry from today's hosts, who are often caught blatantly reading from cue cards). His opening monologue, where he recounts being fired from his NBC radio gig in the 30s, and being given a "second chance" 40 years later, is quite moving.

As for the rest: the shows are as good as I remember, although the humor is very much "of it's time". The video/audio restoration also seem to be an improvement over last year's box set. The set to look for, however, is the third season (1977-78), where IMO the early SNL hit it's peak.

I only have one problem with the boxed sets, and it's a big one: the first five years of SNL are legendary for various reasons, and it amazes me that there is no commentary track for these episodes. The cast members are notorious for thier determination not to discuss thier years on the show, but I would have been happy with anybody--writers, producers, directors--willing to share thier various "war stories" about what went into creating the edgy series.