David Spade began his career on Saturday Night Live thirty years ago in 1990. The comedian ended up leaving the sketch comedy in 1996. It did not take long for Spade to resurface. A year later, he began starring in the NBC comedy, Just Shoot Me!. Despite going from one TV show to another, it turns out that Spade had trouble adjusting from SNL to his sitcom.
David Spade is not the first actor to struggle with adjusting on television. His reasons had to with the environments he was going from when it came to switching between the TV shows. During a cast reunion, Spade’s Just Shoot Me! co-star, Wendie Malick, provided insight on the SNL-related situation, telling Hulu:
I remember it took a while for Davie to come and have lunch with us on the set. He was a little worried that maybe we were enemy territory. I think it came from Saturday Night Live, that was much more competitive than what we were doing.
If that sounds familiar, that may be because this isn't the first time that the competitive nature of Saturday Night Live has been revealed. David Spade’s buddy, Adam Sandler, was forced out of SNL a year before Spade’s exit. When it came time for Spade to spread his wings on Just Shoot Me!, he was apparently a bit wary of getting too close to his co-stars.
Saturday Night Live has frequently rebooted its cast over the years, with even one of the biggest names in SNL history getting the boot. You can only imagine the intense pressure to excel. When it came time to do Just Shoot Me!, David Spade took his time easing into things with his co-stars. Spade explained why saying:
I think it was partially a little scary at SNL and I knew not to step on toes there. And everyone was sort of in their own world, fighting for themselves. And this part was everyone, I realized, wanting me to do good and I wanted them to do good. It’s like a little team.
There is no “team” in Saturday Night Live, based on David Spade's comments. Is there an “I” in Just Shoot Me!? According to David Spade, his time on Just Shoot Me! provided him with a set-up wherein everyone could elevate each other. That approach likely came in handy when it came time for Spade to play his character in the Netflix hit, The Wrong Missy.
When it came to that movie, David Spade shared how tricky it was to play the reactionary role. It seems Just Shoot Me! provided the perfect training ground for Spade to develop his skills as a team player. On Saturday Night Live, it sounds like everyone is trying to survive and thrive during their intense contract window.
Not too long ago, Pete Davidson had less than glowing things to say about Saturday Night Live, revealing he nearly quit it due to being made fun of. As for David Spade, his career on the show will long be remembered, and it would seem he eventually made the adjustment from SNL to Just Shoot Me!.
Just Shoot Me! ran for six seasons, airing from 1997 to 2003. To say that David Spade followed up his time on SNL successfully would be an understatement. His career continues to flourish. You can currently watch every season of Just Shoot Me! on Hulu. If you need more programming options, there is always this summer’s schedule.
