SNL Joker parody gives Oscar the Grouch a gritty origin story

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Many people rolled their eyes when it was announced that the director of THE HANGOVER was going to be making a JOKER film telling the character's origin story. Why would there be an origin movie for a character whose story is constantly changing? But director Todd Phillips cast Joaquin Phoenix in the title role and told a story that was clearly influenced by TAXI DRIVER and THE KING OF COMEDY, resulting in a film that has been extremely well-received by critics and audiences alike. After just two weeks in release, JOKER has earned about $550 million at the global box office.

So now that Phillips taking a gritty drama approach to (one possible version of) the Joker origin story has paid off so well, producers may be looking for another property to give the gritty treatment to.

On Saturday Night Live this past weekend, the comedy show put together a skit imagining what it would be like if the success of JOKER led to a TAXI DRIVER-esque take on the origin of Sesame Street character Oscar the Grouch. The result is a faux trailer that is simultaneously hilarious and slightly troubling, as not only do we get to see David Harbour play a human garbage man Oscar as a "God's lonely man" type, we also see twisted versions of other Sesame Street characters. 

Grover, Elmo, Guy Smiley, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Snuffleupagus, Prairie Dawn, the Count, Cookie Monster, they're all in here. Some of them have fallen on hard times, most of them are not in healthy, kid-friendly situations.

Check out the GROUCH trailer below. It's pretty great.