Jeff Heller
Liz Patrick is a seasoned television director with more than two decades of experience under her belt. She cut her teeth with MTV directing Total Request Live, as well as a variety of specials for the network, and would eventually move on to direct The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
In 2021, Patrick became the director of Saturday Night Live during the second-half of Season 47 (replacing the retiring Don Roy King), earning an Emmy nomination for her efforts. She would receive another nomination in her second year, this time taking home the prize. Her third year has proven fruitful as well, as she is once again nominated for Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series.
We spoke with Patrick about joining the long-running series, as well as the Ryan Gosling episode (for which she was nominated), and the now famous Beavis and Butthead sketch. You can watch (or read) our conversation below.
First, congratulations on the well-deserved Emmy nomination.
Well, thank you very much.
You’ve got a good track record here. Your third season in, and you’ve already got three nominations and a win. Not bad.
I know. It’s very crazy.
You were nominated for the Ryan Gosling episode, which I think it’s safe to say was one of the standout episodes of a very strong season.
It definitely was a fun season and action-packed. I feel like there was something great about every show.
What about that episode in particular do you think was a standout for the season?
I think Ryan himself is just so likable and just gives off a great energy and just worked well with the cast and the writers and with myself and the entire crew. He just had so much fun with it. I think he just brought a different light to each piece. It was really cool.
The Beavis and Butthead sketch was easily one of the most popular sketches in probably the last few decades. Can you walk me through that sketch from development on through dress to air?
Yeah. So, the year I joined I believe it was Oscar Isaac we were doing it with, and it didn’t even make it to dress rehearsal because we ended up having too many sketches that week and we had to cut something. It was strong, but I guess it just was on that line. And then they had tried it one other time before I joined them and it didn’t make it. So when we were setting it up for this show, I thought it had a great possibility of making it. And just both Mikey and Ryan as Beavis and Butthead were just amazing. It just turned into a classic immediately. Heidi was a pro the entire time. During dress rehearsal, she cracked a little bit, but then for show, she went down fast. But it turned out to be a great sketch.
I think even if she hadn’t broken it, it would have been a successful sketch. But the audience eats that up, especially someone like Heidi who does not break easy.
Right, right. Yeah, Heidi does not break easy. She’s so professional and so strong and wanting to perform at the best. And she’s a pro. She’s great.
Did you ever get any feedback from Mike Judge? He got his start on SNL years ago. I was wondering if you heard anything back from him.
You know, I don’t know. Maybe the producers did. I myself got my start at MTV, so I had some interaction with doing different Beavis and Butthead things throughout my career when I was at MTV, so that was a fun one to bring to life.
What else from that episode stands out to you?
It started off strong, with Kate McKinnon in the cold open with Ryan in the Encounter sketch. We sent Kate off with that sketch for her last episode, and then for her to come back for a little cameo during it for the cold open. I just think it started off the show with a giant high. The crowd was loving it every minute. The cheers were loud and proud. It was fun. It just turned into such a solid episode. And then the monologue with Emily Blunt. We had a big musical number in that. And Ryan had a lot of fun with it, portraying Ken. It just started really strong and just kept the momentum and just kept getting better and better.
So I want to talk about your career a little bit. You joined SNL in its 47th season, and joining any show that far into its run has got to be daunting, but you also joined midseason. You’ve had a lot of live television experience, but I’m curious what the learning curve was for you joining SNL.
We took it slow as I came in. I was there at the beginning of season 47, and I watched Don direct two episodes. I got to see the chaos of how it all went down. Like you said, the show’s been on for 47 years. It’s a well-oiled machine. It moves quickly. It moves fast. And so it was just like, “Okay, how am I going to jump on? How am I going to hang on?” I’ve done every part of the show before. It’s just at a different level where everything is just the time constraint is huge. It’s just looming over you. There’s not a lot of time to do all these wonderful things. And so it’s just moving quick.
I started my career at MTV where we didn’t have a lot of money most times. We did a lot of live television, and that itself was moving quick. I think it was a great starting ground for me to just learn how to maneuver quickly. So I’m used to change, and I’m used to thinking quick on my feet. I feel like that’s a strong skill I have. And it applies well with this show. So getting to see Don do this for two episodes before I started to jump in was priceless.
You learn so much by watching. It was great to see his interaction with people and writers and producers and how Don did things. And then as slowly as I started to come in, I just would implement ways of how I do things. I think the first episode that I started directing some sketches, I think they gave me four sketches. I had no idea if my sketches were going to make it to air or not. And then the next episode, I gained another sketch or two. And then I took over music, and then I started doing update. And so by the end of November, beginning of December, I was directing the show. And then I had Don there as a consultant, which was great. How often do you get to do something where you’re being like, “Hey, what’d you think? Or, “Hey, give me a thought here. What would you do in this situation?” So it was just a really nice way to take over the reins of the show. Once it started, I never thought twice about turning back. It’s like, “Here we go.”
Was there anything about the format of the show that you really had to kind of sink your teeth into to learn?
No. I guess it’s everything I’ve done before, just in a supersized show of it. So I wasn’t afraid of any of it. The comedy, I’ve had a lot of experience at Ellen. I learned a lot from her. And then the live portion of it, I’m not afraid of that. Setting up a sketch, I’ve worked at MTV doing that. I worked at Ellen doing that. So, it’s all familiar to me. It’s just at a different speed.
You’re only the fifth director in the history of the show, which is remarkable. What is it you think each director brings to a show like SNL?
I’m a very collaborative director. I like to work with the writers and bring their ideas to life. And I think we get along well. Often I’ll pitch different ideas or try to enhance, or sometimes it goes in a completely different direction. So, I feel like all the directors there before, we’ve all been patient, because things always change. I can’t speak for everybody. I unfortunately never got to meet [former SNL director] Dave Wilson, but, I’m friendly with [former SNL director] Beth McCarthy Miller, who was at MTV when I first started. She was our senior director, and getting to watch her work when I was just starting out as a production assistant was just amazing. Then watching her take off with her career. I was like, “If I can have a smidge of her success, I’m going to do okay.” But, yeah, what great role models. And it is insane that there’s only been five in such a long period of time.
What is your dynamic with working with Lorne? I mean, you’re the director, but it’s ultimately his show.
A hundred percent it’s his show, and I just want to make him happy. I’m honored that he picked me to take over the show. Lorne is so smart and so incredibly quick, too, about his ideas and changes and just implementing them. He’s a part of it. People will often ask me, “He’s probably not a part of the show anymore, is he?” And I’m like, “Oh, my God, are you kidding? He is the show.” It is his show. And it’s like, “OK, what can I do to make this better for you?” He’s very much involved in every part.
How do you feel about working the hectic schedule? Ellen was a bit more of a 9-5, I imagine. Were you at all hesitant to go into a schedule that is so untraditional?
I started in untraditional. Then I went to banking hours, and then now I’m back in untraditional. So, I wasn’t afraid of it. But yeah, my body has learned to sleep in again, especially on Sunday and Monday just to recover. It’s almost like you’re training to be a professional TV athlete in some weird way.
The 50th is coming up, and I imagine you’ve got to be working on the special already.
Can you give any any information about what you have planned or when it may be?
I think I think everything’s still under under wraps. There’s a lot of closed door meetings on what’s happening. It should be an exciting year. I get overwhelmed just thinking about it. I grew up watching this show. I was a huge fan of it and I still am a fan of it. And now to be working on it and to be a part of this, it feels incredible. I hope we do a lot of fun things and we’ll see what what what everyone dreams up.
You can watch our full interview with Liz Patrick, including a conversation about her hectic schedule as a Saturday Night Live director, below.
Saturday Night Night episodes are available on Peacock.
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