Why ‘SNL’ Alum Amy Poehler Regrets Never Appearing on ‘Law & Order’
Former Saturday Night Live star Amy Poehler is currently promoting her documentary directorial debut exploring the lives of Hollywood icons Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Lucy and Desi. While Poehler has an impressive list of acting credits to her name, she never landed a guest spot on NBC’s legendary series Law & Order. The comedian feels should would have been a natural for the crime drama.
Amy Poehler’s sons favor other ‘SNL’ stars
Poehler’s extensive resume includes her many seasons on Parks and Rec, various film roles, and her rise to fame on Saturday Night Live. Even with her comedic reach, her sons [with ex-husband Will Arnett] Archie, 13, and Abel, 11, give their rave reviews to her former co-stars rather than their mom.
“They do watch it,” Poehler told People, referring to her work. “They tolerate it, but they’re not chomping at the bit to watch any of my stuff, to be quite honest. I mean, the other day we were talking about SNL, and I was like, ‘Who do you think are the best SNL [cast members]?’ And my kids were like, ‘Well, probably [Colin] Jost and [Michael] Che.’ And I said, ‘Not your mother?!’ They said, ‘No.’ “
Since her sons are going through adolescence, they apparently gravitate toward content their mom wouldn’t recommend.
“I’m kind of living in preteen town right now, so you have to do a lot of reverse psychology,” Poehler remarked. “You can’t come in front of anything and say something is funny or good. That’s not going to happen. You’re going to be immediately rejected.”
‘Parks and Rec’ star hoped for a ‘Law & Order’ gig
NBC’s cornerstone crime drama Law & Order premiered in 1990 and launched a plethora of spinoff series. Though Poehler’s expertise is clearly in comedy, she considers herself as having the ideal look of an unsuspecting criminal.
“Honestly, that is one of my biggest regrets as an actor is that I was never on Law & Order when I was in New York,” Poehler revealed. “I would’ve made the best baby-faced arsonist!”
Poehler feels she could have easily pulled off the brazen nature of an unwilling witness or informant on the gritty show.
“I would’ve been so good at being the friend of the girl who was murdered,” she said. “Who they go back to again and they are like, ‘Just tell me your story one more time.’ And she is like, ‘I don’t have time for this. I’m going to go class.’ “
Leslie Knope has been introduced to Amy Poehler’s sons
Poehler shared how she and her boys passed the time when the pandemic hit in March 2020, which included Archie and Abel’s first viewing of her previous NBC sitcom. While her sons have “a different taste” in what to watch, the family was able to agree on classic comedies.
“In the beginning of the pandemic, we did what everybody did,” Poehler explained. “We turned to comedy for comfort and we watched all of Parks and Rec, which they had never seen. And they loved The Office. Oh, God, we watched everything. I feel like most people watched all of the TV, all of the shows.”
