In A Fragmented Cultureverse, Can Pop References Still Pop?

On a recent episode of Saturday Night Live when the comedian Louis C.K. played host, one skit parodied his eponymous show on F/X. It riffed on the theme song and the discursive style of his comedy. But here's the thing: Fewer than 2 million people watch Louie. About 7 million watch Saturday Night Live. That means even optimistically, at least two-thirds of the audience is missing the joke. Decades ago, Saturday Night Live skewered topics most people in the country knew about: Mister Rogers, Dirty Dancing, who shot J.R.? Back then, the show drew more than twice as many viewers. These days, when we have what feels like a billion channels instead of a mere handful, it's difficult to share the same set of cultural references.