Saturday Night Live (
SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American
sketch comedy/
variety show based in New York City that debuted on October 11, 1975. It features a
regular cast of typically up-and-coming comic actors, joined by a
guest host and musical act. The show — broadcast live (or on tape delay to the
Mountain and
Pacific Time Zones) from Studio 8H at the
GE Building in New York's
Rockefeller Center — has launched careers for many major American comedy stars of the last thirty years. It was created by Canadian
Lorne Michaels who, excluding seasons 6 through season 10, has
produced and
written for the show and remains its executive producer.
SNL is one of the
longest-running network programs in American television history.
Originally, the show was called
NBC's Saturday Night, as the current (and originally intended) title was
in use by rival network
ABC. NBC purchased the rights to the name in 1976 and officially adopted the new title on March 26, 1977. Throughout its history (except for season 7 and other rare exceptions), the show has traditionally begun with a
cold open that ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming "Live, from New York, it's
Saturday Night!"
History
- By era: 1975-1980; 1980-1985; 1985-1990; 1990-1995; 1995-2000; 2000-2005; 2005-present
- By season: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
- Weekend Update
Saturday Night Live cast
See also: Saturday Night Live cast
Current repertory players
Current featured players
Notable tenures
Although
Saturday Night Live has a rapid turnover of supporting players, some performers have had long tenures with the show.
(•) denotes actor has a "Best Of" DVD:
Announcer
Don Pardo has served as the announcer for the series since it began (except for season 7, when
Mel Brandt and
Bill Hanrahan filled that role). Pardo, who was 57 when the show debuted and who retired from NBC in 2004 at age 86, still flies in from his home in
Tucson, Arizona, to introduce the show as of 2008.
Hosts/musical guests
George Carlin was first to host the show;
Candice Bergen was the first female to host the show a few weeks later and again hosted only six weeks after that.
The "Five Timers' Club"
The following performers have hosted
SNL at least five times. Some of these hosts, notated with a (•), are the subjects of their own "Best of ..." videotape, DVD, or compilation special. (±) indicates a former cast member. The "Five Timers' Club" originates from a sketch which appeared on Tom Hanks' fifth episode.
This list comes from raw data compiled and listed from the following independent sources:
snlmusic.parshaparts.com/snlmusic.php and
snlarc.jt.org/)
| Performer | Number of Episodes | First Hosted | Most Recently Hosted | Date of Five Timer Membership
|
Steve Martin (•) ["Contrary to popular belief, Martin was never a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" (1975). However, he holds the records for guest appearances (25) on the show (followed closely by Buck Henry), hosting (at 13 times, he sets the standard for the SNL "Five Timers Club"), and hosting in a single season (3). He is also the only person to have hosted a season premiere, a season finale, and a Christmas show." www.starglimpse.com/celebs/pages/steve_martin/steve_martin.shtml] | 14 | October 23, 1976 | February 4, 2006 | April 22, 1978
|
| Alec Baldwin (•) | 13 | April 21, 1990 | November 11, 2006 | December 10, 1994
|
| John Goodman | 12 | December 2, 1989 | November 3, 2001 | May 7, 1994
|
| Buck Henry | 10 | January 17, 1976 | May 24, 1980 | November 19, 1977
|
| Chevy Chase (•)(±) | 9 | February 18, 1978 | February 15, 1997 | November 16, 1985
|
Tom Hanks (•) [UPDATE!! SWEEPS DAY 10!! Tom Hanks Hosts His First SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Since Sept. 28, 1996!! - Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news] | 8 | December 14, 1985 | May 6, 2006 | December 8, 1990
|
Christopher Walken (•)[Young, Jamie Painter "His way: Christopher Walken has always danced to his own tune. He encourages his fellow actors to do the same.", Back Stage West, March 13, 2003. "Just a few weeks ago he did a rousing song-and-dance number during his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, on which he has the distinction of being in the 'Five-Timers Club' of celebrities who have hosted the show five times or more. (He's hosted six.)"] | 7 | January 20, 1990 | April 5, 2008 | May 19, 2001
|
| Elliott Gould | 6 | January 10, 1976 | November 15, 1980 | February 16, 1980
|
| Danny DeVito | 6 | May 15, 1982 | December 10, 1999 | January 9, 1993
|
| Bill Murray (±) | 5 | March 7, 1981 | February 20, 1999 | February 20, 1999
|
| Drew Barrymore | 5 | November 20, 1982 | February 3, 2007 | February 3, 2007
|
The following performers have been musical guests on
SNL at least five times:
| Musical Guest | Number of Episodes | First Musical Appearance | Last Musical Appearance | Other Notes
|
| Paul Simon | 9 | November 20, 1976 | May 13, 2006 | Simon also hosted or co-hosted four shows. He co-hosted with Catherine Oxenberg on May 10, 1986, during the 11th season. He solely hosted the second show on October 18, 1975 where he performed with Art Garfunkel and Phoebe Snow, on November 20, 1976, where he was one of two musical guests and on December 19, 1987. Is also best friend of show creator Lorne Michaels. (Also appeared in the original "Five Timers Club" sketch.)
|
| Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | 7 | November 10, 1979 | April 10, 1999 |
|
| Randy Newman | 6 | October 18, 1975 | October 22, 1988 |
|
| James Taylor | 6 | September 18, 1976 | November 13, 1993 |
|
| Beck | 6 | January 11, 1997 | October 28, 2006 | He appeared as musical guest two times in 1999 (with hosts Bill Paxton and Christina Ricci). He has also been featured in a sketch about the evils of medicinal marijuana.
|
| Sting | 5 | October 17, 1987 | November 20, 1999 | Only non-American performer to appear as a musical guest at least five times; has also performed in at least one sketch during each of his appearances.
|
| Foo Fighters | 5 | December 2, 1995 | October 13, 2007 | Lead singer Dave Grohl has actually appeared nine times; he was the drummer for Nirvana in their two performances, as well as for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Tenacious D for one performance each.
|
Musical guests who simultaneously hosted
The following performers have pulled a double duty as both musical guests and host during the same
SNL episode:
| Musical Guest | Date of Hosting/Musical Appearance | Other Notes
|
| Lily Tomlin | November 22, 1975 | She is actually the first to host and be in the musical act, but the show was listed without a musical act. So she is not given musical act credit
|
| Desi Arnaz | February 21, 1976 | He is the first performer to appear simultaneously as host and musical guest.
|
| Paul Simon | November 20, 1976 |
|
| Ray Charles | November 12, 1977 |
|
| The Rolling Stones | October 7, 1978 | Are the only band to host and be musical guests on SNL (even though Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood were the only band members to appear in sketches - Bill Wyman did not)
|
| Frank Zappa | October 21, 1978 | Zappa's appearance (and general 'mugging') was so notorious he was, legend has it, never invited back.
|
| Ricky Nelson | February 17, 1979 | Nelson proved to be a good sport by spoofing his TV sitcom image. He appeared in a Twilight Zone send-up in which, always trying to go "home", he found himself among characters from other early TV sitcoms: Leave It to Beaver, Father Knows Best and Make Room for Daddy.
|
| Olivia Newton-John | May 22, 1982 |
|
| Lily Tomlin | January 22, 1983 | Appearing in the musical act also technically makes her the first to host and appear in the musical act twice. Though again the show was listed without a musical guest so she was not given credit. Tomlin appeared as Pervis Hawkins
|
| Stevie Wonder | May 7, 1983 |
|
| Willie Nelson | February 21, 1987 |
|
| Dolly Parton | April 15, 1989 |
|
| Quincy Jones | February 10, 1990 | Jones' hosting stint had ten musical guests on one night, an SNL record.
|
| Sting | January 19, 1991 | Sting also hosted in early 1997. He was not the credited musical guest but he did perform a few numbers.
|
| MC Hammer | December 7, 1991 |
|
| Garth Brooks | February 28, 1998 and November 13, 1999 | He is one of only three performers to simultaneously act as host and musical guest more than once. Garth appeared in the second such episode as himself as host, and his alter ego Chris Gaines as musical guest.
|
| Deion Sanders | February 18, 1995 | Bon Jovi was the credited musical guest, but Deion Sanders performed "It's On" and "Must be the Money."
|
| Jennifer Lopez | February 10, 2001 |
|
| Britney Spears | May 13, 2000 and February 2, 2002 | At 18, she was the youngest person in SNL History to act as a host and musical guest the same time on May 13, 2000.
|
| Justin Timberlake | October 11, 2003 and December 16, 2006 |
|
| Janet Jackson | April 10, 2004 |
|
| Queen Latifah | October 9, 2004 |
|
| Ludacris | November 18, 2006 |
|
| Jon Bon Jovi | October 13, 2007 | Jon Bon Jovi hosted, with Bon Jovi performing twice, and Foo Fighters performing once. It should be noted that although Bon Jovi performed, it was the Foo Fighters, not Bon Jovi, that was the credited musical guest
|
In addition,
Christina Aguilera, who had previously appeared as a musical guest twice on April 8, 2000 and March 15, 2003, hosted on February 21, 2004, singing early in that broadcast.
Maroon 5 was the musical guest for the episode, with two song performances.
Castmembers who have hosted
(•) indicates a castmember with a "Best Of" collection. Castmembers are put into order of when they first hosted.
| Performer | Times Hosted | First Hosted | Most Recently Hosted | When a Castmember | Other Notes
|
| Chevy Chase (•) | 9 | February 18, 1978 | February 15, 1997 | 1975-1976 / 1½ seasons | First former castmember to host and first to host more than five times. He is the first Weekend Update anchor to come back to host. As of 1997, he is banned from ever hosting again due to his harsh treatment of castmembers.
|
| Bill Murray | 5 | March 7, 1981 | February 20, 1999 | 1977-1980 / 3½ seasons | Second former castmember to host five or more time times. He is the second former Weekend Update anchor to come back to host SNL. Only castmember to host during Jean Doumanian's tenure as producer.
|
| Eddie Murphy (•) | 2 | December 11, 1982 | December 15, 1984 | 1980-1984 / 3½ seasons | He is the only performer to host while still a castmember. Also, he was the first of only four hosts who joined the cast when Lorne Michaels was not producing SNL.
|
| Don Novello | 2 | January 14 , 1984 | May 12, 1984 | 1978-1980 + 1985-1986 | Hosted both times as his character Father Guido Sarducci.
|
| Billy Crystal | 2 | March 17, 1984 | May 12, 1984 | 1984-1985 / 1 season | He is the first performer to join the cast after he had hosted. He co-hosted with Ed Koch, Don Novello, Betty Thomas and Edwin Newman on May 12, 1984. Also, he is one of only four hosts who joined the cast when Lorne Michaels was not producing SNL.
|
| Michael McKean | 1 | November 3, 1984 | November 3, 1984 | 94-95 / 1½ | He is the second performer to join the cast after hosting a show, and also the oldest individual to join the cast.
|
| Martin Short | 2 | December 6, 1986 | December 7, 1996 | 1984-1985 / 1 season | He co-hosted with Chevy Chase and Steve Martin on December 6, 1986. He is one of only four castmembers hosts who joined the cast when Lorne Michaels was not producing SNL.
|
| Paul Shaffer | 1 | January 31, 1987 | | 1979-1980 / 1 season | He is the only former leader of the SNL Band to host.
|
| Dana Carvey (•) | 3 | October 22, 1994 | October 21, 2000 | 1986-1993 / 6½ seasons
|
| Damon Wayans | 1 | April 8, 1995 | | 1985-1986 / ½ season | He is the first castmember to come back to host SNL after being fired from the show, and the first castmember from In Living Color to host.
|
| Phil Hartman (•) | 2 | March 23, 1996 | November 23, 1996 | 1986-1994 / 8 seasons
|
| Chris Rock (•) | 1 | November 2, 1996 | | 1990-1993 / 3 seasons
|
| Robert Downey Jr | 1 | November 16, 1996 | | 1985-1986 / 1 season
|
| Mike Myers (•) | 1 | March 22, 1997 | | 1989-1995 / 6 seasons | Has an updated version of his Best Of.
|
| Chris Farley (•) | 1 | October 25, 1997 | | 1990-1995 / 5 seasons | Made his final appearance on TV with the episode he hosted.
|
| Jon Lovitz (•) | 1 | November 8, 1997 | | 1986-1990 / 5 seasons
|
| Ben Stiller | 1 | October 24, 1998 | | 1989-1989 / ½ season
|
| David Spade (•) | 2 | November 7, 1998 | | 1990-1996 / 6 seasons
|
| Norm MacDonald | 1 | October 23, 1999 | | 1993-1998 / 5 seasons | He is the third former Weekend Update anchor to come back to host SNL and the only WU anchor to host after being fired from being an anchor on WU (he wasn't fired from the cast).
|
| Dan Aykroyd (•) | 1 | May 17, 2003 | | 1975-1979 / 4 seasons | He was the fourth former Weekend Update anchor to come back to host SNL, and holds the record for longest time between last appearance as cast member and first time hosting.
|
| Will Ferrell (•) | 1 | May 14, 2005 | | 1995-2002 / 7 seasons | Only castmember to have two Best Of collections.
|
| Julia Louis-Dreyfus | 2 | May 13, 2006 | March 17, 2007 | 1982-1985 / 3 seasons | First female castmember to host / first women castmember from the Ebersol era.
|
| Molly Shannon (•) | 1 | May 12, 2007 | | 1995-2001 / 6½ seasons | Second female castmember to host, but first from the Michaels era.
|
| Tina Fey | 1 | February 23, 2008 | | 2000-2006 / 6 seasons | Fifth former Weekend Update anchor to come back to host SNL, first female anchor to host, hosted first episode back from the Writer's Strike.
|
The SNL Band
The
Saturday Night Live Band (most often referred to as
The Live Band) is the house band of
Saturday Night Live (
SNL). It has consistently featured studio musicians from New York, including
Paul Shaffer,
G.E. Smith,
Lou Marini (1975-1983),
David Sanborn (1975),
Michael Brecker,
Ray Chew (1980-1983),
Alan Rubin (1975-1983),
Georg Wadenius (1979-1985),
Steve Ferrone (1985),
David Johansen (performing as Buster Poindexter) and
Tom Malone, who served as leader of the band from 1981 to 1985. The band is currently under the leadership of
Tower of Power alum
Lenny Pickett and keyboardists
Leon Pendarvis and
Katreese Barnes.
Films based on SNL sketches
The rating system below is based on a majority of the reviews the films got. The films are rated as Good, Mixed, or Bad.
| Film | Release Date | Budget | Gross | Profit | Reviews
|
| The Blues Brothers | 1980 | $27 million | $57,229,890 | + | Good
|
| Wayne's World | 1992 | $20 million | $121,697,323 | + | Good
|
| Wayne's World 2 | 1993 | $40 million | $48,197,805 | + | Mixed
|
| Coneheads | 1993 | Unknown | $21,274,717 | Unknown | Bad
|
| It's Pat | 1994 | Unknown | $60,822 | Unknown | Bad
|
| Stuart Saves His Family | 1995 | $15 million | $911,310 | - | Mixed
|
| A Night at the Roxbury | 1998 | $17 million | $30,331,165 | + | Bad
|
| Blues Brothers 2000 | 1998 | $28 million | $14,051,384 | - | Bad
|
| Superstar | 1999 | $14 million | $30,636,478 | + | Bad
|
| The Ladies Man | 2000 | $11 million | $13,592,872 | + | Bad
|
| Key Party | TBA | | | |
|
[
Michaels by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|Creator Lorne Michaels has produced many of the film [[spin-off]s]]The early days of
SNL spawned several movies, including the successful
The Blues Brothers. However it was the success of
Wayne's World, that encouraged Lorne Michaels to produce more film
spin-offs, based on several popular sketch characters. Michaels revived 1970s characters for
Coneheads (1993), followed by
It's Pat (1994);
Stuart Saves His Family (1995, with the
Stuart Smalley character);
A Night at the Roxbury (1998, with the Butabi Brothers characters);
Superstar (1999, with the
Mary Katherine Gallagher character); and
Ladies Man (2000). Some did moderately well, though others did not — notably
It's Pat!, which did so badly at the box office the studio which made the film, Touchstone, pulled it only one week after releasing it, and
Stuart Saves His Family, with the latter losing US$15 million despite good reviews.
In addition,
Office Space (1999) originated from a series of
Mike Judge animated short films that aired on SNL after appearing on several other programs.
The character
Bob Roberts from the Tim Robbins film of the same name, first appeared on SNL in a short film about the conservative folk singer.
The group the
Folksmen first appeared on SNL, performing the song "Old Joe's Place" before later appearing in the film
A Mighty Wind. The three members of the Folksmen were the same three comedians-
Harry Shearer,
Michael McKean, and
Christopher Guest who also appeared on the same episode as the rock group
Spinal Tap. At the time of the appearance, (the 1984-85 season) Shearer and Guest were cast members.
The studio
Since the show's inception,
SNL has aired from Studio 8H, located on floors 8 and 9 of
GE Building (30 Rockefeller Plaza, or "30 Rock"). Due to the studio originally being a radio soundstage for
Arturo Toscanini and his
NBC Symphony Orchestra, the layout of the studio floor and the audience positioning causes some audience members to have an obstructed view of many of the sketches. According to NBC, the 8H studio has an almost perfect sound acoustic. The offices of
SNL writers, producers, and other staff can be found on the 17th floor of "30 Rock."
During the summer 2005 shooting hiatus, crews began renovations on Studio 8H. With its thirty-first season premiere in October 2005, the show began broadcasting in
high definition, appearing
letterboxed on conventional television screens.
Three of the first four shows of the 1976-77 season were shot at the former
NBC Studios in Brooklyn, due to
NBC News using Studio 8H for Presidential election coverage.
Production process
The following is a summary of the process used to produce the show. It is based in part on interviews with former SNL head writer and performer
Tina Fey in 2000 and 2004.
:
- The day begins with a topical meeting, identifying the biggest story for the show's opening.
- This is followed by a free-form pitch meeting with Lorne Michaels and the show's host for the week. The official name is "The Host Meeting" but all the writers and cast members call it "The Pitch Meeting"
- Throughout the week the host has a lot of influence on which sketches get aired.
- Following the meeting, writers begin to draft the two scripts each must produce.
Tuesday:
- Starting in the afternoon, anywhere from 30 to 45 scripts are written, most of which will not be broadcast.
- Once a writer's scripts are complete, he or she will often help other writers on their scripts.
Wednesday:
- All scripts get a read-through.
- After the read-through, the head writer(s) and the producers meet with the host to decide which sketches to work on for the rest of the week, with Lorne Michaels and the host having the final say.
Thursday:
- The surviving sketches are reviewed, word-by-word, by the writing staff as a whole or in two groups in the case of co-head writers.
- Some sketches which survived the cut because of their premise, but are in need of work, are rewritten completely. Others are changed in smaller ways.
- The Weekend Update crew starts coming together, starting with the news items written by writers dedicated all week to the segment.
- The crew comes in for rehearsal, and the music act is rehearsed as well as some of the larger, more important sketches.
- The host and musical guest and usually some cast members shoot two to four promos to play for NBC.
Friday:
- The show is blocked.
- The writer of each sketch acts as producer, working with the show's set designers and costumers.
Saturday:
- With the show still far from finalized, the day begins with a run-through, with props, in front of Lorne Michaels.
- After the run-through, the cast and crew find out which of the sketches are in the dress rehearsal, and which are cut. The writer/producer deals with any changes.
- This is followed by a dress rehearsal performed in front of the studio audience, which lasts from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. (or sometimes later) and contains approximately twenty minutes of material which will be deleted from the final broadcast.
- Lorne Michaels uses firsthand observation of the audience reaction during the dress rehearsal and input from the host and head writer to determine the final round of changes, re-ordering sketches as necessary.
- The live show then begins at 11:29:30 p.m. Eastern Time, but some markets will delay airing.
The status of the show during the week is maintained on a bulletin board. Sketches and other segments are given labels which are put on index cards and put on the board in the order of their performance. The order is based on content as well as production limitations such as camera placement and performer availability. Segments which have been cut are kept to the side of the board. As the broadcast approaches, often the writer/producer discovers the fate of his or her segment only by consulting the bulletin board.
A
60 Minutes report taped in October 2004 depicted the intense writing frenzy that goes on during the week leading up to a show, with crowded meetings and long hours. The report particularly noted the involvement of the guest hosts in developing and selecting the sketches in which they will appear. Similarly, there has been an
A&E episode of
Biography which covered the production process, as well as an episode of "TV Tales" in 2002 on
E! Entertainment Television.
When it's not live
Reruns
SNL reruns are aired out of its original broadcast sequence, usually determined by which episodes have not yet been repeated, but had high ratings or acclaim for its live broadcast. Shows usually air twice during a particular season, but often the highest rated shows of the season have a second encore show towards the end of the off-season, or episodes will be repeated a second or third time to coincide with a new event connected with the person who hosted. For example, the
Natalie Portman episode aired in March 2006 to promote
V for Vendetta was repeated August 5, 2006, prior to the film's
DVD release August 8. Similarly,
Jeff Gordon's episode reran following NBC's coverage of the
Pepsi 400.
The show is never live in the western half of the USA. There was a short experiment in which it did air live on the west coast in 2001 after live
XFL football games. NBC airs a recording of the live show for the Mountain and Pacific time zones, usually exactly as it aired in the East -- mistakes notwithstanding.
NBC and
Broadway Video share the copyright to every episode of the show made thus far. From 1990 until 2004,
Comedy Central and its predecessor
Ha! re-aired reruns of the series, after which
E! Entertainment Television signed a deal to reruns.
Abbreviated thirty and sixty minute versions of the first five seasons aired as
The Best of Saturday Night Live in syndication beginning in the 1980s and later on
Nick at Nite in 1988,
VH1,
Comedy Central and
E! Entertainment Television.
Compilations
From time-to-time,
SNL airs compilation shows. Such shows will feature hand-selected best sketches from the previous season; of a particular cast member or multiple-time host; or centered on a particular theme (eg.
Halloween,
Christmas). Political sketches are typically culled for a special in
presidential election years; the 2000 special was notable for having self-deprecating (though separate) appearances by candidates
George W. Bush and
Al Gore. During the 2008 presidential race,
Hilary Clinton,
Mike Huckabee,
John McCain,
Barack Obama, and
Sarah Palin all made appearances on the show.
Delays
- The show was forced by the network to run on a five-second delay on three separate occasions when Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison, and Andrew Dice Clay each hosted.
- The episode scheduled for October 25, 1986, hosted by Rosanna Arquette, was not aired until November 8 due to NBC broadcasting Game 6 of the 1986 World Series; the game entered extra innings, causing that night's broadcast of SNL to be canceled. The show was recorded for the studio audience starting at 1:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and broadcast two weeks later with an "apology" by New York Mets pitcher Ron Darling.
- The episode scheduled for February 10, 2001, hosted by Jennifer Lopez, aired 45 minutes late due to an XFL game. Lopez and the cast were not told they were airing on a delay.
- During Eddie Murphy's last season, he negotiated to record a number of extra sketches in September 1983 that featured him and were broadcast in episodes for which he was not available. His last live show was with host Edwin Newman on February 25, 1984.
- When Sam Kinison delivered a comic monologue in 1986, NBC removed his plea for the legalization of marijuana from the West Coast broadcast and all subsequent airings.
- A portion of Martin Lawrence's 1994 monologue concerning feminine hygiene has been removed from all repeats, replaced with a voice-over and intertitles stating that the excised portion "...was a frank and lively presentation, and nearly cost us all our jobs."
- In a November 21, 1992 Wayne's World sketch, the characters Wayne and Garth (respectively portrayed by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey) made fun of Chelsea Clinton (the-then 12-year old daughter of President-Elect Bill Clinton), implying that Chelsea was incapable of causing males to "Schwing!" (essentially meaning she was unattractive). This joke was subsequently edited out of all repeats and syndication rebroadcasts of this sketch.
Replaced/altered sketches
Encore showings are not always identical to the original broadcast. Successful sketches aired later in the show during the original broadcast may be reedited to appear earlier. In the earlier years of the show's history, reruns occasionally replaced weaker sketches with segments from other episodes, usually from episodes that did not have an encore showing at all.
Occasionally, sketches originally performed in the dress rehearsal (which is recorded as a backup) have replaced the live version in reruns. This is usually due to errors (either technical or by the actors) in the live broadcast. Examples include
- A Peter Sarsgaard sketch from his January 21, 2006 appearance, involving Rachel Dratch's fake newscast, met with technical difficulties during the live broadcast when the in-sketch TV stopped working and a stagehand was seen fixing it.
- Kathleen Turner's monologue in 1989.
- A sketch involving "butt pregnancy" during the first broadcast of the November 12, 2005, Jason Lee episode was replaced with a musical sketch about cafeteria food during the repeat.
- A sketch with Roseanne Barr where she played a customer service representative for a fictional credit card company. At the end of the sketch, she accidentally used the name "Master Card" and not the fictional (though very similar) name. The dress rehearsal version has replaced that version in all successive broadcasts.
- A Debbie Downer sketch featuring Ben Affleck was pulled from later rebroadcasts and replaced with the dress rehearsal version. In this case, the replacement is actually referenced by a title card, explaining that the dress version "worked better." The main difference between the two is that in the dress version, the actors broke character and started laughing during the sketch (causing the audience to laugh more), while the live version was performed without laughter from the actors, and less laughter from the audience.
- One of the most notable substitutions was the replacement of Sinéad O'Connor's October 3, 1992 live performance during which she destroyed a photograph of Pope John Paul II, with the dress rehearsal performance from earlier that evening where she holds up a picture of a starving African child.
[The Onion AV Club article: "Inventory: Ten Memorable Saturday Night Live Musical Moments."]
- The It's a Match sketch with host Shia LaBeouf was edited so he would not fumble with the rings he pulled out from under his chair, and Casey Wilson's answer to where she was during the murder was "Making mouth whoopie" instead of "Eating pound cake and crying on my waterbed."
- The "I Drink Your Milkshake" sketch involving Bill Hader (as Daniel Plainview) was edited to remove Hader's verbal mistake when saying the city in Wisconsin. The mistake was edited out by showing the restaurant picture earlier, and the verbal mistake completely removed from the sketch in all subsequent re-broadcasts.
- The "VH1 Storytellers: Neil Diamond" sketch in episode 438 February 7, 1998 is edited out in repeats and is absent from the Will Ferrell "Best of" videos despite being recognized by many as one of SNL's funniest sketches.
- The "Michael Phelps Diet" fake commercial from the season 34 premiere episode used a dress rehearsal version in reruns because the live version had a part where Michael Phelps can be seen turning his head to cough just before delivering his line.
Censorship
In some cases, a sketch was censored in repeat broadcasts.
- A sketch featuring a performance of "War of the Worlds" by the Brooklyn Actor's Academy had as its primary joke the thick "Noo Yawk" accent of the actors. The sketch featured many lines using heavily accented forms of the word fuck; "fuggin'," "funkin'," etc. While the curse word proper was never actually used, the "close call" words are bleeped out on broadcasts of the sketch on E!, where the show is run in the daytime.
- On the Rainn Wilson/Arcade Fire episode on February 24, 2007, during the sketch where four men talk about where they were when they first heard "Danny's Song," Bill Hader's character tells the story of how he first heard the song when he was spending time with his father in the park, and concludes that it was the first day that he thought, "I have a dad," instead of, "I have a dad with Down's Syndrome." Due to complaints, the "Down's Syndrome" part of the line was bleeped out in all NBC reruns.
- In Salt Lake City, Utah, Saturday Night Live is not broadcast on the local network affiliate KSL-TV. Instead of SNL, KSL airs SportsBeat Saturday, a sports talk program that had been airing in the same time slot when the station was a CBS affiliate. (The former NBC affiliate, KUTV, also passed on SNL, before the local WB {now CW} affiliate, KUWB {now KUCW}, decided to air SNL.) KSL-TV is owned by Bonneville International Corporation, which in turn is a wholly owned organization of the LDS Church.
- On the NBC rerun of the season 34 episode hosted by Anne Hathaway, the CSPAN Bailout sketch was edited to remove references to Herb Sandler and his wife, Marion, and their corrupt banking practices [ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live_(Season_34)], as days after the sketch aired, Lorne Michaels discovered that Herb and Marion Sandler were an actual couple who were accused of this.
Ratings
Sarah Palin's October 18, 2008 guest appearance was a big hit on ‘‘Saturday Night Live.’’ The series scored its highest ratings in 14 years when
Nancy Kerrigan hosted and
Aretha Franklin was the musical guest (March 12, 1994). 14 million people watched— and 17 million for the first half hour (11:30-midnight ET), when the opening sketch happened.
[1]
Updated ratings show that the Alaska governor garnered an audience of 15 million viewers (
Josh Brolin was the episode's host, and
Adele was the musical guest), and a 5.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic -- its best showing since Jan. 20, 2001, when
Mena Suvari was host and
Lenny Kravitz was musical guest.
If the October 8, 2008 broadcast had been a prime time program, it would have been No. 5 in total viewers behind "
CSI," "
NCIS," the "
Dancing With The Stars" (Monday) and "
Desperate Housewives"(Sunday). And "SNL" would have been No. 3 in the 18-49 count behind "
Grey's Anatomy" and "
Desperate Housewives."
Other Ratings:
[2],
[3]
On DVD
Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season was released on
DVD, in the UK, by
Universal Studios on December 5, 2006.
Upon the set’s release, some criticism of its authenticity as complete and uncut arose from reviewers and fans.
[[4]] This was due to the existence of original live copies, which in comparison to the "complete" episodes reveal edits and omissions which are common among the rerun versions of the shows in the set.
The complete second season was released in the US on DVD on December 4, 2007.
, and the third season on May 13, 2008. Amazon.com confirms the fourth season will be released on December 2, 2008.
In addition to the full season releases, there have been multiple releases both on VHS and DVD featuring the "Best Of" former cast members and guest hosts in addition to documentaries, musical performances and themed compilations of sketches as well as a release of the show's 25 year anniversary.
2008 Presidential Election
"The 'SNL effect' absolutely impacted the election," said Mike Dabadie,
FirstView researcher. "We saw that 10 percent of voters said they were influenced by the skits. At the same time, the data shows that 59 percent of those who saw the skits voted for
Barack Obama and 39 percent voted for
John McCain." The survey also found that 6 percent of respondents indicated the skits made them more likely to vote for Obama/
Joe Biden and 4 percent said the SNL skits made them more likely to vote for McCain/
Sarah Palin. FirstView surveyed 1,000 voters through a phone and online survey. Respondents were triple screened for age, voter registration and participation in the 2008 election.
[5],
[6]
See also
