Saturday Night Live

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Saturday Night Live

The Saturday Night Live inter-title season 35.
Also known as NBC's Saturday Night (1975–1977)
Saturday Night Live '80 (1980)
Format Stand-up comedy,
Sketch comedy,
Comedy, Variety
Created by Lorne Michaels
Starring See Saturday Night Live cast
Narrated by Don Pardo (1975–1981, 1982–present)
Mel Brandt (1981–1982)
Bill Hanrahan (1981)
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 35
No. of episodes 674 (as of March 6, 2010)
(List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Lorne Michaels (1975–1980, 1985–present)
Jean Doumanian (1980–1981)
Dick Ebersol (1981–1985)
Location(s) Studio 8H, GE Building, Rockefeller Center, New York City, New York, United States
Running time 90–92 minutes
Production company(s) Broadway Video
SNL Studios
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
Original run October 11, 1975 – present
Chronology
Related shows TV Funhouse
Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday
External links
Official website

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol.[1] It premiered on NBC, a terrestrial television network in the United States, on October 11, 1975, under the title NBC's Saturday Night.[2] The show's sketches often parody contemporary American popular culture and politics.[3] Saturday Night Live features a two-tiered cast consisting of veteran repertory members, also called the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" (the name used by the show's original cast), and newer cast members who are known as "Featured Players."[3][4] Each week, the show features a host who delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast. A musical guest is also invited to perform. With the exception of season 7, the show has begun with a cold open sketch that ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"[5]

For all but five seasons[6][7] (six through ten), the show has been overseen by its creator and current executive producer, Lorne Michaels. Broadway Video, SNL Studios, and NBC jointly manage production.[3] Saturday Night Live is one of the longest-running network television programs in the United States with nearly 700 episodes broadcast over the span of 35 seasons as of 2010. A number of the show's sketches have been developed into feature films.

Throughout its three decades on air, Saturday Night Live has received a number of awards, including 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and three Writers Guild of America Awards. In 2000, it was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. It was ranked tenth on TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" list, and in 2007 it was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME."[3][8]

History

See also: history of SNL 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, 35

In the early 1970s, NBC ran The Best of Carson reruns of The Tonight Show that aired on either Saturday or Sunday night, at an affiliate's discretion, from January 1965 until September 1975 (originally known as The Saturday/Sunday Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson). In 1974, Johnny Carson wanted the weekend shows to be pulled and aired during the week. Carson wanted to save them for when he took time off.

NBC approached Dick Ebersol in 1974 and asked him to create a show to fill the Saturday night timeslot. Ebersol then approached Lorne Michaels wanting to create a variety show that would push the boundaries with it's edgy style of humor. Ebersol knew Michaels was capable of creating a show since he had worked on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. The show was set and Michaels searched for people to join the staff. He hired Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, George Coe, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O'Donoghue and Gilda Radner to the cast. Originally, the show was called NBC's Saturday Night, as the current title was in use by rival network ABC. NBC purchased the rights to the name in 1976[9] and officially adopted the new title on March 26, 1977.

The show was an instant hit following its debut. It suddenly propelled the cast into fame that they never knew of. Chase left the show during the second season and was replaced by a new and upcoming comic named Bill Murray. Aykroyd and Belushi left the show after season four. The following season, Michaels chose to leave the show and explore other avenues. Michaels' departure led most of the cast and writing staff to leave the show as well.

As SNL was still popular, Michaels thought NBC would cancel the show upon his departure. However, NBC had already planned to replace him with Jean Doumanian. NBC wanted to build up a new cast and continue on with the show, leaving Doumanian with full creative control. After disastrous reviews and behind-the-scenes turmoil, Doumanian was fired after one season. She was replaced by Dick Ebersol, who had originally hired Michaels to create the show.

Ebersol fired most of the people Doumanian hired, save for a few people including unknown comics Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo. Ebersol, remaining with the show until 1984. In the Fall of 1984, Ebersol departed from tradition by adding several cast members with established comedic careers, including Billy Crystal, Martin Short, and Harry Shearer. After that season, Ebersol wanted a more significant revamp, including departing from the show's established "live" format. Ebersol left the show and Michaels decided to return to the show.

Michaels returned the show for 1985-86 season. The entire cast from the previous season did not return, causing Michaels to rebuild the show. He hired then unknowns Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr. and many others. The season was disastrous and the show was almost cancelled. However, Michaels was given one more chance to save the show. He fired most of the staff and brought in a new set of people he hoped would save the show including Dana Carvey, Nora Dunn, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller and Kevin Nealon.

After a slow start, the show's ratings increased the the critical reception improved, the show was saved. Michaels's return restored an association with NBC that has lasted nearly 30 years. As head of Broadway Video and SNL Films, Michaels has profited from the talent he's helped introduce, producing the TV series Late Night (during the eras of Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon - both SNL alumni) and 30 Rock (a comedy created by former SNL head writer Tina Fey, and loosely based on her experiences in that role). Michaels also produced the TV movie All You Need Is Cash and a lengthy list of feature films based on SNL sketches; the most commercially and critically successful of these was Wayne's World.