Saturday Night Live (abbreviated as SNL) is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol.^[1] The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night. The show revolves around a series of sketches parodying American culture and politics,^[2] performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members.^[2][3] Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest who delivers an opening monologue and takes part in sketches with the cast, and features a musical guest who also performs. SNL normally begins with a cold open sketch that ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", beginning the show proper.^[4]

Michaels left the series in 1980 to explore other opportunities, and he was replaced by Jean Doumanian who led the show to disastrous reviews and was replaced by Ebersol after one season. Ebersol continued to run the show until 1985, when Michaels returned and where he has remained since. Many of SNL's cast found national stardom while appearing on the show and achieved success in film and television, both in front of and behind the camera. In particular, SNL has helped launch the careers of Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, Mike Myers, and Adam Sandler. Additionally others associated with the show such as writers have gone on to successful careers, including Conan O'Brien, Max Brooks, Stephen Colbert, Larry David, Al Franken, Sarah Silverman, and Robert Smigel.

Broadcast from Studio 8H at NBC's headquarters in the GE Building, SNL has aired 724 episodes since its debut and ended its thirty-seventh season on May 19, 2012, making it one of the longest-running network television programs in the United States as of 2012. The show format has been developed and recreated in several countries including Spain, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, each meeting with different levels of success. Successful sketches have seen life outside of the show as feature films although only two met with critical and financial success: The Blues Brothers (1980) and Wayne's World (1992). The show has been marketed in other ways including home media releases of seasons, books, and documentaries about the behind-the-scenes activities of running and developing the show.

Throughout its more than 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." In 2009, it received 13 Emmy nominations bringing the show to a total of 126, giving it the most Emmy nominations in television history. The live aspect of the show has resulted in several controversies and acts of censorship, with mistakes and intentional acts of sabotage by performers and guests alike.

Development[link]

From 1965 until September 1975, NBC ran The Best of Carson reruns of The Tonight Show, airing them on either Saturday or Sunday night, at local affiliates' discretion, (originally known as The Saturday/Sunday Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson). In 1974, Johnny Carson announced that he wanted the weekend shows pulled and saved so that they could be aired during weekdays, allowing him to take time off.^[5]

NBC president Herbert Schlosser approached his vice president of late night programming Dick Ebersol in 1974 and asked him to create a show to fill the Saturday night timeslot. Schlosser and Ebersol then approached Lorne Michaels, wanting to create a variety show that would push the boundaries with its 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 Saturday Night Live was in use by Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell on the rival network ABC.^[6] NBC purchased the rights to the name in 1976 and officially adopted the new title on March 26, 1977.^[7]

The show was an instant hit following its debut, and as a result, the cast members became suddenly famous. 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. In 1980, after season five, Michaels, emotionally and physically exhausted, requested to put the show on hiatus for a year to give him time to pursue other ideas.^[8] Concerned that the show would be cancelled without him, Michaels suggested writers Al Franken and Tom Davis take his place, but then-NBC president Fred Silverman disliked Franken, and after Franken performed "Limo for a Lame-O", a scathing critique of Silverman's presidency, Silverman was furious at Franken, and blamed Lorne for approving the sketch. ^[9] Unable to get the deal he wanted, Michaels chose to leave NBC for Paramount Pictures, intending to take his associate-producer Jean Doumanian with him. Michaels later learned that Doumanian had been given his position at SNL after being recommended by her friend, NBC vice-president Barbara Gallagher.^[10] Michaels' departure led to most of the cast and writing staff leaving the show.^[11]

The reputation of the show as a springboard to fame meant many aspiring stars were eager to join the new series. Doumainan was tasked with hiring a full cast and writing staff in less than three months, and NBC immediately cut the show's budget from the previous $1 million per episode down to just $350,000. Doumainan faced resentment and sabotage from the remaining Michaels staff, particularly males who did not appreciate a woman believing she could take Michael's place.^[12] The season was a disaster, ratings plummeted and audiences failed to connect to the original casts' replacements like Charles Rocket and Ann Risley,^[13] but her fate was sealed when, during a sketch, Rocket said "fuck" on live television.^[14] After only ten months Doumainan was dismissed.^[13][15] Although executives suggested SNL be left to die, Network chief Brandon Tartikoff wanted to keep the show going, believing the concept was more important to the network than money. Tartikoff turned to Ebersol, who had been previously fired by Silverman.^[16] Ebersol gained Michaels' approval in an attempt to avoid the same staff sabotage that had blighted Doumanian's tenure.^[17]

Ebersol's tenure saw commercial success but was considered lackluster compared to the Michaels era, apart from the breakout of cast member Eddie Murphy.^[19] Murphy, the main draw of the cast, left in 1983 to pursue his already successful film career, and Ebersol decided to again rebuild the cast, breaking with history by hiring established comedians like Billy Crystal and Martin Short who could bring their already successful material to the show.^[20] Ebersol's final year with this new cast is considered one of the funniest of the series, but had strayed far from the precedent-shattering show that Michaels had created.^[21] After that season, Ebersol wanted a more significant revamp, including departing from the show's established "live" format.^{[citation needed]} Following unsuccessful forays into film and television, in need of money, and eager not to see Tartikoff cancel the show,^[22] Michaels finally returned in 1985 after Ebersol opted not to. The show was again recast, with Michaels borrowing Ebersol's idea, and seeking out established acts like Joan Cusack and Robert Downey, Jr..^[23] The cast and writers struggled creatively, and in April 1986, Tartikoff made the decision to cancel the show, until he was convinced by Bernie Brillstein to give it one more year.^[24] The show was renewed but for the first time in its history, for only thirteen episodes instead of the usual twenty-two.^[25] Michaels again fired most of the cast and, learning his lesson from the previous seasons, sought out unknown talent like Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman instead of known names.^[25]

The show ran successfully again until it lost two of its biggest stars, Carvey and Hartman, between 1992 and 1994. Wanting to increase SNL's profitability, then-NBC West Coast president Don Ohlmeyer and other executives began to actively interfere in the show, recommending that new stars like Chris Farley and Adam Sandler be fired, and the show faced increasing criticism from the press and cast, in part encouraged by the NBC executives hoping to weaken Michaels' position.^[26] Michaels' return restored an association with NBC that has lasted nearly 30 years. As head of Broadway Video and SNL Studios, 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), 30 Rock (a comedy created by former SNL head writer Tina Fey, and loosely based on her experiences in that role), and Up All Night, starring fomer SNL cast member Maya Rudolph. Michaels also produced the TV film 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.^[27]

Cast and crew[link]

Cast[link]

The original 1975 cast of SNL, officially known on-air as "The Not Ready For Prime-Time Players",^[28] a term coined by writer Herb Sargent,^[29] included Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris and Chevy Chase. Radner was the first person hired after Michaels himself. Although Chase became a performer, he was hired on a one-year writer contract, and refused to sign the performer contract that was repeatedly given to him, allowing him to leave the show after the first season in 1976.^[30] Newman was brought aboard after having a prior working relationship with Michaels.^[31] Morris was initially brought in as a writer, but attempts to have him fired by another writer led Michaels to have Morris audition for the cast, where he turned in a successful performance.^[32] Curtin and Belushi were the last two cast to be hired.^[31] Belushi held a disdain for television and had repeatedly turned down offers to appear on other shows, but decided to work with the show because of the involvement of Radner, and writers Anne Beatts and Michael O'Donoghue.^[33] Michaels was still reluctant to hire Belushi, believing he would be a source of trouble for the show, but Beatts, O'Donoghue, and Ebersol successfully argued for his inclusion.^[33] After Chase left the show, he was replaced by Bill Murray who Michaels had intended to hire for the first season cast, but was unable to due to budget restrictions.^[34] When Chase returned to host in 1978, he found the remaining cast resentful at his departure and his success, particularly Belushi. Murray, goaded by the rest of the cast, and Chase came to blows shortly before the show.^[35] Chase's departure for film made Michaels possessive of his talent; he threatened to fire Aykroyd if he took the role of D-Day in the 1978 comedy Animal House, and later refused to allow SNL musician Paul Shaffer to participate in The Blues Brothers (1980) with Aykroyd and Belushi after they left in 1979 to pursue film careers.^[36][37] Michaels began to struggle to hold the remaining cast together in the wake of Chase, Aykroyd, and Belushi's independent successes. Radner had a one-woman Broadway show and Murray starred in the 1979 comedy Meatballs.^[38] In 1980, when Michaels chose to leave the series to pursue other interests, he was followed by the remaining original cast, Curtin, Newman, and Morris, Murray, and additional cast members.^[37]

The Doumainan era cast faced immediate comparison to the beloved former cast and were not received favorably.^[13] Ebersol fired the majority of her hires, except for two unknown comedians; Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo.^[39] Talent coordinator Neil Levy claimed Murphy contacted and pleaded with him for a role on the show, and after seeing him audition, Levy fought with Doumainan to cast him instead of Robert Townsend. Doumainan wanted only one black cast member and favored Townsend, but Levy convinced her to choose Murphy. Doumainan however also claimed credit for discovering Murphy and fighting with NBC executives to bring him onto the show.^[40] Even so, Murphy would languish as a background character until Ebersol took charge,^[41] after which Murphy was credited with much of that era's success.^[42] Murphy's star exploded, and he quickly appeared in films like 48 Hrs. and Trading Places, before leaving for his film career in early 1984. Much of the Ebersol cast departed after the 1983-1984 season and were replaced with established comedians who could supply their own material, but at an inflated cost; Billy Crystal and Martin Short were paid $25,000 and $20,000 respectively, a far cry from earlier salaries.^[20] Michaels' return in 1985 saw a cast reset that featured established talent like Robert Downey Jr., Jon Lovitz, and Dennis Miller.^[43] The season was poorly received, and another reset followed in 1986. Learning his lesson from the previous season, Michaels avoided known talent in favor of actual ability. He spared Lovitz, Miller, and Nora Dunn, and brought in new, untested talent like Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, and Jan Hooks, who together would define a new era on the show into the early 1990s.^[44] The cast continued on for the next decade with the addition of new talent like Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, and Chris Farley, but by 1995, Carvey, Hartman, and Myers had left, and increasing network pressure forced Michaels to fire Sandler and Farley.^[45] The show saw its next major overhaul, bringing in a new cast including Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, and Jimmy Fallon.^[45]

As of 2012, SNL has featured more than 129 cast members including Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Will Forte, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tracy Morgan, Chris Parnell, Maya Rudolph, and Kristen Wiig. Darrell Hammond is the longest serving cast member, having been a part of the cast for fourteen years between 1995 and 2009.^[46] Those selected to join the cast of SNL are normally already accomplished performers, recruited from improvisational comedy groups such as The Groundlings (Ferrell, Hartman,^[47] Lovitz, and Wiig^[48]) and The Second City (Aykroyd, Farley, Fey,^[49] and Tim Meadows), or established stand-up comedians (Carvey, Sandler, Rock, and Norm MacDonald), who already possess the training or experience necessary for SNL.^[50]

Of the many roles available in the show, one of the longest running, and most coveted, is being the host of "Weekend Update", a segment which has alternated between having one or two hosts, and which allows the cast members involved to perform as themselves and be on camera for an extended period of time.^[51] Many of the "Weekend Update" hosts have gone on to find greater success outside of the show, including: Chase, Murray,^[51] Miller, MacDonald,^[52] Fey,^[51] Fallon,^[53] and Poehler. Since 2008, Seth Meyers has been the solo host of "Weekend Update", having previously co-hosted with Poehler since 2006.^[51]

As of the 2011-2012 season, the cast is divided into two tiers: the more established group of repertory players; and newer, unproven cast members known as featured players, who may eventually be promoted to the repertory stable. The show's current cast is listed below:^[54]

Cast were often contracted from anywhere between five and six years to the show,^[55][56] but starting with the 1999-2000 season, new hires were tied to a rewritten contract that allowed NBC to take a cast member in at least their second year and put them in a NBC sitcom. Cast are given the option of rejecting the first two sitcom offers but must accept the third offer, with the sitcom contract length dictated by NBC and potentially lasting up to six years.^[56] The move drew criticism from talent agents and managers who believed that a cast member could be locked into a contract with NBC for twelve years; six on SNL and then six on a sitcom. The contract also optioned the cast member for three feature films produced by SNL Films, a company owned by NBC, Paramount Pictures, and Michaels. The new contracts were reportedly developed after many previously unknown cast, like Myers and Sandler, gained fame on SNL only to leave and make money for other studios.^[56] In a 2010 interview, Wiig was reported to be contracted to SNL for a total of seven years.^[57] The contracts also contain a network option which allows NBC to remove a cast member at any time.^[58] In the first season of the show, cast were paid $750 per episode, rising to $2,000 by season 2, and $4,000 by season 4.^[59] By the late 1990s, new cast members received a salary between $5,000^[56] and $5,500 per episode,^[58] increasing to $6,000 in the second year and up to $12,500 for a cast member in their fifth year.^[58] Performers could earn an additional $1,500 per episode for writing a sketch which made it to air.^[58] In 2001, Ferrell became the highest paid cast member, being paid $350,000 per season (approximately $17,500 per episode).^[60]

Writers[link]

Lorne Michaels in April 2008, attending SNL alumnae Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's film Baby Mama.

As of the 2011-2012 season, Meyers is the show's head writer, having been co-head writer since the 2005-2006 season and becoming the single head writer as of the 2008-2009 season.^[61] The "Weekend Update" segment has its own dedicated team of writers led by head writer and producer Alex Baze as of the 2011-2012 season.^[62][63] Scenes on "Weekend Update" that involve members of the cast acting in-character alongside the host are often written by staff writers outside of the dedicated team whom know those characters better.^[63]

SNL writers are often also performers or experienced in writing and improvisational comedy. Many are hired from similar backgrounds such as The Groundlings, Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and ImprovOlympic.^[37] Experienced writers with backgrounds in television shows are also sometimes brought into the SNL writing room. Like the SNL cast that step before the cameras, many of the writers have been able to find their own success outside the show such as O'Brien, who was brought into SNL from The Groundlings, went on to writing for The Simpsons, and eventually began hosting his own show,^[64] and former head writer Adam McKay who, along with performer Ferrell, founded the successful comedy website Funny or Die.^[65] In 2000, Fey became the first female SNL head writer^[66][67] and successfully transitioned into starring on the show,^[68] as well as writing and starring in feature films,^[69][70][71] and ultimately creating and starring in her own show 30 Rock—partly based on her SNL experiences.^[72] In 2005, Fey was being paid $1.5 million per season for her dual role as head writer and performer.^[73]

Announcer[link]

Don Pardo served as the announcer for the series when it first began,^[74] and has continued in the role for all but season 7 between 1981–1982, when Michaels had left and Mel Brandt and Bill Hanrahan filled the announcing role. In 2004, Pardo announced that he would step down from his position, but then continued in the role before again announcing his retirement in 2009, but then continue into the 2009-2010 season.^[74] In 2010, then 92-year old Pardo was reported to be again considering his retirement, but as of the 2011-2012 season he remains as the announcer. Apart from a brief period in 2006 in which Pardo pre-recorded his announcements at his home in Arizona, he has flown to New York City to perform his announcing duties live.^[74] Cast member Darrell Hammond also periodically impersonated Pardo and fulfilled his announcing duties when Pardo was unavailable.^[75]

[edit] The SNL Band

The Saturday Night Live Band (also known as "The Live Band") is the house band for SNL. Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore served as the first musical director, from 1975 to 1980, appearing in many musical sketches, including Howard Shore and His All-Nurse Band and (backing a U. S. Coast Guard chorus) Howard Shore and the Shore Patrol. Over the years, the band has featured several New York studio musicians including Paul Shaffer (1975–1980), Lou Marini (1975–1983), David Sanborn (1975), Michael Brecker (early 1980s), Ray Chew (1980–1983), Alan Rubin (1975–1983), Georg Wadenius (1979–1985), Steve Ferrone (1985), David Johansen (performing as Buster Poindexter), Tom Malone (who took over as musical director from 1981 to 1985), and G. E. Smith (musical director from 1985 to 1995). The band is currently under the leadership of Tower of Power alumnus Lenny Pickett and keyboardists Leon Pendarvis and Katreese Barnes. The number of musicians has varied over the years, but the basic instrumentation has been three saxophones, one trombone, one trumpet, and a rhythm section featuring two keyboards, a guitar, bass, drums, and an extra percussionist, not a permanent part of the band until Valerie Naranjo's arrival in 1995. The 1983–1984 and 1984–1985 seasons featured the smallest band, a six-piece combo. The band plays instrumentals leading in and out of station breaks; affiliates who run no advertising during these interludes hear the band play complete songs behind a Saturday Night Live bumper graphic until the program resumes.^[76]

Hosts and musical guests[link]

A typical episode of SNL will feature a single host chosen for their popularity, novelty, or because they had a film, album or other work releasing near the time of their show appearance.^[77] The host delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast. Traditionally the host of the show ends the opening monologue by introducing the musical guest for the night. Comedian George Carlin was the first to host SNL in the debut October 1975 episode;^[78] three episodes later, Candice Bergen became the first female host^[79] and the first to host more than once.^[80] Hosts have been drawn from a wide spectrum of backgrounds, from actors, such as Danny DeVito, Buck Henry, and John Goodman,^[77] to musicians, like George Harrison,^[81] and Dolly Parton,^[82], politicians such as former-president Gerald Ford, president Barack Obama, and Hilary Clinton,^[83] and political activist Ralph Nader.^[77] Guests that have hosted five or more times are sometimes referred to as belonging to the Five-Timers Club, a term that originated on a sketch performed on Tom Hanks' fifth episode. As of September 24, 2011, actor Alec Baldwin holds the record for most times hosting, having performed the duty on sixteen different occasions since 1990; Baldwin took the record from actor Steve Martin who has hosted fifteen times since 1976.^[84]

Each episode also features a musical guest, a solo act or a band, who perform two to three musical numbers. Occasionally, the musical guest has also simultaneously served as the host. As of May 19, 2012, Dave Grohl is the most frequent musical guest, performing on eleven shows since 1992.^[85] Michaels does not allow musical guests to perform using lip-synching tracks,^[86] believing it diminishes the live aspect of the show. Exceptions are only made when the musical act is focused on intense dance routines instead of vocals, where it is difficult to be both heavily physically active and sing simultaneously.^[87] A 1975 performance by pop group ABBA was the first and only act to feature lip-synching,^[86] until the controversial 2004 performance of Ashlee Simpson.