''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. 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, performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Among these sketches is the ''Weekend Update'', news show featuring satirical views of current news stories, which has been performed on every episode of the show. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity who delivers an opening monologue and often 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.
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 721 episodes since its debut and entered its thirty-seventh season on September 24, 2011, 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'' "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==
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.
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. NBC purchased the rights to the name in 1976 and officially adopted the new title on March 26, 1977.
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. 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. 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. Michaels' departure led to most of the cast and writing staff leaving the show.
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. The season was a disaster, ratings plummeted and audiences failed to connect to the original casts' replacements like Charles Rocket and Ann Risley, but her fate was sealed when, during a sketch, Rocket said "fuck" on live television. After only ten months Doumainan was dismissed. 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. Ebersol gained Michaels' approval in an attempt to avoid the same staff sabotage that had blighted Doumanian's tenure.
Ebersol's tenure saw commercial success but was considered lackluster compared to the Michaels era, apart from the breakout of cast member Eddie Murphy. 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, Martin Short, and Harry Shearer who could bring their already successful material to the show. 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. After that season, Ebersol wanted a more significant revamp, including departing from the show's established "live" format. Following unsuccessful forays into film and television, in need of money, and eager not to see Tartikoff cancel the show, 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.. 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. The show was renewed but for the first time in its history, for only thirteen episodes instead of the usual twenty-two. 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.
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. 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''.
Cast and crew
Cast
The original 1975 cast of ''SNL'', officially known on-air as "The Not Ready For Prime-Time Players", a term coined by writer
Herb Sargent, 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. Newman was brought aboard after having a prior working relationship with Michaels. 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. Curtin and Belushi were the last two cast to be hired. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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''. 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.
The Doumainan era cast faced immediate comparison to the beloved former cast and were not received favorably. Ebersol fired the majority of her hires, except for two unknown comedians; Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo. 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. Even so, Murphy would languish as a background character until Ebersol took charge, after which Murphy was credited with much of that era's success. 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. Michaels' return in 1985 saw a cast reset that featured established talent like Robert Downey Jr., Jon Lovitz, and Dennis Miller. 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. 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. The show saw its next major overhaul, bringing in a new cast including Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, and Jimmy Fallon.
As of 2012, ''SNL'' has featured more than 118 cast members including Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Will Forte, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tracy Morgan, Chris Parnell, and Maya Rudolph. Darrell Hammond is the longest serving cast member, having been a part of the cast for fourteen years between 1995 and 2009. Those selected to join the cast of ''SNL'' are normally already accomplished performers, recruited from improvisational comedy groups such as The Groundlings (Ferrell, Hartman, Lovitz, and Kristen Wiig) and The Second City (Aykroyd, Farley, Fey, and Tim Meadows), or established stand-up comedians (Carvey, Sandler, Rock, and Norm MacDonald), who already possess the training or experience necessary for ''SNL''.
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. Many of the "Weekend Update" hosts have gone on to find greater success outside of the show, including: Chase, Murray, Miller, MacDonald, Fey, Fallon, and Poehler. Since 2008, Seth Meyers has been the solo host of "Weekend Update", having previously co-hosted with Poehler since 2006.
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:
Cast were often contracted from anywhere between five and six years to the show, 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. 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. In a 2010 interview, Wiig was reported to be contracted to ''SNL'' for a total of seven years. The contracts also contain a network option which allows NBC to remove a cast member at any time. 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. By the late 1990s, new cast members received a salary between $5,000 and $5,500 per episode, increasing to $6,000 in the second year and up to $12,500 for a cast member in their fifth year. Performers could earn an additional $1,500 per episode for writing a sketch which made it to air. In 2001, Ferrell became the highest paid cast member, being paid $350,000 per season (approximately $17,500 per episode).
Writers
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. 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. 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.
''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. 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, and former head writer Adam McKay who, along with performer Ferrell, founded the successful comedy website Funny or Die. In 2000, Fey became the first female ''SNL'' head writer and successfully transitioned into starring on the show, as well as writing and starring in feature films, and ultimately creating and starring in her own show ''30 Rock''—partly based on her ''SNL'' experiences. In 2005, Fey was being paid $1.5 million per season for her dual role as head writer and performer.
Announcer
Don Pardo served as the announcer for the series when it first began, 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. 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. Cast member Darrell Hammond also periodically impersonated Pardo and fulfilled his announcing duties when Pardo was unavailable.
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.
Hosts and musical guests
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. 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; three episodes later,
Candice Bergen became the first female host and the first to host more than once. Hosts have been drawn from a wide spectrum of backgrounds, from actors, such as
Danny DeVito,
Buck Henry, and
John Goodman, to musicians, like
George Harrison, and
Dolly Parton,, politicians such as former-preseident
Gerald Ford, president
Barack Obama, and
Hilary Clinton, and political activist
Ralph Nader. 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.
Each episode also features a musical guest, a solo act or a band, who will perform two to three musical numbers. Occasionally, the musical guest has also simultaneously served as the host. Michaels does not allow musical guests to perform using lip-synching tracks, 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. A 1975 performance by pop group ABBA was the first and only act to feature lip-synching, until the controversial performance of Ashlee Simpson in 2004.
Production
The studio
Since the show's inception, ''SNL'' has aired from Studio 8H, located on floors 8 and 9 of the
GE Building (30 Rockefeller Plaza, or "30 Rock"). The studio had previously been used as a radio
soundstage for
Arturo Toscanini and his
NBC Symphony Orchestra. Michaels was originally left aghast upon inspecting Studio 8H in 1975, finding it technically limited, outdated, and in need of repair, lacking the capacity to host a live show. Michaels demanded that NBC executives rebuild the studio and improve the acoustics to accommodate the intended musical acts, at a cost of approximately $300,000.
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 television, 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. The offices of SNL writers, producers, and other staff can be found on the 17th floor of "30 Rock".
Post-production
With onsite facilities housed on floors 8 and 17 of Rockefeller Plaza, post-production duties on live broadcasts of ''Saturday Night Live'' include the mixing of audio and video elements by the Senior Audio Mixer, coupled with additional audio feeds consisting of music, sound effects, music scoring and pre-recorded voiceovers. All sources are stored digitally, with shows captured and segregated into individual elements to reorganise for future repeats and syndication. The production tracking system was migrated from primarily
analogue to
digital in 1998, with live shows typically requiring 1.5 Terabytes of storage, consisting of audio elements and 5 cameras worth of visual elements.
Elements of ''Saturday Night Live'' that are pre-recorded, such as certain commercial parodies,
SNL Digital Shorts, and show graphics are processed off-site in the post-production facilities of
Broadway Video.
Filming and photography
Studio 8H production facilities are maintained by NBC Production Services. Video camera equipment includes four Sony BVP-700 CCD cameras, and two Sony BVP-750 CCD handheld cameras, both using
Vinten pedestals. A GVG 4000-3 digital component production switcher, and GVG 7000 digital component routing switcher are used to route visual feeds to the control room, with multiple digital and analogue video recorders used to store footage. Graphics are provided by a Chyron character generator and a Quantel PictureBox. Audio facilities consist of a Calrec T Series digitally controlled analogue mixing console, and a Yamaha
digital mixing console used for tape playback support and utility audio work.
As of 2009, the opening title sequence and opening montage is shot using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon EOS 7D digital SLR cameras. Typical elements are recorded at 30 fps, with slow-motion sequences shot at 60 fps, both in full 1080p high definition.
Edie Baskin was the original ''SNL'' photographer. She was hired after Michaels saw her photographs of Las Vegas and other work. Baskin helped create the opening title sequence for the show by taking photos of New York City at night. The first episode used publicity photos of Carlin as transitional bumpers between the show and commercial breaks, the second episode used photos Baskin had already taken of then host Paul Simon. It was then that Michaels suggested that Baskin photograph the hosts for the bumpers instead of using publicity photos, beginning a tradition which continues today.
Since 1999, Mary Ellen Matthews has been the official photographer of ''SNL'', responsible for devising distinctive photo layouts and aesthetics for still imagery used on the show. Matthews creates photo portraits of the hosts and musical guests of each episode which are used as commercial bumpers. The limited time frame between the host's involvement in the production process and the Live show requires Matthews to create makeshift photo studios on site at 30 Rock, with Matthews attempting to shoot the host on Tuesday and the musical guest on Thursday, although the availability of either can mean the photoshoot for both occurs as late as Thursday. Matthews employs flattering portrait lighting with hard lights to achieve a Hollywood style. On the lighting, Matthews commented: "I think it just helps the image pop off the screen...If you use soft or flat lighting, it becomes not as dimensional...The [classic Hollywood lighting] gives a little more contrast, and if I use edge lights and then light the background, it goes farther and farther back. I try to achieve that depth as much as I can." Matthews is also responsible for taking cast photos, behind the scenes images, documenting rehearsals, and promotional photos. As of 2010, she has also been involved in directing videos, including the show title sequence.
James Signorelli has produced over 400 filmed segments for the show, including numerous commercial parodies.
Creating an episode
The production process of a typical episode has been documented in several sources including documentaries, interviews, and books. The common elements of the production process, as based on these documents, are as follows:
Production on an ''SNL'' episode will normally start on a Monday with a free-form pitch meeting between the cast, writers, producers including Michaels, and the guest host, in Michael's office, over two hours. The host is invited to pitch ideas during this meeting. Although some sketch writing may occur on the day, the bulk of the work revolves around pitching ideas. Tuesday is the only day dedicated purely to writing the scripts, a process which can extend through the night into the following Wednesday. Writing may not begin until 8pm on the Tuesday evening. At 5pm on Wednesday, the sketches are read during a round-table meeting in the writers room, attended by the writers and producers present during the pitch meeting, technical experts such as make-up artists, who may be required to realize certain sketch ideas such as those using prosthetics, and other producers, resulting in an attendance of approximately fifty people. At this point there may be at least 40 sketch ideas which are read-through in turn, lasting upwards of three hours.
After completion of the read-through, Michaels, the head writer, the guest host, and some of the show producers will move to Michaels' office to decide the layout of the show and decide which of the sketches will be developed for air. Once complete, the writers and cast are allowed into Michaels' office to view the show breakdown and learn whether or not their sketch has survived. Sketches may be rewritten starting the same day, but will certainly commence on Thursday, work focuses on developing and rewriting the remaining sketches, and possibly rehearsals. If a sketch is still scheduled beyond Thursday, it is rehearsed on Friday or Saturday before moving to a rehearsal before a live audience at 8pm, again on Saturday before the live show. After the rehearsal, Michaels will review the show lineup to ensure it meets a 90-minute length, and sketches that have made it as far as the live rehearsal may be removed. This often results in less than two days of rehearsal for the eight to twelve sketches that have made it to the stage that then may appear on the live broadcast. The opening monologue, spoken by the guest host, is given low priority and can be written as late as Saturday afternoon.
According to an interview with Fey in 2004, the three to four member dedicated "Weekend Update" writing team will write jokes throughout the week. The host(s) of "Weekend Update" will normally not work with, or read the scripts from, the team until Thursday evening, after the main show sketches have been finalized. The host(s) will then work on contributing to the script where necessary.
Broadcast
The show usually begins at 11:29:30 p.m. Eastern Time (10:29:30 p.m. Central Time), unless a delay occurs. The show broadcasts for one and a half hours, ending at 1 a.m. For the Mountain (except for
KSNG and
KSNK because even though they are counties in Kansas in the Mountain time zone, they are in the Wichita Market, they air at 9:29:30 p.m. Mountain Time) and Pacific time zones, NBC airs the prerecorded live show usually unedited, mistakes notwithstanding. After the intro skit, the show always starts with the words: "
Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
NBC and Broadway Video both hold the underlying rights to the show, while the copyright to every episode lies solely with NBC. 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. In September 2010, reruns of most episodes post-1998 began to air on VH1.
Because SNL has been a huge success in America, other countries have created their own versions of the show, including Spain, Italy and Japan. Spain's version of show was short lived, only lasting a few episodes which aired on Thursdays and not Saturdays as the title suggested. This version copied heavily from the American version, in that they did their own versions of sketches that were already done on the original series. Unlike Spain's version, Italy's was a success. ''Saturday Night Live From Milan'', as it is called, is currently airing its fourth season. SNLFM follows the original format, but uses new material not done already on the American version. In June 2011, Japan's version debuted. ''Saturday Night Live: Japan'' was created in part with Lorne Michaels' production company, Broadway Video and broadcast on Fuji TV networks. The show follows the same format with a few minor differences. SNLJ is only 45 minutes long and (for now) is hosted by a permanent host. The cast is made up of seasoned comedians who take center stage and newcomers who play the background roles. On December 3, 2011, South Korea's ''Saturday Night Live KOREA'' debuted on TVN. SNL Korea's season will last eight weeks. SNLK follows the format of the original but it has new sketches. It has its own versions of SNL Digital Shorts and Weekend Update. The show features musical guests who appear once at the beginning and once near the end of each episode. SNL is aired in The Middle East and North Africa on OSNComedy every Saturday night, one week after it airs in the U.S.
Delays
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 between the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox; 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 Mets pitcher Ron Darling. (He explained that the Mets players had all been happy and excited to win the World Series game, widely considered one of the most memorable in the event's 109-year history, but of course they all had become upset and glum when, in the locker room afterwards, they found out that they had caused the first-ever cancellation of SNL. Footage showed the depressed players sadly staring at the locker room floor in shame.)
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. Michaels was so upset by the delay that the episode was re-run a mere three weeks later, and the fledgeling league actually changed the rules in order to speed up play so that no such incident would happen again.
During 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.
The January 9, 2010, show hosted by Charles Barkley was delayed for 36 minutes when NBC's coverage of an NFL Wild Card playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys ran late.
The January 8, 2011, show hosted by Jim Carrey was delayed for 16 minutes when NBC's live broadcast of the NFL's AFC Wild Card playoff game between the New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts ran late.
The January 7, 2012, show hosted by Charles Barkley was delayed for 22 minutes when NBC's coverage of an NFL Wild Card Playoff Game between the New Orleans Saints and the Detroit Lions ran late.
Reception
In 2002, the show was ranked tenth on
TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, while in 2007 it was honored with inclusion on ''
Time'' magazine's list of "100 Best TV Shows of All-''TIME''."
Accolades
''Saturday Night Live'' has won numerous awards since its debut, including 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, 2 Peabody Awards, and 3 Writers Guild of America Awards. In 2009, it received a total of 13 Emmy nominations for a lifetime total of 126, breaking the record for the most award nominated show in Emmy history, previously set with 124 by hospital drama ''ER''. As of January 2012, it has received a total of 142 Emmy nominations.
Electoral impact
''SNL'' has also had an effect on elections. Voters had reported that political sketches that were shown on the show had influenced them in the voting booth. The media dubbed this as the ''The SNL Effect.'' The so-called SNL Effect was observed during the
2008 presidential campaign according to Mike Dabadie. Two-thirds of voters who responded to a poll said they had seen a broadcast of politically charged content on SNL, with ten percent saying that it had made a difference in their decision.
Barack Obama was the beneficiary of the political content, with 59 percent saying they did in fact cast a vote for the then-Democratic nominee.
However in the Democratic presidential primary campaign, Hillary Clinton received more favorable treatment than Barack Obama. During the campaign Fey famously quipped about the then-Senator that "bitches get stuff done" and that "bitch is the new black."
Merchandise
Home media
Currently,
Universal Studios Home Entertainment and
Lions Gate Entertainment hold video rights to the series. Universal has issued complete season DVD sets to the first few seasons, while Lionsgate's share of the rights are a result of prior contracts with NBC struck before the
NBC Universal merger. A majority of Lionsgate's SNL DVDs are "Best Of..." compilations.
Books
''Saturday Night Live'' (ISBN 0-380-01801-2), the first authorized book about the series was published by
Avon Books in 1977, and edited by
Anne Beatts and
John Head, with photography by Edie Baskin; all three worked for ''SNL'' at the time the book was published. The oversized illustrated paperback included the scripts for several sketches by the 1975-1980 cast. In 1989, Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad authored ''Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live'' (ISBN 0-688-05099-9), a behind-the-scenes look at the first ten seasons. ''Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years'' (ISBN 0-395-75284-1) by Michael Cader was released in 1994, and presented information about the cast, characters, and other memorable moments seen on the show from 1975 to 1994.
''Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, as Told By Its Stars, Writers and Guests'' (ISBN 0-316-73565-5) was released in 2002. The book, written by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller, consists of interviews from people who have worked on the show. The interviews reveal personal experiences from what happened back stage and the difficulty of getting the show on air each week. In 2004, former cast member Jay Mohr released his memoir ''Gasping for Airtime: Two Years in the Trenches of Saturday Night Live'' (ISBN 1-401-30801-5), about his struggles during his two seasons on the show between 1993 and 1995, dealing with getting sketches on air and the intense work schedule. Cast member Bobby Moynihan described the book as "a handbook on what NOT to do at ''SNL''."
Films
''SNL'' has made several efforts to develop some of the more popular sketches into feature length films, with varying degrees of commercial and critical success. The first foray into film came with the successful Aykroyd and Belushi vehicle, ''
The Blues Brothers'' (1980), which earned over $115 million on a $27 million budget. However, it was the success of ''Wayne's World'' (1992) that encouraged 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); ''
A Night at the Roxbury'' (1998); ''
Superstar'' (1999) and ''
The Ladies Man'' (2000). Some did moderately well, though others did not—notably, ''It's Pat'', which did so badly at the box office that the studio which made the film,
Touchstone Pictures (owned by
The Walt Disney Company, which also owns NBC's rival
ABC), pulled it only one week after releasing it, and ''Stuart Saves His Family'', with the latter losing $15 million. Many of these films were produced by
Paramount Pictures. The films based on ''The Blues Brothers'' were produced by
Universal Studios, which merged with NBC in 2004 to form
NBC Universal (Universal also has a
joint venture with Paramount for international distribution of the two studios' films).
| Film
|
Release date(United States)
|
Budget(estimated)
|
Box office revenue
|
Distributor
|
| United States
|
Elsewhere
|
Worldwide
|
| ''The Blues Brothers (film) | The Blues Brothers'' |
| | $27 million |
$57,229,890 |
$58,000,000 |
|
Universal Studios>Universal
|
| ''Wayne's World (film) | Wayne's World'' |
| | $20 million |
$121,697,323 |
$61,400,000 |
|
Paramount Pictures>Paramount
|
| ''Coneheads (film) | Coneheads'' |
| | |
$21,274,717 |
|
|
Paramount
|
| ''Wayne's World 2'' |
| | $40 million |
$48,197,805 |
|
|
Paramount
|
| ''It's Pat'' |
| | |
$60,822 |
|
|
Touchstone Pictures>Touchstone
|
| ''Stuart Saves His Family'' |
| | $15 million |
$912,082 |
|
|
Paramount
|
| ''Blues Brothers 2000'' |
| | $28 million |
$14,051,384 |
|
|
Universal
|
| ''A Night at the Roxbury'' |
| | $17 million |
$30,331,165 |
|
|
Paramount
|
| ''Superstar (film) | Superstar'' |
| | $14 million |
$30,636,478 |
|
|
Paramount
|
| ''The Ladies Man (2000 film) | The Ladies Man'' |
| | $24 million |
$13,743,212 |
$126,602 |
|
Paramount
|
| ''MacGruber (film) | MacGruber'' |
| | $10 million |
$8,525,600 |
$797,295 |
|
Universal
|
In addition, the 1999 comedy film ''
Office Space'' originated from a series of
Mike Judge animated short films that aired on ''SNL'' in 1993.
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.
Music
In 2005, the comedy troupe
The Lonely Island, consisting of ''SNL'' members
Andy Samberg,
Akiva Schaffer, and
Jorma Taccone, gained national exposure after joining the show and debuting their skit music video "
Lazy Sunday", written with fellow cast member
Chris Parnell. The song became a surprise hit, and convinced Michaels to encourage the troupe to develop more comedy songs. Further successes with songs including "
Like A Boss, "
Jizz in My Pants," "
I'm on a Boat," "
We Like Sportz", "Boombox," and "
Dick in a Box"—which won an Emmy for ''Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics'' in 2007—saw The Lonely Island go on to release two albums, ''
Incredibad'' (2009) and ''
Turtleneck & Chain'' (2011), containing ''SNL''-developed songs and original works. The albums were released by
Universal Republic Records who were provided with a license to the ''SNL'' songs by NBC and Broadway Video.
Other
Several programs have documented the behind-the-scenes events of the show. 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 host(s) 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!. In 2010, ''Saturday Night'', a 94-minute documentary by actor
James Franco in his directorial debut, was released which follows the production process of the December 6, 2008, episode hosted by
John Malkovich, from the concept stage to the episode actually airing live. Although it originated as a 5-minute short film for his
New York University film class, Michaels granted Franco access to the process, allowing the project to be expanded.
In September 2011, ice-cream company Ben & Jerry's released a limited-edition ice cream called "Schweddy Balls", inspired by a late 1990s sketch of the same name starring Alec Baldwin, Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon. The ice cream became the fastest-selling Ben & Jerry's limited-edition flavor. The ice cream was also subject to criticism and boycotts by the One Million Moms organization over the "vulgar" name. Some retail chains chose not to sell the flavor, but declined to say if the decision was of their own discretion or based on the One Million Moms boycotts.
Controversies
Censorship
In some cases, a sketch was censored in repeat broadcasts.
On October 18, 1986,
Sam Kinison delivered a stand-up routine which saw the broadcast sound and picture cut twice, replaced with an image of the previous seasons' cast. The first cutaway occurred when Kinison began asking for the legalization of
cannabis and said: "You can't get any more pot. If you give us back the pot, we'll forget about the crack". The joke violated NBC policy of the time that all references to drugs must be negative. The second, longer cutaway occurred when Kinison made a joke about
the crucifixion, with viewers seeing the broadcast cut, returning at the end of Kinison's performance. Kinison had not performed the drug joke during rehearsals, but had performed and been asked to remove the crucifixion joke during the live broadcast, which he failed to do. Although the censorship was applied to the West Coast and later airings, the live show contained the unedited footage.
In a November 21, 1992, "
Wayne's World" sketch, the characters Wayne and Garth (portrayed by Myers and Carvey, respectively) made fun of
Chelsea Clinton (the then 12-year-old daughter of the then President-elect
Bill Clinton), implying that Chelsea was incapable of causing males to "
Schwing!". This joke was subsequently edited out of all repeats and syndication rebroadcasts of this sketch.
A portion of
Martin Lawrence's February 19, 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 1995, an Irish Bartender sketch, written by Mohr, was aired. By April 15, 1995, during the Saturday rehearsal, Mohr was brought to Michaels, and shown a video of the Irish Bartender act as performed by its creator,
Rick Shapiro. Mohr denied any knowledge of Shapiro or his act at the time, but later admitted in his memoir that he had stolen the sketch word for word from Shapiro's work. Shapiro and his manager sued the show and gained an undisclosed settlement which involved the sketch being removed from all reruns of the show.
In March 1998, a
Robert Smigel animated short film, "Conspiracy Theory Rock", aired. The short is a scathing political sketch accusing corporations including
Disney,
FOX, and then-owners of NBC
General Electric, of developing a media monopoly to manipulate public perception, and conceal questionable actions. The clip aired only once as part of the original ''SNL'' episode and was removed from syndicated repeats with Michaels explaining that it "wasn't funny". The clip was eventually released as part of the ''Saturday TV Funhouse'' compilation DVD in 2006.
A sketch involving "butt pregnancy" during the first broadcast of the November 12, 2005, episode was replaced with a musical sketch about cafeteria food during the repeat.
On September 27, 2009,
Jenny Slate made her ''SNL'' debut in a biker babe sketch alongside Wiig and actress
Megan Fox, where their characters repeatedly use the word "frickin'". During one instance Slate instead accidentally said "fuckin'", which was dubbed over with "freakin'" for subsequent airings.
The show was forced by the network to run on a five-second delay when controversial comedian
Richard Pryor hosted.
Andrew Dice Clay
Andrew Dice Clay was scheduled as host on the May 12, 1990, episode. Cast member
Nora Dunn immediately announced to the press that she was boycotting the show in protest at Clay's perceived misogynistic, politically incorrect act, doing so without informing Michaels, the cast or most of the crew about her intent. The backlash was immediate; casting Clay was compared to
the Holocaust by an audience member during an interview with Michaels, female members of the cast and crew were harassed by phone and mail for sticking with the show, and metal detectors were installed at the show to enhance security. NBC censors insisted that the episode be placed on a delay to compensate for anything Clay might say on air. During the live show, some audience members heckled Clay and were immediately removed by the increased security detail. Dunn's contract was already coming to an end, and with one episode left in the season, the staff voted against having her take part in the final episode or return.
Sinéad O'Connor was scheduled to be the musical guest for the episode, but she boycotted the show because of Clay's involvement, forcing the producers to find musical replacements.
Sinéad O'Connor
On October 3, 1992, O'Connor was scheduled to appear, performing an
a cappella performance of
Bob Marley's "
War". During the dress rehearsal, O'Connor held up a photo of a
Balkan child as a protest for child abuse in war before bowing and leaving the stage, which the episodes director Dave Wilson described as a "very tender moment". However, during the live show, O'Connor altered the "War" lyric "fight racial injustice" to "fight child abuse" as a protest against the cases of
sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. She presented a photo of
Pope John Paul II while singing the word "evil", before tearing the image into pieces and saying "Fight the real enemy". NBC had no foreknowledge of O'Connor's plan and Wilson purposely failed to use the "applause" button, leaving the audience to sit in silence. Michaels made the decision to allow O'Connor to take the stage with the rest of the cast at the end of the show, for which he was later punished. NBC received thousands of irate calls in the aftermath of the incident and protests against O'Connor occurred outside of the 30 Rock building, where a steamroller crushed dozens of her tapes, CD's and LP's. In the following weeks on ''SNL'', guests
Joe Pesci and
Madonna both voiced their lack of support for O'Connor.
As of 2012, NBC still declines to rebroadcast the sequence with the exception of an interview with O'Connor on MSNBC's ''The Rachel Maddow Show'', which aired on April 24, 2010, when the clip was aired in full. In reruns the incident is replaced with the dress rehearsal performance. The original episode was made available on volume four of the ''SNL'' DVD special ''Saturday Night Live - 25 Years of Music'', with an introduction by Michaels about the incident. On February 20, 2011, the clip was aired on the SNL special "Backstage" showing footage of the dress rehearsal and live performance side by side. The footage cuts to interviewees during the moment the photo was ripped.
Rage Against the Machine
On April 13, 1996, musical guests
Rage Against the Machine (RATM) were scheduled to perform two songs. The show was hosted that night by ex-
Republican presidential candidate and billionaire
Steve Forbes. According to RATM guitarist
Tom Morello, "RATM wanted to stand in sharp juxtaposition to a billionaire telling jokes and promoting his
flat tax by making our own statement."
To this end, the band hung two upside-down
American flags from their amplifiers. Seconds before they took the stage to perform "
Bulls on Parade", ''SNL'' and NBC sent stagehands in to pull the flags down. Following the removal of the flags during the first performance, the band was approached by ''SNL'' and NBC officials and ordered to immediately leave the building. Upon hearing this, bassist
Tim Commerford reportedly stormed Forbes' dressing room, throwing shreds from one of the torn down flags.
Morello noted that members of the ''SNL'' cast and crew, whom he declined to name, "expressed solidarity with our actions, and a sense of shame that their show had censored the performance."
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson appeared as a musical guest on October 23, 2004. Her first performance, "
Pieces of Me," was performed without incident, but when she began her second song, "
Autobiography," the vocals for "Pieces of Me" were heard again—before she had even raised the microphone to her mouth. Simpson began to do an impromptu jig, and then left the stage. During the closing of the show Simpson appeared with the guest host
Jude Law and said: "I'm so sorry. My band started playing the wrong song, and I didn't know what to do, so I thought I'd do a
hoedown."
On October 25, Simpson called in to the music video show ''Total Request Live'' and explained that due to complications arising from severe acid reflux disease, which had previously been seen bothering her in ''The Ashlee Simpson Show'', she had completely lost her voice and her doctor had advised her not to sing. She said that because of the acid reflux, her father wanted her to use a vocal guide track for the performance after Simpson had suffered vocal issues during an earlier rehearsal. Simpson stated of the incident, "I made a complete fool of myself." According to Simpson, the drummer hit the wrong button, which caused the wrong track to be played. Michaels had been unaware of the plan to use lip synching, saying in an interview with ''60 Minutes'' that he would not have allowed it. Simpson is the only musical guest to ever walk off stage during a live performance.
References
;Bibliography
Further reading
Cader, Michael (1994). ''Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
Hill, Doug, and Jeff Weingrad (1986). ''Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live''. New York: Beech Tree Books. ISBN 0-688-05099-9.
Streeter, Michael (2005). ''Nothing Lost Forever: The Films of Tom Schiller''. New York: BearManor Media. ISBN 1-59393-032-1.
External links
Official NBC website
Official website for Broadway Video
Saturday Night Live: Early Years - slideshow by ''Life (magazine)''
''SNL'' Archives from snl.jt.org
''SNL'' Transcripts from snltranscripts.jt.org
Saturday Night Live Cast and Musical guest database from snlmusic.parshaparts.com
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