Okay, the first time I watched SNL was when Buck Henry was the host. I thought it would be cool (as a young teen) to check out this edgy late night comedy show. Unfortunately for me, my dad watched with me. Look up the inappropriate skit about the weird guy (Henry) as the sitter for young girls and asking them to hike up their nighties and him taking photos. My dad was looking at me and wondering, aloud, what I could possibly think was good about this program.
IMHO
Top Five Women: Kate McKinnon, Amy Pohler, Cecily Strong, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer
Honorable Mention Women: Gilda Radner (for sentimental reasons) and Kristin Wiig (because she's brilliant but also unsettling)
Women Who ALWAYS Gave Me The Creeps: Victoria Jackson, Molly Shannon, and Julia Sweeney
Top Five Men: Bill Hader, Darrel Hammond, Jason Sedakus, Alex Moffett, and Dana Carvey
Best Female Guest Host: Melissa McCarthy
Men Who ALWAYS Gave Me The CREEPS: Chris Kattan, Rob Schneider, Martin Short, David Spade, Mike Myers, Joe Piscopo, and Dennis Miller
WAY Overrated: John Belushi, Chris Farley, and Chevy Chase
Best Male Guest Host: Justin Timberlake
Certain cast members are the glue:
Dan Aykroyd
Phil Hartman
Jan Hooks
Cheri Oteri
Darrell Hammond
Amy Poehler
Taran Killam
Bill Hader
Each of them made every skit better, and every cast member who they performed with better.
Most interesting to me was the presence of less than a dozen truly genius comedians over 45 years. Acting competently in comedic skits, largely written by others, is admirable but turning a ridiculous premise and poor writing into hilarity is the realm of just a genius few.
1
Where is Lily Tomlin?????? 1957????
@barbara
Laugh In
Sexism isn't funny
Bass-o-matic
King Tut
None better.
@uwteacher King Tut was Steve Martin, and he was a guest, not a cast member.
45 years, 153 comedians and not a single identifiable Hispanic name. Am I the only one that thinks this is odd?
1
One day, or not, Garrett Morris will get his due. He was the George Harrison of the original cast. "Chico Escuela"? "Bad News 'bout The Mets", he, Bill Murray and Zweibel concocted? Cmon. I'm still laughing. He also brought some class by his operatic singing.
1
SNL now? Pete Davidson is about the only one close to the original tenor. You don't quite know where he'll take the narrative, and therein lies the beauty. He's not PC, he's not behaving, he's young and ready to witness and maybe delight in (even if darkly) the absurdities of life. The magic of the original show was it's authenticity, its improv ethos, the audacity of the young performers who appeared unchained, though of course in some sad cases (Belushi) maybe too much so. Now in the days of people worshiping people just because they are famous, there isn't an expectation of rebellious, original talent (or any at all) and SNL reflects that. I was impressed when it had an impact on Clinton's campaign (that was an in-your-face moment thanks to Fey, Poehler), but never really watch it now. It's not funny like Fallon is not funny, and definitely not the not-yet-ready-for-prime-time players (even if some seem nice enough).
1
@PS its
I watched SNL as a child in the 70's. It was hilarious. I have to say, with the exception of Eddie Murphy tenure, and the political sketches, it just hasn't been as good as it was with the original gang.
I remember how much I hoped that my parents would go out on Saturday so that we could watch SNL without fear the channel would be changed. John Belushi and his crazy bees, or that insatiable Land Shark were always a hit amongst me and my siblings. SNL has been a large part of America's fabric, sometimes it's great and sometimes it is not. Still, a phenomenal achievement by Mr. Michaels.
Nevertheless I really wish that Michaels would cease importing stars into his skits, it's really both trite and unfair to the current SNL cast. Give these new members a chance to grow, most have a short shelf at SNL so all the more reason to give them their time, they earned it. Besides having stars who are not the guest host parachute in speaks of desperation or implies SNL's cast lacks talent.
Nobody is asking for votes, but I cannot resist. From a long time follower, considering the performance of a variety of hilarious characters, the best ever: 1. Phil Hartman, 2. Kate McKinnon, 3. Dana Carvey. Honorable mention: KenanThompson, Gilda Radner, Dan Akyroid, Bill Murray, Al Franken, and Tina Fey.
And I, too recall thinking when I first saw this, "Hey, this is like Second City, only on TV!"
1
SNL was well written and acted in the mid 70's. It was non offensive, good natured fun. I never did get or appreciate the musical acts but it didn't matter as the Midnight Special gave better coverage of the musical scene of the day. Things started to deteriorate when the Weekend Update segment got political. If you weren't a liberal you found reason to change channels when it came on. In recent years it's become politically charged and mean. Netflix now fills that void and Lauren Michaels should make his way back to Canada to sell used cars.
2
My favorite scene was with Dan Ackroyd, maybe, and not sure who else, sitting in chairs like a talk show spouting nothing but big fancy words at one another. Wish I could find it.
2
I haven't watched the show for years. It used to be funny. All things change.
It's great to see this list and remember all the cast members whose performances have had me in stitches over the years.
Seeing all the cast members listed in this way, though, I'm brought back to, um, white and black TV.
I don't want to judge by names or appearances but, heck: doing so, I see with only four exceptions (perhaps there are more, I don't know...but not very many more), a sea of white and black people. It'd be one thing if a few early seasons showed so little racial diversity but years and years of a mostly white cast diversified only by the occasional black cast member(s), three Latinx cast members, and one (recently hired) Asian cast member? Yikes. I mean, even if my count of cast members who are neither black nor white is off by, say, ten (which it isn't): yikes.
Deeply, uncomfortably, suspiciously weird for a comedy show based in New York City. Sadly out of date though.
Still funny. Could be funnier if casting cast a wider net.
I was disappointed by the article. While it's nice to have the list of cast members, the headline of this article was misleading. I expected to see more about which comedians "lasted and the ones who flamed out."
3
The one thing that set this show apart and that I really miss is the host who is NOT a performer. Politicians and others who are awkward in such a role made the show different and more fun.
1
Boys club? What’s the author’s point? Why not report on how may we’re gay or lesbian? What was their faith. Who believed in a flat earth?
Why not say, “Despite there being more male cast members over the years, women cast members have shone as bright or brighter, inspiring generations of female comedians.”
Don’t make everything a fight.
2
@Robert Johnson It's undoubtedly easy for a Robert to say so. A Roberta would know how hard-fought each of those positions was, how there were male stars and a few female 'featured' players, and how the only reason for some women to be included was for the gags that required one.
For someone of the "winning" gender, or race, or nationality, there's nothing to fight about. For those of us who have dealt with ageism, ableism, racism, religious or nationality intolerance, or sexism, every day can seem like a fight to be seen, heard, or accepted as a valid human being.
Don't think that your male privilege makes a record of sexism or, at least, lost opportunities, less egregious. Or did you expect the graphs to make women chuckle? Belushi was wrong.
3
I miss Phil Hartman...a great talent.
3
Hard to believe, but with virtually no exception there have been no Indians, no Asians, no Latinos, no Arabs.
1
The only thing funny about SNL is how not funny it is. Weekend update still pulls some laughs but the rest seems to be nothing more than a test to see how committed the players are to the atrocious writing. And committed they are to the point of being the Stepford wives of the bad comedy world.
2
I have been trying to get the DVD of season 7, 1981-82. Does anyone have it for sale? It's not on Amazon, ebay, etc.
Great work NYT!
Every morning I do a stretch that probably has a real yoga name but I call it "Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute."
Cracks me up every time. Thank you, Dan Ackroyd.
3
I only watch the highlights on You Tube these days. Most of the humor is pretty blah to my discerning taste (!?!).
How many openly gay people on this show over the years?
I think it's next to none -
@j Kate McKinnon is openly gay.
To quote Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive - I don't care
After reading a story about the homeless encampment in SF and the skewed unemployment figures for workers over the age of 55, especially women! who lost their jobs during the banking crisis (me) I find this story and stats stupid. I could be more articulate, the reality is this, you are either funny or you are not. This show still and always be under the helm of Lorne Michels. These people are of the 1%. I always cringe at the fact that a blowhard like Alec Baldwin can host, guest appear etc. It's ultimately about ratings, $, and perception of talent. I don't believe that SNL has discriminated. If you are green, blind and have the IQ of 20, but pull in ratings, you will be a cast member and host. Eddie Murphy: good for you and I am happy you are back.
1
I was in grad school at the beginning and still remember the early days with Garret Morris delivering News for the Hard of Hearing, Franco is still dead, Fondue Pots for Namibia, Chico Esquela, Lorraine Newman as Amb Shirley Temple-Black, The Festrunk bros "2 wild and crazy guys", Samurai deli, Land Shark and their fantastic commercial parodies just to name a few memorable (for me) skits. Sketch comedy at its best. While there have been lean years, the good times out shine the bad ones. Keep going for another 45 yrs!
1
i had expected this to be an article, not just graphics. I wish I had saved my 'free article' for something of more substance. It's a shame too, because SNL has been such a hotbed of comedic talent over the decades and clearly has large cultural significance. A more in-depth look at the trajectory of at least some of these actors would have been interesting, not just a list of who, and how long.
3
SNL was my introduction to politics as a child and it remains one of my favorite TV shows. The casts over the past couple of years have been golden. Yes, some skits are more miss than hit, but overall, the SNL team is doing a great job. I live overseas and watch on youtube. Catching up with them on Sunday mornings is a highlight of my weekend. Colin Jost, Michael Che, Cecily Strong, Kate McKinnon and Kenan Thompson are national treasures. And I sorely miss Leslie Jones.
SNL--what a lame excuse for satire and "humor." On the few times I've tried, I've never even been able to get all the way through one of their supremely lame and unfunny "cold opens."
2
I had a hard time watching the original SNL, whose cast, I thought, displayed a shocking lack of talent. Of the original cast, only Gilda Radner stood out as a major comedienne. I thought the Cone Heads were lame; the Blue Brothers a racist affront to my Philadelphia roots; and the behind-the-scenes stories of drug abuse, sexism, and misogyny a major turn-off. In 1981, I worked at 30 Rock in radio and never watched TV. Eventually, I was emotionally abused and sexually harassed out of my career at WNBC AM 66 by a vicious, humorless disk jockey masquerading as a comedian. My trauma avoidance of the landmark building and the industry kept me from watching the show for another decade and from my own performing aspirations for three decades. It wasn’t until the major talents Phil Hartman and Mike Myers joined the cast could I tune in again. But it didn’t last long. Once TCM competed for my attention on Saturday nights, SNL lost. No matter how talented any actor on SNL might be, he or she can only be as good as the writing in scripted sketch comedy. There is no doubt the casting through the years has been sexist, imbalanced racially, and seriously ageist. My own demise at 30 Rock proved to me when I was young how much of entertainment industry success is nothing but pure luck, depending upon whose path you cross: some of us get Don Imus, others get Lorne Michaels. Those are the breaks. It often has little to do with talent.
1
My parents told me I believed the Tooth Fairy was Eddie Murphy for many, many years! (yes, they let me stay up an watch!) ;)
3
The beauty of SNL is that everyone has a different funny bone, different opinion. My wife and I believe that Kenan Thompson is by far the funniest person ever to appear on the show. Every time I see him, I crack up. But in retrospect, most of the time, except for the inane political junk, it is quite funny.
1
CTO, I’m a big fan of Kenan too. He’s in my “all-star” cast. I know what you mean about cracking up just by seeing him. He always seems to have this impish nature underlying his characters. I think my favorite sketch of his is “What Up With That?”
2
SNL has the best political comedy and satire on TV for over four decades.
Weekend Update has been revitalized
with Jost and Che. Musical guests force me to eat a snack and then throw up.
3
“Musical guests force me to eat a snack and then throw up.“
Bob, I don’t dislike the musical guests as much as you do (except for the rap artists) but that was a hilarious comment!
1
Mr. Michaels seldom disliked a white male comedic when he saw one! Dame Christine Ebersole you my dear were too good for the place!
1
Lisa, I’ve seen a few people in these comments mention Christine. I didn’t know who she was because I didn’t watch any TV for a few years in the early ‘80s when she was on SNL. So I googled her and was delighted to find out that she is the wonderful woman playing the mother on the equally wonderful (and charming) “Bob Hearts Abishola.”
@Lisa She is brilliant in everything on Broadway.
@Lisa
Gilda Radner.
I see several names I don't recognize and others that lasted a year or two but landed elsewhere. Still others that were underutilized lots of talent squandered. Worse for the cast this year is Lorne Michaels' penchant for bringing in Armisen, Fallon, etc. to play roles in the cold opens this season. Let the cast create their own moments without going to the well of talent that has since left. Especially Fallon...he gets enough airtime on his own show. SMH.
2
Having watched it from the beginning, I think that the show is is funny now as it has ever been. Compared to the early days after the original cast left, the writing is better, the talent is excellent and the production values- especially of the films are very good . I tend to think that 2 out of 3 sketches tend to be worth watching- there were times when you might watch the whole show to see one interesting sketch.
The DVR age certainly helps as well, you can watch the entire show in 40-50 minutes.
Everything that Bill Haider did and Kate McKinnon does now makes me laugh
1
Keenan Thompson needs to move on. He is one dimensional and not funny at all. My wife and I feel like he ruins every skit he is in. Unlike a lot of alums from the show he has not caught fire with any other entertainment venues. Part of your graph should show how people like Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, and Chris Rock moved on because the stage became to small for their enormous talents and not suggest that remaining on the show for decades is somehow deserving of praise.
4
I began watching the show when it first started. It's part of my identity. I have to thank Lorne Michaels for that. I also have to thank the early cast members between 1975-1980. They were young. I was young and impressionable and learned a valuable lesson. Never take yourself too,too, seriously. That is probably why I took two years of improvisation after retirement.
1
Going back a bit further, I was a regular listener of the National Lampoon Radio show which if memory serves was on Sunday nights in the NYC area. My older brother turned me on to this incredibly funny and talented cast of unknown origin. Then I saw a live version at what I'll guess was The Village Gate, again with no idea who this hilarious cast was until SNL premiered and I recognized the voices from the radio and tiny stage. They were unlike anything I'd grown up seeing on Ed Sullivan or Carson for that matter. I was hooked.
1
I'm pretty sure Lorne Michaels disparaged shows like The Carol Burnett Show because the actors cracked up mid-sketch, breaking character, laughing at their own jokes. I don't know when he softened, but that's exactly what SNL has morphed into in the past few years. There are standout sketches to be sure, but I find the show to be largely sophomoric and unfunny. I also agree with the Brit who mentioned the entire cast's and host's almost total reliance on cue cards. #sad
2
Between SNL and Monty Python, affordable weed and pizzerias that delivered, we could have deliriously settled down in the mid-seventies, keeping real life at bay for at least a couple of more decades. Given the myriad competition, which did not exist in the early years, it’s a tribute to Michaels and the revolving cast that it remains relevant and is still going strong. Kudos.
2
Who of the regular cast has had the longest tenure on the show. And who had the least, maybe getting fired during their one and only season.
And how many on the list have died? We know the big names like Belushi and Farley, but what about others that are no longer among us?
@Norm Laurie Metcalf probably has the distinction of shortest tenures. If she got on air, it was only for one episode. While Larry David, who I believe also never got on air, was at least a writer, but I don't think much of his work got on air either.
@Norm, I believe that Kenan Thompson has been on the show the longest, with Darrell Hammond the second-longest. Hammond doesn’t perform anymore but he does the introductions of the cast, taking over from Don Pardo after he passed away.
Four other cast members who have passed away are Gilda Radner, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks and Charles Rocket.
The original cast was still the best ever. Akroyd, Belushi, Radner, Murray, etc. I am looking forward to see Eddie Murphy host the show. We saw his stand-up act and MSG years ago and he was hysterical.
I noticed cocaine jokes are now back. But let’s be real. Alec and Lorne owe a debt if gratitude to Donald.
I enjoyed this as a somewhat loyal viewer since the 80s. It's been struggling the past 4-5 years. Too much reliance on political humor of the day that goes viral for 1-2 days but isn't really memorable like Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer. Pete Davidson adds nothing, plays the same smirking bro whenever he shows up.
1
@John M, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer — played by the brilliant Phil Hartman — was one of my favorite sketches!
Let’s not forget Chevy Chase, even though he was only there for a year, he did set the tone for Weekend Update, amongst the zaniness that ensued later.
1
@Dan
Or, alternatively : We can forget Chevy Chase.
I haven't watched the show for most of its run, due mostly to (originally) having better things to do on Saturday night, (later) not having a TV, and (now) being disinclined to stay up until 1am.
But two (and not the best of them by any stretch, judging by the consensus) loom large in my memory. The 1983-1984 and 84-85 seasons were while I was in middle school, during that pre- and early-teen age where you don't have the agency to go out on Saturday but you know there's something cool out there waiting for you as soon as you're old enough to go and get it. SNL in those years was a window into a thirteen-year-old thought was coming. (And I remember it being hilarious, particularly the Howard Cosell episode with the "Run, Throw and Catch Like A Girl Olympics" that plays with the sexist trope for eight minutes before two women in a bomber drop a nuke on the whole affair.)
So maybe the best season was the first one you ever saw.
(Well, except for the 1985-1986 season, an unmitigated disaster so terrible that they ended it with a skit where the entire cast, except Jon Lovitz, is locked in a room and set on fire.)
1
SNL has had an amazing run in a format that doesn’t exist anywhere else. When they started, shows like Rowan and Martin, the Smothers Brothers and others were sketch comedy shows. But running late at night gave SNL the ability to do more off beat comedy that wouldn’t have worked on family hour. The show isn’t consistently funny any more. It has lost a lot of stellar talent as it has from time to time. I still watch it for the times SNL really works.
I think we are all drawn to the cast that we grew up with. I loved the cast in the 2000's. When I look back at SNL in the past, I just do not find those sketches funny. I'm not saying those comedians weren't funny or talented. Far from it. But that brand of humor just wasn't for me. I recognized some of the names that were very briefly on SNL and am in awe how easily and quietly SNL just took them off the cast almost unnoticed.
The early years were best, followed by the Phil Hartman, Chris Farley years. In the beginning, no one went out Saturday nights from 11:30 til 1:00 AM. I sleep soundly through today's cast, and though I could record it, I don't.
2
Even way back when they started they slowly became an intro to Second City which just seemed much funnier than most of SNL, especially Doctor Tongue!
I have enjoyed SNL since the early days. However, the more recent politicization of too many skits and the production quality of the musical acts since the beginning—even with the talented musicians they showcased, are weaknesses of the show.
3
Life long fan. I get and don't get why people whinge so much about not understanding the cast, who are these musical guests. Wasn't that also how your parents were when SNL mattered to you?
I found it in 88 and religiously taped them until 95, when some from that group started leaving/being shown the door. Hard truth:I didn't like Will Ferrell for maybe the first two years. Still hate Fallon's time there as he broke during almost every sketch, almost ruining (not saving) bits.
I don't think anyone can argue with the reach and influence that Michaels and his scout team have had on comedy. Such an unbelievable streak of performers.
Here's to another 40!
5
@Irwin Mainway Mr. Mainway, how's the unregulated, unsafe toy business doing this year? BTW, I'm looking for a Bag o'Glass for Xmas. Got any in stock?
They've also needed more female cast members for their political skits as more women have run for office or been elected. Roles like Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin(Tina Fey), Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, even Rachel Maddow are recent. In the 80s and 90s those roles didn't exist and Tom Brokaw, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Newt Gingrich were all guy roles. The guys aren't going to dress in drag to do Nancy Pelosi.
we miss the divine gilda radner. the show's first hire remains so deeply loved.
we were friends at the university of michigan. she was every bit as wonderful a person as she was a magnificent and completely endearing performer.
she had many life challenges far beyond her control, but always handled herself with kindness and grace.
gilda, you are still loved and missed. xoxox
11
From reading the comments, what I suspected appears to be true: most Baby Boomers feel that SNL’s humor departed along with the original cast (or at least a long time ago.) Boomers like me, who have found the show to be funny over the years — which, of course, doesn’t mean we found every sketch or joke to be funny — appear to be a rather small minority.
Since all (or most) of us found the show to be funny at first, I wonder what accounts for the divergence. Any ideas?
1
How can you cover the early years and not mention Richard Pryor? His skit with Chevy Chase remains classic (and sadly relevant).
7
Where's the article? I see a huge graph of how long everyone was on SNL, but that doesn't show who lasted and who flamed out. Some were on the show briefly and left to make better and better films for decades. Some were on briefly long ago and make great comedy today. Many were on for several years but have gone on to movie careers that make me wince. Or TV careers that have done the same. I know the author didn't write the headline, but he asks questions he doesn't answer - who was nurtured? Who struggled to find a voice? Who wasn't nurtured and found a great voice anyway?
9
LOVED SNL! And when they had Al Gore on (a year or so into the Cheney/bush regime) to give his State of the Union speech, his histroy revisioning killed -- there was no (had never been an!) invasion of Afghanastan, the Biosphere's safety was becoming assured, we (the USA!) had solved many Problems and World Peace was breaking out, all over the globe...
Wishful thinking, and Funny as heck, but a guy's gotta dream....
Oh, and that Kate McKinnon -- when she passes (in a hundred or so years, at least, hopefully) I want her in the Smithsonian. Or, before that, out President.
3
Mad TV was a breath of fresh air after SNL stopped being funny. Nicole Sullivan was a comedic genius long before McKinnon. Key and Peele, Will Sasso, and Alex Borstein were a relief from the really bad plunge SNL took. Mad TV slipped away too, but they had the sense to cancel the show when it died.
4
Phil Hartman, Cecily Strong, Kate McKinnon...
2
I was 12 years old when SNL premiered in 1975 and watched the first episode, if not the entire first two seasons. And yet I am not the only old-timer reading this article who is asking, George Coe who?
3
@Metaphor
George Coe appeared in several SNL faux commercials, simply reading the copy straight in the manner of a real product spokesperson. He also appeared in "Kramer vs. Kramer" as the ad agency executive who fires his Dustin Hoffman's character.
@Metaphor I don't believe he stayed the full season, maybe 6 episodes? He had a long and distinquished career spanning films (as John said, Kramer vs Kramer), television (LA Law) and theater (Company). He passed away in 2015 at the age of 86.
I think a sea change with SNL occurred in the past 10-15 years when women like Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon took over alpha-dog status on the show, which has always had a clear #1 in its best years (Belushi, Murphy, Carvey, Ferrell, etc.)
1
What's with the weekly recap of SNL? Considering that fans either watch when aired, or catch it on demand, a recap seems rather silly.
@Brian
The rest of us who aren't fans wonder why the show is newsworthy enough to earn a recap in the NYT. It hasn't been relevant since Eddie Murphy ... and that's being generous.
@Brian: It's recap articles (be they from NYT or other sources) that influence my decision as to whether or not to watch it online.
Little problem with SNL. It ain't funny. Most shows, zero laffs. This is chronic. It's been going on for years. Lucky for SNL, there's nothing else on.
Snarkey is not a substitute for funny.
9
I knew SNL had a problem with hiring black female players when Garret Morris played the maid in a 1979 spoof of "the China Syndrome" (the Pepsi Syndrome). It was years before they hired Danitra Vance for ONE season and then Ellen Cleghorne a few years later.
I wonder if this show will be on after I die.
2
@JulieB If they had a problem hiring black female players, they had, and still have, a problem hiring Asian players, male or female. I see only one Asian name there and it is almost 45 years since its inception.
1
I remember the early years. What’s changed is that society has become so accepting (or numb) to having the envelope pushed that it’s hard for the show to push boundaries, further.
Comedy is comedy and funny is funny. However, the ability to shock has gone.
1
Don't think I ever missed an SNL episode or an opening , live or recoded , and I’m 82. I grew up watching Late night tv starting with Broadway Open House ( jerry lester, Morey, loving sidekick accordionist Milton Delugg and his music. Then Steve Allen , and so on. These shows not only made me laugh, but had a tenderness to them. I’ve looked forward to SNL, because I knew it tried its best to portray the comic hypocrisy in current events news leaders. And most impressionists were terrific . Of the women, most recently Kristin W, Kate M, A Bryant, Cecile S, Vanessa B are my favs. Martin shorts Ed Grimley funniest ever. For comic irony and brilliance I relied on Jon stuart, Colbert, and Conan.
8
Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Amy Poêler, Dana Carvey, Mike Meyers... Eddie. Kenan. Michael Che. Leslie. Garret Morris. Steve Martin as host. These people are immortal.
3
Thank you so much for that chart. Kinda like a Hall of Fame for comedians. I chuckled all the way down the list just remembering all those late night laughs. I may have lost interest in SNL a few years back, but I must say, the current cast, has pulled me back especially Kate McKinnon.. Is there any other comedian who could so hilariously parody and skewer Jeff Sessions, Rudy Giuliani and Kellyanne Conway?
6
One thing I liked on SNL was that they would have guest comedians, funny animated sketches, and other off-the-wall stuff (Oh No Mr Bill!). It seems now the show has become very formulaic, and not for the better. Bring back a bit of vaudeville.
5
@David Tussey Thanks for the Mr. Bill reference. I haven't interacted with anyone over the past 40 years who even knows who he is.
3
@JulieB
Wow! That’s almost unbelievable that 4 decades of people wouldn’t recognize the “oh, no, Mr. Bill” catch-phrase! No wonder my grandkids have no idea of what I’m saying!
2
Sure a lot of talent passed thru SNL. But more of it withered and has not truly been heard from since. Most of those actor/comics are unknown now. And many of the "knowns", are just in that quasi-celebrity caste, that seem to have arisen in the last two decades. Celeb-civilians who once did something, that rings a bell in our public consciousness, but that's it. They ride that old horse named, "Remember Me!" for as long as it allows. Victoria Jackson. Nora Dunn. Rich Hall. Mary Gross. Chris Elliot. Lot of them women.
Many of them will only be remembered as long as they linger on SNL. Most will be swallowed by the dark...I expect that of many of the current late-added cast members. The PC ones.
3
@Boregard You just described the situation of just about everyone who works in a creative field--most people are never known and those who are don't stay known. So what.
15
Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Kristen Wiig and Aidy Bryant have put the final bullet in the head of that old misogynist chestnut, "women aren't funny." McKinnon, in particular, seems gifted with a talent that can encompass literally any challenge. She is a miracle.
6
It is no longer funny. Certainly when compared to the original shows in the 70's. There are some clear problems: too large a cast is the main problem. Weekend Update used to be funny with its jokes about news events. Now they bring out someone who just reads some jokes. Go back to the original with no one coming out on a rollaway chair. Too much time for Kenan Thompson. The guy is just not funny.
6
The Gumby Christmas Special.
4
One thought. Land shark.
4
@arcadia65 While on our honeymoon in Italy (1999, two weeks after 9/11) my husband went out of our hotel room, and on his return he knocked on the door and announced, in English, "land shark." We heard an outburst of laughter from the next room. Funny is universal.
4
Why Cheri Oteri didn't turn into a huge star will always confound me. A malleable, hysterical and fearless comedian.
6
The need for a major network comedy/satire show like SNL that spares no target, regardless of political viewpoint or “correctness,” is probably more important now than ever.
The growth of extremism and polarization on both the right and the left requires satirical, irreverent, humorous treatment; otherwise, it’s too easy to retreat into gloom, doom, or worse, self-righteousness.
Comedy comes first, but the background and context in which it exists is relevant, too.
1
Back in the mid-'70s, when I was in college, nothing was less PC or more funny than Dan Aykroyd's "Jane, you ignorant slut." Saturday nights meant SNL on tiny b&w TVs in someone's dorm room.
I feel very nostalgic noting the names listed from Aykroyd through Al Franken. I hardly recognise 90% of the rest -- I guess that makes me old.
7
The length of tenure has little to do with talent. The most talented of all only lasted one or two seasons: Billy Crystal, Christine Ebersole, etc. The sad truth is, Lorne Michaels is a terrible, tasteless producer. He lucked into a hot time spot and followed one demographic.
5
Most of the worst cast members never lasted much longer than a season, but some long-running and conspicuously witless cast members baffled me: Chris Kattan; Chris Farley; Bobby Moynihan; Kevin Nealon; Molly Shannon and whoever it was who played Pat, the androgenous whatever.
The success of the show seems more like the sheer luck than brilliant casting. The successes have effectively obscured the many mediocre actors who marched through the show and out of the public parade.
4
Saturday Night Live is like that crazy kid you knew in high school, the one who made faces and told shocking jokes. You thought he was hilarious, but years later, whenever you revisit him, he's just not funny as you used to think he was, though he's still swinging away.
6
Some of the names that appeared briefly like a flash in the dark went on to become rather famous, I'd presume it wasn't a lack of talent while on SNL but that they were already on a path to bigger and better things. For the ones who disappeared, who knows?
The show simply isn't funny, and hasn't been for many years. I tune in occasionally hoping something's changed, and can watch an entire episode while barely laughing once. During the best years, it was a solid guarantee of nonstop LOL moments if not ROFL ones.
I think the problem is two-fold, the material isn't very good despite having the most mockable POTUS and administration ever, and neither is the crew. Nothing lasts forever, and everyone in my peer group thinks the show is simply atrocious.
I'm just past the half century mark and watched since the first season when much of the humor was over my head but I knew something powerful and fantastic was taking place. At that age, Mr. Bill was the highlight for me, I was too young to get the political jokes.
I love this fascinating look at the timeline of SNL's performers, but don't understand the NYT's ongoing fascination with the now terribly underwhelming affair. Has nobody told Lorne Michaels or his bosses at NBC? The whole shebang needs a complete housecleaning.
3
@Ignatius J. Reilly
Most likely the problem is threefold: you're over 50 and your peers all think alike. More conservative in taste than you realize. We all remember the halcyon days of Belushi and Ackroyd while swearing it hasn't been funny since then when we were in our 20s. Now, we have no clue who the music acts are and think everything was funnier, written and acted better as well as cooler back then. SNL is not atrocious nor great. There are wonderful performances every season along with some bombs. The writers are not a confederacy of dunces. They're working hard to reflect these times.
4
No Coke. Pepsi. No fries. Chips. Sprio and Telly on the wall. Enough said.
7
i guess there are no Latin people in the US.
3
@Ron Nor Asians.
1
@Expat and don't forget the French-Canadian-Americans.
SNL premiered the fall of my high school senior year. I watched it at home with my parents.
When "Weekend Update" announced the US Postal Service stamp commemorating prostitution (it's ten cents, but a quarter if you want to lick it) my father & I laughed pretty hard. My mother... not so much. (My dad was a huge fan of Fawlty Towers and Monty Python. My mother a bit of a stick in the mud.)
I was fond of the "Dregs and Vestiges" Muppets routine, with the Mighty Favahd ("it'll cost ya").
The very notion of a "fake commercial" was groundbreaking. "Hire the incompetent" was clearly meant as a parody of then-new affirmative-action/equal-opportunity laws. Who knew that hiring the incompetent would, in fact, become ubiquitous public policy — see, for example, the clowns in Congress. And the car whose ride was sooooo smooth that a _mohel_ could safely circumcise a baby boy in the backseat ("ah, poifect!"). Not unlike cutting a diamond, as had been depicted in a genuine automobile commercial of the period.
Another commentator mentioned Don Novello and his Father Guido Sarducci character... also excellent. FWIW, Novello's humor extends to writing. Try and find his two volumes of "The Lazlo Toth Letters."
5
@A. Reader
So what are you saying- you're old and no longer get the new stuff?
@A. Reader For those who watched Professor Backwards
on The Ed Sullivan show and admired his talents; it was
jaw dropping when Chevy Chase announced his murder on
'Weekend Update,' noting that passersby ignored his cries
of "PLEH!! PLEH!!" while he was being attacked. I believe
it was on the first show. Many of the early skits are remembered fondly; but that one burned itself into my
brain. "PLEH!! PLEH!!"
And? What's your point?
A quantitative analysis of SNL? That’s what we get in the Sunday NYT? What’s next? A graph of actors that played James Bond?
2
Kate McKinnon is fabulous and one of the reasons I still watch SNL, love Keenan and Weekend Update is still worth watching. Nice to see woemn in the forefront again.
4
Wonderful review of so many performers and some many themes and memes. As a fan since the beginning, I see names of cast members who have died, and wonder if doing something to remember them would be too much of a downer.
I recently found a cassette tape of an episode I had taped where Mel Gibson was guest hosting and nearly every skit on the show had something good in it. Special appearance by Danny Glover in a "Lethal Weapon" spoof, Phil Hartmann as Frankenstein and Pete Rose, Dana Carvey as Scarface and Rainman, the musical act "Living Colour" came out and just crushed it that night.
That one to me just stood out a little more.
Just watched my DVR'ed version of last's night show. Very entertaining and funny. A lot of truth in the humor as well - the three different Christmas dinners with conversations about politics, the discrepancies in attitude towards two fired office workers, and the very creative skit about the ubiquitous choking poster. People were seeking to rub shoulders with the models on the choking poster because they appeared to be "famous." Sometimes, I try and predict which news stories will end up at SNL skits. I thought for sure that Trump's remarks about deregulating water efficiency standards, i. e., having to flush the toilet eleven times, would surely make the grade. Then again, that news snippet was funny enough in itself and didn't need to be parodied by SNL. The show did have a period of disappointing material but I am finding it creative and funny again.
2
Is it just me, or is there any character Kate McKinnon doesn't do? (That is not a bad thing though)
8
The show is unbearable and has been irrelevant since streaming came to life. Who is watching this show? Their constant liberal bias comedy alienates half the country. This is a show that already had horribly low ratings, than attack half the country. Morons. The musical guests are a who’s who of WHO?
3
@Chris Are you sure you're watching SNL and not some enterntainemtn thing over on Fox?
3
@Chris
So u don’t like this show? Ck channel button on remote. No problem.
3
@Chris and get you're here.
1
Two S.N.L. articles on the front page of the online Times? One of which contains a demeaning tabloid style "who made it who flamed out" graphic. Really? OK fine, someone at the NYT may have a fascination with S.N.L but front page news?
1
@JCafe, call it impeachment fatigue and way overdue.
1
Anyone else read this list and hear Don Pardo in your head??
13
@JP could hear him announcing the names as I read them...
Loved it until about 1982. Then, it was frat boy fart jokes and references obscure to all but the "cool kids". I began watching again last year, though, and it's back to sketches that seem to be actually written and rehearsed. Murphy, Sandler and Meyers physically drove me away.
"Super Bass-O-Matic 76!"
7
@Kevin C.
"Bag-O-Glass"
2
@Kevin C.
Oh, lord, yes!
Not long after, there appeared in the pages of _Science_ magazine an advertisement for a piece of lab equipment headlined "From Mouse to Homogenate In Under Thirty Seconds." Below was a picture of a small white lab mouse being dangled by its tail over the maw of a milk-shake-blender-like apparatus. Below that was the small-type technical description of the product's capabilities, and the manufacturer's contact information.
1
@Kevin C.
Aykroyd’s spoof of Julia Childs was hysterical - “save the liver”, as he/she is severely spouting blood from a cut!
3
One by one the late night greats are going, going....almost gone. I would trade a season of today's SNL for one hour of Letterman. I know he had to go, but it's a shame Craig Ferguson left so early.
3
Is my funny bone broke?
I want to laugh (laughter's something I have far too little of in my life right now), but I seldom do.
These days, I record it and then usually only watch the opening and Weekend Update.
1
I've been watching SNL since its' inception, and I confess, these are quite a few names that I simply do not recognize. The earlier players, Curtin, Belushi, Akyrod, Radner, Chase, Newman, Murray were indeed incredible. There were lulls, and stars like Murphy, Lovitz, Miller, Short, Hartman, Farley, Ferrell, Fallon, Morgan, Fey, Poehler, Meyers, and some others that I might have missed that lit up the small screen. Today's crew I believe is excellent, McKinnon in particular. Congratulations to all. I look forward to Eddie Murphy's show on the 21st.
1
To all the commentators and haters that say SNL has lost it since the NRFPTP:
You are living in a conservative world where nothing changes in your mind and you can’t open your world to new things
It’s like saying no current songs are better than the Beatles - open your eyes
Comedy changes - those old skits don’t hold up
Neither do the ones with Eddie Murphy
But I watched them and in their time they were fantastic
I’ve watched and loved SNL for 40 years - it has had a strong continuous set of talent, especially since boosted since Farrell, Wiig and Fey and Poehler has been a joy.
Also they are less unhinged in personal lives and good people - no drugs, families and just real people
Arimsen, Forte, sudakus, Aidy, Bayer, Taran , Hader
Strong is brilliant
Kenan is great
Kate is the queen of the last 15 years
Bowen will make it - he has been fearless in his first season
I can list them all - these are brilliant and giving actors and comedians
They act better, sing better, and are better comedians than any Hollywood talent -they are ON LIVE TV
Makes watching a movie like silliness given the retaking you can do
Anyone following comedy realizes that the alumni are basically central to all comedy after and during the show
Don’t listen to the old curmudgeons - these people are fantastic
6
@DMB what new songs are as good as The Beatles? I’m very keen to hear them!!
1
@Max
Oh boy - wake up
ABBA for one example
2
Let’s not forget SNL’s George W. Bush. He got a few words wrong! “Strategery”! So funny that Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and Bush himself used it as a catchphrase after that.
The zany women on SNL are the most memorable to me - Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Victoria Jackson, Jan Hooks, Cheri Oteri, Nora Dunn, Julia Sweeney, Molly Shannon, Rachel Dratch, Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, Kate McKinnon, Tina Fey, Cecily Strong, just to name some. Not an exhaustive list, for sure.
Looking at earlier eras, many women created recurring characters that are remembered even now (Sweeney Sisters, Collette Reardon, etc.). Many were skilled impersonators (look at the Oteri or Hooks catalogues).
I don't know why all these female veterans of the show don't make appearances - or even host - from time to time. The reunions just seem to recreate the boys club.
2
Interesting to see how the cast is still majority male.
I would have guessed otherwise, but I suspect that is because the current female cast is so strong and seems to loom large over their male counterparts.
Also remarkable to see how short so many careers were and how so few of the players went on to anything bigger.
I'm 72. SNL was hard-hitting in it's early days (1975-80), brilliant, stomach-aching and tear producing (from laughter) in the days of Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Chevy Chase and a few others. After that it went steadily downhill, with few exceptions. It's like very weak tea now, but maybe people don't realize, or compare it to what it once was.
8
@Lorena Cassady
Oh please. I'm tired of these SNL was better before 1980 rants. I'm sure your parents were saying Sid Ceasar's show did it better in the 50s or preferred Red Skelton. There were brilliant NRFPTP skits then but it seems that we all forgot they had their share of bombs too. Not everything was great because live TV is hard.
2
@MRT Oh wow. I feel encouraged that there are so many SNL was better before 1980 rants. Maybe we should form a secret society.
1
Thank you for this piece. Younger audiences can't imagine how much SNL dominated our lives when it burst onto the airwaves. I was 24 yo and living in Washington, D.C. and, at least in my crowd, Saturday night was reserved for a jug of wine, getting together with friends, and watching SNL all the way to the end at 1:00 AM. Remember, there were no recording devices or replay abilities of any kind, or at least none that I knew of. If you missed SNL you really couldn't participate in a whole bunch of conversations or cultural references. IMHO, the talent displayed by the original cast, especially the brilliant Gilda Radner and John Belushi, have never been matched, but then, I'm Lorne Michaels age, what do I know?
4
@Jennene Colky We are peers in age and experience. I remember parties to watch SNL and in my 20´s also the situations, where I was living, who ended up with whom around those parties...Then I moved west to east in 1980 so had a new experience, was early cable and MTV and it changed - now I am in MX past 15 yrs and its Sunday and weeklong sketch watches on youtube as well as the classics. I was talking earlier this yr with a New York friend about how depressing it all is, the slow lurch to death of the US and looking for bright spots - well its comedy and SNL certainly stimulated the genre of late nite, Jon Stewart, Letterman now Colbert and Trevor Noah - we have alot to thank Lorne Michaels and the entire crew for.
I wonder if I am missing part of the article. You know, the part that has anything of any significance in it? This reads like it was written by a 19 year old intern during an SNL commercial break. The title of the article suggests it will be about those SNL cast members who did well and those who didn't, but there is absolutely nothing about that. There is a short paragraph about various "eras" of the show.
OK, so maybe this doesn't deserve the same coverage of the IG report that came out this week, but if you are going to do something, do it well.
14
Unfortunately, “Saturday Night Live” has always been a homophobic operation both in terms of a lack of gay employees in the modern era in front of the camera, and regarding skits about gay people that descended into stereotypes and were often outright offensive.
Yes, there are two confirmed gay people working on-stage now, but for decades the show had serious antipathy to gay cast members.
The most obvious case is the treatment of writer and cast member Terry Sweeney, who was the first, and only “out” Not Ready For Prime Time Player for decades, and was reduced to playing Nancy Reagan in a red dress. Sweeney lasted one season in front of the camera (1985-86). Had he not became a cast member, his tenure as a writer might have been longer.
It then took 27-years to hire an “out” gay performer, a lesbian.
SNL producer Lorne Michaels is fond of saying he hires people because they’re funny not because of the color of their skin or sexuality. However, the truth of the matter is that for some unexplained reason, Michaels always had trouble finding funny women, funny blacks, funny gays, funny Latins, and funny Asians.
2
LOL. My wife and I refer to SNL as "The Keenan Show"....
6
This show is a quaint, obsolete, and unfunny relic from the mid '70's TV variety genre. The format has not changed since.
The show lost its edge after the original NRFPTP left in 1980. Murphy brought some life back to the show with his tenure but the show was boring, pedantic and predictable. I think NBC keeps the show on out of duty and respect to Lorne Micheals. Hopefully when he retires or calls it quits, NBC will bury this abdomination.
7
Why is NYT obsessed with SNL?
6
Favorite all-time musical guest --
David Bowie in the late '70s. Wearing a skirt and flashing some kind of prosthetic penis. And lots of pretty eye makeup.
2
As someone who has seen very little of SNL since the first replacement cast in 1980 (RIP, Charles Rocket; why did you do it?), I can't quite pinpoint when the show became headline news. (A number of otherwise respectable newspapers used to carry weekly soap opera recaps, but never on the front page.) Topical satire isn't exactly a television novelty; nor--regarding this particular article--should it be news to anyone that fame itself is fickle and often fleeting, and success in show biz is not necessarily conferred on the most talented or deserving.
But as I say, I haven't seen the show in a while; so has it gotten so much more socially relevant in recent years, or has pop culture itself dumbed down to the point that it makes SNL seem all the more profound? I will say that the animated "TV Funhouse" segments (many of which must go over the heads of younger viewers who don't know the 1960s Saturday morning cartoons they reference), which I have seen separately, beat the hell out of Mr. Bill.
3
Like all comedy skits, they are hit and miss. For me, the early days, with Belushi, Murray, Gilda and Jane Curtin, and Chevy Chase were the apex of the show.
I also worked on the show and remember watching the skit with guest host Robin Williams videoing his wife' birth-jane curtin. It was an opportunity to watch genius at work, as he improvised and the crew had to hold back bursting in laughter.
Also Rosanne Rosanadana doing the news and he Samauri brothers were classic, as was Dan Ackyrod as a sleazy salesman selling his children's christmas toy-bag of glass was hysterical.
I have always felt the show never came close to the brand of excellence in both the writing and performing that the early shows had.
I stopped watching long ago.
5
The "Easy Laughs" of the late 80s and 90s were the biggest laughs. I love Tina, Amy, and all the women that came after-- but that early 90s boys club of Carvey, Hartman, Sandler, Rock, Farley, Spade was the funniest group, hands down.
4
One of the funniest skits I ever saw on SNL was Eddie Murphy as a gay hairdresser cutting Flip Wilson's hair, as he played Geraldine. I can't wait to see Eddie Murphy again.
4
When our family got a VCR around 1983, I immediately began recording SNL, which I was too young to stay up for. I have watched SNL regularly since then. For better or worse, it does a job in one weekly go that nothing else in American culture does: consistent political and social commentary and spoofing, huge movie stars making fools of themselves, and major musical acts required to perform live. When it's terrible, it has my sympathies. Do we all expect SNL to be excellent all the time? No, it's like watching a local playhouse do their damnedest to put on a weekly show and I always applaud them for trying. When they hit the mark, nothing is funnier, more memorable, more quotable or more enduring in American comedy. SNL is dead! LONG LIVE SNL!
2
SNL, 15 minutes of uproarious humor jammed packed into 90 minutes.
9
My favorite host - Michael Palin. His skit about "Myles Cowperthwaite " as a takeoff on David Copperfield had me in tears.
2
So no one’s mentioned Steve Martin and Bill Murray as the wild and wacky polish guys?
5
@Jim The Festrunk brothers were Czech.
6
@Jim And they were Wild and Crazy. Both of 'em.
2
@Larry Dickman
The Festrunk Bros. have been replaced in real life Trumpistan by Lev Parnas and Igor Furman.
4
I believe that one of the most underrated and under used cast members was Danita Vance who appeared in the mid-80's.
Her character Cabrini Green Harlem Watts Jackson was maybe the funniest and bravest of the entire SNL run.
Shakespeare in the Ghetto and the "I Don't Want A Baby" coloring book? C'mon!
RIPspect, Ms. Vance, taken way too soon.
7
@Julian Fernandez
Danitra. Danitra Vance. Damn auto-correct.
2
@Julian Fernandez
Danitra Vance’s send up of Marlo Thomas in “That Black Girl” was one of the funniest things I ever saw on SNL.
1
Celebrity product rating, niche marketing. Sad somehow.
2
The original SNL would get a couple of good gags out before the current version manages to get through announcing the grossly expanded cast.
6
Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell should have flamed out. I still don’t understand their appeal. Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.
14
@Queenie tbf Ferrel has done some good work, like the San Diego news anchorman movie. And his portrayal of Bush as an idiot.
The next time Sandler makes me so much as crack a smile laugh will be the first.
3
One could write a book, and many people have, about SNL.
One thing that sticks out for me is how the greatest generational stand up talents of our generation such as Chris Rock and Sarah Silverman couldn't really or perhaps weren't allowed to make their mark on the show.
And no, Eddie Murphy is not in their league in stand up, with his supercharged 80's shtick and cheap homophobic slurs. He was great on SNL and had some amazing moments in film, but as far as standup is concerned he's not in the conversation as one of the greats.
2
@JayK Jerry Seinfeld disagrees.
The biggest mistake SNL ever made was casting the terribly unfunny Dennis Miller. Then he went over to Monday Night Football and was even worse. Miller has become the Ted Nugent of comedy.
19
@malibu frank
A little bit of Miller could go a long way. I enjoyed his Weekend Update. He was part of that frat boy pack who always thought he was too smart for the room. The schtick of using obscure references got old. I had no idea about his personal politics and don't really care. After 9/11, Miller came out as a conservative, he changed his material. From being that snarky kid in the back seat, he is now the grumpy dad driving the station wagon that only has an adoring wife listening to him.
6
@MRT
Well said!
1
No, SNL isn’t what it used to be, and what’s more, it never was.
After its first inspiration from Monty Python the sketch format met it’s match in American television’’s bloated habits. The Python’s did 22 total hours of The Flying Circus, and even they complained about its limpness towards the end. As Eric idle said: “What’s the difference between life and an SNL sketch? Life doesn’t go on forever “. Now, that would apply to the whole endeavor. But it was fun while it lasted. And lasted. And lasted.
7
The writing disappoints in the last few years. I keep giving it a chance (remembering better times), but then almost always feel like Charlie Brown when Lucy holds the football.
And it's annoying that too often the cold open people haven't learned their lines, and I watch them futz and pause while they're reading them.
2
@cmk The cold open is probably the thing that gets written last, so it's basically half-baked when it airs. They don't get enough time to rehearse it.
2
Thanks for this compendium -- I thought I was a regular fan, but there are a number of completely unfamiliar names here. I recall gathering with friends at my apartment to watch the premier episode in 1975. It's hard to describe how completely different it was from anything else on TV -- there were no late night sketch shows, no shows populated by performers this young, raw, and atypical, no YouTube or FunnyOrDie or Groundlings or UCB or anything like that; even SCTV came later, and Python was only in the UK. The stand-up revolution was in its infancy. Unless you had been to see Second City or one of the other early improv comedy groups (The Committee, Ace Trucking Company, or The Proposition -- where Jane Curtin came from), or maybe seen the underground video Groove Tube (still funny), SNL was something totally new, low production values and uneven quality notwithstanding. It was even more impressive that they attracted the host talent they did -- Carlin, Candice Bergen, Paul Simon, Pryor, et. al. For Americans of a certain age, the SNL premiere was the comedy equivalent of seeing the Beatles for the first time. Can't wait for Murphy to host on 12/21.
288
@Oren and for the record, Python ‘only in the UK’ was a year past its TV expiry date when SNL began. . .the last original python episode was aired on the BBC on Dec. 5, 1974. That’s 45 years and 10 days ago as of today (dec. 15) . . . May at least the best of SNL have the longevity the best of the pythons have had!
With SNL entering it’s 46th year of production, it’ll still be wildly popular in 2065 and beyond at the python’s rate of popularity.....timeless comedy - the best of it - even after so long. It’s mighty impressive when you think of it.
9
@Oren Nicely put. I was just in 7th grade at the time. I remember watching that premiere episode at a friend's house while on a sleepover. It was like a bombshell. It's all anyone talked about at school the next monday. We were just recovering from that thing and then Steve Martin comes. Then Bill Murray got his film career. It was a golden time for the proto-dork-nerd kids of the world.
20
@Oren I too remember seeing the premier and thinking I was watching something very different. However, I also remember watching Python on one of the local PBS channels (I grew up in NY where we had two of them, 13 and 21, if memory serves).
Anyway, it was breakthrough comedy whose cast members I still remember fondly.
13
The NYT graph shows just how amazing SNL's run has been. Just when it seemed on the brink of cancelation due to a streak of duds, the talent would flow in again. Hat's off to Mr. Michaels!
97
@Tony Bickert I think what's always saved SNL is that there's nothing up against its time slot. There was "In Living Color" for a while but that show is long gone.
SNL has been through dud seasons and will probably experience more in the future. But it's pretty safe where it is.
Every time a new cast comes along, there are changes. In the beginning, the original Not Ready for Prime Time players were giving us something new, pushing the envelope and showcasing new and exciting musical acts. You never knew what would happen (hence the episode hosted by Richard Pryor going on a five-second delay).
Flash forward 45 years and original fans wonder where is the social satire? Where are familiar characters? Who are these musical acts? Like other aspects of TV, SNL has evolved. Maybe not for the better, a subjective argument, but it is trying to reach an audience that has many more options than the audience of 45 years ago. And it must deal with those seeking a politically correct objective, instead of the sometime shock value the early days provided.
72
@Randy Arnold Politically correct? How about "not needlessly cruel to those who already face various forms of social and political disadvantage"
14
@Randy Arnold Where is the social satire? Have we been watching the same show this year? Especially with the cold opens and Weekend Update, SNL still does politics more edgily than any other show not on premium cable. And those faux commercials skewer not just real advertisers but social trends.
28
@Randy Arnold The musical acts seem unfamiliar to me too, but I think that is because my musical tastes were stuck since the late-90s and the show is not burdened with that problem. Do you think this might be the case for you too?
5
It's complicated. I grew up with Gilda, Lorraine and Jane. And then loved all the others since. Cheri, Molly, Leslie, Kate et all. Each one has had their hilarious moments. And the guys too. But it's the women I've loved the most. Much of the show now revolves around teen boy innuendo comedy. John Belushi famously said, "Girls aren't funny." But they are - hilarious. Wish they'd do a special with the women.
240
@Snowflake Kristen Wieg!!!
11
@Catherine I know! And Amy, Tina, Julia, Vanessa, Rachel and literally every other woman on the show! Since writing this comment, I just thinking of all the brilliant women I didn't include before. Please, people, pile on!! The talented women of SNL deserve their due. Lorne, if you're reading this : we're waiting for the Incredibly Funny Women of SNL Special! I'd love to hear from some of the women writers on the show to
18
@Snowflake
"The Women of SNL" is a special probably 7+ years old by now. Was a revelation to me -- a longtime watcher-- when I first saw it, and utterly hilarious.
And that was before Kate McKinnon, etc. were on board.
So, an update is certainly in order!
9
SNL has been ebbed in American culture since its early days. I can remember migrating from the bars as a group in my college days to the nearest broadcast location at 1030 central time. It’s hard to imagine it not being around.
24
@Jay
American "culture"? The vast majority of culture in this country is found in petrie dishes and yogurt. A car wash opening is a cultural event in most places. "America Is the Only Country That Went from Barbarism to Decadence Without Civilization In Between" from O Wilde rings sadly true.. Then again, we are a good deal better than a good deal of the rest of the world. But France, Germany and the rest of Europe are a pretty low bar. Personally, I like California. The quality of name dropping is far superior to almost anywhere else.
9
Can’t watch it after the original cast. It’s silly and is too political. The Trump sketches are nauseating. I don’t like Trump but I’ve seen enough. SNL is no longer adult humor. The promos turn me off from watching. I don’t even think about it on “Saturday Night”.
4
Right now it’s the Kate McKinnon Show. Is there anything that woman can’t do?
19
Shocking that the first Asian person is just now joining the cast. Shocking and shameful for such a liberal and "diverse" show. I love SNL, but as the mom of an Asian daughter, who also loves it, this is glaringly obvious. And unacceptable.
3
@tinabess Nasim Pedrad is Asian too, if you count West Asians as Asians, though.
The Clinton years took off for SNL because the political jokes wrote themselves..
Very similar to SNLs bonanza with soon to be impeached Trump..
1
We need Dana Carvey and the Church Lady back!!!
Imagine the Church Lady and Trump and Don Jr., Steve Miller, Mike Pence, and lots of the GOP who were obnoxious during the Impeachment hearings. OH, don't forget RUDY!
Please bring back the Church Lady!!!
9
Watched the show faithfully since its inception through (most of) 2017. Would have loved to see the original cast skewer the PC mindset that pervades today’s show. Note to The NY Times: it’s not “edge” (far from it) and genuine humor isn’t defined by a gender body count.
1
Why is Julia Sweeney's first name obscured?
@NORM My bad, it is not obscured, it was an artifact of using the “find” function.
I’m confused as to what constitutes a cast member. Wasn’t Andy Kaufman a cast member before being kicked off the show by a public vote?
2
My relationship to humor changed tremendously on October 11, 1975 when I caught Andy Kaufman on the first show. Here he came, to save my day!
4
Kate McKinnon is the best comedian today.
6
SNL has degraded into little more than cast members impersonating celebrities and predictable political figures. I try to watch occasionally, but it's just not funny. Not even a giggle.
They need to come up with some new recurring characters, like Bill Murray's lounge singer or Kristen Wiig's Target checkout clerk.
8
There is no question that SNL was the breeding ground for great comedic talent and the production of really funny performances for many decades. That being said, I turned away from the in your face excesses and self destructive behaviors of Belushi and Farley. I'm sure no one was spared the pain of watching these talented men destroy themselves.
@Jane :: I would also wonder how a Life Insurance company would react to the mortality of a lot of these men and women. Terrible life expectancies... TRW
1
@Jane Belushi was a harbinger of what SNL was to become. He wasn’t funny at all- he never was. A New York denizen friend of mine who knew people working on the show back in the day told me, early on, what later became public- that much if not all of the cast despised this undisciplined and minimally talented slob for trying to turn the show from clever humor into a frat joke.
1
Harry Shearer was part of the cast twice: In addition to the 1984-85 season noted in the graphic, he was writer and player during the 1979-1980 season as well.
5
'90-'93 had to be the best years.
3
My personal favorite: Don Novello. His character, Father Guido Sarducci, is also the only priest welcome in my house.
16
@K D P
We still love his skits. They were so fabulous. My family found on old record for me recently for Christmas. Find the Pope in the pizza.
2
@K D P Remember when Father Sarduci went to see the Pope in Mexico, and someone sold him the actual dinner check for the Last Supper?
This skit and indeed, his entire role, was smoking hot early social commentary on the Church.
2
@K D P
And he got to be the 'opening act' for Gilda Radner's Broadway show - what a fun night that was.
He also wrote a hilarious book called, "Letters From Lazlo." Brilliant, funny man, that Don Novello.
Eddie Murphy defined what was funny for generations of viewers? You mean those excruciating bits one sees in reruns that re-affirm ones appreciation for the modern show, like the Mr. Rogers take off? Buckwheat? David Spade was right.
5
Steve Martin, Albert Brooks, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, John Goodman, Paul Simon have also been semi official cast members over the years.
7
@Baba Oh my god, Tom Hanks on "Black Jeopardy" was priceless.
5
Is it weird that I read every one of those names in the SNL announcer Don Pardo’s voice?
9
In my mind, I hear Don Pardo reading all of those names.
5
I can't wait to see Eddie Murphy hosting this Saturday night. His terrific new film, "Dolemite Is My Name," has quite an ensemble, and I'm sure he can trace back his roots in ensemble comedy to his time at SNL.
He's come a long way since then, and it will be great to see him live in action again.
Or -- as Wesley Snipes says in the Dolemite movie -- "Ax-i-own."
1
We used to call it Saturday Night Live. Now we call it Sunday Morning U-Tube.
7
A delightful HTML rendition of chronology. Thank you. Next time just add a little popover with a wiki summary over each member's picture.
7
Save the liver!
"What's the difference between a Saturday Night Live sketch and life? Life doesn't go on forever!" -John Cleese
2
once they started using the fake laughter , I stopped watching
1
Age discrimination is still alive and well on SNL.
2
Robert Downey Jr. was on SNL?
1
It’s 2019. The sexism and racism in their casting just needs to stop.
Dear NYT:
Do you really believe that identity politics and "equity" is the best way to cast SNL, or that the current glut of politically correct, hyper-partisan humor is funny?
How much more anti-Trump hate-mongering are we expected to endure from Alex Baldwin and Hollywood guest hosts?
If this continues, many in the audience will apply a new take on "cancel culture" --- to SNL.
3
@Jorge You may not remember the SNL send-ups of Nixon (who tried to get the show cancelled), Ford, Carter, Reagan, H.W. Bush, Clinton, W. Bush, or Obama, but I do.
Trump is just the last in a long line of US presidents, both conservative and liberal, being skewered on SNL. Most took it with good grace. The current POTUS is just another public figure whose deeds make him a target.
You want hyper-partisan? Watch FOX or MSNBC. You want comedy with a political bent? Watch SNL.
Nice bit of graphic visualisation! Kudos.
1
Notably absent are Hispanics. The is a glaring exclusion and need to be rectified. A recent segment featured 3 American households at the dinner table at Thanksgiving discussing , and not a single character was Hispanic even though one sits in at least 1 of 4 household dinner tables, and probably more. Get with it SNL, I am sure you can find some Hispanic cast members. If you are so inclined, and maybe not, may I recommend my hilarious nephew Diego Abraham, a senior in the Northwestern media program and host last year of their live comedy show.
2
@Tina What about Chico Esquella?
@malibu frank yup, one,
Comedy comes in various forms and SNL is just one picture of comedy in America. There are great comedians who never were SNL cast members (Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert et al) and there are those who used SNL as a jump board to start a career in comedy (Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler et al). I've enjoyed SNL ever since I came to the US and it is a topical, so what? If it makes you laugh, that's what counts. BTW, British humor is a whole different ball game and I enjoy that too. Bottom line: Make me laugh and I will watch your show. Thanks for making me laugh SNL!
3
I started watching SNL during the summer of 1976 after coming home from college. (SNL didn't air on the upstate NY NBC affiliate during 1975-76 season, since it was considered too risqué. It did begin airing the fall of 1976.) For me being from the tri-state area (NY-NJ-CT) it was dang funny! Must see t.v. on Saturday as we had no VCRs or DVRs then. To me though, SNL lost its innovation and hipness as it moved away from its esoteric guest hosts and skits, probably after the 3rd season. Still I watched it regularly and found it funny. (It had its hits and misses e.g. the Mardi Gras special was terrible. The show where Ray Charles guest hosted--hilarious (!) with great musical numbers.)
There was a lull until Eddie Murphy became the breakout star. He overshadowed the rest of the cast so profoundly that I hardly remember any of the skits without him. I’ve watch occasionally since the 1980's as it moved from niche audience to 'entertainment for the masses' with virtually no hipness or innovation as witnessed by the current fare and the same political humor on late night shows and HBO. Pretty generic and predictable these days. Hits and misses as always. No longer must see t.v. for me on a Saturday night or even must see later after recording.
33
@L.C. Grant "...the upstate NY NBC affiliate"? Are we still displaying those NYC attitudes about upstate NY in 2019? I thought they died with Ed Koch.
It reminds me of when I went to Holy Cross in 1964 and was asked, by a NYC classmate, whether we received NYC weather forecasts in Buffalo. No, we actually had Buffalo weather forecasts. He looked confused.
I was in Rochester in 1975, and I can assure you that we saw the first season of SNL.
5
@Dave Vanknapp -Couldn't watch in Troy, NY or the rest of the Capital District for 1975-76 season unless you could pull it in from Utica station with a good antenna. (I think it was Utica.) or Pittsfield, MA. It's funny that where I am in 'Central' NY they laugh when anything south of Albany is called upstate. CNY'ers cringe when here is referred to as 'upper' NY state. It's all relative. ;-) :-)
1
@L.C. Grant ...You are absolutely correct. I attended college at SUNY Albany between 1975-79, the "glory years" of SNL in my opinion. In order to watch the show that 1st season, and I think even into the early fall of 1976, we had to go up to the top floor of one of the dormitory towers where there was a TV hooked up to an aerial antenna that picked up an out of town station broadcasting the show. I distinctly recall, on one of those occasions, watching the show the night that Paul Simon hosted and George Harrison appeared and sang a couple of duets with him. Although I still watch the show quasi-regularly (usually from the cold open to Weekend Update), it is hit or miss now. I laugh much harder when I watch clips of old shows with the original cast on YouTube, or on the SNL app, even though I have seen many of those skits umpteen times before! Eddie Murphy put me in stitches when he returned to host SNL last month, especially when he reprised "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood"! I was glad, in this PC era, that he did not hold back! Great stuff! Oh, here in Rochester, I guess we are now referred to as being in "western" NY rather than "upstate". When I lived in NYC, I recall people referring to Yonkers and White Plains as being in upstate New York, lol!
1
Fondest memories. This list prompted me to look over a list of SNL's musical guests since the show's inception. What stood out to me was the lack of metal bands: Metallica performed in '97, ACDC (sort of metal) in 2000. And virtually no progressive rock.
Consider booking TOOL, Opeth, Ghost, Steven Wilson, Nightwish
So many very bright people on SNL. Their good work comes in flashes on the show - I agree with the commenters who point to other shows that are more successful in consistent output. Also with the commenter who suggested that the writing process - structure be experimented with.
I expect more of the New York Times than to refer to artists who did not become huge celebrities as "flame outs." This doesn't begin to examine the political machinations behind the scenes, the mental health issues that led to suicides, or substance abuse issues that ultimately caused a lot of untimely deaths.
People expect to be entertained 24/7. It's very hard work to give that all the time. There are a lot of people who contribute to that entertainment who deserve a far deal more support and understanding than a dismissive term like "flamed out."
30
@Suzanne Moniz
Thanks, Suzanne, for this point. This article's an instance where the novelty of the infographic flattens out a textured story.
4
I will never forgive Lorne Michaels for booking trump. As far as Michaels goes, I know many who worked at Broadway Video, his company. Michaels is universally detested by his former employees.
10
I must admit that SNL was a little funnier in the 70's, when I was always weeded up on Saturday nights, than now, being straight for 30 years. But most things were funnier then (including Cosell's live Saturday night show on ABC).
I still watch it every Saturday night. It's easier since the invention of DVR.
1
While I appreciate the use of quantitative data for this article, it minimizes qualitative data. The more we try to analyze every possible socio-cultural data point, the more we dilute the raison d'etre. Exceptional satirical comedy is an art and has many faces with multiple opportunities to offend. It also offers an opportunity to laugh loudly at ourselves and our society.
As a 40 year patron of SNL, the numbers are irrelevant. I'm thankful for the comedic genius of the players, writers, producers and entire SNL team who have stretched the confines of commercial television for decades.
10
In my opinion, you’re giving far too short shrift to the “New Voices” era of SNL casts. I’d long ago stopped watching the show (mainly ‘cause I’m often no longer awake at 11:30pm on a Saturday), but over the last year have caught up with the casts of the last 6 years or so via YouTube videos and streaming... and I’m amazed by the relative consistency and originality of their work. It’s more absurd, better acted, and (oddly, given the heavy dose of pointed political satire) more good-natured than the work of any casts I can remember. BTW, that also includes the first cast, much of whose work — though undeniably groundbreaking — really doesn’t hold up for me (Exception to the rule: the late Michael O’Donaghue’s insane dark “Mr. Mike” stuff. His humor would’ve meshed beautifully with our current through-the-looking-glass politics, methinks).
PS: RIP Phil Hartman and Gilda.
8
@RGT
'SNL' has been broadcast live from coast to coast since the 43rd season in 2017. That means for me there is no more struggling to stay up until 11:30 only to conk out anyway.
I'd also mention Belushi and Farley in memoriam.
2
Why cannot a Sunday Times be published without a story, no matter how brief, on SNL?
The show is simply not funny. It had been, but no longer.
The audience laughs at attempted jokes so lame that it is hard to believe the laughter is not canned, like so many bad sitcoms.
Steven Colbert’s show is much more humorous and trenchant, it only has 24 hours to produce the material - not a whole week like SNL does – yet rarely does it get mentioned.
Every season for the past ten years I try watching the show to see if it has gotten better, only to shut it off after ten minutes of its sophomoric humor.
32
@just a thought do you mean the show is not funny or do you mean you don’t like it? Oh, sorry, I didn’t get you were joking! Further, my wit and cleverness and sophistication of my sense of humour reached a peak when I was a sophomore. I have become progressively more refined, to the point that I now spend all of my spare time watching re-runs of Dr. Joyce brothers instructing me on how to achieve and sustain marital harmony. She just kills me.i graduated to her when I was a junior. I note that you refer to SNL as “simply” not funny. Does that mean that some show are not funny in a more complex or convoluted sense of the term “not funny”, e.g., the news, where we are confronted daily with people engaging in behaviour where at first I think the announcer must be joking. Then I realize they are not. The stuff really happened. Funny how that works.
3
@Little Albert
“That’s so funny, I forgot to laugh.”
@just a thought
You're missing the 5 days a week 'Best of Late Night' column. Check it out!
2
Being so topical, its no wonder many cast members don't stick around. There's only so many political impressions one can do before the subject exits the stage along with those who make a career off them. It takes a special kind of talent like Keenan T's and Kate Mc, to stay relevent.
6
Being so topical, its no wonder many cast members don't stick around. There's only so many political impressions one can do before the subject exits the stage along with those who make a career off them. It takes a special kind of talent like Keenan T's and Kate Mc, to stay relevent.
I remember a conversation among office mates in a TA’’s office in Hamilton Hall at Columbia, back in the 1970s when we were all graduate students, that ended when one of my officemates compared a comment by a literary critic to “what John Belushi said to the Coneheads.” That sealed it, she won.
5
They were pipped at the post in the late 70's by SCTV. Still are. The creativity of that cast remains unmatched, decades later.
6
Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader and Fred Armisen made me a believer again. Especially Wiig, whose work was either very well rehearsed (unlike most) or brilliantly improvised‚ intelligent and silly in the most inspired way.
13
Barb, I completely understand. I’ve watched SNL since its debut and Wiig, Hader and Armisen are three of my all-time favorites (and the cast they were part of was my favorite.)
2
SNL now might take some writing lessons from the Baroness Von Sketch Show on IFC. Some bits are 15 seconds, some 3-4 minutes. Stays fresher and funny and if not it is over in a second.
2
Like many people, I have watched and enjoyed every SNL show since I was a teenager growing up in PA. Last night I reminded my husband (also a huge fan) that we needed to be back in time to see the new show. The show is a reflection of each era it passes through. And I've been through each one with them. It has always been interesting to me. The show brings talented people into my life. I squealed to hear that Eddie Murphy is hosting next week!
12
The show has had its ups and downs but I am so thankful it’s still kicking. The last several years have been fantastic. One that comes to mind is Stargazer Lounge - I watched that one with my 10-year old and we LOL. The Adele sketch at Thanksgiving is brilliant. Too many to name. Keep the laughs coming, SNL!
11
OK, here goes. SNL is not funny.
Full disclosure I’m English, but a huge fan of American comedy. In the UK we have produced classic and innovative humour over the years. But compared to US offerings, American sitcoms win me over every-time.
But SNL is not funny anymore, is it?
Shambling, humourless acting, cold opens that seem to rely on star cameos fluffing their lines, 10 second comedy ideas stretched painfully into five minute chuckle free marathons. Overly self-referential host monologues, tired stereotype gags.
With the talent available on the show and in the wider world of comedy, and given its history, status, time slot and budget, SNL could do better. A lot better.
So here’s a few ideas to consider, (and for angry die-hards to tell me I’m wrong.)
Learn your lines! Or at least have parts of it memorised. It looks like everybody is reading and not caring that you know. Good comedy involves comedic acting and timing.
Have one new showcase standup each week. Have a group of writers prepare sketches developed over a few weeks, why the rush when it’s non-topical humour? Run a sitcom type segment over a season. More Weekend Update.
Do more film based material, the only really funny stuff now. Maybe break the writers into alternating two week groups? Have a greater diversity of writers. Get better writers.
SNL should be the cream of the comedic crop, instead it’s the sad week old yogurt at back of the fridge in the writers room.
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@Nick “SNL is not funny” has been said for decades.
The problem the show can’t escape is the skit format written weekly. Always going to be hit and miss.
18
@eric Most of SNL seems creatively lazy and sloppy, almost as if they dont care anymore. I keep hoping it will improve but its just so tiresome to see them on hiatus for six or more months, only to come back with the same stale and badly delivered skits.
14
@Nick So true about learning their lines. I’ve never understood why these profesional actors, working on a show of this magnitude have to constantly look at the cards! Some like Wiig knew their lines or great at improvising. But how could these folks call themselves actors when their eyes and faces constantly veer away from the scene to look at their lines, then deliver them so poorly! Jimmy Fallon is one of the worst ones that I recall, but there are many others who I’m amazed by how they got acting jobs in NYC!!!
23
I think the current cast is the best ever. I don't like when there is a rerun because I need my SNL fix. Thank you SNL!
9
I'm one of the few people that gets irked when I incessantly hear that only the original cast was any good. As this article aptly shows, there has been a ton of talent and that continues to this day.
I learned in the 1980s how to watch this show: record it and watch it later. When a skit goes on too long or shows it doesn't have much promise early on, I just zip past it and go to the next one. As a result I get almost an hour of outstanding entertainment which I have enjoyed for 45 years.
34
@Paul in NJ I agree, except now I watch it on youtube while I am getting ready for bed. I think the current cast members are great, lots of funny stuff and of course some duds. I'm always emailing funny links to my friends and family.
1
@Paul in NJ it’s not that ‘only the original years or cast were good’ it’s just that everything changed dramatically by 1980 and the same raw verve was never ever reignited.
The original talent of the show’s pioneers could never be recreated because they were original in a very fundamental way, it has all been repeat since. They were special.
Interesting that in its prime SNL had seven cast members, who delivered 90 minutes of solid humor. Now the opening credits last longer than the monologue as we are presented with an NFL-sized roster of "starring" and "featuring" players-- who manage to come up with possibly one or two decent sketches per show.
13
Just out of college when SNL began. Had a group of college friends, all married by then; no matter what we were doing Saturday night, we made it to someone's home to watch SNL. It truly was “must see” TV. Steve Martin’s contribution should also be noted. In a post-Vietnam/Watergate world, his goofy humor seems brilliantly perfect. Mean banjo as well.
73
I have seen every SNL since the first one: Oct. 11, 1975, with host George Carlin (coked-up big time doing his monologue on a round stage), and music by Billy Preston and Jane Ian. It was called "NBC's Saturday Night.
21
@Bill Wilkerson
you probably mean Janis Ian. it was a long time ago.
2
@RKPT Thanks.
@RKPT
Such a performance. Still takes my breath away.
I will never forget the Thanksgiving episode, when Paul Simon hosted and George Harrison was the guest musician. Their performance of "Here Comes the Sun" was perfection. Two of the greatest musicians of their generation, playing unplugged acoustic guitars, with their voices in perfect alignment. Unforgettable.
111
@Helen agree, plus Simon in the Turkey outfit, singing “ Still Crazy” Funny then, classic now!
25
@Helen Yes. And Paul dressed as a turkey for the monologue.
10
@Helen
Agreed the best performance I have ever seen.
BradB
7
I have laughed and laughed at SNL for years and years, from the days of John Belushi and Jane Curtain, to today, with Kate McKinnon. Laughter and enjoyment from this boomer.
22
After the mid 1980s it became painful to watch SNL. It no longer was funny. I find the new show to be offensive more often than it is funny. Tina Fey is Sarah Palin and that was funny in a sick and twisted way.
I had access to so many good comedy shows that after SNL's original cast left, my friends and I stopped watching. We would record the show when a band we liked was on and just fast forward.
3
I loved Colin Quinn he was amazing as was the whole SNL phenomenon
he’s still doing a lot of stuff as one man shows
I like to describe him as the Erudite Comic he is smartly funny
9
@Eduardo colin must be a really nice guy.
When Saturday Night Live first came on the air, none of the stations in Oklahoma would broadcast it for the first few years. I was in college, working part-time in the library. One of my coworkers, whose brother lived in another state, would tape SNL every week and mail it to him. That's the only way you could watch in in Oklahoma in 1975!
64
@Linda Oklahoma hasn’t changed much since the 1800s. I moved from home at 17 because my dad, a FAA employee was transferred to Tulsa from NY. I moved into the city, it was affordable in the 70s.
5
@Linda
Wow, I had no idea there were stations that refused to air SNL. It was part of the 1970's zeitgeist.
13
Perhaps I speak for many others when I say that SNL was never as funny as some of the movies that cast members would go on to make. The show itself was dispensable, but it's hard to imagine a world without 'The Blues Brothers', 'Beverly Hills Cop' or 'Groundhog Day', to name a few (and only a very few).
16
@David Bartlett
To be fair, the movies had a LOT more time to develop. The show has to be written, practiced, and performed in a 7-day stretch.
Under those circumstances, I'd say a 40+ span is pretty impressive. But that's just me.
18
@David Bartlett
Caddyshack!
1
Those of us who were watching in the 70s must have had a good time.....because we can’t remember anything.
53
@Baba
I remember "Dueling Brandos."
Vividly and fondly.
6
@Baba if you were home on a Saturday night, you weren’t exactly living on the edge.
5
@Baba
We did. I remember that much at least.
1
I've always found SNL sketches were more fun to talk about than actually watch. While it had some great moments (William Shatner's hosting was a classic as was Tina Fey's portrayal of Sarah Palin), it was more often than not uneven or just not funny.
The catchphrases like "Isn't that special?" or "We're here to pump you up," found their way into watercooler and highschool hallway discussions, and I think we laughed more telling them to each other than actually seeing them performed.
In an interview once, former Python Eric Idle noted that SNL was trying to fill 90 minutes a week and trying to find a place for every cast member, rather than just writing a short show with tight sketches. It is not the fault of the very talented cast so much as a structural problem inherent in the format.
For this American, Monty Python, the Young Ones, Black Books, League of Gentlemen and all the other amazing British comedy over the years is just eight levels above SNL.
29
@Bill Having watched my share of Python show collections, I can understand how Eric Idle might know a thing or two about uneveness.
18
@Bill But unlike those British scripted series, SNL is largely a topical sketch show about the week's news, isn't it? So are we comparing apples with oranges?
90 minutes does sound like rather a lot. I just get selected bits on YouTube; and some of the best sketches really are wonderful.
10
@Chanzo You point out a crucial difference. Sketch comedy is hard in any iteration, but the task SNL gives itself--both to be topical and to work within a one-week cycle--really makes it hard for it to be compared to scripted comedy shows that don't operate under those constraints.
Like you, I don't watch the full 90-minute show. I just go looking for Weekend Update and whatever sketches might catch my eye on YouTube.
2
Somewhere between the National Lampoon Radio Hour and SNL's debut, the majority of the cast appeared as support on a primetime Howard Cosell variety series. Am I nuts? This should be easier to confirm.
The first seasons seemed like an evolution from these earlier shows and the National Lampoon stage tours, rather than completely original. By the second season, they were trying to be the new Monty Python, which didn't work.
@SLD Cosell had a show called "Saturday Night Live" from Sept 95 to Jan 96 and Bill Murray, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Christopher Guest were cast members (Billy Crystal was a guest on one show, but that's it for cast overlap). They were called the "Prime Time Players", so this is why what we now know as SNL was originally "Saturday Night" (no live) and why the cast was billed as the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players". Source: Wikipedia.
9
@Oren Sorry, meant to write Sept 75 to Jan 76.
1
@Oren Sorry, make that Sept 75 to Jan 76.
Where is Andy Kaufman is this list? He was there in the first season.
Thankfully Johnny Carson wanted to end the "Best of Carson" which led to the creation of SNL. NBC broadcast the show from Rockefeller Center to use the space no longer needed with most of TV and film having moved to LA.
What a breath of fresh air, I watched the first episode not quite understanding what was going on. The generational shift from Carson to the Baby Boom generation was underway. Sketch comedy was now based on improv and many actors came from the Chicago and Toronto Second City troupes.
They have had ups and downs, even within the same show. Some skits were funnier, some actors funnier, some musical guests better. I have watched with amazement at the longevity of this show. Always inconsistent, but often topical, political, musically and culturally important. I will be watching tonight and next week with Eddie Murphy. I only hope to I can stay awake to see the best parts.
18
@Luke: Kaufman was never a cast member, but a frequent guest.
Have not been a very frequent viewer for many years now--I remember when the show took some chances with unusual guest hosts and the like, but now it's always someone who's got "buzz." I'll pass, thanks.
4
@Luke Kaufman was a frequent guest but never a member of the cast.
1
@Luke Kaufman was on a number of times but was not a cast member, and to the best of my knowledge, was not in sketches.
1
Thanks to everyone ever on SNL - I love the show - you all made me laugh over the years and laughter is medicine and so healing. Should anyone at SNL need a volunteer on your show in the afternoon, please contact me via this comment. Thank you again!!
15
I went to my neighbors house to watch SNL, the guys who lived there were veterans going to school at San Diego State University. Doug had a nice TV in a big room where we sat and watched the show.
13
I've watched every season, since 1980.
Some funnier than others.
All funny.
Thank you SNL.
26
Back when SNL had its 25th anniversary special (yikes, was it that long ago?), Chris Rock had probably the most accurate assessment: "SNL has been on TV for 25 years. Four funny."
15
Jerry Minor should have been kept on the show.
1
I’m 66 having perused this I now feel 96.
138
@all fear is rational
Ditto, and I'm 76.
20
Has Eddie Murphy ever walked back his homophobic statements made in the 1970s? I was a young kid then, and it was deeply discouraging to hear a "star" openly disparage someone like me.
29
@Tim He has apologized for those statements, jokes, etc over the course of many years now. Here's a recent article: https://www.essence.com/celebrity/eddie-murphy-homophobic-content-ignorant/
2
@Tim yes: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/PAGE-ONE-After-15-Years-Actor-Apologizes-For-2982557.php
1
@Tim Yes.
1
I've long been ambivalent about SNL and the treatment of its Black staff. Y'all talk about Eddie Murphy, but he had to struggle to get through. Garrett Morris was shamefully underutilized. And he was the oldest in the bunch. I'll never forget the open when Cicely Tyson was a host. She preached to him about his lack of dignity. (Episode 11, Season 4). Folks thought she was joking, but she wasn't.
8
I think you should add Don Pardo to the chart.
137
@Stephen Good point. Prior to that he was a serious announcer on game shows and other things. I grew up knowing that voice, so when he first was on SNL it was doubly funny. As that wore off though he stayed funny.
21
Interesting that two genuine talents like Christine Ebersole and Joan Cusack passed through the show so quickly.
41
I've watched almost every episode, from my college days to retirement. SNL is a good way to stay aware of the news, humor trends, pop music and it's funny most of the time, too.
44
Haven't watched since Bill Murray, whom I still think of as the new guy, left.
Once or twice a year I turn it on for five minutes and give up.
16
@GreaterMetropolitanArea
Ha. I remember when Bill Murray first started. I didn't think her was funny at all. I still don't.
When I think of SNL, I still think of the original group of Chevy, John, Jane, Gilda, Larraine, and Garrett. I never realized until I saw this time line that none of them was working on SNL by 1980. And looking at it, I can see how a bunch of short-timers followed them, thus cementing my memory that the show suddenly "just stopped being funny."
Since the early eighties I have switched on the show from time to time, been disappointed, and switched it off again. I think I've watched a show straight through maybe once or twice in those forty years, whereas before, I couldn't miss a minute. The amazing energy, humor, originality, and humanity of those original players made such an impact on me, though, that almost half a century later, I still feel an attachment to the show.
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@Eric I’m glad for the two of you that the show introduced you to new things 40 (!) years ago, but if you really can’t give the show more than five minutes then you have a really short (dare I say millennial-level short) attention span, and you’ve missed a ton of great stuff.
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@BlueAbbot
I've moved on.
1
My all-time favorite was Garrett Morris, particularly one episode --I believe called The Pepsi Syndrome -- where he was a lady janitor asked to clean up after the Three Mile Island disaster.
I couldn't find it on the internet, but I'm sure it's up there somewhere.
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@A. Stanton Search for 'The Amazing Colossal President'
Is it true President Carter is over 100 feet tall?
I loved him doing the news for the hard of hearing.
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@Paul T Morrison - Ha! Yes, I too LOVED Garrett Morris yelling the 'News for the Hard of Hearing'. That was so funny.
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@A. Stanton It is on the 1979 box set of SNL if you can find those now. But, with today's climate, one will believe that the "Bonfires of the Offended" might have been its final resting place, along with numerous other "un-PC" skits, including the Chevy Chase-Richard Prior "Word Association" or even the Garrett Morris-Julian Bond exchange on white supremacy--i.e., "high yellow". "Say What???" is still one of my favorite Morris lines.
15
We all love the idea of SNL. We cherish the history. We go out of our way to see former favorite cast members films and new TV shows.
I wish the current producers would allow the new cast to blossom. I wish they would stop having all these guest appearances of Deniro, Baldwin, Fallen... the list goes on.
Let the writers write for the new generation!!! and let the new crew make us laugh!!!!
That's what they were hired to do.
70
You have Al Franken's timeline. If you watch the first episode of SNL, his is the first face on the screen. He and his partner Tom Davis were there the first season.
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@Keith Dow
They were there, but as writers who occasionally performed.
Not sure about being the first face on the screen, though. I believe the first sketch was the one with O'Donoghue and Belushi alone on stage, unless I'm forgetting something that came first.
6
@me "The wolverines"
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@Carlos R. Rivera
Yep. A teacher (Michael O'Donaghue) teaches English to an immigrant student (John Belushi).
This show needs better script writers to be worthy of the excellent actors. The average Oxford/Cambridge revue writers are much funnier.
9
@LB
Listened to the Dead Ringers comic review of the UK election on BBC Sounds radio yesterday and couldn't believe how quickly the writers came up with such funny stuff. The results had only been confirmed a few hours before the program was aired and they had send-ups of the reactions of Corbyn, Johnson, and Swinson that were hilarious.
2
Wow, 45 already but I thought we just celebrated the 40th anniversary!
The show is like an old friend now but there was nothing like those early days in context of the changing American culture of the ‘70s. The show used humor to challenge some of what needed challenging and its seeming perverseness to those outside of New York City and Hollywood was illuminating to young teens like me who were open to more expansively positive ways of being.
It may seem corny to those who were far hipper at the time but Dan Aykroyd‘s skit of President Carter struck me as a precocious junior-high schooler trapped in a judgmental, fear-mongering evangelical baptist school. His portrayal, however accurate or inaccurate, of a brilliant yet compassionate man at the apex of world power and easily navigating between the technical challenges of the postal worker and gentle, non-judgemental support for the teen on a bad acid trip had me thinking, why can’t the people at my school be as knowledgeable and understanding of the changing world around us?
To this day, “President Carter’s” words will occasionally float into my head at some of the most delightfully perfect moments: “Everything’s gonna be fine...just remember, you’re a living organism on this planet and you’re very safe...”
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@left coast finch Or, when he, as Jimmy Carter, is a radio "drug counselor" and recommends listening to the Allman Brothers Band to come down from a high
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@left coast finch
It's news to me that anyone thought it was perverse. Even my parents, both Catholics in their 50's, watched SNL from the start of its run.
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@left coast finch -- contrast the exceedingly Brilliant Dan Aykroyd's “Everything’s gonna be fine...just remember, you’re a living organism on this planet and you’re very safe...”
with Aykroyd (again, as Carter) sent inside the facility to take a look at a nuclear power plant malfunction (Three Mile Island?), and when he came out ('glowing'!) his: "Ah'm a nuclear engineer -- and I'm Very worried!
3
I think a lot of people around my age, who began watching SNL when it started, have the initial cast as their favorite. While I certainly liked them, especially Aykroyd and Belushi, they’re only my sixth favorite.
My top five favorite casts were (in order):
1. the Fred Armisen/Kristen Wiig/Jason Sudekis/Bill Hader/Andy Samberg/Kenan Thompson years
2. the Will Ferrell/Molly Shannon/Norm Macdonald/Cheri Oteri years
3. the Chris Farley/Adam Sandler/David Spade/Mike Myers years
4. the Phil Hartman/Dana Carvey/Kevin Nelson/Jan Hooks/Jon Lovitz years (perhaps my all-time favorite sketch was their spin on It’s A Wonderful Life)
5. the Will Forte/Tina Fey/Amy Poehler/Jimmy Fallon/Maya Rudolph years
My dream all-star cast: Fred Armisen, Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, Tina Fey and Kenan Thompson. I think every one of them was absolutely brilliant.
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I neglected to put Kate McKinnon in my all-star cast. She is also brilliant.
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@Jim
I would add Gilda Radner.
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@Maura3, thanks. I certainly liked her, just not to the degree that you do. Who are some of your other favorites?
1
I would be quite surprised to discover that either Michael O'Donoghue or George Coe was actually a "Not Ready for Prime-Time player" or even a full-fledged cast member by any definition. I watched religiously for the first few years of the show (my only regular viewing of it), and the opening credits are pretty well etched on my mind. I've even much more recently watched a couple episodes from the first few years, and I'm sure neither was a listed player.
Yes, I remember O'Donoghue, the head writer, making very rare appearances (including the show's very first sketch), but I'm sure he was not seen in the opening credits. Coe, I don't remember at all. And I've just looked at a picture of his younger self.
3
@Sixofone Coe and O'Donoghue were definitely members of the first cast, although neither appeared on screen as much as the 7 who became famous. Chase, Belushi, Ackroyd, Radner, Morris, Curtin, and Newman. Coe was much older than the others and was hired because Lorne Michaels thought he would need someone of that type to play older characters in skits, just like he hired Curtin because he thought he'd need someone to play a whitebread housewife in skits.
2
The show is just not that funny. The writers rely too heavily on current/ political humor. There hasn't been a really memorable sketch in years. Plus, newer shows like Key and Peele are much funnier. SNL desperately needs a total redo.
9
SNL seems like a show that is always looking backwards. All of the new episodes are just auditions for the nostalgia laced specials that seem to pop up once every few months. That's not to say that it's a bad show. Instead, when looked at on an episode by episode basis it's not very noteworthy. It's power and relevance is in it's volume.
1
There have been some great, good, and not good times.
In my opinion, Eddie Murphy has to be considered the best male cast member and Kate McKinnon the best female cast member.
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@Brad Kate is absolutely terrific, but better than Gilda Radner? I think these are things that can't be compared.
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@Martin Brooks
“...these are things that can’t be compared.”
Indeed. I loved several cast iterations of the show and it’s difficult to choose “best” or “favorite” because it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Cultural contexts of the various eras are important too when evaluating impact and greatness of the various skits and cast members.
I was a teen girl during Gilda Radner’s run who saw her as an inspiration and was heartbroken when she died so young of cancer. Kate McKinnon is a master who is one of the all-time greats and my current favorite cast member but my heart will always be with Gilda Radner.
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@Martin Brooks
Fair point. Got to love Gilda.
We can meet midway between Oregon and NY and debate over drinks!
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