The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL Retrospective

With Saturday Night Live off for a few weeks due to the Olympics, we thought it would be fun to get some friends together to debate our “Favorite SNL Olympic Moments.” That’s right, Tournament Talk is BACK. Sadly, Bill Swerski is not. From John Belushi up to the recent SNL51 Olympic pre-tape, our panel of SNL superfans discuss, dissect, and debate the best Olympic sketches, pre-tapes, and bits fro...

SNL finally gets comedy legend Bob Newhart to host the show, and we finally get back together for a “live” episode. In honor of being in the same room, we try something a little different and record immediately after watching each bit. This episode of Saturday Night Live is famous for not having a lot of material, with only four live sketches (in addition to the cold open). The show doesn’t stray...

Just when you thought Season 5 of SNL might have thrown in the towel, it delivers one of THE BEST episodes of the season! Host Strother Martin knocks it out of the park – whether carrying a sketch or simply in a supporting role – and the veteran character actor delivers in all night long.  The writing is smart, the performances are on point, and the laughs are plentiful. You don’t even have to be...

While the average SNL fan might not know Andy Aaron by name, they almost certainly know his work—his short films have been showcased on the show several times. His most well-known, "Push Button to Cross Street," was featured in Season 7 and shows an unknowing Tom Davis accidentally push the wrong button and cause a building to collapse. But Andy's connection with Saturday Night Live...

Not all episodes of SNL are created equal. Some of them…well, they just miss the mark. That is a polite way of describing Burt Reynolds ’ hosting of Saturday Night Live ’s late Season Five entry. This episode is well-known for the difficulties it had finding material for the host and it shows. Much of what was delivered manages to offend early and often. And, Burt pretty much plays Burt this episo...

Veteran comedy writer Matt Neuman , whose story starts all the way back in the early 70s, joins us today to share his SNL story. He talks about the creation of his own sketch comedy show, The Chicken Little Show (where Father Guido Sarducci made his television debut 6 years before appearing on Saturday Night Live ), working with a pre- SNL Al Franken & Tom Davis, and putting together a TV pilo...

SNL makes history as Richard Benjamin returns to host – this time with his wife Paula Prentiss – to be the first husband/wife team to ever host the show. In honor of the occasion, we did the only thing that seemed right – dragged our wives onto the show to talk about this episode.  Unfortunately for them, this is a weird episode of Saturday Night Live to walk into – not bad (not at all), just weir...

Milestones are supposed to shine. SNL’ s 100th did something stranger: it skipped a host, stacked cameos, and unintentionally made flogging history when Paul Shaffer became the first person to drop the F bomb during the live broadcast. For the first time, Saturday Night Live goes without a proper host, relying instead on a slew of cameos. From Michael O’Donoghue and John Belushi (twice!) to Ralph...

Throughout the storied history of SNL , one constant move has been booking hot stand-up comedians to host the show. And in early 1980, there were very few hotter than Rodney Dangerfield , who having already cameoed once in Season 4, comes ready to play. Unfortunately, he isn’t given much to play with. The highlight of this episode just might be the monologue, where Rodney shows why he is one of th...

Kirk Douglas hosted Saturday Night Live ? Yes, yes he did. Along with R&B legends Sam & Dave as the musical guest. This did happen. How did it turn out? Well…the show opens with Douglas doing what looks to be a Dorf impression. And it only gets better from there.  As “The Early Years” of SNL get closer to its end, we start to say goodbye to many fan favorites. We get the final Schiller’s R...

Ho, ho, Hoooo!  Our season of celebrating the holidays comes to a close with this VINTAGE re-release of our very first edition of Tournament Talk. Fittingly, for this inaugural outing, we brought a few of our friends in to discuss and debate our Favorite SNL Holiday Moments. We had a lot of fun looking back at 50 years of memorable holiday sketches, pre-tapes, and performances as we battled it out...

We continue to celebrate the holiday season by looking back at a movie that is a must watch this time of year – Scrooged ! Bill Murray returns to acting after a four-year hiatus to star in this modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ immortal classic, "A Christmas Carol," that’s infused with the chaotic energy of the live television and Saturday Night Live . Though originally panned by crit...

Christmas is coming early this year to The Not Ready for Prime Time Project. This week we’re re-releasing a VINTAGE episode of The Early Years of SNL as we look back at not only the best holiday episode of the original (or any) era, but also one of the best episodes of the entire first five years. Candice Bergen returns to Saturday Night Live for the 3rd time to host the Christmas episode for the...

SNL looks to pick up the pieces as it turns into the back half of Season 5 as old standby Elliott Gould returns to become the third host in show history to do it a fifth time (a feat that wouldn’t be repeated for over six years).  Gould clearly knows his way around the show, as evidenced by his “laissez-faire” approach to this episode, yet he isn’t given much material to work with. It’s not a good...

They say “you can never go home again.” But maybe, what they meant was that you just simply shouldn’t. Original Not Ready for Prime Time Player and first breakout star of SNL , Chevy Chase returns for his second time hosting and it does not take long for things to go off the rails. An obviously impaired Chevy is covered in flop sweat, has trouble reading his lines, and at times struggles with the...

In the spirit of giving thanks, we wanted to say thank you to everyone with a VINTAGE re-release of The Early Years of SNL that celebrates an episode of Saturday Night Live that originally aired 50 years ago this week. This episode of SNL comes only six weeks into the show's existence and yet the Lily Tomlin -hosted affair is one of the very best of the show's first season. The show is j...

SNL steps into the new decade with film and television actress Teri Garr as the first host of the 80s. But, after closing out the 70s in strong fashion, the show takes a few steps backwards. It seems to have lost any sense of identity it forged prior to the holiday break, and a whopping seven featured players credited this week. And yet, while it might be very hard to see at times, this was the ep...

Season Six of Saturday Night Live is one of the most infamous in the show's history. The show attempts the near impossible task of continuing on with a brand new cast, an almost entirely new writing staff, and – most notably – without Lorne Michaels producing. Patrick Weathers , a Featured Player that season, joins us to pull back the curtain on the very brief Jean Doumanian year of SNL . Eve...

Veteran actor Ted Knight hosts the S5 Christmas episode as SNL says goodbye to the 70s. As a present (to Gilda, we're guessing), Desmond Child and Rouge are the musical guest. While The Mary Tyler Moore Show star brings the comedic chops and appears to have a lot of fun, this episode is known more for the myth and legend surrounding it than the material itself. Andy Kaufman wrestles a woman (...

Innovative. Iconic. Legendary. These are just a few words to describe the one and only David Bowie . And all could be used to describe any one of his musical performances on his very first appearance on SNL . Bowie helps ring out the 70s as the musical guest alongside host, Martin Sheen . His three songs are not only the highlight of this episode but all of season five. So much so, it is easy to f...

Saturday Night Live has aired live on Halloween only FOUR times in its 50+ years. As a treat this week, we're releasing a VINTAGE episode of The Early Years of SNL looking back at the memorable Season 2 outing hosted by Buck Henry that came close—airing just one day before Halloween and marking the first time the show leaned into the holiday. The episode is filled with spooky sketches and sca...

Today marks what would have been the 100th birthday of The King of Late Night – Johnny Carson. To celebrate, we're joined by our old friend Mark Malkoff, whose new book Love Johnny Carson offers a captivating look back at the 30 years Johnny Carson spent behind the desk of The Tonight Show . Mark has an extensive history with Johnny Carson beginning with The Carson Podcast , which ran for ove...

Johnny Fever himself, Howard Hesseman , takes the reins for his first time hosting SNL , along with the return of future 5-Timer Randy Newman as the musical guest. Hesseman has a long history of improv, and it shows here as he blends seamlessly into the cast and displays a wide range of characters throughout the episode. While the sketches themselves might not always land (and a few of them wouldn...

With Sabrina Carpenter hosting this week's SNL in support of her new album—obviously a direct homage to the early '80s heavy metal classic Smell the Glove —we're looking back at the film that took us backstage with one of England's loudest bands. This is Spinal Tap is absolutely loaded with Saturday Night Live connections. The film is Rob Reiner's (S1 host) directorial deb...

Season 5 of SNL might just be finding its groove as the one and only Bea Arthur takes the stage as host. Just over a year removed from the end of her Emmy-winning run on Maude , the veteran actress feels right at home with the cast and helps them shine. Cast members new and old take the spotlight as the audience gets their first real glimpse of what this season could be. Everyone gets a chance to...