The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL Retrospective

What's one way to turn things around after a rocky start to Season 5? Bring in one of the greatest SNL hosts of all time to right the ship. That's right—Buck's back! Buck Henry returns for his ninth (and penultimate) hosting appearance, and this time he brings along a little-known rock 'n' roll band on the rise: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers . For the first time this sea...

The professional athlete well is tapped once again as Hall of Fame NBA player (and coach!) Bill Russell hosts this outing of SNL . Chicago , in all their funky glory, let it all hang out as the musical guest. And yet... The cast tries their best, but the host - who looks genuinely excited to be there - just doesn't have the range or chops to help lift this one up. We do get a couple of famili...

SNL continues to roll out the heavy hitters for Season 5, bringing two absolute legends to Studio 8H as Eric Idle returns for his fourth (and sadly final) hosting stint joined by the unequaled Bob Dylan as musical guest. If that wasn’t enough, Andy Kaufman is back on the show as well! Can a lineup like this help Saturday Night Live get back on track?  Well…Idle was very sick (true story), Dylan si...

SNL returns with Steve Martin making history as the first host to kick off a second season premiere! Saturday Night Live holds nothing back as they kick off Season 5 with not only one of the biggest comedy stars on the planet but one of the hottest (and hippest) musical acts in Blondie . Despite being Martin's 7th time hosting, this episode struggles to find its footing. The show is finding i...

Well, we finally made it—Season 5 of Saturday Night Live  is here! Join us as we look ahead to the final season of The Early Years of SNL . The end of the original era is marked by seismic changes, both in front of the camera and behind it. Lorne Michaels faces the daunting task of replacing stars Dan Aykroyd AND John Belushi, while simultaneously breathing new life into an exhausted writing staff...

We're going back to Season 1 of SNL to revisit a sorely underrated outing with Anthony Perkins , of Psycho fame. But he is far more talented than many remember because in addition to his dual roles in Psycho , he was also one of the stars of a 1975 film Brad and Gary discuss and let's not forget that in the late 50's he was a teen idol!  It's really fun to go back to this episo...

Don Roy King stands as one of live television's most decorated directors, with a remarkable 45-year career that earned him 11 Prime Time Emmys and 8 Director's Guild of America Awards. In 2006, he became only the fourth director in Saturday Night Live 's storied legacy, launching a fifteen-year tenure that would see him helm over 300 episodes—making him the second longest-serving di...

We're back with a re-release of Part 2 of our episode covering the legendary Season 3 Saturday Night Live outing hosted by Steve Martin with musical guests The Blues Brothers . We've got TWO special guests this time as we are joined by SNL writer Marilyn Suzanne Miller , who discusses her iconic sketch "Dancing in the Dark," and musician Lou "Blue Lou" Marini , a memb...

This week we re-release one of our biggest VINTAGE episodes of The Early Years of SNL . Steve Martin hosting alongside musical guests The Blues Brothers is considered by many to be one of the best episodes in Saturday Night Live history—a theory we cannot argue with. The episode is packed with all-time classic bits: The Festrunk Brothers, Theodoric of York, Dancing in the Dark, and the legendary K...

This week in 1979, Gilda Radner premiered her live show " Gilda Radner: Live From New York " on Broadway. The show would eventually be captured on film for release as a major motion picture, with a live album also released, completing a three-pronged attempt at capitalizing on Gilda's popularity and pushing her (and Saturday Night Live ) even further into the public spotlight. The s...

One of our favorite aspects of revisiting The Early Years of SNL has been examining the so-called "trainwrecks" and legendary "banned" guests that have become part of the show's mythology. We got our first real taste of this at the end of Season 1 with the infamous summer episode hosted by Louise Lasser , featuring The Preservation Hall Jazz Band as musical guest. History...

Throughout the 50-year history of Saturday Night Live , there have been a few things you could always count on: "Live From New York, It's Saturday Night!", Weekend Update, Paul Simon showing up whenever he pleases... and of course, the legendary talk show sketch! From celebrity chat shows gone wrong to morning programs spiraling into chaos, SNL has perfected the art of skewering tel...

Another VINTAGE episode of The Early Years of SNL this week as we take a look back at Eric Idle 's first time hosting Saturday Night Live early in Season 2. With the help of musical guest Joe Cocker (and Stuff ), the Monty Python legend's outing delivers one of the best shows of the original era. Top to bottom, this is a great episode. While it leans heavily on Idle and feels very remini...

It's one of the most illustrious groups in entertainment. Highly selective, only 26 SNL hosts have gained admittance to the show's legendary 5-Timers Club in its 50-year history. But what about those who haven't been able to find their way into Saturday Night Live 's most exclusive fraternity? Just because they haven't hosted five times doesn't mean they're not a...

This week we have a VINTAGE episode of The Early Years of SNL, looking back at one of the most pivotal moments in the show's original era - Season 2, Episode 11. Ralph Nader takes the hosting reins while George Benson provides the musical entertainment, and the legendary Andy Kaufman appears as special guest. But the real headline? Nearly three months after Chevy Chase's departure, viewe...

Are you ready for the summer? We kick off our off-season coverage with a look back at Meatballs , the scrappy Canadian comedy that surprisingly became one of 1979's biggest successes. Released just a month after SNL' s fourth season wrapped, this summer camp romp marked Bill Murray 's first starring role and set the stage for what would become one of cinema's most beloved comed...

And just like that, another season of SNL is in the books. What a journey Season Four has been—filled with soaring highs and crushing lows that has gone on to help define an era of television comedy. While it was the most popular season of Saturday Night Live to date, it's also tinged with melancholy, foreshadowing the end of a golden age and some massive changes that would reshape the show w...

Another season of The Early Years of SNL comes to a close, which can only mean one thing… Buck is Back! Buck Henry returns for his 8th time hosting and this time he gets a proper season finale musical guest with the one and only Bette Midler . Saturday Night Live brings its highest-rated season yet to a close and while things are mostly upbeat, there is still a sense that this is somewhat of a goo...

On the surface, veteran stage and screen actress Maureen Stapleton may seem like an odd choice to host Saturday Night Live . After watching this episode, that assessment might hold true. Season 4's penultimate episode stands as one of the more peculiar outings from SNL 's original era. The accomplished host finds herself surprisingly underutilized, appearing in only a couple of sketches...

Over SNL 's legendary 50-year run, only a select few bits have managed to stand the test of time. One that has… the commercial parody. From fake products that feel disturbingly real to outrageous pitches that somehow make perfect sense, these sketches have become a staple of the show since day one. For this edition of Tournament Talk, Bill Swerkski assembles an expert panel to dive deep into...

Blink and you might miss it, but Michael Palin returns to SNL for the third time. He is joined by James Taylor, making his second appearance as musical guest. This episode serves up a mixed bag – a couple of VERY long sketches combined with three songs from JT results in one of the fewest comedy bits of any Saturday Night Live episode. Add to that the Monty Python veteran's surprisingly spars...

The ladies of Saturday Night Live team up with the two comedy legends for the last SNL “off week” special. Jane, Laraine, & Gilda join Bob & Ray for a show filmed in 8H, produced and shot by the SNL crew, and (except for a Weekend Update) could easily be seen as a decent episode hosted by the duo. Relying mostly on seasoned bits by the two comic icons the special does tend to, at times, fe...

It's the end of an era! After seven seasons and nearly 200 episodes, The SNL Hall of Fame —one of the cornerstones of the Saturday Night Live fan community—is closing its doors. This beloved podcast has hosted incredible conversations about the most influential cast members, writers, hosts, and musical guests in SNL 's storied history. Throughout their run, they've worked with liste...

Comedy legend Milton Berle 's SNL hosting gig has gone down as one of the most infamous - and disastrous - events in late-night television history. In this episode of Saturday Night Live - widely considered one of the worst of all time (not just of the original era) - “Mr. Television” brings his 1950s showmanship, sensibility, and bravado to the comedy landscape of the late 1970s. And the res...

Its only been a few weeks since the first ever nuclear meltdown in United States history but that doesn’t stop SNL from using it as inspiration for one of the most epic & outstanding sketches of the original era. Richard Benjamin , giving off strong Buck Henry vibes, takes the reins for a Saturday Night Live outing that is – while short on quantity – quite high on quality. We may not get many...