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Saturday Night Live
"Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
Overview
A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.
Status
Returning Series
Created By
Dick Ebersol, Lorne Michaels
Network
NBC
Seasons & Episodes
Season 20
Saturday Night Live aired its twentieth season during the 1994–95 television season on NBC. The twentieth season began on September 24, 1994 and ended on May 13, 1995. Much like seasons six and eleven, this season was lambasted by critics for its decline in quality. Season twenty suffered from having sketches based on very thin premises, a high number of which focused on or mentioned O. J. Simpson's 1995 murder trial. Much like the 1980–1981 season and the 1985–1986 season, NBC worried over SNL's decline in quality and initially decided that now would be the best time to pull the plug on the show once and for all. According to the prime time special Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation, Lorne Michaels credits this season as the closest he's ever been to being fired. In the end, the cast member firings and crew turnover resulting from this season represented the biggest involvement into the show's affairs by NBC executives since the 1980–1981 season and the biggest cast overhaul since the 1985–1986 season. This season saw the deaths of two SNL alumni: Danitra Vance and Michael O'Donoghue. The Sarah Jessica Parker/R.E.M. episode featured a special appearance by Bill Murray, who introduced a clip of "Mr. Mike's Least Favorite Bedtime Stories" in O'Donoghue's memory.
Episodes
Steve Martin/Eric Clapton
Sketches include ""Clinton Auditions,"" ""The Ron Wood Show,"" ""Baseball Cruise,"" ""Steve Martin's All-Natural Penis Beauty Creme,"" and ""Bad Ad Campaign."" ""Court TV: O.J. Simpson Trial,"" ""Total Bastard Airlines,"" and ""The Better Baby."" Bathroom Monkey Commercial"", ""Weekend Update with Norm MacDonald"", ""Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey"", ""Leland-Meyers Home Headache Test Commercial"".
Marisa Tomei/Bonnie Raitt
Sketches include "Bill Clinton," "Court TV: O.J. Simpson Trial," "Adult Education Class," "Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley," and "Monsters of Monologue '94."
John Travolta/Seal
Sketches include ""Bathroom Monkey,"" ""Coffee Talk With Linda Richman,"" ""Dracula's Not Gay,"" ""Quentin Tarantino's Welcome Back Kotter,"" ""Women's Self-Defense,"" ""Larry King Live,"" ""Small Office,"" ""Deaf Drug Dealer""
Dana Carvey/Edie Brickell
Sketches include ""George Bush,"" ""Virtual Reality Books,"" ""Johnny Carson,"" ""Ross Perot,"" ""Pepper Boy,"" ""Nobel Prize Awards,"" ""Work Excuses,"" ""Office Space""
Sarah Jessica Parker/R.E.M.
Sketches include ""Concession Speech,"" ""Good Morning Brooklyn,"" ""Nice and Naughty Guitarists,"" ""Confucius,"" ""The Casting Couch,"" ""The Munchkins,"" and ""Tribute to Michael O'Donoghue"".
John Turturro/Tom Petty
Sketches include ""It's a Wonderful Newt,"" ""Christopher Walken's Celebrity Psychic Friends Network,"" ""Phone Hang-Ups,"" ""Taxi Driver: The Musical,"" ""Stop That,"" ""The Movie Club""
Roseanne/Green Day
Sketches include ""Jesse Helms,"" ""Roseanne Goes to Therapy,"" ""USAir,"" ""Rescue 911,"" ""Civil War Memories,"" and ""Yogurt Store.""
Alec Baldwin/Beastie Boys
Sketches include ""Joycelyn Elders,"" ""Japanese Game Show,"" ""Los Angeles Breast and Penis,"" ""Celebrity Memorial Auction,"" and ""Family Auto Trip.""
George Foreman/Hole
Sketches include ""Bill Clinton,"" ""Time Boxer,"" ""Looking Good,"" ""Matt Foley,"" ""Uncle Joe,"" ""The Incredible Hulk,"" ""Chris Elliot's Bedtime Story,"" ""Jackie Stallone's Psychic Circle""
Jeff Daniels/Luscious Jackson
Sketches include ""Newt Gingrich,"" ""Connie Chung and Newt Gingrich's Mom,"" ""Martin Luther King Day,"" ""Mystery Dinner Theatre,"" ""Eterna-Rest,"" ""Film Beat,"" ""Entertainment Tonight""
David Hyde Pierce/Live
Sketches include "O.J. Simpson", "Rock Poetry Class", "Tales of Little Women", "Scottish Soccer Hooligan Weekly", "Robot Spy Onboard", "Nervous Habits", "Jersey Kids Meet the Foreigner", "Perspectives", "Claire Tries Internet Sex", and "Movie News".
Bob Newhart/Des'ree
Sketches include ""C-SPAN: Colin Ferguson,"" ""Ricki Lake,"" ""Book Buzz,"" ""Baywatch,"" ""Poster Worker Evaluation,"" ""Hi Bob,"" and ""Sports Beat."" Des'ree performed ""You Gotta Be"" and ""Feels So High.""
Deion Sanders/Bon Jovi
Sketches include: ""O.J. Simpson Tour,"" ""The 1995 ESPY Awards,"" ""Rappers With Simple Lyrics,"" ""Perspectives,"" ""Deep Thoughts By Jack Handey,"" and ""Sick Boy""
George Clooney/The Cranberries
Sketches include ""Black History Month,"" ""Mandy the Whale,"" ""Tales of Fraud and Malfeasance in Railroad Hiring Practices,"" ""Taxicab Confessions,"" and ""Zagat's"".
Paul Reiser/Annie Lennox
Sketches include ""Newt Gingrich's Sister,"" ""Where's Superman?,"" ""Mad About You Aliens,"" ""Sparklebrite Toothpaste,"" and ""One Brother Cafe.""
John Goodman/Tragically Hip
Live from New York, it's…Dan Aykroyd! Sketches include ""This Week With David Brinkley,"" ""Superfans Return,"" ""The Late Late Show With Tom Snyder,"" ""Dog Park,"" ""Howard Stern,"" ""Self-Deluded Losers,"" ""Unsolved Mysteries,"" ""Coal Miners,"" and ""Penis-Measuring Device.""
Damon Wayans/Dionne Farris
Sketches include: ""Judge Ito,"" ""Men on Film,"" ""Spit Valves,"" ""Black Names,"" ""Christopher Walken for Skittles"", and ""Court TV: The O.J. Trial.""
Courteney Cox/Dave Matthews Band
Sketches include ""Matt Foley,"" ""Good Morning Brooklyn,"" ""Gapardy,"" ""Melanie Babysits,"" ""Charles Manson,"" ""Truth vs. Jokes,"" ""Replacement Baseball,"" ""His Muse Friday,"" ""Obnoxious Co-worker""
Bob Saget/TLC
Sketches include ""Tony Vallencourt,"" ""Fast,"" ""America's Funniest Hate Videos,"" ""Fashion Designer,"" ""Where In the World is San Diego, California?"", ""Boyz II Men,"" ""Karl's,"" ""Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey,"" ""Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley,"" ""Pacemaker""
David Duchovny/Rod Stewart
Live from New York, for the last time, it's…Michael McKean! Sketches include ""Beastman of Studio 8H,"" You Think You're Better Than Me?, Zagat's, ""New England General Store,"" Ricki Lake, ""Rock and Roll Realtor,"" and ""Polar Bears.""
Top Cast
Michael Che
Self - Various Characters
Mikey Day
Self - Various Characters
Andrew Dismukes
Self - Various Characters
Chloe Fineman
Self - Various Characters
Marcello Hernández
Self - Various Characters
James Austin Johnson
Self - Various Characters
Colin Jost
Self - Various Characters
Sarah Sherman
Self - Various Characters
Kenan Thompson
Self - Various Characters
Tommy Brennan
Self - Various Characters
Jeremy Culhane
Self - Various Characters
Ben Marshall
Self - Various Characters
