From The TV IV

Saturday Night Live (1975—) is a live sketch comedy series broadcast on NBC. It debuted in 1975, making it one of the longest running entertainment programs aired on television. Though it debuted to lukewarm appeal, the series has become a cultural icon and has produced some of the most well known comedic actors in entertainment, including Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.

The series' format has remained more or less the same since its debut. After a cold opening (capped with the phrase "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"), the opening credits roll with voice over from announcer Don Pardo and the guest host for the week performs a monologue. Following the monologue, the guest host performs in a variety of sketches with the cast members which typically take on a form of social or political commentary. At several points in the show, the musical guest for the episode performs and Weekend Update gives a comedic take on the news. Occasionally, an episode will also include a prerecorded segment like a commercial parody, TV Funhouse, a short film or a Digital Short.

Saturday Night Live has been broadcast at 11:30PM on Saturdays for the entirety of its broadcast run. In most markets, new episodes are followed by a "classic" episode of the series. Episodes shortened to an hour also air on E! and were once broadcast on Comedy Central.

Contents 1 Current Cast 2 Seasons 3 In-Depth 4 DVD Releases 5 External Sites

[edit] Current Cast

Person
Billed Cast
Darrell Hammond
Amy Poehler
Seth Meyers
Will Forte
Fred Armisen
Kenan Thompson
Jason Sudeikis
Bill Hader
Andy Samberg
Kristen Wiig
Featured Players
Casey Wilson

See the cast listing for a full list of all players and the seasons they appeared in.

[edit] Seasons

Season	Premiere	Finale	#
NBC
Season One	October 11, 1975	July 31, 1976	24
Season Two	September 18, 1976	May 21, 1977	22
Season Three	September 24, 1977	May 20, 1978	20
Season Four	October 7, 1978	May 26, 1979	20
Season Five	October 13, 1979	May 24, 1980	20
Season Six	November 15, 1980	April 11, 1981	14
Season Seven	October 3, 1981	May 22, 1982	20
Season Eight	September 25, 1982	May 14, 1983	20
Season Nine	October 8, 1983	May 12, 1984	19
Season Ten	October 6, 1984	April 13, 1985	18
Season Eleven	November 9, 1985	May 24, 1986	18
Season Twelve	October 11, 1986	May 23, 1987	20
Season Thirteen	October 17, 1987	February 27, 1988	13
Season Fourteen	October 8, 1988	May 20, 1989	20
Season Fifteen	September 30, 1989	May 19, 1990	20 + 1
Season Sixteen	September 29, 1990	May 18, 1991	20
Season Seventeen	September 28, 1991	May 16, 1992	20
Season Eighteen	September 26, 1992	May 15, 1993	20
Season Nineteen	September 25, 1993	May 14, 1994	20
Season Twenty	September 24, 1994	May 13, 1995	20
Season Twenty-One	September 30, 1995	May 18, 1996	20
Season Twenty-Two	September 28, 1996	May 17, 1997	20
Season Twenty-Three	September 27, 1997	May 9, 1998	20
Season Twenty-Four	September 26, 1998	May 15, 1999	19
Season Twenty-Five	October 2, 1999	May 20, 2000	20 + 1
Season Twenty-Six	October 7, 2000	May 19, 2001	20 + 4
Season Twenty-Seven	September 29, 2001	May 18, 2002	20 + 1
Season Twenty-Eight	October 5, 2002	May 17, 2003	20 + 3
Season Twenty-Nine	October 4, 2003	May 15, 2004	20 + 2
Season Thirty	October 2, 2004	May 21, 2005	20 + 7
Season Thirty-One	October 1, 2005	May 20, 2006	19 + 3
Season Thirty-Two	September 30, 2006	May 19, 2007	20 + 2
Season Thirty-Three	September 29, 2007	May 17, 2008	12 + 2
Season Thirty-Four	September 13, 2008	—	—

[edit] In-Depth

• At a Glance: Additional information about the series
• Cast Listing: A full listing of the cast (past and present) for Saturday Night Live.
• History: An in-depth historic account of the series.
• Recurring Sketches: A full listing of recurring characters and sketches.

[edit] DVD Releases

Title	Release Date	#
Season Sets
The Complete First Season	December 5, 2006	8	purchase
The Complete Second Season	December 4, 2007	8	purchase
The Complete Third Season	May 13, 2008	7	purchase
Episode Collections
25 Years of Music	August 12, 2003	5	purchase
25th Anniversary	February 24, 2004	1	purchase
Bad Boys	August 12, 2003	1	purchase
Christmas	October 28, 2003	1	purchase
Halloween	October 28, 2003	1	purchase
Sketch Collections
The Best of Adam Sandler	November 9, 1999	1	purchase
The Best of Mike Myers	November 9, 1999	1	purchase
The Best of Dana Carvey	February 15, 2000	1	purchase
The Best of Chris Rock	February 29, 2000	1	purchase
The Best of Chris Farley	April 25, 2000	1	purchase
The Best of Steve Martin	April 25, 2000	1	purchase
The Best of Eddie Murphy	August 12, 2003	1	purchase
The Best of Molly Shannon	August 12, 2003	1	purchase
The Best of Will Ferrell	August 12, 2003	1	purchase
The Best of Will Ferrell, Vol. 2	September 7, 2004	1	purchase
The Best of Phil Hartman	February 24, 2004	1	purchase
The Best of Chris Kattan	September 7, 2004	1	purchase
The Best of Tracy Morgan	September 7, 2004	1	purchase
The Best of Christopher Walken	September 7, 2004	1	purchase
The Best of Jimmy Fallon	January 25, 2005	1	purchase
The Best of Jon Lovitz	June 7, 2005	1	purchase
The Best of Tom Hanks	June 7, 2005	1	purchase
The Best of Alec Baldwin	January 24, 2006	1	purchase
The Best of David Spade	January 24, 2006	1	purchase
The Best of Cheri O'Teri	May 23, 2006	1	purchase
The Best of Commercial Parodies	May 23, 2006	1	purchase
The Best of Saturday TV Funhouse	October 24, 2006	1	purchase
Steve Martin, Vol. 2	March 6, 2007	1	purchase
Lost and Found: SNL in the '80s	March 4, 2008	1	purchase
The Best of '06/'07	March 4, 2008	1	purchase

[edit] External Sites

• Official NBC website for Saturday Night Live
• Saturday Night Live TV Listings, Episode Guide, Photos, Message Board, Cast and More at TVGuide.com