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Saturday Night Live

  • TV-14
  • 1975–
  • 52 seasons
  • Comedy, News
  • 6.9

Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!

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.

Episodes

Saturday Night Live aired its fifth season during the 1979–1980 television season on NBC, and also the final season with the original cast. This fifth season started on October 13, 1979 and ended on May 24, 1980. SNL's fifth season was released on DVD on December 1, 2009. John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd left the show at the end of the fourth season, leaving a void in the cast that most fans thought would be the beginning of the end of the late-night sketch show. To keep the show going, Lorne Michaels upgraded many of the show's writers to cast member status: Peter Aykroyd, Jim Downey, Brian Doyle-Murray, Don Novello, Tom Schiller and Alan Zweibel. Band leader Paul Shaffer also joined the cast, becoming the first person from the SNL band to become a cast member. Harry Shearer joined the show as a featured cast member and was promoted to repertory status during the season. This would be the final season for everyone in the cast. Tom Davis and Downey would return to the show in future seasons as writers. Al Franken, Doyle-Murray, Novello, and Shearer would rejoin the cast in future seasons.

20 episodes
  1. 1Steve Martin/Blondie

    67 minOct 13, 1979

    Sketches include ""The Pope's Doorman,"" ""Craig's Travellers' Checks,"" ""Free Spanish Lesson,"" ""Juvenile Delinquent Vandal,"" ""Rise,"" ""Carole King,"" ""The David Susskind Show,"" ""Bolshoi Ballet,"" ""The All-New Mr. Bill Show,"" ""What the Hell is That?"". Blondie performs "Dreaming" and "The Hardest Part".

  2. 2Eric Idle/Bob Dylan

    67 minOct 20, 1979

    Sketches include ""Eric's Sick,"" ""Hotel-Motel Art Fair,"" ""Mr. Howard's Shoe Store,"" ""Prince Charles Tells You How To Pick Up Girls!,"" ""Hardcore II,"" ""Heavy Sarcasm,"" and ""Ask Elvis."" Bob Dylan performs ""Gotta Serve Somebody,"" ""I Believe In You,"" and ""When You Gonna Wake Up.""

  3. 3Bill Russell/Chicago

    67 minNov 3, 1979

    Sketches include ""Kennedy in '80,"" ""Banshee,"" ""The Black Shadow,"" ""The Landers Files,"" ""Mr. Bill at Home,"" ""Nick in the Arctic,"" ""Eleanor Roosevelt,"" ""Sports Hot Line,"" and ""Big n' Tall That's All."" Chicago performs their 1970 hit ""I'm a Man"" and their then-current single ""Street Player.""

  4. 4Buck Henry/Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

    67 minNov 10, 1979

    Sketches include ""Rush Home to the Bathroom,"" ""Find the Popes in the Pizza Contest drawing,"" ""Nerds #12,"" ""Harley's Bristol Cream"" and ""Banshee"" commercial parodies, and one of Aviva Slesin's ""First Love"" films.

  5. 5Bea Arthur/The Roches

    67 minNov 17, 1979

    Sketches include ""Sex Change,"" ""The Backers' Audition,"" and ""First, He Cries.""

  6. 6Howard Hesseman/Randy Newman

    67 minDec 8, 1979

    Sketches include the ""Steve Marvin Radio Show"" and the debut of ""The Al Franken Decade.""

  7. 7Martin Sheen/David Bowie

    67 minDec 15, 1979

    Sketches include ""Quick Sex Change Operation,"" ""Le Shoe,"" ""Afraid of the Dark,"" ""Striking Teachers,"" ""Apocolypse Now,"" ""First Love, Part 2,"" ""Foreveready,"" ""Criminals,"" ""Minota AM-3 Camera,"" ""Revisions of Freudian History,"" ""Martin Sheen Hairspray""

  8. 8Ted Knight/Desmond Child and Rouge

    67 minDec 22, 1979

    Sketches include A Christmas Gift from The Shah, Nerds Nativity, and Java Junkie.

  9. 9Teri Garr/The B-52's

    67 minJan 26, 1980

    Sketches include ""Paul McCartney in Japan: Day 11,"" ""Craig's,"" ""Somewhere Near Mason City, Iowa,"" ""Debs Behind Bars,"" ""Anchovy Council of America,"" ""Bad Playhouse,"" ""Baby Casting Director,"" and ""The Mr. Bill Show."" The B-52's perform ""Rock Lobster"" and ""Dance This Mess Around.""

  10. 10Chevy Chase/Marianne Faithfull

    67 minFeb 9, 1980

    Live from New York, it's…Chevy Chase! Sketches include ""Henry Kissinger and Gerald Ford,"" ""Pre-Chewed Charlies,"" The Bel Airabs, ""You Can't Win,"" Speaking of Fashion, ""Linden Palmer, Hollywood's Forgotten Director,"" and ""Honduras.""

  11. 11Elliott Gould/Gary Numan

    67 minFeb 16, 1980

    Sketches include ""Kramer vs. Godzilla,"" ""The Incredible Man,"" Andy Aaron's film ""Get Rid of That Building,"" and ""All-Time Radio.""

  12. 12Kirk Douglas/Sam and Dave

    67 minFeb 23, 1980

    Sketches include ""Kirk's Greatest Kirks,"" ""What If?,"" ""Arlene Meets Kirk Douglas,"" ""Greg's Bar Mitzvah,"" ""Prime Time Saturday,"" and ""Mask of Fear""

  13. 13Rodney Dangerfield/J. Geils Band

    67 minMar 8, 1980

    Sketches include-- Dressing Room opening, Dr. Shockley's House of Sperm, Niggerands, Manhasset, The Subsitute Judge, Celebrity Corner: Bill Murray talks with Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow.

  14. 14Paul Simon/James Taylor

    67 minMar 15, 1980

    Sketches include ""Anniversary Seance,"" ""Todd's Campaign,"" ""The Biggest Leprechaun,"" ""The Flogging Musicians,"" ""Talk or Die,"" and ""The David Susskind Show."" Paul Simon and James Taylor perform ""Cathy's Clown / Take Me to the Mardi Gras"" and David Sanborn performs ""Anything You Want.""

  15. 15Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss/The Grateful Dead

    67 minApr 5, 1980

    Sketches include ""Women Empowerment"" and ""Hotel Room/Smell You.""

  16. 16Burt Reynolds/Anne Murray

    67 minApr 12, 1980

    Sketches include ""Burt's Not Angry,"" ""Vomitorium,"" ""The Burt Book,"" ""Be a Pepper,"" and ""Baba Wawa at Large."" Anne Murray performs ""Lucky Me.""

  17. 17Strother Martin/The Specials

    67 minApr 19, 1980

    The host for the episode is Strother Martin, and the musical guest is The Specials. The skits for this episode are as follows: Rosalyn Carter talks about sections of the 1980 census intended for illegal aliens, including questions about how they got into the US, where they would hide if the INS came to their homes, and how much they would be willing to do housework for. During his opening monologue, Strother Martin reveals that he was asked to host the show because Lorne Michaels mistook him for Tennessee Williams, and so far he's been keeping up the act. At Camp Beau Soleil, the campers are forced to learn French by the brutal camp counselor, Le Capitain, but a camper named Luke is determined to escape. Additional skits include a variety show will, the Conductor's Club, Any Town, and Food. The Specials perform "Gangsters" and "Too Much, Too Young".

  18. 18Bob Newhart/The Amazing Rhythm Aces, Bruce Cockburn

    67 minMay 10, 1980

    Sketches include ""Mysteries of the Universe,"" ""The Dating Zone,"" ""Writing Home,"" and ""Mr. Bill."" The Amazing Rhythm Aces (featuring Bill Murray) perform ""Third-Rate Romance.""

  19. 19Steve Martin/Paul and Linda McCartney

    67 minMay 17, 1980

    Sketches include: ""Father Guido Sarducci, Live from London,"" ""Real Incredible People,"" ""Stretch Marks Record Offer,"" ""Reagan's Dinner,"" and ""The Hominids."" 3-D performed ""All-Night Television.""

  20. 20Buck Henry/Andrew Gold

    67 minMay 24, 1980

    Live from New York, it's Harry Shearer! Sketches include "Election '80: Almost Halfway Over," "The SNL Stars of the Future" monologue, "Lord and Lady Douchebag," "Uncle Roy," and "Nick at Trader Nick's."

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Series cast

Kenan ThompsonSelf - Various Characters473 episodes
Darrell HammondArnold Schwarzenegger (uncredited)295 episodes
Colin JostMarker (uncredited)267 episodes
Seth MeyersSelf - Host264 episodes
Michael CheSelf - Various Characters252 episodes
Fred ArmisenSelf246 episodes
Al FrankenBuzz (uncredited)217 episodes
Cecily StrongSelf - Cameo (uncredited)214 episodes
Kate McKinnonSelf / Colleen Rafferty214 episodes
Mikey DaySelf - Cameo (uncredited)213 episodes
Aidy BryantSelf208 episodes
Tim MeadowsSelf (uncredited)201 episodes
Bobby MoynihanSelf195 episodes
Kyle MooneySelf - Various Characters186 episodes
Maya RudolphMichelle Obama (uncredited)179 episodes
Kevin NealonSelf - Various Characters176 episodes
Jason SudeikisAudience Member (uncredited)176 episodes
Pete DavidsonSelf - Various Characters169 episodes

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