History of Saturday Night Live (2010–2015)
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| History of Saturday Night Live |
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| 1975–1980 |
| seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| 1980–1985 |
| seasons 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 |
| 1985–1990 |
| seasons 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
| 1990–1995 |
| seasons 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 |
| 1995–2000 |
| seasons 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 |
| 2000–2005 |
| seasons 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 |
| 2005–2010 |
| seasons 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 |
| 2010–2015 |
| seasons 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 |
| 2015–2020 |
| seasons 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 |
| 2020–present |
| seasons 46, 47, 48, 49 |
| Weekend Update |
Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series created and produced by Lorne Michaels for most of the show's run. The show has aired on NBC since 1975.
2010–2011 season
The 2010–11 season of Saturday Night Live began September 25, 2010 with host Amy Poehler and musical guest Katy Perry. Before the start of the new season, four new cast members were added to fill the gap left behind by Will Forte (who quit the show after eight years), Jenny Slate (who was fired after her first season on the show), Abby Elliott (who was promoted to repertory player), and Bobby Moynihan (also promoted). The four new hires were improv comedians Paul Brittain and Vanessa Bayer, former MADtv and The Amanda Show cast member Taran Killam, and stand-up comic and impressionist Jay Pharoah. Second-year cast member Nasim Pedrad stayed a featured player for this season.
Cast
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Featuring
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Notes
- Will Forte, who had been with the show since 2002 and completed eight seasons, announced on August 26, 2010 that he would be leaving the show.[1] Featured player Jenny Slate was let go from the show after only one season.[2]
- Abby Elliott and Bobby Moynihan were promoted to repertory status, becoming the first featured players to be promoted since the 2006–07 season.[3]
- The show hired four new cast members: Chicago improv comedians Vanessa Bayer and Paul Brittain; stand-up comic/impressionist Jay Pharoah; and comedic actor Taran Killam of The Groundlings. Killam became the second actor to have been a cast member on both MADtv and SNL, the first being Jeff Richards who joined SNL in 2001 and departed in early 2004.[2]
- Former cast member Amy Poehler hosted the season premiere. Poehler was the fourth female former cast member of SNL to return as a host, the third to have worked under Lorne Michaels, and the second one to have been a Weekend Update anchor.[4] She was also the 26th former cast member to return to host.
- With this season, Jeff Bridges surpassed Sigourney Weaver's record for longest gap between hosting appearances (Weaver's gap was 24 years between her first appearance in 1986 and her second appearance in 2010;[5] Bridges has a 27-year gap between his first appearance in 1983 and his second appearance in 2010).[6]
2011–2012 season
The 2011–12 season of Saturday Night Live premiered on September 24, 2011, with host Alec Baldwin and musical guest Radiohead.
Cast
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Featuring
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Notes
- Featured player Kate McKinnon (a former cast member on Logo's The Big Gay Sketch Show) joins mid-season, making her first appearance in April, on the episode hosted by Sofia Vergara. McKinnon is SNL's first openly gay female cast member, the third lesbian cast member hired (after Denny Dillon in 1980, though she wasn't open when she was on the show,[7] and Danitra Vance in 1985, though Vance's sexual orientation was not known until she died in 1994), the second cast member hired to be openly gay (after Terry Sweeney, who like Danitra Vance, was also from the 1985–86 season), and the second white lesbian cast member hired (after Denny Dillon).[8] McKinnon is also the first cast member from The Big Gay Sketch Show to be a cast member on SNL (and the second cast member from The Big Gay Sketch Show to cross over to a mainstream sketch comedy show. Erica Ash, from MADtv's 14th and final season on FOX, is the first).
2012–2013 season
The 2012–13 season of Saturday Night Live premiered on September 15, 2012, with host Seth MacFarlane and musical guest Frank Ocean.
Cast
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Featuring
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2013–2014 season
The 2013–14 season of Saturday Night Live premiered on September 28, 2013, with host Tina Fey and musical guest Arcade Fire.
Cast
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Featuring
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Notes
- On May 12, 2013, NBC announced that Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers (who had been a cast member since 2001, and Weekend Update anchor since 2006), would be the new host of Late Night in 2014, succeeding Jimmy Fallon as he takes over as the new host of The Tonight Show.[9] Meyers remained as Update anchor for the first half of the season, then left in February 2014, to host his incarnation of Late Night.[10] On September 16, 2013, it was announced that Cecily Strong would be Meyers' co-anchor on Weekend Update.[11]
- Six new cast members have been hired, Upright Citizens Brigade performers Beck Bennett, John Milhiser, Kyle Mooney, and Noël Wells, stand-up comedian Brooks Wheelan (who originally was hired as a writer until Tim Robinson was chosen instead), and four-year writer Michael Patrick O'Brien (credited as "Mike O'Brien"). This is the highest number of cast members hired since season 21 (1995–96) and, with the addition of Sasheer Zamata, this season has the most female cast members with seven, surpassing the number of six in the 1991–92 (season 17) cast.[12]
2014–2015 season
The 2014–15 season of Saturday Night Live premiered on September 27, 2014, with host Chris Pratt and musical guest Ariana Grande.
Cast
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Featuring
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Notes
- Former writer Michael Che, returns to SNL to co-anchor Weekend Update, replacing Cecily Strong, who remains on the show. Che had initially left the show at the end of last season to be a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.[13]
References
- ^ Barrett, Annie (August 26, 2010). "'Saturday Night Live': Will Forte reportedly leaving on amicable terms. 'Vagisil!'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ a b Itzkoff, Dave (September 7, 2010). "'Saturday Night Live' Cast Adds Four and Loses One More". New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ Frucci, Adam (August 15, 2012). "Abby Elliott Is Not Returning to 'SNL'". Splitsider. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ Ryan, Mike (September 26, 2010). "Introducing the SNL Scorecard: The Good, Bad and Ugly of Saturday Night". Movieline. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ Adalian, Josef (December 30, 2009). "'Avatar' Alert: Sigourney Weaver Hosting 'SNL'". The Wrap. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ Ross, Robyn (November 18, 2010). "Roberto De Niro, Paul Rudd, Jeff Bridges to Host Saturday Night Live in December". TV Guide. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ "Denny Dillon Reflects on Saturday Night Live's Infamous 6th Season". August 12, 2020.
- ^ Woodtke, Jordyn (March 30, 2012). "'SNL' Casts First Openly Gay Female". Hollywood Life. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ Levin, Gary (May 12, 2013). "Seth Meyers named NBC's 'Late Night' talk host". USA Today. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ Busis, Hillary (May 16, 2013). "Seth Meyers will return to 'SNL' this fall, leave for 'Late Night' in 2014". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ Luoma, Sarah (September 16, 2013). "'SNL': Cecily Strong to co-anchor Weekend Update with Seth Meyers". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ Abramovitch, Seth (September 11, 2013). "Cheat Sheet: Get to Know the 5 New Faces of 'SNL'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ Feldman, Josh (April 28, 2014). "SNL Writer Michael Che Joins Daily Show as Newest Correspondent". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 15, 2015.