Memorable moments included Will Forte’s introduction of the MacGuber character, Brian Williams’ appearance on Weekend Update in the first episode, Jason Sudeikis’ first appearance as George W. Musical guests included The Killers, Christina Aguilera, Ludcris and Gwen Stefani with Akon. Sasha Baron Cohen appeared on an episode as his character Borat. Dan Aykroyed returned to SNL to appear on Weekend Update. He and Adam Sandberg performed debuted their holiday song “D**k In a Box”.
Justin Timberlake hosted and performed his music in an episode. Guest hosts included Alec Baldwin, Drew Barrymore and the return of Molly Shannon. With Fey gone, Seth Myers joined Amy Poehler to co-anchor Weekend Update. Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis were promoted to repertory status. When Season 32 premiered in 2006 there was concern because SNL had big budget cuts and Tina Fey had left the show to make “30 Rock”, but the season turned out pretty good.
Christopher Walken appeared on the show with the “Christopher Walken’s Celebrity Psychic Friends Newtwork” skit. Notable sketches included Chris Farley’s “Lunch Lady” and Alec Baldwin and Adam Sandler’s “Canteen Boy”. Guest hosts included Charlton Heston, Sallie Field and Alec Baldwin with then wife Kim Basinger. Nirvana, Aerosmith and The Counting Crows were among the bands to perform in the season. Guest host Martin Lawrence delivered an offensive monologue leading to Lorne Michaels banning the comedian from the show. MacDonald, Silverman and Al Franken were writers on the show.
Comics Norm MacDonald, Sarah Silverman and Jay Mohr joined SNL. Cast members included Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Kevin Nealon, Tim Meadows, Melanie Hutstell, Rob Schneider, David Spade and Julia Sweeney. They called him “The glue”, a term coined by Adam Sandler because Hartman held them all together. It was Phil Hartman’s last season which cast members lamented. Wedged between two not so great seasons, Season 19 stands out as a good one. Here are the top 10 seasons of “Saturday Night Live” of all time. It’s broken barriers, caused controversy and served as a stepping stone and platform for some America’s biggest stars. Although the show has seen cast changes, budget cuts, controversial live moments, and not so stellar seasons, it remains a staple of late night Saturday television. Radio and television announcer Don Pardo would announce the cast in the opening of each show until his death in 2014. The show was filmed live in front of a studio audience at New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza. The original idea for the show was to showcase young comedians (the Not Ready For Prime Time Players), have celebrity guest hosts and musical guests, and feature short films by Albert Brooks and have segments created by Muppets creator Jim Henson. Dick Ebersol was charged with developing the show and hired young Canadian producer Lorne Michaels. NBC did not want to loose Carson so they developed a Saturday late night variety show that would air live from New York City. Carson wanted to take more time off from his weekly late night talk show and air the “Best of’s” during that time. Until 1975, “The Tonight Show” aired “The Best of Carson” on late night on weekends. The show came about when NBC’s biggest star, Johnny Carson, requested a change in late night scheduling. “Saturday Night Live” has been a staple of late night television comedy, musical and variety programming for 43 years.