History of Saturday Night Live (2015–2020)

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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 its inception in 1975.

Contents

2015–2016 season

The 2015–2016 season of Saturday Night Live began on October 3, 2015, with host and musical guest Miley Cyrus, and concluded on May 21, 2016, with host Fred Armisen and musical guest Courtney Barnett.

Bumper format

Various old bumper formats return. Each host has several bumper shots on a solid color faded background, where their image may be repeated or given other various picture effects. Each host also has one or two photos of him or her in costume around NBC Studios. The musical guest for each episode has two bumper photos on solid colored backgrounds.

Cast

The entire cast returned from last season. This season has a cast of 16 members, including five African American cast members (the most to ever be in the cast at once). As in previous seasons, the cast is separated into a most established repertory company, and a newer featured company. Jon Rudnitsky was the only new addition to the cast prior to the season premiere. Four cast members (Beck Bennett, Colin Jost, Kyle Mooney, and Sasheer Zamata) were upgraded from featured to repertory.

Problems with election coverage

As usual during election seasons, SNL has placed particular emphasis on the 2016 presidential election. Given the unusually large field of candidates, some impressions of candidates shift or have shifted based on who remains in the race.

On the Democratic side, Kate McKinnon is the show's current Hillary Clinton. McKinnon debuted as Clinton in Season 40, Episode 15 (though she previously portrayed an actress portraying Clinton). [6] While they remained in the race, cast members Taran Killam and Kyle Mooney portrayed Martin O'Malley and Lincoln Chafee, respectively, both debuting in Season 41, Episode 3. Former candidate Jim Webb was portrayed by Alec Baldwin, also debuting in the aforementioned episode. Larry David has made recurring appearances to portray Bernie Sanders.

There was media speculation as to who would play whom for the upcoming election prior to the season. [7] The casting was made problematic because many of the candidates were played by the same impressionists prior to the election. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Rand Paul had all been portrayed by Taran Killam. Chris Christie was portrayed by Bobby Moynihan, who had also played Cruz. Mike Huckabee and Jeb Bush were both portrayed by Beck Bennett. Additionally, Pete Davidson and Colin Jost were not considered by speculators to be generally desired for the job, since neither was an impressionist. Carly Fiorina had been portrayed by McKinnon on one occasion, while Ben Carson was portrayed by Kenan Thompson. No one on the current cast had portrayed John Kasich.

More issues further complicated the matter. Just prior to the start of the season, SNL announced that Killam would be portraying Donald Trump for the upcoming election, [8] which meant that Killam would be portraying four of the candidates in the main Republican race. SNL ultimately was forced to wait until their ninth episode to tackle a Republican debate, when the field was sufficiently narrowed.

For the December 19 episode, the first to feature a debate, several impressions were ultimately moved permanently to new cast members. Jimmy Fallon was initially offered the role of Trump on a recurring cameo basis, but a last-minute change resulted in announcer Darrell Hammond portraying him as he had done for fourteen seasons in the cast. [9] Killam ultimately portrayed Cruz, while Moynihan portrayed Christie. Rubio was played by Davidson, Bush by Bennett, and Paul by Kyle Mooney. Cecily Strong and Jay Pharoah portrayed Fiorina and Carson, respectively, while Colin Jost acted as a stand-in for Kasich, with no lines. Rudnitsky portrayed debate moderator Wolf Blitzer. [10]

The following episode, on January 16, featured another debate, with a slightly smaller Republican field. Carly Fiorina had been demoted to the earlier undercard debate, and while Paul and Kasich remained on the mainstage, SNL chose not to include them in the sketch. Trump, Cruz, Christie, Rubio, Bush, and Carson were all portrayed by the same people that portrayed them in the earlier episode. [10]

Despite Hammond's acclaimed impression, speculation remained as to whether he was playing the role because he was needed (as Killam was playing Cruz) or because his impression was superior. [11] The show ultimately confirmed that Hammond was going to be portraying Trump indefinitely; the following week, he appeared alongside Tina Fey's Sarah Palin in a sketch without Killam, confirming that he would continue to play Trump even if Killam were available (for the time being). [12] Killam, in turn, was confirmed as the show's indefinite Cruz, in a sketch where he portrayed him when Moynihan was not present. [13]

2016–2017 season

Season 42 was indirectly confirmed via advertising plans from NBC's sales division. The announcement revealed that the program will contain 30% less advertisement time in the coming season. [14] Additionally, select NBC advertising clients will be given the opportunity to have their brand appear in promotional sketches, called "pods". Six of these pods will air each season.

The season premiered on October 1, 2016, with host Margot Robbie and musical guest The Weeknd, and concluded on May 20, 2017, with host Dwayne Johnson and musical guest Katy Perry.

Cast

On June 24, 2016, Lorne Michaels announced that Michael Che and Colin Jost would continue as the anchors of "Weekend Update". [15] Both were featured on SNL special editions of "Weekend Update" for the Democratic and Republican Conventions.

It was also announced that Michael Che, Pete Davidson, and Leslie Jones would all be upgraded from featured players to repertory status. [16]

This was also the final season for cast members Bobby Moynihan, Vanessa Bayer and Sasheer Zamata. [17]

The above-named changes kept the cast membership for this season at 16 members, with four African American cast members and one Hispanic cast member. As in previous seasons, the cast is listed in two separate groups: repertory and featured players.

Election coverage

On September 28, SNL announced that while Kate McKinnon would return as Hillary Clinton for its parodies of the 2016 presidential election, Alec Baldwin would play the role of Donald Trump, replacing Darrell Hammond, who continues as the show's announcer. [18]

2017–2018 season

During the last episode of Weekend Update Summer Edition (on August 24, 2017), it was confirmed that SNL had been renewed for season 43, and would debut on September 30, 2017, with host Ryan Gosling, and musical guest Jay-Z, and concluded on May 19, 2018, with host Tina Fey and musical guest Nicki Minaj.

As was the case in the previous two seasons, this season had a cast of 16, with four African-Americans (Thompson, Jones [the only African-American female cast member of this season], Che, Redd) and one Hispanic (Villaseñor). As usual, the cast in listed in two separate groups: repertory and featured.

Due to his return for a 15th consecutive season, Kenan Thompson became the show's longest-running cast member, surpassing the previous record of 14 seasons set by Darrell Hammond.

Notes

2018–2019 season

Prior to the premiere of the 44th season of Saturday Night Live, Ego Nwodim was announced as a new featured player for the show. [22] The season premiered on September 29, 2018, with host Adam Driver and musical guest Kanye West, and concluded on May 18, 2019, with host Paul Rudd and musical guest DJ Khaled.

There are 16 cast members, with five African-Americans (Che, Jones, Nwodim, Redd, Thompson) and one Hispanic (Villaseñor). The cast is listed in two separate groups: repertory and featured.

Notes

2019–2020 season

The 45th season of Saturday Night Live premiered on September 28, 2019, with host Woody Harrelson and musical guest Billie Eilish, and concluded on May 9, 2020, with host Kristen Wiig and musical guest Boyz II Men.

On August 27, 2019, NBC announced that Leslie Jones would not be returning to SNL after five years, in favor of focusing on her movie career and other projects coming up. It was also announced that Kate McKinnon would be returning for her eighth full season on SNL. [26]

On September 12, 2019, NBC also confirmed the hiring of three new featured players: Bowen Yang, previously a staff writer for the show who appeared on last season's episode hosted by Sandra Oh as Kim Jong-Un; Chloe Fineman, both a regular performing at the Groundlings and a New Face at the 2018 "Just for Laughs" Festival in Montreal; and Shane Gillis, a stand-up comedian who was recognized as a New Face at the 2019 "Just for Laughs" Festival. However, almost immediately, Gillis' hiring was met with backlash after video clips of him making racially and sexually offensive remarks (including anti-Asian slurs against 2020 election hopeful Andrew Yang) had surfaced, and he was subsequently fired just four days later, less than two weeks before the season began. [27]

On September 24, 2019, it was confirmed that featured players Heidi Gardner and Chris Redd would be upgraded to repertory status this season. [28]

This season has 17 cast members, with four African-Americans (Thompson, Che, Redd, Nwodim), one Latina-American (Villaseñor) and one Asian-American (Yang).

On March 16, 2020, the season was indefinitely halted due to the then-rising COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown of most non-essential businesses and public venues. The show returned on April 11, 2020, under the name SNL Stays at Home (which lasted for three episodes) and featured low-budget short films and Zoom-based sketches done in or around the homes of the cast members. The first episode was hosted by Tom Hanks with musical guest Chris Martin, the second episode had no host (but did have a special appearance by Brad Pitt) with Miley Cyrus as musical guest, and the third episode was hosted by Kristen Wiig with musical guest Boyz II Men.

Notes

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References

  1. ↑ "Tracy Morgan bounces back from accident to host Saturday Night Live". CBC News . Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Associated Press. October 18, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  2. ↑ McLaughlin, Seth (October 20, 2015). "Rep. Luis Gutierrez calls on NBC to dump Trump from SNL". The Washington Times . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  3. ↑ Pallotta, Frank (October 14, 2015). "Donald Trump's 'SNL' stint could put FCC's 'equal-time' rule in play". CNNMoney . Time Warner . Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to co-host 'SNL'". EW.com. November 17, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  5. ↑ services, Tribune news (September 11, 2016). "Fey, Poehler share creative arts Emmy gold as 'SNL' hosts". ChicagoTribune.com. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  6. ↑ "SNL Archives - Episodes - 03.07.2015 #1". SNLArchives.net. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  7. ↑ Piwowarski, Allison (August 19, 2015). "Which 'Saturday Night Live' Cast Members Should Play Presidential Candidates? Season 41 Has The Perfect Picks". Bustle.com. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  8. ↑ "SNL Has Chosen Who Will Play Donald Trump In Season 41". CinemaBlend.com. September 20, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  9. ↑ "SNL Wanted Jimmy Fallon to Take Over Trump From Taran Killam". ScreenCrush.com. February 2, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  10. 1 2 "SNL Archives - Episodes - 01.16.2016 #1". SNLArchives.net. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  11. ↑ Wilstein, Matt (January 25, 2016). "Why 'SNL' Can't Quit Darrell Hammond, Its Best Donald Trump Impersonator". TheDailyBeast.com. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  12. ↑ "SNL Archives - Episodes - 01.23.2016 #1". SNLArchives.net. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  13. ↑ "SNL Archives - Episodes - 02.06.2016 #1". SNLArchives.net. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  14. ↑ "'Saturday Night Live' Will Cut Ads by 30% Next Season". AdAge.com. April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  15. ↑ Maglio, Tony (June 24, 2016). "Lorne Michaels Mulling 'SNL' Cast; 'Weekend Update' Stays". The Wrap. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Saturday Night Live Cast - NBC.com". NBC.com. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  17. ↑ Shanley, Desantis (May 21, 2017). "Sasheer Zamata will not return to 'Saturday Night Live' following season finale". NY Daily News. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Instagram post by Saturday Night Live - SNL • Sep 28, 2016 at 7:46pm UTC". Instagram.com. September 28, 2016. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  19. ↑ This link verifies that information.
  20. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (September 26, 2017). "'Saturday Night Live' Taps Heidi Gardner, Luke Null & Chris Redd As New Cast Members, Adds 7 Writers For Season 43". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Luke Null Will Not Return to Saturday Night Live Next Season". August 15, 2018.
  22. ↑ Ego Nwodim Joins ‘Saturday Night Live’, Variety, 21 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  23. ↑ See this story for details.
  24. ↑ Kenan Thompson Insists He's Not Leaving SNL Despite New Show, Vulture, 4 May 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  25. ↑ Leslie Jones Will Not Return to SNL for Season 45, Vulture, 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  26. ↑ Michael Ausiello, SNL Shocker: Leslie Jones Is Leaving, Kate McKinnon Is Staying. TV Line. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  27. ↑ 'SNL' fires Shane Gillis over racist comments, four days after hiring him, USA Today , 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  28. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (September 24, 2019). "'SNL' Promotes Heidi Gardner & Chris Redd To Full Cast Members". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Denny Dillon Reflects on Saturday Night Live's Infamous 6th Season". August 12, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Jeff Bridges Hosts 'Saturday Night Live' December 18th". Movieweb. October 27, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
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