Season 5 (1979–80)
| Producer |
|---|
| Lorne Michaels |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Writing staff |
|
The following is a list of Saturday Night Live writers. The show, created by Lorne Michaels, is an American live sketch comedy and variety show. Airing since 1975, it has employed a large and changing staff of writers.
Seasons: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 |
| Producer |
|---|
| Lorne Michaels |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Writing staff |
| Producer |
|---|
| Lorne Michaels |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Script Coordinator |
| Anne Beatts |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Lorne Michaels |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Lorne Michaels |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Lorne Michaels |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Writing staff |
|
| Script Consultants/Script Supervisors (Head Writers) |
|---|
| Mason Williams (episodes 1–5), Jeremy Stevens and Tom Moore (episodes 6–13), Michael O'Donoghue and Bob Tischler (episode 13) [b] |
| Writing staff |
|
| Supervising Producers (Head Writers) |
|---|
| Michael O'Donoghue (episodes 1–8) and Bob Tischler |
| Script Coordinators |
| Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield (episodes 13-20) |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer (Head Writer) |
|---|
| Bob Tischler |
| Supervising Producers |
| Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Bob Tischler |
| Head Writer |
| Andrew Smith |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent (episodes 17-20) |
| Script Supervisor |
| Pamela Norris (episodes 6-20) |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer (Head Writer) |
|---|
| Bob Tischler |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Al Franken and Tom Davis |
| Head Writer |
| James Downey |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer (Head Writer) |
|---|
| Jim Downey |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer (Head Writer) |
|---|
| Jim Downey |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer (Head Writer) |
|---|
| Jim Downey |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Creative Consultant [c] |
| Al Franken |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer (Head Writer) |
|---|
| Jim Downey |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Creative Consultants |
| Al Franken and Jack Handey |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer (Head Writer) |
|---|
| Jim Downey |
| Co-Producers |
| Al Franken, Jack Handey, Robert Smigel |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Creative Consultant |
| Evie Murray |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer (Head Writer) |
|---|
| Jim Downey |
| Co-Producers |
| Al Franken, Jack Handey, Robert Smigel |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Creative Consultants |
| Tom Davis and Evie Murray |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer (Head Writer) |
|---|
| Jim Downey |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Creative Consultant |
| Evie Murray |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer (Head Writer) |
|---|
| Jim Downey |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Creative Consultant |
| Evie Murray (episodes 8-20) |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer (Head Writer) |
|---|
| Jim Downey |
| Script Consultant |
| Herb Sargent |
| Creative Consultant |
| Evie Murray |
| Writing staff |
|
| Writing Supervised (Head Written) By |
|---|
| Steve Higgins and Fred Wolf (episodes 1-14, 17-20) Steve Higgins (episodes 15-16) |
| Creative Consultant |
| Steven Koren (episodes 12-20) |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Steve Higgins |
| Consulting Producers |
| Jim Downey (episodes 1-4) and Fred Wolf (episodes 1-4) |
| Writing Supervised (Head Written) By |
| Tim Herlihy and Adam McKay |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins and Tim Herlihy |
| Writing Supervised (Head Written) By |
| Adam McKay |
| Creative Consultant |
| Paula Pell |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins and Tim Herlihy |
| Writing Supervised (Head Written) By |
| Adam McKay [10] |
| Creative Consultant |
| Paula Pell |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins and Tim Herlihy (episodes 1-6) Steve Higgins (episodes 7-20) |
| Writing Supervised (Head Written) By |
| Tina Fey [10] |
| Creative Consultants |
| Dennis McNicholas and Paula Pell [11] |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Steve Higgins |
| Head writers |
| Tina Fey and Dennis McNicholas (episodes 9-20) [10] |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Paula Pell and Harper Steele (episodes 9-20) |
| Creative Consultants |
| Dennis McNicholas and Paula Pell (episodes (1-8) |
| Writing staff |
|
Note: Beginning with the ninth episode of this season, the head writer receives a "head writer" credit for the first time since the 1985-86 season instead of "writing supervisor," and the "creative consultant" credit is renamed "writing supervisor."
| Producer |
|---|
| Steve Higgins |
| Head writer(s) |
| Tina Fey and Dennis McNicholas |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Paula Pell and Harper Steele |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Steve Higgins |
| Head writer(s) |
| Tina Fey and Dennis McNicholas |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Paula Pell, T. Sean Shannon (episodes 3-20), Harper Steele |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Steve Higgins |
| Head writer(s) |
| Tina Fey and Dennis McNicholas |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Paula Pell, T. Sean Shannon, Harper Steele |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Steve Higgins |
| Head writer(s) |
| Tina Fey and Harper Steele |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Paula Pell and T. Sean Shannon |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Steve Higgins |
| Head writer(s) |
| Tina Fey, Seth Meyers (episodes 10-19), [13] and Harper Steele [14] |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Seth Meyers (episodes 1-9) |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Steve Higgins |
| Head writer(s) |
| Seth Meyers, Paula Pell, and Harper Steele [15] |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Steve Higgins |
| Head writer(s) |
| Seth Meyers, Paula Pell, Harper Steele |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Steve Higgins |
| Head writer(s) |
| Seth Meyers |
| Writing Supervisor |
| Paula Pell |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Steve Higgins |
| Head writer(s) |
| Seth Meyers |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Colin Jost, John Mulaney, Emily Spivey (episodes 1-18), Bryan Tucker (episodes 19-22) |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producer |
|---|
| Steve Higgins |
| Co-Producer |
| Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) |
| Seth Meyers |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Colin Jost, John Mulaney, Bryan Tucker |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, John Mulaney, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) [16] |
| Seth Meyers |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Colin Jost, Bryan Tucker |
| Writing staff [16] |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) [19] |
| Seth Meyers and Colin Jost |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Marika Sawyer, Bryan Tucker |
| Writing staff [19] |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) [22] [23] |
| Seth Meyers (episodes 1–13), Colin Jost, Rob Klein, Bryan Tucker (episodes 14–21) [23] |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Marika Sawyer, John Solomon (episodes 2-21), Bryan Tucker (episodes 1-13) |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) |
| Colin Jost, Rob Klein, and Bryan Tucker |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider, Kent Sublette |
| Writing staff [19] |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) |
| Rob Klein and Bryan Tucker |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider, Kent Sublette |
| Writing staff [19] |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) |
| Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider, Bryan Tucker, and Kent Sublette (episodes 12-21) |
| Writing Supervisor |
| Kent Sublette (episodes 1-11) |
| Writing staff [19] |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) |
| Colin Jost (episodes 9-21), Michael Che (episodes 9-21), Bryan Tucker, and Kent Sublette |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Streeter Seidell, Fran Gillespie (episodes 9-21), and Sudi Green (episodes 9-21) |
| Writing staff [19] |
|
Note: Beginning with the show's forty-third season, Weekend Update writers were credited separately from the rest of the writing staff.
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) |
| Colin Jost, Michael Che, and Kent Sublette |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Streeter Seidell, Sudi Green, Fran Gillespie, and Anna Drezen (episodes 16-21) |
| Writing staff [19] |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) |
| Colin Jost, Michael Che, and Kent Sublette [30] |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Streeter Seidell, Sudi Green, Fran Gillespie, and Anna Drezen |
| Writing staff |
|
Source: [31]
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) |
| Anna Drezen, Colin Jost, Michael Che, and Kent Sublette |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Sudi Green, Fran Gillespie, and Streeter Seidell |
| Writing staff |
|
Source: [32]
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) |
| Anna Drezen (episodes 1-9), Colin Jost, Michael Che, Kent Sublette, Alison Gates and Streeter Seidell (episodes 10-21) [33] |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Streeter Seidell and Alison Gates (episodes 1-9) |
| Writing staff |
|
Source: [34]
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) |
| Kent Sublette, Alison Gates and Streeter Seidell |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Gary Richardson, Will Stephen, and Celeste Yim (episodes 12-18) |
| Writing staff |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) [35] |
| Alison Gates, Streeter Seidell, Kent Sublette |
| Writing Supervisors [35] |
| Gary Richardson, Will Stephen, Celeste Yim |
| Writing staff [35] |
|
| Producers |
|---|
| Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward |
| Head writer(s) |
| Alison Gates, Streeter Seidell, Kent Sublette |
| Writing Supervisors |
| Dan Bulla, Will Stephen, Auguste White, Celeste Yim |
| Writing staff [36] |
|
Following several under-wraps audition processes, Sasheer Zamata was hired. Leslie Jones and LaKendra Tookes — also black woman from the auditions — were brought on as writers.