The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between November 9, 1985, and May 24, 1986, the eleventh season of SNL.
A Danitra Vance sketch. Debuted November 9, 1985.
Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
11 | November 9, 1985 | Madonna | |
11 | November 23, 1985 | Pee-wee Herman | |
11 | December 21, 1985 | Teri Garr | |
11 | January 25, 1986 | Dudley Moore | |
11 | April 12, 1986 | Oprah Winfrey | |
11 | May 17, 1986 | Jimmy Breslin |
A Damon Wayans and Anthony Michael Hall sketch. Debuted November 9, 1985.
The Limits of the Imagination was a short-lived sketch featured on the 1985–1986 season. It featured Randy Quaid as "The Floating Head", a Rod Serling-like character who would introduce a creepy, Twilight Zone -esque story with a weak ending (or no ending at all). The title was also reminiscent of the 1960s sci-fi anthology The Outer Limits .
Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
11 | November 9, 1985 | Madonna | In a loose parody of The Twilight Zone episode "The Hitch-hiker", Madonna plays a female motorist who is being followed by a crazy man (played by Jon Lovitz) living in the engine of her car. |
11 | December 7, 1985 | John Lithgow | Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr., Nora Dunn, and Terry Sweeney play restaurant patrons who are trapped at an "all-you-can-eat" fish restaurant where patrons are forced to eat everything on the menu. |
11 | January 25, 1986 | Dudley Moore | Dudley Moore plays a bad comedian who sells his soul to the devil (played by Jon Lovitz) in order to be popular. |
11 | February 8, 1986 | Ron Reagan | In a parody of several Twilight Zone episodes, notably "Person or Persons Unknown", Ron Reagan Jr. plays a man who is treated like a stranger by his wife (Joan Cusack), son (Robert Downey Jr.), and friends (Jon Lovitz, Damon Wayans, and Dan Vitale). |
11 | February 15, 1986 | Jerry Hall | Jerry Hall plays "Maggie the Cat" from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof , who traps and seduces a gay man (played by Terry Sweeney) in her hotel room. |
11 | May 10, 1986 | Catherine Oxenberg, Paul Simon | Young Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel (played by Robert Downey Jr. and Anthony Michael Hall) sell their souls to the Devil (Jon Lovitz) for success. Later, an elderly Paul Simon (who appears as himself) lives out his personal hell of listening to Muzak versions of his greatest hits while stuck in an elevator. |
Nora Dunn played the host, a somewhat dim, shallow, ex-model who thought Vogue was literature. Debuted November 16, 1985.
Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
11 | November 16, 1985 | Chevy Chase | |
11 | November 23, 1985 | Pee-wee Herman | |
11 | December 14, 1985 | Tom Hanks | |
11 | January 25, 1986 | Dudley Moore | |
11 | February 8, 1986 | Ron Reagan | |
11 | February 15, 1986 | Jerry Hall | |
11 | April 12, 1986 | Oprah Winfrey | |
11 | May 17, 1986 | Jimmy Breslin | |
12 | December 6, 1986 | Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short | |
12 | January 31, 1987 | Paul Shaffer | |
12 | April 11, 1987 | John Lithgow | |
13 | October 31, 1987 | Dabney Coleman | |
13 | February 20, 1988 | Tom Hanks | |
14 | October 8, 1988 | Tom Hanks | |
14 | November 19, 1988 | John Lithgow | |
14 | February 18, 1989 | Leslie Nielsen | |
15 | February 24, 1990 | Fred Savage |
An Anthony Michael Hall sketch. Debuted November 16, 1985.
The Pathological Liar is a character created and portrayed by Jon Lovitz, often appearing on Weekend Update segments to share his farcical views. The character's name was Tommy Flanagan ( /fləˈneɪɡən/ flə-NAY-gən) — not to be confused with the jazz pianist) — and he would tell outrageous whoppers in an effort to make himself seem important (such as his claim that he invented rock and roll). One recurring lie was claiming he was married to Morgan Fairchild, and thus had seen her naked, "more than once." His devious look, hand rubbing and nervous speech made it clear he was making up lies, one after the other, on the spot. After a particularly outrageous lie he would often use an old Humphrey Bogart line, "Yeah! That's the ticket!", as a catchphrase.
One of his biggest lies, however, would work to his great advantage. During the cold opening when Jerry Hall hosted, Flanagan claimed to be an old friend of her then-boyfriend Mick Jagger; when Jagger entered moments later, he shocked her by revealing that the two were longtime friends, and had actually spent the previous weekend together, while she had no idea of his whereabouts, on a fishing trip. As he and Hall got up to leave, Jagger told Flanagan, "I owe you for this one," before opening the show.
Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
11 | November 16, 1985 | Chevy Chase | |
11 | November 23, 1985 | Pee-wee Herman | |
11 | December 14, 1985 | Tom Hanks | |
11 | January 25, 1986 | Dudley Moore | |
11 | February 15, 1986 | Jerry Hall | |
11 | February 22, 1986 | Jay Leno | |
11 | March 15, 1986 | Griffin Dunne | |
11 | March 22, 1986 | George Wendt, Francis Ford Coppola | |
11 | April 12, 1986 | Oprah Winfrey | |
11 | May 10, 1986 | Catherine Oxenberg, Paul Simon | |
11 | May 17, 1986 | Jimmy Breslin | |
12 | October 11, 1986 | Sigourney Weaver | |
12 | November 8, 1986 | Rosanna Arquette | |
12 | December 6, 1986 | Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short | |
12 | January 24, 1987 | Joe Montana, Walter Payton | |
12 | February 21, 1987 | Willie Nelson | |
12 | May 23, 1987 | Dennis Hopper | |
14 | April 1, 1989 | Mel Gibson | |
23 | November 8, 1997 | Jon Lovitz |
Jon Lovitz plays a ruthlessly ambitious, egomaniacal actor who spoke with a plummy "Shakespearean" English accent and often elicited the sympathy of other characters in the sketch, only to reveal the ruse by declaring his catchphrase, "Acting!" His arch-rival and mentor, Baudelaire (John Lithgow), often had the last laugh in the escalating one-upmanship, in reality childish pranks and paperthin disguises that they both fell for, ostensibly due to their brilliant acting. On the few occasions we actually see him act, it is clear that he is not as good as his reputation would have us believe, on occasion seeming completely oblivious to the concept of acting. The sketch debuted December 7, 1985 and appeared 13 times between 1985 and 1989.
In 2016, Lovitz stated that the character was based on Canadian actor William Needles, who was his drama professor at the University of California at Irvine. [1] The character was meant as a tribute, not a put-down: "He was the kindest, nicest man. A great actor," Lovitz tweeted. "I based (the) character Master Thespian a lot on him. He was the nicest teacher, ever."
Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
11 | December 7, 1985 | John Lithgow | |
11 | January 25, 1986 | Dudley Moore | |
11 | February 15, 1986 | Jerry Hall | |
11 | March 22, 1986 | George Wendt, Francis Ford Coppola | |
11 | April 19, 1986 | Tony Danza | |
12 | November 22, 1986 | Robin Williams | |
12 | April 11, 1987 | John Lithgow | |
13 | December 19, 1987 | Paul Simon | |
13 | January 23, 1988 | Carl Weathers | |
14 | November 19, 1988 | John Lithgow | |
14 | December 10, 1988 | Kevin Kline | |
14 | February 25, 1989 | Glenn Close |
A Randy Quaid and Robert Downey Jr. sketch. Debuted December 7, 1985.
Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
11 | December 7, 1985 | John Lithgow | |
11 | January 18, 1986 | Harry Dean Stanton | |
11 | March 15, 1986 | Griffin Dunne |
An ensemble sketch; Jon Lovitz appeared in all three "Stand-Ups" sketches, while Tom Hanks, Damon Wayans and Dennis Miller each appeared in two of the three. Several stand-up comedians talk backstage, drinking coffee before their set. Their patter is always delivered in an exaggerated stand-up style: "Hey! What's with half-and-half? If it's half-empty, is it quarter-quarter? I wanna know!" Debuted December 14, 1985.
Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
11 | December 14, 1985 | Tom Hanks | Three stand-ups: Tom Hanks (as Paul), Jon Lovitz (as Bob), Damon Wayans (as Keith) |
11 | February 22, 1986 | Jay Leno | Four stand-ups: Jon Lovitz (as Bob), Dennis Miller (character unnamed), Damon Wayans (as Keith) and Jay Leno (as Jackie Niles) |
13 | February 20, 1988 | Tom Hanks | Four stand-ups: Tom Hanks (as Bill), Jon Lovitz (as Bob), Dennis Miller (as Steve), and Dana Carvey (as Jeff). |
Tom Hanks reprised his Paul character from this sketch in a Cut For Time "Bruce Chandling" Weekend Update feature on October 22, 2016 (Season 42, Episode 4).
A Danitra Vance sketch. Debuted January 18, 1986.
A Jon Lovitz sketch. Debuted January 18, 1986.
A Jon Lovitz sketch. Debuted January 25, 1986.
Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
11 | January 25, 1986 | Dudley Moore | Debuted as part of a recurring Limits of the Imagination sketch |
11 | May 10, 1986 | Catherine Oxenberg, Paul Simon | |
11 | May 24, 1986 | Anjelica Huston, Billy Martin | |
12 | November 8, 1986 | Rosanna Arquette | |
12 | December 6, 1986 | Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short | |
12 | February 21, 1987 | Willie Nelson | |
14 | December 17, 1988 | Melanie Griffith | |
14 | February 18, 1989 | Leslie Nielsen | |
15 | March 24, 1990 | Debra Winger | |
15 | May 12, 1990 | Andrew Dice Clay |
A Weekend Update commentary segment with A. Whitney Brown.
Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
11 | February 8, 1986 | Ron Reagan | |
11 | February 22, 1986 | Jay Leno | |
11 | March 15, 1986 | Griffin Dunne | |
11 | April 12, 1986 | Oprah Winfrey | |
11 | May 10, 1986 | Catherine Oxenberg, Paul Simon | |
11 | May 24, 1986 | Anjelica Huston, Billy Martin | |
12 | October 11, 1986 | Sigourney Weaver | |
12 | November 8, 1986 | Rosanna Arquette | |
12 | November 22, 1986 | Robin Williams | |
12 | January 24, 1987 | Joe Montana, Walter Payton | |
12 | February 14, 1987 | Bronson Pinchot | |
12 | February 21, 1987 | Willie Nelson | |
12 | April 11, 1987 | John Lithgow | |
12 | May 9, 1987 | Mark Harmon | |
12 | May 23, 1987 | Dennis Hopper | |
13 | November 14, 1987 | Robert Mitchum | |
13 | December 12, 1987 | Angie Dickinson | |
13 | January 30, 1988 | Carl Weathers | |
13 | February 27, 1988 | Judge Reinhold | |
14 | October 15, 1988 | Matthew Broderick | |
14 | November 5, 1988 | Matthew Modine | |
14 | December 10, 1988 | Kevin Kline | |
14 | January 21, 1989 | John Malkovich | |
14 | February 25, 1989 | Glenn Close | |
14 | May 20, 1989 | Steve Martin | |
15 | September 30, 1989 | Bruce Willis | |
15 | October 21, 1989 | Kathleen Turner | |
15 | October 28, 1989 | James Woods | |
15 | March 17, 1990 | Rob Lowe | |
15 | April 21, 1990 | Alec Baldwin | |
15 | May 19, 1990 | Candice Bergen | |
16 | October 27, 1990 | Patrick Swayze | |
16 | January 12, 1991 | Joe Mantegna | |
16 | February 9, 1991 | Kevin Bacon | |
16 | March 16, 1991 | Michael J. Fox |
A Nora Dunn sketch. Debuted February 15, 1986.
Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
11 | February 15, 1986 | Jerry Hall | Weekend Update |
11 | April 19, 1986 | Tony Danza | Weekend Update |
12 | December 13, 1986 | Steve Guttenberg | Weekend Update |
12 | February 14, 1987 | Bronson Pinchot | |
12 | April 18, 1987 | John Larroquette | Weekend Update |
12 | May 16, 1987 | Garry Shandling | Teeny Café |
13 | October 24, 1987 | Sean Penn | Teeny Café |
The various mundane events in the lives of a seemingly mentally disabled couple (Jon Lovitz and Joan Cusack). Debuted February 22, 1986.
A Nora Dunn and Robert Downey Jr. sketch. Debuted March 22, 1986.
Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
11 | March 22, 1986 | George Wendt, Francis Ford Coppola | |
11 | April 12, 1986 | Oprah Winfrey | |
11 | May 24, 1986 | Anjelica Huston, Billy Martin |
Enid Strict, better known as The Church Lady, is a recurring character from a series of sketches on the American television show, Saturday Night Live, that appeared from 1986 to 1990, and again in 1996, 2000, 2011, and 2016. She also appeared on The Dana Carvey Show in March 1996, reading a Top Ten List, "New Titles for Princess Diana."
Jonathan Michael Lovitz is an American actor and comedian. Lovitz is best known for his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. Outside of SNL, he starred as Jay Sherman in The Critic and played a baseball scout in A League of Their Own. He has performed in 20 episodes of The Simpsons.
Danitra Vance was an American comedian and actress, who was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) during its eleventh season in 1985.
Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series created by Lorne Michaels, who also produced many episodes. The show has aired on NBC since 1975.
Nora Dunn is an American actress and comedian. Dunn first garnered widespread popularity during her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. Following her departure from SNL, she played Dr. Reynolds in The Nanny from 1998 to 1999, and she has originated the role of Muriel in Home Economics since 2021.
Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series co-created by Dick Ebersol and Lorne Michaels and produced by Lorne Michaels. The show has aired on the American broadcasting television network NBC since its debut on October 11, 1975.
The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live sketches, organized alphabetically by title. The referenced date is the date when the sketch first appeared.
Weekend Update has been a platform for Saturday Night Live characters to grow and gain popularity ever since Gilda Radner used it to create Emily Litella and Roseanne Roseannadanna. Many cast members have used Update as the primary vehicle for a certain character. Don Novello was featured almost exclusively on the news segment as his breakout character, Father Guido Sarducci, and Tim Kazurinsky, in the face of Eddie Murphy's overshadowing popularity, created characters almost exclusively for Update. Before becoming an anchor on Update, Colin Quinn used the segment as his main sounding board as well.
Saturday Night Live has long mocked the television medium with many fake commercials and parodies of TV shows themselves. Another of the show's frequently used styles of recurring sketches has been the talk show format. However, anything from cop shows to children's shows has been fair game for the ever-changing cast.
The twenty-second season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 28, 1996, and May 17, 1997.
The twelfth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 11, 1986 and May 23, 1987.
The eleventh season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between November 9, 1985, and May 24, 1986.
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.
The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between October 7, 1978, and May 26, 1979, the fourth season of SNL.
The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between October 11, 1986, and May 23, 1987, the twelfth season of SNL.
The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between October 17, 1987, and February 27, 1988, the thirteenth season of SNL.
The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between September 24, 1989, and May 19, 1990, the fifteenth season of SNL.
The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live (SNL) characters and sketches introduced between September 28, 1991, and May 16, 1992, the seventeenth season of SNL.