History of Saturday Night Live (1990–1995)

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American sketch comedy series that was co-created by Dick Ebersol and Lorne Michaels, with Michaels also serving as the producer.^[1] The series premiered on the American broadcast television network NBC on October 11, 1975.

The 1990–91 season marked a significant period of transition for the series, introducing major cast changes for the first time in four years. Notable additions to the cast included Chris Farley and David Spade.

Following the departure of most of the original cast, the 1994–95 season saw Lorne Michaels attempt to rejuvenate the show with a blend of existing cast members (Kevin Nealon, Mike Myers) and new talent (Janeane Garofalo, Michael McKean). However, this season, along with the 1980–81 and 1985–86 seasons, is often cited as among the least successful in the show's history.^[2] In response to the criticism, Michaels overhauled the cast once again for the 1995–96 season.

Transition in progress (1990–1991)

The 1990–91 season was a transitional year. Jon Lovitz and Nora Dunn left the show after the previous season, the latter in a cloud of controversy. Lorne Michaels introduced a number of players who quickly became stars on the show: Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Julia Sweeney.

During this period, the new cast members introduced memorable characters such as Sweeney's "Pat," Sandler's "Opera Man" and "Canteen Boy," Farley's "Matt Foley," Schneider's office geek "The Copy Guy," and Rock's talk-show host "Nat X." Spade's caustic commentary piece "Hollywood Minute" also became a hit. The popularity of these new cast members helped to offset the departure of several popular long-time players over the first two seasons of this era, including Jan Hooks and "Weekend Update" anchor Dennis Miller, as well as Victoria Jackson after the following season.

The already established cast members (Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, and Kevin Nealon) also remained popular with audiences. Nealon succeeded Miller as the anchor of "Weekend Update." For the remainder of his tenure, Nealon often played the straight man during "Update" and other sketches, particularly against the newer cast members. His participation in that role increased after Carvey, Hartman, and Myers left the show. Myers introduced many popular new characters during this period, including Linda Richman, host of the fictional talk show "Coffee Talk."

Meanwhile, Hartman, who had impersonated President Ronald Reagan on the show, began appearing regularly with his impression of Democratic candidate and soon-to-be President Bill Clinton. Carvey continued to perform his impersonation of President George H. W. Bush while also developing an impression of independent presidential candidate Ross Perot.

In the period leading up to the 1992 presidential election, Carvey and Hartman dominated the show with their impressions, creating mock debates. The Myers and Carvey characters Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar from the "Wayne's World" sketch would become household names during the early 1990s following the release of the successful feature film Wayne's World.

The new additions in 1990 included Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Chris Rock. This group would come to be known as the Bad Boys of SNL and remained fairly close in the years after they left the show. Each has appeared in movies with the others.

Season Breakdown

Of the new cast members, Chris Farley often used his size in jokes. In one sketch, "Chippendales Audition," he played a shirtless dancer opposite the trim and muscular Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze as they competed in an audition for a position with the Chippendales male dance troupe. Sandler and Farley also did a song called "Lunch Lady Land" with Farley dancing while dressed up as a lunch lady. Another recurring Farley character was the manic, thrice-divorced motivational speaker Matt Foley, whose schtick consisted mainly of yelling at and whining to his clients about having to live "in a van down by the river" and hurling himself around the room demolishing everything in sight. Farley was fired from the show in 1995 but later went on to star in successful movies like Tommy Boy, Black Sheep (both with David Spade), and Beverly Hills Ninja with Chris Rock and Nicollette Sheridan.

Season breakdown

1990–1991 season

Cast

• Dana Carvey
• Phil Hartman
• Jan Hooks
• Victoria Jackson
• Dennis Miller
• Mike Myers
• Kevin Nealon

With

• Chris Farley
• Tim Meadows (debut: February 9, 1991)
• Chris Rock
• Julia Sweeney (debut: November 10, 1990)

Featuring

• A. Whitney Brown (final: March 16, 1991)
• Al Franken
• Adam Sandler (debut: February 9, 1991)
• Rob Schneider (debut: October 27, 1990)
• David Spade (debut: November 10, 1990)

Notable characters/sketches introduced

• Pat (Julia Sweeney)
• Bill Swerski's Superfans (Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Robert Smigel, George Wendt)
• Coffee Talk (Mike Myers)
• Stuart Smalley (Al Franken)

1991–1992 season

Cast

• Dana Carvey
• Chris Farley
• Phil Hartman
• Victoria Jackson
• Mike Myers
• Kevin Nealon
• Chris Rock
• Julia Sweeney

With

• Ellen Cleghorne
• Siobhan Fallon
• Tim Meadows
• Adam Sandler
• Rob Schneider
• David Spade

Featuring

• Beth Cahill (debut: November 16, 1991)
• Al Franken
• Melanie Hutsell (debut: November 16, 1991)
• Robert Smigel

Notable characters/sketches introduced

• The Chris Farley Show (Chris Farley)
• Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer (Phil Hartman)

1992–1993 season

On October 3, at the end of her second song, a cover of Bob Marley's song "War," musical guest Sinéad O'Connor created controversy by holding up a picture of Pope John Paul II exclaiming, "Fight the real enemy," and tearing the picture to pieces. According to the book Live From New York, this was unrehearsed. The act was condemned by Michaels and the SNL crew, who refused to light the applause sign after O'Connor's performance; likewise, guest host Tim Robbins, who was raised Catholic,^[3] did not thank O'Connor during the closing.

Cast

• Dana Carvey (final episode: February 6, 1993)
• Chris Farley
• Phil Hartman
• Mike Myers
• Kevin Nealon
• Chris Rock
• Rob Schneider
• Julia Sweeney

Featuring

• Ellen Cleghorne
• Melanie Hutsell
• Tim Meadows
• Adam Sandler
• David Spade

With

• Al Franken
• Robert Smigel

Notable characters/sketches introduced

• Canteen Boy (Adam Sandler)
• Matt Foley (Chris Farley)

1993–1994 season

After the end of the 1993-94 season, having already lost cast member Dana Carvey, who left midway through the previous season, SNL's 1994 post-season saw more departures. Julia Sweeney left due to frustration and burnout. Another departure was that of Phil Hartman, whose final moment on the show was at the end of a musical number with the entire cast singing a parody of the song "So Long, Farewell" from The Sound of Music. After all the cast had left the stage, Farley, appearing as his Matt Foley character, was left sitting on the stage with Phil walking back on stage, cuddling next to Farley to sing goodbye and waving at the audience.

Producer Lorne Michaels hired a number of new cast members, beginning midway through the 1993–1994 season.

Cast

• Ellen Cleghorne
• Chris Farley
• Phil Hartman
• Melanie Hutsell
• Michael McKean (debut: March 12, 1994)
• Tim Meadows
• Mike Myers
• Kevin Nealon
• Adam Sandler
• Rob Schneider
• David Spade
• Julia Sweeney

Featuring

• Al Franken
• Norm Macdonald (debut: October 2, 1993)
• Jay Mohr (debut: October 9, 1993)
• Sarah Silverman (debut: October 9, 1993)

1994–1995 season

Similar to his decision in the mid-1980s to bring in established actors Randy Quaid, Joan Cusack, and Robert Downey Jr., Michaels added Michael McKean, and later Chris Elliott, to the cast. Both left at the end of the 1994-95 season.

Later acquisitions were sketch veteran Mark McKinney of the recently wrapped, Michaels-produced Canadian sketch comedy show The Kids in the Hall, and stand-up comic Janeane Garofalo, the latter of whom joined at the beginning of the 1994-95 season, and the former joining in January shortly before the departure of Mike Myers. Garofalo left in mid-season and was replaced by Molly Shannon. Myers also left in mid-season, as would Nealon after the season's end. Nealon's replacement on Weekend Update was Norm Macdonald. Farley and Sandler left at the end of the season. Longtime featured player Jay Mohr left as well and Al Franken, who had worked on the show as a writer and featured player on and off since 1975, also departed later that season. British actress Morwenna Banks joined the cast for the last four episodes of the season as a full cast member.

Much like season 6 [1980-81] (or, to a lesser extent, season 11 [1985-86]), season 20 [1994-95] is considered one of SNL's worst-received seasons.^{[citation needed]} The season was home to many cast turnovers and much dissension. Janeane Garofalo left the show halfway through the season. Mike Myers departed to pursue a movie career. Longtime feature player Al Franken quit; Ellen Cleghorne, Kevin Nealon, Chris Elliott, and Michael McKean quit the show as well. Laura Kightlinger left to join Roseanne Barr's ill-fated FOX comedy series Saturday Night Special. Morwenna Banks, Chris Farley, Jay Mohr, and Adam Sandler were fired. Banks was hired as a contract player for the last four episodes of the season but did not return for Season 21.

Towards the end of the 1994-95 season, SNL was in a state of turmoil,^{[citation needed]} with the show enacting the highest turnover rate going into the next season. The 1994-95 season had a total of 14 cast members; only five remained for the 1995-96 season: Molly Shannon, Mark McKinney, Norm Macdonald, David Spade, and Tim Meadows.

Cast

• Morwenna Banks (debut: April 8, 1995)
• Ellen Cleghorne
• Chris Elliott
• Chris Farley
• Janeane Garofalo (final: February 25, 1995)
• Norm Macdonald
• Michael McKean
• Mark McKinney (debut: January 14, 1995)
• Tim Meadows
• Mike Myers (final episode: January 21, 1995)
• Kevin Nealon
• Adam Sandler
• David Spade

Featuring

• Al Franken (final: May 6, 1995)
• Laura Kightlinger
• Jay Mohr
• Molly Shannon (debut: February 25, 1995)

References

This page was last edited on 5 April 2024, at 08:35