In the annals of television history, Saturday Night Live (SNL) will forever hold a special place. Not only is it considered genre-defining, but SNL has also re-defined the term “mainstay” with a whopping 45 year-run with no signs of slowing down.
From introducing the world to some of the biggest stars to inspiring some of the most iconic film franchises (and essentially molding NBC as we now know it), SNL has become the beating heart of today’s entertainment industry. Yet, much of its history and contributions to pop culture remains unknown even to the most religious audience member.
10 Lorne Michaels Has Been There From The Start
Of SNL's 45 year history, Lorne Michaels has been around for 40! In addition to creating Saturday Night Live, Michaels also served as one of the two head writers for the first season before handing the reins to co-head writer Michael O’Donoghue the following year.
Helming the series for five years before taking a break, Michaels left in 1980 to try his hand at other shows. However, following a negatively reviewed sixth season, and a less than stellar four-year run under co-creator Dick Ebersol, Michaels returned in 1986 for the 11th season and has been there ever since — forging a 35-year-long streak!
9 SNL Sketches Spawned Films
Given SNL is a weekly idea-churning machine, it’s no surprise that some of its recurring characters found themselves on the big screen. Debuting with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi’s iconic band/skit, The Blues Brothers was a sleeper hit of sorts. The success of the film inspired Lorne Michaels’ to create content for theatres, but to no avail. After a couple of unrealized original content attempts, it would be 12 years before SNL’s next theatrical success, with the Mike Myers and Dana Carvey-starring Wayne’s World.
Unfortunately, success in film — both commercial and critical, would be hard to come by, with only two new entries in the last 20 years. 2010’s MacGruber, however, has attained unprecedented cult status and will see continuation as a TV series.
8 Fans Can Thank SNL For Ghostbusters
On the topic of films spawned by SNL, the beloved Ghostbusters franchise can also be traced back to Saturday Night Live. Created and written by SNL writer and actor Dan Aykroyd, the initial Ghostbusters was built around other SNL talents. With his eye on both Eddie Murphy and John Belushi as co-stars, and once-SNL contender Harold Ramis as co-writer, Ghostbusters would become one of the many pop culture-defining projects with roots in SNL.
John Belushi’s untimely demise led to the casting of another SNL-alumnus, Bill Murray, who is now synonymous with the franchise.
7 SNL Has Had TV Spin-Offs, Too
While Saturday Night Live managed to spin-off its characters into cinemas, the show also found new ways to expand its segments for its native format. The first attempt saw the popular Saturday segment "TV Funhouse" getting an eight-episode season on Comedy Central. Recurrently over budget and exceptionally tedious, the show was given the ax after just one season, despite having been popular with the network.
Closer to its nature, the political relevance of SNL’s "Weekend Update" saw its expansion into "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday." This limited series ran during especially political seasons, such as the U.S. presidential elections in 2008 and 2012, though it also had specially ordered seasons in 2009 and 2017, where it was rebranded as "Saturday Night Like Weekend Update: Summer Edition."
6 Tina Fey Was SNL's First Female Head Writer
For all of its groundbreaking content, SNL’s corporate structure was still a slave to the male dominant environment of television. Rumors of the show’s creative and corporate culture being unfriendly towards women were recurring. Indeed, it would be 24 years before the show saw its first female head writer.
And it was just what it needed. Known today for the likes of 30 Rock and Mean Girls, Fey’s irreverent sense of humor gave the show a much-needed shot of refreshed satire and sharpened wit. Like many SNL writers, she often performed on camera, as well, and even occupied the coveted "Weekend Update," along with Jimmy Fallon, and Amy Poehler, who would also co-host with Fey’s writing successor, Seth Meyers.
5 Only One Openly Gay Actor Has Lasted Beyond A Season
On the note of lacking progressiveness, SNL hasn’t had the best relationship with LGBTQ cast members either. It would be 11 years before the sketch show featured its first openly gay actor with Terry Sweeney, and even more troubling, it would be another 20 years before they cast their second openly gay actor: John Milhiser.
It’s also concerning that Kate McKinnon is currently the only openly gay actor to have lasted on the show for more than a season— and it’s probably because SNL needs her comedic ingenuity more than she needs the show. Thankfully, season 45 has seen the inclusion of Bowen Yang, who represents a perfect storm of minority representation as SNL’s third openly gay male actor, their first Chinese-American, and their fourth Asian American cast member.
4 SNL Shares Its Roots With Van Wilder
When Lorne Michaels and Dick Emerson began putting Saturday Night Live together, it made sense to study the closest approximation of their vision realized. So they naturally looked to National Lampoon. While it’s arguably known more for its host of Ryan Reynolds-starring films in recent years, National Lampoon essentially staffed the first generation of Saturday Night Live’s cast and creative crew.
From head writer Michael O’Donoghue to some of the most prominent early cast members, like John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and Chevy Chase, SNL’s foundation was formed by culling National Lampoon. Later inclusions, like Bill Murray and Brian Doyle Murray, were also National Lampoon alumni, and so was future Ghostbusters writer and actor, Harold Ramis.
3 SNL Fired Robert Downey Jr.
In all fairness, most of the cast of Saturday Night Live’s 11th season was given the slip following a less than successful year. While the return of Lorne Michaels and his slowly restored roster of returning writers was applauded, the relatively new, post-Ebersol cast caught the audience off-guard. In finding it’s footing, the show found itself letting go of a fair bit of talent, chief among them being the future Mr. Tony Stark.
Downey Jr. was accompanied by Anthony Michael Hall, Damon Wayans, Joan Cusack, Randy Quaid, and Terry Sweeney in exiting the show.
2 Kenan Thompson Is The Longest Tenured SNL Member
Despite his 17-year reign on Saturday Night Live, it can be argued that this icon of the 90s is still best known for his Nickelodeon work—and especially for Kenan & Kel. Uniquely, Thompson’s fame precedes his SNL career, having been a Nickelodeon staple and starring in The Mighty Ducks franchise, Good Burger, and even Fat Albert, which premiered a year after his joining the sketch show.
With his experience on All That, Nickelodeon’s own take on an SNL-esque show, Thompson’s experience makes him a valuable talent and one of the more diversified members of the cast. And because history loves repeating itself, Kenan’s progression from All That to Kenan & Kel, will see replication with his taking on a new show: Kenan.
1 SNL Inspired Not One But Two Iconic Shows
You don’t go 30 years without inspiring and influencing some of the greatest minds in television. 2006 saw not one, but two shows based on the inner workings of a weekly comedy-sketch show. SNL alumnus Tina Fey’s experience on the show was brought to flamboyant life with 30 Rock, presenting the behind-the-scenes life in a manner arguably funnier than its inspiration.
Aaron Sorkin’s take on the subject matter with Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was naturally darker, given his personal experience from his days working on The West Wing. While Studio 60 would prove to be the greater success in the 2006-2007 season, 30 Rock’s cheaper production cost led to NBC picking only the latter to continue, preventing two shows with similar subject matter from co-existing in the long run. Nevertheless, Sorkin has since guest-starred on 30 Rock, taking Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon on one of his iconic walk-and-talk sequences, and has been known as a support of the rival show.
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