The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL Retrospective

Today we mourn the passing of The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. 

In remembrance, we're revisiting his memorable appearance as the musical guest on SNL's Season 2, Episode 9, hosted by Jodie Foster. The Beach Boys were originally scheduled to perform a month earlier but had to pull out, with John Prine stepping in as their replacement.

On this episode – which originally aired on Thanksgiving weekend - Brian Wilson performed...

Another season of The Early Years of SNL comes to a close, which can only mean one thing… Buck is Back! Buck Henry returns for his 8th time hosting and this time he gets a proper season finale musical guest with the one and only Bette Midler.

Saturday Night Live brings its highest-rated season yet to a close and while things are mostly upbeat, there is still a sense that this is somewhat of a goodbye. In what will end up being the f...

On the surface, veteran stage and screen actress Maureen Stapleton may seem like an odd choice to host Saturday Night Live. After watching this episode, that assessment might hold true.

Season 4's penultimate episode stands as one of the more peculiar outings from SNL's original era. The accomplished host finds herself surprisingly underutilized, appearing in only a couple of sketches that truly showcase her talents. The s...

Over SNL's legendary 50-year run, only a select few bits have managed to stand the test of time. One that has… the commercial parody. From fake products that feel disturbingly real to outrageous pitches that somehow make perfect sense, these sketches have become a staple of the show since day one.

For this edition of Tournament Talk, Bill Swerkski assembles an expert panel to dive deep into Saturday Night Live's comedy vau...

Blink and you might miss it, but Michael Palin returns to SNL for the third time. He is joined by James Taylor, making his second appearance as musical guest.

This episode serves up a mixed bag – a couple of VERY long sketches combined with three songs from JT results in one of the fewest comedy bits of any Saturday Night Live episode. Add to that the Monty Python veteran's surprisingly sparse on-camera presence, and you'v...

The ladies of Saturday Night Live team up with the two comedy legends for the last SNL “off week” special. Jane, Laraine, & Gilda join Bob & Ray for a show filmed in 8H, produced and shot by the SNL crew, and (except for a Weekend Update) could easily be seen as a decent episode hosted by the duo.

Relying mostly on seasoned bits by the two comic icons the special does tend to, at times, feel bogged down. But there are some d...

It's the end of an era! After seven seasons and nearly 200 episodes, The SNL Hall of Fame—one of the cornerstones of the Saturday Night Live fan community—is closing its doors. This beloved podcast has hosted incredible conversations about the most influential cast members, writers, hosts, and musical guests in SNL's storied history.

Throughout their run, they've worked with listeners to enshrine over 35 SNL luminarie...

Comedy legend Milton Berle's SNL hosting gig has gone down as one of the most infamous - and disastrous - events in late-night television history. In this episode of Saturday Night Live - widely considered one of the worst of all time (not just of the original era) - “Mr. Television” brings his 1950s showmanship, sensibility, and bravado to the comedy landscape of the late 1970s. And the results are… A-mazing!

From the opening ...

Its only been a few weeks since the first ever nuclear meltdown in United States history but that doesn’t stop SNL from using it as inspiration for one of the most epic & outstanding sketches of the original era. Richard Benjamin, giving off strong Buck Henry vibes, takes the reins for a Saturday Night Live outing that is – while short on quantity – quite high on quality.

We may not get many bits this episode, but almost all the...

We revisit the “Dick Ebersol era” of SNL once again with our guest, Kevin Kelton. He is an Emmy-nominated writer for his work on Saturday Night Live, writing on the show for Seasons 9 & 10, before moving on to a very successful career writing and producing sitcoms.

Fun Fact: Kevin is also part of a very exclusive group of only four people who wrote for both SNL AND Friday’s. 

Kevin joins us to talk about his journey working for t...

SNL continues its late season run of really fun episodes as Margot Kidder, fresh off her star-making role in the blockbuster "Superman, " hosts this memorable outing. Originally airing on St. Patrick’s Day, it leans heavily into all things Irish - including with the musical guests, The Chieftans.

This episode is FULL of classic bits that would go on to stand the test of time and appear in Saturday Night Live highlight reel...

In what could possibly be the most underrated outings of the original era, this episode of Saturday Night Live is a stand out showing! Hosted by the one and only Gary Busey, accompanied by the exceptional talents of Eubie Blake and Gregory Hines as musical guests, this one maintains an "on the edge" quality throughout that is desperately needed at this point in the show’s run.

SNL lives up to its hype as it featuring a raw...

Tournament Talk reconvenes to debate one of the most hotly contested topics among SNL fans – Best Recurring Characters!

From The Nerds to Wayne & Garth, Mr. Robinson to Stefon, our panel discusses and deliberate some of Saturday Night Live’s most iconic characters. The Church Lady and Matt Foley battle against the likes of Mary Katherine Gallagher and Colleen Rafferty while some of the show’s most recognizable characters didn’t ...

Its sweeps month in 1979, and SNL pulls out all the stops with Charlie’s Angels star Kate Jackson as host and Delbert McClinton as musical guest. Yes, you read that last part correctly.

A very memorable episode (though perhaps not for the best reasons), this outing of Saturday Night Live takes a distinctly "meta" approach with Jackson frequently playing herself throughout the night. Though when she does get the chance to p...

They say comedy is subjective, and this S4 episode of SNL proves the point. While many Saturday Night Live fans praise this outing hosted by former child star Rick(y) Nelson, we have a slightly different take. Sadly, musical guest Judy Collins does not do much to help the cause.

Though we do acknowledge some bright spots, we couldn't fully embrace this episode. Listen as we break down what worked (some true highlights) and what...

Rosie Shuster is a national treasure – in Canada AND the US. A two-time Emmy winner, she was an integral part in the creation of Saturday Night Live, with contributions to the show that cannot be overlooked.

From helping craft the show from the ground up during the summer of '75 to developing Dana Carvey's iconic Church Lady character, Rosie joins us to discuss all three of her stints writing for the show, as well as the e...

We are very excited to discuss what is widely considered the VERY BEST of the SNL-related movies. A project filled with artistic precision, coherency, and directorial flourishes that taps directly into the zeitgeist possibly better than anything to ever come out of Saturday Night Live.

April Fools! 

Our topic is Mr. Mike's Mondo Video - the film promoted as "the television show too dangerous for television." (Which we ...

Talking Heads make their US television debut on this week’s episode of SNL! Also...Cicely Tyson hosts. The show brings out a lot of recurring characters, sketches, and bits to try and help her.  And, of course, Garrett in drag.  Does any of it work?

There are a lot of questionable things in this episode and the final product is not only one of the weaker episodes of Saturday Night Live’s original era but also one of the most jaw-dro...

March Madness is BACK! And so is Tournament Talk! Bill Swerski returns (hopefully) to lead the debate over SNL's Best Musical Guest Appearances.

Our panel goes head-to-head discussing and debating a cornerstone in Saturday Night Live's storied history – the musical guest.  With passionate arguments and surprising upsets, you'll be shocked at which legendary artists make it to the Final Four!

Will your favorite singer, ...