History of Saturday Night Live (2005–2010)

Template:History of SNL This article is about the history of Saturday Night Live 2005-2009.

2005–2008 Season Breakdown

2005–2006

Saturday Night Live promised changes for the 2005-06 season, one of which was broadcasting in high-definition. Lorne Michaels added three new featured players: Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig, plus Jason Sudeikis, who was added for the last 3 episodes of the previous season. Hader became popular for his impersonation of Vincent Price in various Variety Vault sketches. Samberg gained notoriety for creating multiple SNL Digital Shorts, the most popular being "Lazy Sunday". Wiig, who first appeared when Jason Lee hosted, gained popularity with impersonations of Felicity Huffman and Megan Mullaly, and creating memorable characters such as the Female A-Hole and Target Lady.

Highlights from this season included: Lazy Sunday; a cameo from SNL alum Chris Kattan during Antonio Banderas' episode (Kattan lampooned Banderas during his tenure); and the long-awaited hosting gigs of frequent SNL return hosts Tom Hanks and Steve Martin.

Leaving after the 2006 season were Rachel Dratch and Tina Fey, who had committed to working on her new sitcom 30 Rock, as well as Horatio Sanz, Finesse Mitchell, and Chris Parnell.

Opening Montage

The opening montage for the 2005 season was identical to that of the 2004 season, except for several minor variations: the names of new cast members were shown, the names displayed in a different font. It also began broadcasting in widescreen and high definition.

Cast

• Fred Armisen
• Rachel Dratch
• Tina Fey
• Will Forte
• Darrell Hammond
• Seth Meyers
• Finesse Mitchell
• Chris Parnell
• Amy Poehler
• Maya Rudolph
• Horatio Sanz
• Kenan Thompson

Featuring

• Bill Hader
• Andy Samberg
• Jason Sudeikis
• Kristen Wiig (first episode: November 12, 2005)

Notes

• Tina Fey was absent on maternity leave for the first several episodes, and returned for the Catherine Zeta-Jones/Franz Ferdinand episode. Maya Rudolph was also absent on maternity leave for several episodes, and returned for the Steve Martin/Prince episode. Rudolph then took a second hiatus before the end of the season for undisclosed reasons.
• With the March 11, 2006 broadcast, Tina Fey surpassed Dennis Miller as SNL's longest-tenured Weekend Update anchorperson.
• Thompson and Mitchell are upgraded to contract players.
• Hader and Samberg are added to the cast as featured players. Kristen Wiig is added to the cast in November.
• Beginning in 2005 the show is being broadcast in high definition television, letterbox format.
• Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg's Lazy Sunday skit was featured in an episode hosted by Jack Black. It quickly became an internet phenomenon.
• Due to the 2006 Winter Olympics, this season contained only nineteen episodes instead of the usual twenty.

2006-07 Season

File:DSC04492.JPG

Original 32nd Season SNL Logo, used only for the September 30, 2006 show.

File:DSC04489.JPG

New 32nd Season SNL Logo, starting with the October 7, 2006 show.

Opening Montage

The opening montage introduced on the 32nd season premiere involved the cast on a roof-top party in New York City and was a completely new production from the previous montage, featuring a completely new logo and VTR. The font was in a plain greyish colour with bold lettering, where each word is progressively larger than the last in both the title and cast credits, with footage of New York City in the background. The musical guest and host's pictures are simply seen over top of the background footage instead of inserted onto a billboard like the previous season.

With the Jaime Pressly episode airing on October 7, 2006, the montage was changed slightly to include an SNL logo changed to a design and typeface identical to the 1981-85 SNL logo. The pictures of the host and musical guest were placed over the entire screen, instead of over the New York City footage. This new montage was also used for the rerun for the Dane Cook/The Killers episode, replacing the originally-aired one.

Cast changes

SNL got a smaller cast in the 2006-2007 year due to “massive budget cuts” at NBC. Lorne Michaels told members of the Television Critics Association that cutting staff was chosen over reducing from 20 the number of original episodes produced. In an interview with the NY Post, Lorne Michaels said the new season will be one of the few that does not feature a new cast member, and he specifically hired a large cast for the 2005-2006 season knowing that budget cuts were around the corner. A separate announcement confirmed the departure of Tina Fey, who left to focus on 30 Rock, a new show she created for Broadway Video which is part of NBC's 2006-7 schedule. Rachel Dratch, one of the stars in 30 Rock, also didn't return.

According to an August 22, 2006 story in the New York Post, four cast members besides Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch would be let go and no new ones will be hired. However, the actual number turned out to be three. Several reports published during the summer claimed that Horatio Sanz, Chris Parnell, and Kenan Thompson would be among the departing cast members. Sanz's decision was reportedly based upon his not receiving the Weekend Update anchor position. Thompson ended up returning. Chris Parnell confirmed the departure of himself and Finesse Mitchell to a fan after performing in a show at the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre.

Amy Poehler announced on Late Night with Conan O'Brien that Seth Meyers would replace Tina Fey as co-anchor on Weekend Update. This was rumored two years ago when Seth would take over the newsdesk when Jimmy Fallon left SNL altogether.

Kristin Wiig, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Jason Sudeikis all were promoted to repertory players at the beginning of their second season (the third for Sudeikis including his role as a featured member), which is not usual for featured players.

It was rumored that Jason Sudeikis would be sole anchor of Weekend Update; however, Amy Poehler retained her place at the Update Desk, and Seth Meyers took over Tina Fey's old position.

The current cast consists of only 11 members, the lowest number since the 1997-1998 season.

Cast

• Fred Armisen
• Will Forte
• Bill Hader
• Darrell Hammond
• Seth Meyers
• Amy Poehler
• Maya Rudolph
• Andy Samberg
• Jason Sudeikis
• Kenan Thompson
• Kristen Wiig

Notes

• Seth Meyers shares head writer status with Paula Pell and Andrew Steele. Due to this position, like Fey before him, he appears rarely on the show outside of Weekend Update, but is credited as a repertory player. Pell returns to the show after her failed attempt at creating a sitcom, Thick and Thin, went unaired.

2007-08 Season

The 2007-2008 season of Saturday Night Live will begin on September 29, 2007 with LeBron James hosting the episode and musical guest Kanye West.

Seth Rogen is set to host October 6.

Jon Bon Jovi is set to host October 13.

Opening Montage

Unknown.

Cast changes

[1]

Cast

All cast members of the previous season, namely Fred Armisen, Will Forte, Bill Hader, Darrell Hammond, Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson, Kristen Wiig, will return.

Someone else might join in to be either a full-time cast member or a featured player between now and the end of September. Auditions were held in August. NOTE: Both repertory and featured players can enter the show's cast anytime during the season.

See also

• Saturday Night Live