History of Saturday Night Live (2000–2005)
History of Saturday Night Live |
---|
1975–1980 |
seasons 5 |
1980–1985 |
seasons 10 |
1985–1990 |
seasons 15 |
1990–1995 |
seasons 20 |
1995–2000 |
seasons 25 |
2000–2005 |
seasons 30 |
2005–2010 |
seasons 35 |
2010–2015 |
seasons 40 |
2015–2020 |
seasons 45 |
2020–present |
seasons 49 |
Weekend Update |
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.
These years saw many cast changes, most prominently Will Ferrell's exit in 2002 and Jimmy Fallon's exit in 2004. Cast members hired during this period that would later have a huge impact on the show include Fred Armisen and Amy Poehler.
Quality period (2000–2001)
The
Long-time cast member Molly Shannon left the cast at mid-season.[2][3] This was also Jerry Minor's only season.[4]
In 1999, Tina Fey became the show's first female head writer.[5] With Colin Quinn's "Weekend Update" tenure over, Lorne Michaels teamed Fey with Jimmy Fallon this season, the first duo to anchor the segment since Christine Ebersole and Brian Doyle-Murray in the early 1980s. This pairing was well received by critics.[5] Fey appeared occasionally as an extra before being hired as a cast member.[6] Fey was a featured player during her first season and was then promoted to contract player, while still maintaining her position as head writer.
2000 presidential election
The 2000–01 season was also noted for its well-received spoofing of that year's presidential campaign between Al Gore and George W. Bush. The two candidates even appeared (separately) on a special with the cast in fall 2000.[9] Will Ferrell's Bush impression coined the term "strategery" in a sketch mocking Bush's propensity for mispronunciations, while Darrell Hammond's Gore was characterized by his slow, deliberate drawl and use of the term "lockbox" during the show's debate sketches.
In April 2015, Ferrell stated that he thought his impression "humanized" Bush to the country and may have won him the election, and that Hammond's "rigid, robotic-like" take on Gore may have influenced the result also.[10]
Cast
- Jimmy Fallon
- Will Ferrell
- Ana Gasteyer
- Darrell Hammond
- Chris Kattan
- Tracy Morgan
- Chris Parnell
- Horatio Sanz
- Molly Shannon (final episode: February 17, 2001)
Featuring
bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor
Post 9/11 (2001–2002)
The
The 2001–02 season was the last to feature Will Ferrell as a cast member.[11] After seven seasons, Ferrell left the show after recently becoming the highest paid cast member in SNL's history. The last segment of the season finale featured an homage to Ferrell by the rest of the cast reflecting on what he brought to the show. He and Darrell Hammond shared the honor of longest-serving cast members up to that season.
Fallout from the 9/11 terrorist attacks
The first-season premiere after the
Cast
- Rachel Dratch
- Jimmy Fallon
- Will Ferrell
- Tina Fey
- Ana Gasteyer
- Darrell Hammond
- Chris Kattan
- Tracy Morgan
- Chris Parnell (first episode back: March 2, 2002)
- Amy Poehler (upgraded to repertory status: January 12, 2002)
- Maya Rudolph
- Horatio Sanz
Featuring
- Dean Edwards
- Seth Meyers
- Jeff Richards
bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor
More cast changes (2002–2003)
The
Cast
- Rachel Dratch
- Jimmy Fallon
- Tina Fey
- Darrell Hammond
- Chris Kattan
- Tracy Morgan
- Chris Parnell
- Amy Poehler
- Maya Rudolph
- Horatio Sanz
Featuring
- Fred Armisen
- Dean Edwards
- Will Forte
- Seth Meyers
- Jeff Richards
bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor
Fallon leaves (2003–2004)
The
Jimmy Fallon decided to leave at the end of this season, announcing his retirement from the cast at the end of his last "Weekend Update".[17] Jeff Richards mysteriously disappeared from the cast after the episode hosted by Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson. In an interview, Richards said he left on his own terms to branch out into other projects,[18] though there have been rumors that he was fired for creative differences between himself and the director.
Finesse Mitchell and Kenan Thompson were hired to replace Tracy Morgan and Dean Edwards as the show's male African-American cast members. Thompson was the first SNL cast member to be younger than the show itself (Thompson was born in 1978, three years after SNL premiered) and the first cast member to get his start on a mainstream children's show (Thompson was a cast member on the Nickelodeon sketch show, All That).[19]
Cast
- Rachel Dratch
- Jimmy Fallon
- Tina Fey
- Will Forte
- Darrell Hammond
- Seth Meyers
- Chris Parnell
- Amy Poehler
- Jeff Richards(final episode: January 17, 2004)
- Maya Rudolph
- Horatio Sanz
Featuring
bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor
Rebuilding year (2004–2005)
The
Ashlee Simpson incident
An embarrassing event in the career of pop singer
Cast
- Fred Armisen
- Rachel Dratch
- Tina Fey
- Will Forte
- Darrell Hammond
- Seth Meyers
- Chris Parnell
- Amy Poehler
- Maya Rudolph
- Horatio Sanz
Featuring
- Finesse Mitchell
- Rob Riggle
- Jason Sudeikis (first episode: May 7, 2005)
- Kenan Thompson
bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor
References
- ^ Winter, Jessica (July 25, 2013). "When Is It OK to Crack Up? Some Ground Rules for the Cast of SNL". Slate. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ "Molly Shannon Leaves 'SNL'". ABC News. January 23, 2001. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Silverman, Stephen. "Shannon to Exit 'SNL'". People. Archived from the original on February 16, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Wright, Megh (September 25, 2012). "Saturday Night's Children: Jerry Minor (2000-2001)". Vulture. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c Kennedy, Randy (October 12, 2004). "A First for Fake News". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Gay, Jason (March 5, 2001). "Meet Four-Eyed New Sex Symbol, 'Weekend Update' Anchor Tina Fey". Observer. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Graham, Mark (January 14, 2010). "Chris Parnell Talks Being Fired From SNL Twice". Vulture. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Rawden, Jessica (February 19, 2015). "How Chris Parnell Got Un-fired From Saturday Night Live". Cinema Blend. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ de Moraes, Lisa (November 2, 2000). "Taped From New York, It's the Candidates on 'Saturday Night'". Washington Post.
- ^ Guerrasio, Jason (April 17, 2015). "Will Ferrell thinks his 'SNL' portrayal of George W. Bush influenced the 2000 election". Business Insider Australia. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Bark, Ed (May 9, 2002). "Will Ferrell announces end of 'Saturday Night Live' stint". Sun Journal. Knight Ridder Newspapers. p. C8. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ Robinson, Melia (September 12, 2013). "FLASHBACK: 'SNL' Cast Describe Somber First Show Back After 9/11". Business Insider Australia. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Dickson, Caitlyn (May 8, 2015). "Reese Witherspoon reflects on hosting 'SNL' after 9/11". Yahoo! News. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Susman, Gary (May 8, 2003). "Chris Kattan is leaving SNL". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Wright, Megh (March 26, 2013). "Saturday Night's Children: Dean Edwards (2001-2003)". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela; Adalian, Josef (September 26, 2003). "SNL primed for 29". Variety. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ "Jimmy Fallon signs off from 'Saturday Night Live'". Today. NBC News. May 18, 2004. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Ganahl, Jane (July 19, 2004). "After 'SNL,' Jeff Richards is moving on to movies. First came public access". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- Beaver County Times.
- ^ Wright, Megh (October 18, 2011). "Saturday Night's Children: Rob Riggle (2004-2005)". Vulture. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ "Kansan Jason Sudeikis establishes comedic footing on 'SNL'". Lawrence Journal-World. October 28, 2005. pp. 1E, 3E. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Leung, Rebecca (October 28, 2004). "Michaels: Lip-Sync An 'SNL' No-No". CBS News. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ "Did 'Saturday Night Live' expose Ashlee Simpson's extra help?". USA Today. October 24, 2004. Archived from the original on November 23, 2005. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ Zemler, Emily (February 21, 2024). "Ashlee Simpson Reflects on 'SNL' Lip-Syncing Incident: 'It Was a Humbling Moment For Me'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ "Ashlee Simpson shares the key lesson she learned from her 'SNL' lip-syncing controversy 20 years ago". TODAY.com. February 20, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.