Changes: Season 20

Revision as of 12:21, 29 July 2014

Lorne Michaels credits this season as the closest he's ever been to being fired. The show's quality had started to slide over the past season, and the decline continued this year. Phil Hartman had left at the end of the previous year, and Mike Myers would leave mid-season; Michaels attempted to bolster the case with new hires Laura Kightlinger, Chris Elliott, Janeane Garofalo, and Mark McKinney (who was added mid-season), as well as Molly Shannon (as a replacement for the departing Mike Meyers) and Morweanna Banks (as a replacement for Garofalo).

The sagging ratings were also hurt by the March 1995 issue of New York magazine, which ran a cover story entitled "How 'Saturday Night Live' Became a Grim Joke". The story told, in great detail, the backstage wrangling that was occurring at SNL, detailing the expensive sets, Janeane Garofalo, who'd hated her time at SNL and finally quit in February. Rumors were already flying that other networks were smelling blood in the water and planning competing shows for the timeslot (only one materialized, Fox's MadTV). Longtime viewers complained that certain sketches, such as "Total Bastard Airlines", were not only one-joke sketches but grating and lacking any comedy at all, and as such the ratings dive was indeed deserved.

With the negative press and looming competition, a massive change was deemed necessary. Following the end of the season, most of the cast and writers were fired, including head writer Jim Downey. Longtime cast members Kevin Nealon and Al Franken quit at the end of the season as well. Only Norm MacDonald and David Spade remained from the start of the season, though Spade remained specifically to integrate the new cast, appearing only as himself. Tim Meadows was initially fired but was rehired, and would remain for several more years. Midseason replacements Mark McKinney and Molly Shannon were also kept.

Cast

Repertory

Featured

Changes

Mark McKinney: First January 14
Mike Myers: Last January 21
Molly Shannon: First February 25
Janeane Garofalo: Last February 25
Morwenna Banks: First April 8

Preceded by: Season 19	Season 20 (1994— 1995)	Followed by: Season 21

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 [[Lorne Michaels]] credits this season as the closest he's ever been to being fired. The show's quality had started to slide over the past season, and the decline continued this year. Phil Hartman had left at the end of the previous year, and Mike Myers would leave mid-season; Michaels attempted to bolster the case with new hires Laura Kightlinger, Chris Elliott, Janeane Garofalo, and Mark McKinney (who was added mid-season), as well as Molly Shannon (as a replacement for the departing Mike Meyers) and Morweanna Banks (as a replacement for Garofalo).
-The sagging ratings were also hurt by the March 1995 issue of [[wikipedia:New York (magazine)|New York magazine]], which ran a cover story entitled "[[How 'Saturday Night Live' Became a Grim Joke]]". The story told, in great detail, the backstage wrangling that was occurring at SNL, detailing Janeane Garofalo, who'd hated her time at SNL and finally quit in February. Rumors were already flying that other networks were smelling blood in the water and planning competing shows for the timeslot (only one materialized, Fox's ''[[MadTV]]''). Longtime viewers complained that certain sketches, such as "Total Bastard Airlines", were not only one-joke sketches but grating and lacking any comedy at all, and as such the ratings dive was indeed deserved.
+The sagging ratings were also hurt by the March 1995 issue of [[wikipedia:New York (magazine)|New York magazine]], which ran a cover story entitled "[[How 'Saturday Night Live' Became a Grim Joke]]". The story told, in great detail, the backstage wrangling that was occurring at SNL, detailing the expensive sets, Janeane Garofalo, who'd hated her time at SNL and finally quit in February. Rumors were already flying that other networks were smelling blood in the water and planning competing shows for the timeslot (only one materialized, Fox's ''[[MadTV]]''). Longtime viewers complained that certain sketches, such as "Total Bastard Airlines", were not only one-joke sketches but grating and lacking any comedy at all, and as such the ratings dive was indeed deserved.
-With the negative press and looming competition, a massive change was deemed necessary. Following the end of the season, most of the cast and writers were fired, including head writer [[Jim Downey]] and longtime cast members Kevin Nealon and Al Franken. Only Norm MacDonald and David Spade remained from the start of the season, though Spade remained specifically to integrate the new cast, appearing only as himself. Tim Meadows was initially fired but was rehired, and would remain for several more years. Midseason replacements Mark McKinney and Molly Shannon were also kept.
+With the negative press and looming competition, a massive change was deemed necessary. Following the end of the season, most of the cast and writers were fired, including head writer [[Jim Downey]]. Longtime cast members Kevin Nealon and Al Franken quit at the end of the season as well. Only Norm MacDonald and David Spade remained from the start of the season, though Spade remained specifically to integrate the new cast, appearing only as himself. Tim Meadows was initially fired but was rehired, and would remain for several more years. Midseason replacements Mark McKinney and Molly Shannon were also kept.
 ==Cast==