SNL Up Close: 1987-88

SNL Up Close: 1987-88

By the summer of 1987, Saturday Night Live had survived leadership changes, cast and writer turnover, and the threat of cancellation several times over; for the first time in years, the show was in a period of stability. New performers such as Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks and Phil Hartman quickly made their mark with characters such as the Church Lady and the Sweeney Sisters, and the writing had noticeably improved, with a renewed emphasis on political satire. It would make sense that the new season would look very similar to the last.

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Classic SNL Review: October 18, 1986: Malcolm-Jamal Warner / Run-DMC (S12E02)

Classic SNL Review: October 18, 1986: Malcolm-Jamal Warner / Run-DMC (S12E02)

Sketches include “Bartles & Jaymes”, “Team Xynex”, “Donahue”, “The Crosby Show”, “Instant Coffee with Bill Smith”, “Parent-Teen Contract”, “Old Hollywood” and “Dover Chalk Works”. Run-DMC performs “Walk This Way” and “Hit It Run”. G.E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band with Buster Poindexter performs “Hit The Road, Jack”. Spike Lee and Sam Kinison also appear.

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SNL Up Close: 1986-87

SNL Up Close: 1986-87

Lorne Michaels’s first year back at Saturday Night Live after a five-year hiatus wasn’t what you would call a success. While the writing staff included a mix of SNL veterans and unknowns that would soon establish themselves on the show, the new cast (which included movie stars Anthony Michael Hall and Randy Quaid) never quite clicked, and the ratings and reviews were less than favorable. The show was on the brink of cancellation that spring, but NBC president Brandon Tartikoff decided to give Michaels and SNL another chance.

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Classic SNL Review: January 12, 1985: Kathleen Turner / John Waite (S10E10)

Classic SNL Review: January 12, 1985: Kathleen Turner / John Waite (S10E10)

Sketches include “Green Room”, “MacDouglass-Drummond”, “Do You Know What I Hate (IV)”, “Nose Hair Trimmer”, “Safeco”, “Fire Dance”, “Predictions”, “The Joe Franklin Show”, “Boxer”, “Scary Lady” and “Strictly From Blackwell”. John Waite performs “Saturday Night”.

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Classic SNL Review: November 7, 1981: Lauren Hutton / Rick James & The Stone City Band (S07E05)

Classic SNL Review: November 7, 1981: Lauren Hutton / Rick James & The Stone City Band (S07E05)

Sketches include "Exxico", "Here's Cos", "Dressing Room", "Hail To The Chief", "Transeastern Airlines", "Whisper", "The Khaddaffi Look", "Cheap Laffs: Macho Wipe", "Harlequin Romance Novels For Men", "Reach Out", "Velvet Jones School Of Technology", "Reality '81", "Blowing Up A Building", Bitter People" and "Art Is Ficial". Rick James & The Stone City Band perform "Give It To Me Baby" and "Super Freak". William S. Burroughs also appears.

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