History of Saturday Night Live (1990-1995)

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History of Saturday Night Live series:
1975–1980
1980–1985
1985–1990
1990–1995
1995–2000
2000–2005
2005–Present
Weekend Update

The period of 1990 to 1995 was a time of great transition for Saturday Night Live. It would see the series reach peaks and ebbs in terms of public popularity and critical acclaim. During this era SNL would field its largest cast ever, see the departure of several of the show's most popular players as well as the arrival of many future stars, and draw more public controversy than perhaps any other period in the show's history.

Although many fans still hold the original cast to be the best, others feel that the early 1990s era provided some of the strongest and most consistently funny programs to date. It was a fruitful period that led to many film spin-offs, although late in the decade fans and cast alike were dismayed by the tragic deaths of former cast members Chris Farley on December 18, 1997 and Phil Hartman on May 28, 1998. Some were distressed by the sudden firing of popular "Weekend Update" host Norm MacDonald. Fans of the '86-'91 seasons consider those years to include well-written sketches and sublime performances; they criticize the '90s as being over-reliant on catch phrases and generic recurring characters, and for stooping in terms of intelligence and taste.

Contents

[edit] The Early Nineties

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The 1990-91 season introduced a number of players who quickly became stars on the show — Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, David Spade and Julia Sweeney. Noted standup comedian Chris Rock appeared on the show for 3 seasons. Memorable characters and sketches introduced by the new cast members from this period included Sweeney's “Pat”, Sandler's “Opera Man” and “Canteen Boy”, Farley's "Matt Foley", Schneider's annoying office geek “The Richmeister”, and Spade's caustic commentary pieces “Spade In America” and “Hollywood Minute”. The popularity of these new cast members helped to offset the departure of several popular long-time players over the first two seasons, including Jan Hooks and Weekend Update anchor Dennis Miller after the 1990-91 season (Miller was replaced as anchor by Kevin Nealon), and Victoria Jackson after the 1991-92 season.

Farley as Matt Foley.
Farley as Matt Foley.

Other veteran cast members Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman and Mike Myers remained immensely popular with audiences well into this era. The Myers and Carvey characters Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, from their Wayne's World sketch, truly became household names during this period-- the sketch growing more ambitious as in an episode from the 1990-91 season which spoofed Madonna's Truth or Dare documentary. In the sketch Wayne and Garth are whisked away to a black and white dream-state where they accompany a sexily-clad, amorous Madonna (playing herself) at her mansion. Myers introduced many popular new characters during this period, including Coffee Talk's Linda Richman, the British bathtub-dwelling pre-adolescent Simon, and British theatre critic Kenneth Reese-Evans.

Carvey's impersonations of U.S. President George H.W. Bush remained a tremendous audience favorite. In the period leading up to the 1992 U.S. Presidential Election, Carvey added independant presidential candidate Ross Perot to his gallery of political impressions. Meanwhile Hartman, who had been a popular President Ronald Reagan on the show throughout the latter half of the 1980s and into the 1990s, began appearing regularly as Democratic candidate and soon-to-be U.S. President Bill Clinton. Hartman also got many laughs with his brilliant impersonations of Frank Sinatra, Charlton Heston and Peter Graves.

Sandler and Farley soon became the most popular new cast members of the period. Farley's high-energy performances and surprising grace belied his heavy footballer build, but he was also not afraid to trade on his size for laughs — in one sketch he played, shirtless, opposite the trim and muscular Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze, as they auditioned for a position with the Chippendales male dance troupe. Another favourite Farley character was manic, thrice-divorced motivational speaker Matt Foley, whose schtick consisted mainly of yelling at his clients, whining about having to live “in a van… down by the river” and hurling himself around the room, demolishing everything in sight. Sandler was a talented self-taught musician and a former stage comic whose stand-up career had started after he accepted a dare from his brother to do an open mike spot at a local comedy club. He won many fans with the humorous self-penned ditties he performed on "Weekend Update" (e.g. “Red-Hooded Sweatshirt” and “Sex-Phone Lady”), as well as his popular “Opera Man” and Canteen Boy characters.

After the 1993-94 season, there was a very noticeable change in tone. Having already lost star cast member Dana Carvey, who left midway through the previous season, SNL's 1993-94 post-season saw more departures. Julia Sweeney left due to frustration and burnout. Phil Hartman left on friendly terms but later described his departure as "jumping off of a sinking ship." Rob Schneider was eventually backburnered (in retaliation for taking time off to appear in a Sylvester Stallone movie[citation needed]), then fired, along with feature players Sarah Silverman and Melanie Hutsell. In the eyes of many viewers, the quality of the series began to deteriorate noticeably.

The vicious attacks of the critics stunned Lorne Michaels, who many saw as having gone from challenging the network establishment to becoming an entrenched member of it. To recover from all the major losses the show was facing, Michaels hired a number of new cast members, beginning midway through the 1993-94 season. Similar to his decision in the mid-80's to bring in established actors Randy Quaid, Joan Cusack and Robert Downey, Jr., Michaels added Michael McKean, and later Chris Elliott, to the cast, both comedy movie actors who were never known for their impressions or sketch comedy skill. Unsurprisingly, neither McKean or Elliott ever appeared to be comfortable on the show, and left at the end of the 1994-95 season.

Better acquisitions were sketch veteran Mark McKinney of the recently-wrapped Michaels-produced Canadian sketch comedy show Kids in the Hall, and stand-up comic Janeane Garofalo, who both joined at the beginning of the 1994-95 season. Unfortunately however, the day that Garofalo arrived on SNL's set, Adam Sandler started yelling at her because of remarks she'd made against him in her standup routine. The other female cast members (Ellen Cleghorne and Laura Kightlinger) banded against her almost immediately. Shut out by all sides and uncomfortable with the writing, Garofalo left in mid-season, replaced by Molly Shannon. Myers also left in mid-season, and Nealon would do the same after season's end. Farley and Sandler were reportedly difficult to deal with backstage, and when their onscreen performances began to be hammy and inconsistent, NBC fired them at the end of the season. Longtime featured player Jay Mohr left after NBC refused to upgrade him to contract player. Al Franken, who had worked on the show as a writer and featured player on and off since 1977 quit at season's end as well, reportedly still unhappy about the decision at the beginning of the season to replace Nealon as anchor on Weekend Update with Norm MacDonald, and not himself.

From the beginning of the 1994-1995 season, MacDonald earned mild controversy in the role of Weekend Update anchor. While he alienated many of the segment's fans by frequently flubbing his lines and abandoning all attempts to seem like an actual news anchor (a tradition which had been consistent since the sketch's birth in 1975), MacDonald's weekly appearances did often provide the only laughs in an otherwise dismal time period for the show. The sketches at the time were considered sophomoric, shrill, and bitterly unfunny. Many sketches seemed to have no point at all, nor a single laugh.

Both Myers and Sandler went on to great success in film after leaving SNL. Myers, having already enjoyed hits while a cast member with the SNL spin-off movies Wayne's World and its sequel (both with Dana Carvey), went on to create the popular Austin Powers and Shrek characters. Both original films were wildly popular and bred equally successful sequels. Sandler has become a tremendous box office draw, with hits including The Wedding Singer (1998), The Waterboy (1998), Anger Management (2003), 50 First Dates (2004), and Click (2006). While many critics continue to label Sandler's comedy style as sophomoric, Sandler's comedy films have mostly performed well commercially. In addition, he has also garnered many good reviews for more serious dramatic film efforts such as Punch Drunk Love (2002), Spanglish (2004), and Reign Over Me (2007).

For the most part, success in films eluded stars Carvey and Hartman. Carvey wasn't able to parlay his success in the Wayne's World films into a viable movie career, appearing in a trio of flops in 1994 (Clean Slate, The Road to Wellville, and Trapped in Paradise), then dropping off the movie scene until he reappeared as star of the 2002 critical and financial disaster, The Master of Disguise. Carvey also starred in his own short-lived sketch comedy show The Dana Carvey Show (1996), which was cancelled after only six episodes. Hartman appeared in several films after leaving the show, including Houseguest (1995), with Sinbad, and as a supporting actor in the Steve Martin vehicle Sgt. Bilko (1996), and the Arnold Schwarzenegger Christmas movie Jingle All the Way (1996), none of which were particularly successful. He did however find great success back on television, appearing in the popular sitcom NewsRadio beginning in 1995, and continuing to voice numerous characters on the animated sitcom The Simpsons, including fan favorites Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure, before his untimely death on May 28, 1998. Tragically, Hartman was shot to death by his wife Brynn while asleep at his home in Encino, CA. Brynn Hartman later that day committed suicide by shooting herself in the head. Coroner's reports showed she had numerous drugs in her system, including alcohol, cocaine and the antidepressant Zoloft.

After being fired from the show in 1995, Farley starred in the moderately successful movies Tommy Boy (1995) and Black Sheep (1996) (both with David Spade) and Beverly Hills Ninja (1997). But after leaving SNL he began abusing drugs heavily. By the time of his last SNL appearance, as a guest host in 1997, he was grossly overweight, looked bloated, sweated profusely, and was clearly very ill. He died from an overdose of cocaine and heroin just a few months later, on December 18, 1997, aged only 33. His final star appearance, alongside Matthew Perry in the 1998 film Almost Heroes, was released several months after his death and was not a hit with critics or audiences.

The jury remains divided on Farley's comedic legacy, both on the show and in films. Farley idolised the late former SNL cast member John Belushi, and his supporters feel his often loud, angry characterizations (such as his Matt Foley) harkened back to this element of Belushi's comedic style. His supporters also compare Farley to late film star and Second City Television (SCTV) alumnus John Candy, because both actors often portrayed overweight and obnoxious characters, who were loveable nonetheless because of their big hearts. Many, however, feel Farley never showed acting or impersonation skills anywhere near as nuanced or wide-ranging as either Belushi or Candy, and resent these comparisons.

The end of the 1994-95 season on SNL saw the show in a state of flux. Falling ratings and outraged critics sent a wakeup call to Lorne Michaels, and the show had some of its highest turnover yet. The 94-95 season had a total of 14 cast members; only five remained for the 95-96 season: Molly Shannon, Mark McKinney, Norm MacDonald, David Spade (who agreed to stay only for a year so that he could be a bridge between the old and new casts) and Tim Meadows (who would have been fired, but the network was afraid that firing both black cast members would be seen as racist).

[edit] Season Overview

[edit] Opening montage

The 1990 season started with a montage that would go virtually unchanged (with the exception of cast changes) for four seasons. Its theme was much like that from 1988-89, in which cast members were shown around New York, and were "caught" by the camera, with various NYC footage in between.

[edit] Cast

With

Featuring

[edit] Hosts and musical guests

See the list of SNL hosts and musical guests during the 16th season

[edit] Notes

  • Sandler appears in 3 episodes (12/8/90, 12/15/90 & 1/12/91) as an uncredited extra prior to his official debut on the 2/9/91 episode alongside with Meadows.
  • Hooks and Miller leave the show at the end of the season, and Brown is let go because of personal problems.
  • Spade appears in nearly every live broadcast throughout Season 16 but does not appear in the opening credits until midseason.

[edit] 1991-92 season

[edit] Opening montage

Same as the 1990 season with different cast members being the only change.

[edit] Cast

With

Featuring

[edit] Hosts and musical guests

See the list of SNL hosts and musical guests during the 17th season

[edit] Notes

  • The 91-92 season boasted the largest cast in the history of the series.
  • Farley, Rock and Sweeney are upgraded to contract status.
  • Jackson leaves at the end of the season, and Cahill and Fallon are fired. Hutsell is nearly fired but redeems herself with a very popular impression of The Brady Bunch's Jan Brady.

[edit] 1992-93 season

[edit] Opening montage

Same theme as the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons, with the removal of cast members who had left in the previous years.

[edit] Cast

With

Featuring

[edit] Hosts and musical guests

See the list of SNL hosts and musical guests during the 18th season

[edit] Notes

  • Schneider is bumped up to contract status. Carvey wraps up his extraordinarily popular 6 1/2 year run. Although he has a few films, a brief series and returns to guest host several times, he never regains the fame he garnered on SNL.
  • Smigel and Rock leave the show (as both writers and cast members) at the end of the season. Smigel would go on to Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Dana Carvey Show, while Rock would guest star on In Living Color's final season before launching a successful acting career.

[edit] 1993-94 season

[edit] Opening montage

The popular opening montage, which debuted in the 1990-91 season, returns for what turns out to be its final season.

[edit] Cast

Featuring

[edit] Hosts and musical guests

See the list of SNL hosts and musical guests during the 19th season

One host during this season, Martin Lawrence, had an opening monologue which included an extended series of comments about feminine hygiene. The syndicated version of the episode replaces the offending section of the monologue with a graphic (read by an off-screen announcer) describing in vague terms what Lawrence had said and noting it almost cost SNL employees their jobs. Lawrence was subsequently banned from appearing on SNL.

[edit] Notes

  • Nealon ends the season by handing Weekend Update over to Norm Macdonald and kissing him on the mouth.

[edit] 1994-95 season

[edit] Opening montage

After four seasons with the same theme, the montage changes once again. The music has also changed slightly, but is still a rendition of the music used since 1985. This montage has a 20th Anniversary theme, and it consists of the cast members' photos being projected onto various objects around New York.

[edit] Cast

Featuring

[edit] Hosts and musical guests

See the list of SNL hosts and musical guests during the 20th season

[edit] Notes

  • The worst-received season since 1980-1981 (or to a lesser extent, 1985-1986) had cast turnover and dissension which bordered on self-parody. Garofalo left the show in disgust after only a half-season, and Myers departed to pursue a movie career. Franken quit, angry that his movie Stuart Saves His Family flopped at the box office and that Norm Macdonald was given the "Weekend Update" job instead of him. Cleghorne happily quit (she would have left a year earlier if not for her contractual obligations) as did Elliott and McKean. Kightlinger left to join Roseanne's ill-fated FOX comedy series, Saturday Night Special. Banks, Farley, and Sandler were fired. Banks, a contract player, had almost no role of any significance, and was let go after only a few shows, returning to her native Britain.
  • In his book, Gasping for Airtime, Mohr mentions that at the end of the season, he demanded a promotion to cast member, among other things, and the network procrastinated on accepting or denying his requests throughout the summer of 1995 until he finally quit outright.
  • Molly Shannon joined the cast as a midseason replacement for Janeane Garofalo in Feb. 1995, 8 months before she was bumped up into a contract player on SNL's 21st season (1995-96). She would go on to become one of SNL's most popular female cast members.
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