Saturday Night Live season 8
Saturday Night Live | |
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Season 8 | |
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No. of episodes | 20 |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | September 25, 1982 May 14, 1983 | –
Season chronology | |
The eighth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 25, 1982, and May 14, 1983.
Format changes
[edit]For the season, Dick Ebersol brought back the show's opening phrase "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" and the monologues by the hosts. Ebersol also changed Weekend Update's name for the second time, to Saturday Night News.[1] Since Brian Doyle-Murray and Christine Ebersole had both been dropped,[2] a new anchor was needed for the segment. Brad Hall got the gig and became the new anchor.[3]
Notable moments
[edit]Notable moments of this season included Drew Barrymore hosting the show—the youngest ever person to host.[4] During the episode, the audience at home was given the chance to vote on whether or not Andy Kaufman should be banned from the show.[5] The vote was conducted by a 1-900 number. At the end of the show, Kaufman was banned from ever performing on SNL again.
With the release of the film 48 Hours during season eight, Murphy's star began to eclipse the other cast members.[6] Murphy's co-star in the film, Nick Nolte, was scheduled to host the show, but canceled at the last minute. Ebersol offered Murphy the chance to host, a move that Piscopo would perceive as a major slight.[7] Piscopo would later claim that Ebersol used Murphy's success to divide the two erstwhile friends and play them against one another.[8]
Cast
[edit]Before the start of the season, Brian Doyle-Murray, Christine Ebersole and Tony Rosato were dropped from the cast. To fill the void, Dick Ebersol went to The Second City to look for performers; however, Second City was tired of losing their talent to network shows and instead directed him to The Practical Theatre Company,[9] where Ebersol discovered Brad Hall, Gary Kroeger and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The three were hired to the SNL cast on the spot.[10][9][11]
Cast roster
[edit]Repertory players
bold denotes Weekend Update anchor
Writers
[edit]Before the season, Paul Barrosse was added as a writer.[11] This would be his only season on the writing staff.
This season's writers were Paul Barrosse, Barry W. Blaustein, Robin Duke, Ellen L. Fogle, Nate Herman, Tim Kazurinsky, Andy Kurtzman, Eddie Murphy, Pamela Norris, Margaret Oberman, Joe Piscopo, David Sheffield, Andrew Smith, Bob Tischler, Tracy Tormé and Eliot Wald. The head writer was Bob Tischler.
Among a few one-season writers, this would also be the final season for writers Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield, who both leave the show after three seasons.[12]
Episodes
[edit]No. overall | No. in season | Host(s) | Musical guest(s) | Original air date | |
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140 | 1 | Chevy Chase | Queen | September 25, 1982 | |
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141 | 2 | Louis Gossett Jr. | George Thorogood & the Destroyers | October 2, 1982 | |
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142 | 3 | Ron Howard | The Clash | October 9, 1982 | |
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143 | 4 | Howard Hesseman | Men at Work | October 23, 1982 | |
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144 | 5 | Michael Keaton | The New Joe Jackson Band | October 30, 1982 | |
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145 | 6 | Robert Blake | Kenny Loggins | November 13, 1982 | |
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146 | 7 | Drew Barrymore | Squeeze | November 20, 1982 | |
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147 | 8 | The Smothers Brothers | Laura Branigan | December 4, 1982 | |
148 | 9 | Eddie Murphy | Lionel Richie | December 11, 1982 | |
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149 | 10 | Lily Tomlin | Tomlin as Purvis Hawkins | January 22, 1983 | |
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150 | 11 | Rick Moranis Dave Thomas | The BusBoys | January 29, 1983 | |
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151 | 12 | Sid Caesar | Joe Cocker Jennifer Warnes | February 5, 1983 | |
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152 | 13 | Howard Hesseman | Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | February 19, 1983 | |
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153 | 14 | Beau Bridges Jeff Bridges | Randy Newman | February 26, 1983 | |
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154 | 15 | Bruce Dern | Leon Redbone | March 12, 1983 | |
155 | 16 | Robert Guillaume | Duran Duran | March 19, 1983 | |
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156 | 17 | Joan Rivers | Musical Youth | April 9, 1983 | |
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157 | 18 | Susan Saint James | Michael McDonald | April 16, 1983 | |
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158 | 19 | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | May 7, 1983 | |
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159 | 20 | Ed Koch | Kevin Rowland Dexys Midnight Runners | May 14, 1983 | |
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References
[edit]- ^ Atwater, Carleton (January 6, 2011). "Looking Back at Saturday Night Live, 1980-1985". Vulture. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ Hill & Weingrad 1986, pp. 450, 461.
- ^ "SNL Weekend Update Hosts Through the Years". NBC. August 17, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ Ebersol 2022, p. 110.
- ^ Ebersol 2022, pp. 110–111.
- ^ Shales & Miller 2002, p. 239.
- ^ Hill & Weingrad 1986, p. 466.
- ^ Hill & Weingrad 1986, p. 467.
- ^ a b Saturday Night Live in the '80s: Lost and Found. NBC. November 13, 2005. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ Shales & Miller 2002, p. 213.
- ^ a b "New 'SNL' cast getting used to idea". Bangor Daily News. Associated Press. October 29, 1982. p. 5ME. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ "Brandon Tartikoff/John Cougar Mellencamp". Saturday Night Live. Season 9. Episode 1. October 8, 1983. Event occurs at Closing credits. NBC.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 124–127. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
- ^ Shales & Miller 2002, pp. 281–282.
- ^ "Classic SNL Review: January 22, 1983: Lily Tomlin / "Purvis Hawkins" (S08E10)". Brownyn Joan. August 20, 2014.
Works cited
[edit]- Ebersol, Dick (2022). From Saturday Night to Sunday Night: My Forty Years of Laughter, Tears, and Touchdowns in TV. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1982194482.
- Hill, Doug; Weingrad, Jeff (1986). Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live. Beech Tree Books. ISBN 978-0688050993.
- Shales, Tom; Miller, James Andrew (2002). Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. Little, Brown. ISBN 978-0316781466.