SNL Season Finale

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Quite the episode. That last sketch was one of the better last sketches of the season that I can remember. Norm! Hanks! Hathaway! Rudd! Artie Lange! Darrell Hammond and Don Pardo's last episode. Never thought I'd see the day where those two left the show.

 

[Gary]

"Catch The Semen"

If it weren't for Norm, that would have been the highlight of the sketch for me.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

I didn't watch the whole show, but I knew about Norm since Wednesday and I was counting the days.

 

[oldskool]

Connery's Final Jeopardy answer totally caught me off guard. I knew something like it was coming, but

Spoiler

a hilarious XKCD-esque stick figure drawing wasn't what I was expecting.

 

[strummer]

Incredible show

Norm!!

Hanks was awesome as usual

and Norm!!!

 

[Chazz]

I'm assuming Hammond was/is the longest reigning cast member in SNL history? What was he on, like 13,14 years?

 

[Mik]

Yeah - good episode.

Funny pretty much throughout.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I'm assuming Hammond was/is the longest reigning cast member in SNL history? What was he on, like 13,14 years?

Yeah, by far. This was his fourteenth season. To give you an idea of how long he's been around, David Spade was still in the cast during his first season. Al Franken is technically is in second place with 11 seasons- not all consecutive though ('79-'80 and then '85-'95) and all of them as a featured player (poor guy couldn't get a promotion? Did he not want one? Haven't talked about it in the half dozen SNL books I've read). Behind him is Tim Meadows who was around nine and a half seasons (he joined partway through the '90-'91 season). Kevin Nealon is close behind him with nine seasons. Assuming Seth Myers sticks around next year, he'll tie with Nealon.

I also heard a rumor on some of the SNL boards I semi-frequent that Will Forte is leaving the show. If its true, that was a pretty pathetic last episode for him. I don't think he did much outside of the speech during the Funeral sketch. Have we mentioned that Maya Rudolph totally derailed that one? It was a perfectly decent sketch and then she showed up and it just died. Even her making several appearances and Wiig's increasingly annoying characters couldn't ruin one of the better season finales in a while.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

The whole "so and so last show" thing is usually just smoke and mirrors, a lot of them don't decide until the summer. So take it with a grain of salt.

Darrell's first season was my first season, which is weird when you think about it. I wonder what prompted him to finally leave the show. He wants to do the late show at the Comedy Cellar now?

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I don't know. Maybe even he realized that it was getting pathetic. It seems like they weren't even using him in half shows over the past two or three seasons or just using him for an impression or two. I mean he's arguably not even the show's #1 impressionist anymore with Bill Hader around. Impressions are 95% of what Hammond does, when he isn't even the best at that, then it's probably time to go and do the comedy club and Indian casino ballroom circuit.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

He should've left after 2003.

He's been the outsider for a long time, he never stays for the goodnights and never comes to the parties. I think he enjoyed the steady paycheque, exposure, and knew Lorne would never fire him

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

For what it's worth, I found an article after a quick Google search that said he's in negotiations to return next season as Lorne thinks they might need his political impressions for the six Thursday Night Live specials in the fall. Please Lorne, just let the guy go, he's had a good run!

 

[wnyxmcneal]

Lorne won't fire anyone.

 

[snuffbox]

Not even a quizling.

 

[DMann1979]

Lorne won't fire anyone.

Fired Jeff Richmond didn't he?

 

[wnyxmcneal]

Jeff Richards.

Jeff Richmond is married to Tina Fey.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Why did they fire Jeff Richards anyways? Was it a drug and/or alcohol thing? I mean I thought he was pretty unfunny personally but he had a couple of semi-popular characters and seemed like he was doing well on the show. Just seemed odd that Lorne canned him in the middle of the season.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

I think it was something disciplinary with him, though I've never heard the full story from anyone. Dude was underused on SNL, he was hilarious in person

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I guess my opinion of him is skewed by Drunk Girl. I hated Drunk Girl. His O'Reilly was pretty good. I think he was banking on Howard Dean being the Democratic nominee in '04. Poor guy. The years between Ferrell's departure and Hader, Sudekis, Samberg, and Wiig showing up was probably my least favorite era of SNL...if it was long enough to qualify as an era.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

Drunk Girl was awful, but he was a great impressionist.

The 02-03 season is an underrated gem of a season. It gets clogged in the middle, but has a strong finish and Darrell just kills everything he's in. 04-05 is really sucky, I like 03-04 as well, though there's too much Horatio.

 

[DMann1979]

Richards was like the only guy I've ever seen do a Gene Wilder impression, AND it was good too.

Pfft if I ever was on SNL I'd have killer Matthew McConaughy and Alan Rickman impressions to do.

 

[Matt Young]

I watched for the first time all season due to Green Day. Really good show. Celebrity Jeopardy was the best.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

I'm assuming Hammond was/is the longest reigning cast member in SNL history? What was he on, like 13,14 years?

Yeah, by far. This was his fourteenth season. To give you an idea of how long he's been around, David Spade was still in the cast during his first season. Al Franken is technically is in second place with 11 seasons- not all consecutive though ('79-'80 and then '85-'95) and all of them as a featured player (poor guy couldn't get a promotion? Did he not want one? Haven't talked about it in the half dozen SNL books I've read). Behind him is Tim Meadows who was around nine and a half seasons (he joined partway through the '90-'91 season). Kevin Nealon is close behind him with nine seasons. Assuming Seth Myers sticks around next year, he'll tie with Nealon.

When did Phil Hartman join the cast? The beginning of 1986-87? Or sooner?

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Phil Hartman was on the show for 8 seasons ('86-'94). IIRC, he had the longest consecutive tenure until Kevin Nealon beat him a year later.

 

[Chazz]

I have a feeling Bobby Moynihan(sp) won't return next season.

 

[Mik]

I can't really name one good thing he did all season... besides getting to dance with Anne Hathaway.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

I have a feeling Bobby Moynihan(sp) won't return next season.

Why? He'll probably get a second look because of Lorne's dislike of firing people, and the fact that he was recruited from UCB probably helps his cause.

Hartman was a cast member from 86-94.
Nealon was on the show from 86-95, and a cast member from 87-95.
Hammond was a cast member from 95-present.
Meadows was a cast member from 93-2000.

In case anyone cares, current tenures:

Armisen, 2002-present cast member: 2004-present
Forte, 2002-present cast member: 2003-present
Hader, 2005-present cast member: 2006-present
Hammond, 1995-present
Meyers, 2001-present cast member: 2002-present
Samberg, 2005-present cast member: 2006-present
Sudeikis, 2005-present cast member: 2006-present
Thompson, 2003-present cast member: 2004-present
Wiig, 2005-present cast member: 2006-present

Featured:

Elliot, 08-present
Moynihan, 08-present
Watkins, 08-present
Wilson, 08-present

 

[Chazz]

I have a feeling Bobby Moynihan(sp) won't return next season.

Why? He'll probably get a second look because of Lorne's dislike of firing people, and the fact that he was recruited from UCB probably helps his cause.

I'm thinking it will be a Rob Riggle, "One and done" case.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

Moynihan's gotten airtime and has some characters, whether you like it or not. You could tell they realised that Riggle was a one-trick pony very early on, as he never had a character or any airtime while on SNL

 

[ZGangsta]

Was Andy Samberg on that show at all?

I could live without Moynihan next year, but I think he's done some good stuff. There's been nothing redeeming about Watkins though, she needs to go.