Saturday Night Live
Season 42
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes21
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseOctober 1, 2016 (2016-10-01) –
May 20, 2017 (2017-05-20)
Season chronology

The forty-second season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on October 1, 2016, during the 2016–2017 television season, with host Margot Robbie and musical guest The Weeknd,[1] and concluded on May 20, 2017, with host Dwayne Johnson and musical guest Katy Perry.[2] The season removed two commercial breaks per episode in order to increase programming time.[3] Episode 18 on April 15, 2017, was the first episode ever to be broadcast live in all four time zones within the contiguous United States. Until this episode, the show aired live only in the Eastern and Central time zones, and was tape-delayed in the Mountain and Pacific time zones.[4]

Cast

Prior to the start of the season, longtime cast members Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah, as well as featured player Jon Rudnitsky, were released from the cast.[5][6] Killam, despite having signed a seven-year contract that would have taken him to the end of this season, was dropped from the cast due in part to issues concerning his work directing the film Killing Gunther, which would have limited his time on the show.[7] Following Killam, Pharoah, and Rudnitsky's departures, the show added three new featured players: SNL staff writer and Wild 'n Out alum Mikey Day, Chicago improviser Alex Moffat, and stand-up comedian and impressionist Melissa Villaseñor.[8][9] Contrary to rumors, stand-up comedian Chris Redd was not hired this season, but he did join the show as a featured player during the following season.[10][11] Michael Che, Pete Davidson, and Leslie Jones were all upgraded to repertory status.[12]

Though not a member of the cast, it was announced on September 28, 2016, that Alec Baldwin signed through this season to take over impersonating Donald Trump from Darrell Hammond, who continued on as the show's announcer.[13]

This was also the final season for cast members Bobby Moynihan, Vanessa Bayer, and Sasheer Zamata.[14]

Cast roster

bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor

Crew

Prior to the start of the season, short film director Matt Villines (of the directing duo Matt & Oz) died of cancer.[15]

Writers

In August 2016, writing duo Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider were promoted to co-head writers.[16] In addition, eight new writers were hired for the upcoming season: Kristen Bartlett, Zack Bornstein, Joanna Bradley, Anna Drezen, Julio Torres, Nick Kocher, Brian McElhaney, and Drew Michael.[17][18] After tweeting a controversial joke about Barron Trump, writer Katie Rich was suspended indefinitely.[19] In January 2017, writer Kent Sublette was elevated to head writer bringing the head writing team to four.[20]

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		HostMusical guestOriginal air dateRatings/
Share
8091Margot RobbieThe WeekndOctober 1, 2016 (2016-10-01)5.8/15[21]

8102Lin-Manuel MirandaTwenty One PilotsOctober 8, 2016 (2016-10-08)5.2/13[23]

8113Emily BluntBruno MarsOctober 15, 2016 (2016-10-15)5.0/12[24]

  • Bruno Mars performs "24K Magic" and "Chunky" and appears in "Drive-Thru Window".
  • Alec Baldwin appears as Donald Trump in both the cold open and the pre-recorded "Melanianade".
8124Tom Hanks Lady GagaOctober 22, 2016 (2016-10-22)6.1/15[25]

8135Benedict CumberbatchSolangeNovember 5, 2016 (2016-11-05)5.8/14[26]

8146Dave Chappelle A Tribe Called QuestNovember 12, 2016 (2016-11-12)6.2/16[27]

8157Kristen WiigThe xxNovember 19, 2016 (2016-11-19)4.7/12[29]

8168Emma StoneShawn MendesDecember 3, 2016 (2016-12-03)4.4/11[30]

8179John CenaMaren MorrisDecember 10, 2016 (2016-12-10)4.8/12[31]

81810Casey AffleckChance the RapperDecember 17, 2016 (2016-12-17)4.9/12[32]

81911Felicity JonesSturgill SimpsonJanuary 14, 2017 (2017-01-14)4.3/11[33]

  • Sturgill Simpson performs "Keep It Between the Lines" and "Call to Arms".
  • Alec Baldwin appears as Donald Trump in the cold open.
  • Tina Fey appears in the opening monologue.
  • A tribute to former cast member Tony Rosato, who died on January 10, is shown before the goodnights.
82012Aziz AnsariBig SeanJanuary 21, 2017 (2017-01-21)5.1/13[34]

82113Kristen StewartAlessia CaraFebruary 4, 2017 (2017-02-04)5.0/13[35]

82214Alec BaldwinEd SheeranFebruary 11, 2017 (2017-02-11)7.2/18[36]

82315Octavia SpencerFather John MistyMarch 4, 2017 (2017-03-04)5.2/14[37]

  • Father John Misty performs "Total Entertainment Forever" and "Pure Comedy."
82416Scarlett JohanssonLordeMarch 11, 2017 (2017-03-11)4.8/13[38]

82517Louis C.K.The ChainsmokersApril 8, 2017 (2017-04-08)4.5/12[39]

82618Jimmy FallonHarry StylesApril 15, 2017 (2017-04-15)7.88 M avg. US viewers[40]

82719Chris PineLCD SoundsystemMay 6, 2017 (2017-05-06)6.919 M avg. US viewers[42]

82820Melissa McCarthyHAIMMay 13, 2017 (2017-05-13)10.337 M avg. US viewers[43]

82921Dwayne Johnson Katy PerryMay 20, 2017 (2017-05-20)8.272 M avg. US viewers[44]

Specials

TitleOriginal air dateRatings/Share
(Adults 18-49)
"Weekend Update at the RNC[45]"July 20, 2016 (2016-07-20)N/A
Colin Jost and Michael Che host a special edition of Weekend Update from the 2016 Republican National Convention live on MSNBC. Kate McKinnon appears as Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
"Weekend Update at the DNC[46]"July 27, 2016 (2016-07-27)N/A
Colin Jost and Michael Che host a special edition of Weekend Update from the 2016 Democratic National Convention live on MSNBC.
"The 2016 SNL Election Special[47]"November 7, 2016 (2016-11-07)2.1/7[48]
Recent political sketches involving the 2016 US presidential election, hosted by Tom Brokaw.
"SNL Thanksgiving Special[49]"November 23, 2016 (2016-11-23)1.6/5[50]
Thanksgiving-themed comedy from the Saturday Night Live crew is presented.
"SNL Christmas[51]"December 14, 2016 (2016-12-14)1.6/5[52]
Holiday-themed comedy from Saturday Night Live is presented.

Publicity and controversy

Donald Trump, who became President of the United States during the season, was vocal in his criticism of the show.

The forty-second season of SNL had a larger-than-usual ratings bump, partially due to sketches surrounding the 2016 presidential election and later the presidency of Donald Trump. According to Forbes writer Madeline Berg, the program "had its best season in 24 years, with an average of 11.3 million viewers in live-plus-seven-day ratings, which marks an increase of 26% from [the previous season]."[53] The Dave Chappelle/A Tribe Called Quest episode saw the highest ratings for the show since Donald Trump's hosting the previous season, and highest in the 18-49 rating demographic since December 2013.[27] The show received its best ratings for an October broadcast in eight years with the Tom Hanks/Lady Gaga episode,[25] while the Alec Baldwin/Ed Sheeran episode in February received the best overall ratings for the season thus far, posting its highest metered-market household rating in six years.[13]

Republican candidate Donald Trump — who hosted SNL the previous season and eventually secured the presidency in November — was unhappy with his portrayal on the show by recurring guest Alec Baldwin. On multiple occasions, both before and after winning the election, Trump used Twitter to publicize his thoughts on the impersonation, as well as the show: "Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me. Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks," he tweeted the morning after the Emily Blunt/Bruno Mars episode on October 16, 2016.[54] "It is a totally one-sided, biased show —nothing funny at all. Equal time for us?", he posted on November 20 after the Kristen Wiig/The xx episode, suggesting the show follow the equal-time rule, despite the presidential race being over.[55] His criticism continued preceding his inauguration: he dubbed it "unwatchable" on December 4,[56] and tweeted "Saturday Night Live is the worst of NBC. Not funny, cast is terrible, always a complete hit job. Really bad television!" after the Felicity Jones/Sturgill Simpson episode on January 15, 2017.[57]

References

  1. ↑ Roshanian, Arya (September 22, 2016). "Margot Robbie to Host 'Saturday Night Live' Season Premiere". Variety. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  2. ↑ Yoo, Noah (April 26, 2017). "Haim and Katy Perry Set to Play "SNL"". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  3. ↑ Poggi, Jeanine (April 25, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Will Cut Ads by 30% Next Season". AdvertisingAge. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Wilstein, Matt (March 16, 2017). "SNL to Air Live in All Time Zones for First Time Ever". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  5. ↑ Auseillo, Michael (August 8, 2016). "SNL Vets Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah Not Returning for Season 42". TVLine. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  6. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (August 9, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Featured Player Jon Rudnitsky To Depart". Deadline. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  7. ↑ Ryan, Mike (August 8, 2016). "Taran Killam On Why He's Leaving 'Saturday Night Live'". Uproxx. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  8. ↑ O'Keefe, Meghan (September 9, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Reportedly Adds 2 New Castmembers: Chris Redd & Mikey Day". Decider. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  9. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (September 12, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Cast Additions: Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor & Mikey Day". Deadline. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ O'Keefe, Meghan (September 9, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Reportedly Adds 2 New Castmembers: Chris Redd & Mikey Day". Decider. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  11. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (September 26, 2017). "'SNL' Adds Three Featured Players for Season 43". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  12. ↑ Wright, Megh (September 15, 2016). "'SNL' Promotes Leslie Jones, Michael Che, and Pete Davidson". Vulture. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 Abramovitch, Seth (September 28, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Casts Alec Baldwin as Its New Donald Trump". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  14. 1 2 Shanley, Desantis (May 21, 2017). "Sasheer Zamata will not return to 'Saturday Night Live' following season finale". NY Daily News. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  15. ↑ McClendon, Lamarco (July 11, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Director Matt Villines Dies at 39". Variety. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  16. ↑ Jones, Nate (August 12, 2016). "Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider Are Your Newest SNL Head Writers". Vulture. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  17. ↑ Wright, Megh (September 14, 2016). "'SNL' Hires Seven New Writers for Season 42". Splitsider.
  18. ↑ Wright, Megh (September 30, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Hires Drew Michael as a Weekend Update Writer". Vulture. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  19. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (January 23, 2017). "Katie Rich of 'S.N.L.' Is Suspended for Tweet Mocking Barron Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  20. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (January 24, 2017). "Kent Sublette Added to Head Writer Ranks at 'Saturday Night Live'". Vulture. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  21. ↑ Doty, Meriah (October 2, 2016). "'SNL' Has Biggest Premiere Since 2008". TheWrap. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  22. ↑ Evans, Greg (October 2, 2016). "'SNL' Surprise: Newcomers Mikey Day, Alex Moffat & Melissa Villaseñor Actually Make Good, Strong Impressions". Deadline. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  23. ↑ Porter, Rick (October 9, 2016). "TV Ratings Saturday: ABC leads primetime with college football, 'SNL' solid in week 2". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  24. ↑ ""SNL" Scores Its Highest Week 3 Rating in 8 Years". The Futon Critic. October 16, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  25. 1 2 ""SNL" Hits Season Highs, Best October Overnights in 8 Years". The Futon Critic. October 23, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  26. ↑ Porter, Rick (November 6, 2016). "TV Ratings Saturday: CBS college football tops primetime, 'SNL' stays strong". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  27. 1 2 Ariens, Chris (November 13, 2016). "Saturday Night Live Sees Highest Rating Since Donald Trump Hosted Last Year". Adweek. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  28. ↑ Agard, Chancellor (January 18, 2017). "SNL cut a Rick James sketch with Dave Chappelle after Trump's victory". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  29. ↑ Porter, Rick (November 20, 2016). "TV Ratings Saturday: College football tops primetime, 'Saturday Night Live' falls". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  30. ↑ ""Saturday Night Live" Grows Versus the Year-Ago Night". The Futon Critic. December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  31. ↑ TV News Desk (December 11, 2016). "John Cena-Hosted SNL Delivers Its Highest Overnights Since November". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  32. ↑ Porter, Rick (December 18, 2016). "TV Ratings Saturday: 'Saturday Night Live' hits 4-episode high, 'SNL Christmas' and UFC lead primetime". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 19, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  33. ↑ Porter, Rick (January 15, 2017). "TV Ratings Saturday: NFL dominates primetime, 'Saturday Night Live' returns lower". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  34. ↑ Welch, Alex (January 22, 2017). "TV Ratings Saturday: NBA wins the night, 'SNL' rises". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 24, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  35. ↑ TV News Desk (February 5, 2017). "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Receives Highest Ratings Since November". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  36. ↑ Pressberg, Matt (February 12, 2017). "'Saturday Night Live' Hits Six-Year High in Metered Markets". TheWrap. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  37. ↑ TV News Desk (March 5, 2017). "SNL Receives Second Highest Ratings Since November 12th". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  38. ↑ Porter, Rick (March 15, 2017). "TV Ratings Saturday: Spurs-Warriors and '48 Hours' lead the night". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  39. ↑ ""Saturday Night Live" Is the #1 Big 4 Telecast of the Night, Up 10% vs. Last Year's April Average". The Futon Critic. April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  40. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (April 16, 2017). "'Saturday Night Live' Ratings Rise In All-Live Episode Hosted By Jimmy Fallon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  41. ↑ Maglio, Tony (April 17, 2017). "So Much for 'Live From New York': Melissa McCarthy's Latest Sean Spicer Sketch Was Shot In LA". The Wrap. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  42. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 7, 2017). "'Saturday Night Live' Ratings Slip With Host Chris Pine; Audience Largest For May Telecast In 5 Years". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  43. ↑ Petski, Denise (May 14, 2017). "'Saturday Night Live' Ratings Rise With Host Melissa McCarthy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  44. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 21, 2017). "'Saturday Night Live' Has Most Watched Finale In 6 Years With Host Dwayne Johnson, Ratings Slip A Bit But Top Week". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  45. ↑ "Weekend Update at the RNC". YouTube. July 20, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  46. ↑ "Weekend Update at the DNC - SNL". YouTube. July 27, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  47. ↑ "The 2016 SNL Election Special". YouTube. November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  48. ↑ Maglio, Tony (November 8, 2016). "Ratings: '2016 SNL Election Special' Dominates Behind 'The Voice'". Yahoo. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  49. ↑ Grodsky, Janelle (November 11, 2016). "9 TV Shows & Specials to Watch During the Thanksgiving Holiday". InStyle. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  50. ↑ Welch, Alex (November 24, 2016). "TV Ratings Wednesday: 'Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' gives ABC the win". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  51. ↑ Amatangelo, Amy (November 23, 2016). "The 12 Holiday TV Specials You Can't Miss This Season". Paste. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  52. ↑ Porter, Rick (December 15, 2016). "'Survivor' finale adjusts down, 'SNL Christmas' adjusts up: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 17, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  53. ↑ Madeline Berg (November 21, 2016). "Donald Trump Isn't Happy With 'Saturday Night Live,' But Viewers Are Loving It". Forbes. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  54. ↑ Dean Obeidallah (October 17, 2016). "Trump's beef with SNL is no laughing matter". CNN. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  55. ↑ Jessica Roy (November 20, 2016). "Alec Baldwin fires back with some presidential advice after Trump angrily tweets about 'SNL'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  56. ↑ Mahita Gajanan (December 4, 2016). "Donald Trump Tweets SNL Is 'Totally Biased' After Sketch About His Twitter Habit". Time. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  57. ↑ Jessica Roy (January 15, 2016). "Donald Trump slams SNL again: 'The worst of NBC'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
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