Saturday Night Live (season 35)
The thirty-fifth season of Saturday Night Live (also branded SNL 35), an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 26, 2009, and May 15, 2010.
Saturday Night Live | |
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Season 35 | |
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Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | 22 |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | September 26, 2009 – May 15, 2010 |
Season chronology | |
A total of 22 episodes were broadcast during the show's eight-month-long season, which included a two-week break in February due to the 2010 Winter Olympics. The season was accompanied by three prime-time episodes of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday and three prime-time SNL clip shows.
A notable moment of the season was when an internet campaign was created to get actress Betty White to host an episode of the show. The campaign was started in early 2010 on Facebook and the group was called "Betty White to Host SNL (please?)!" The campaign was successful, and White became the oldest person ever to host the show. For White's episode, Lorne Michaels brought back former cast members Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Molly Shannon. The episode garnered the show's highest ratings in over a year. with a rating of 5.8 in the 18–49 rating, demographic and with 12.1 million viewers overall.[1]
Cast
Before the start of the season, Darrell Hammond, who was last cast member from the 1990s, left the show. At the time he became the longest-running cast member with a total of 14 seasons, he would later be surpassed by Kenan Thompson in 2017. Featured players Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson were both let go from the show before the start of the season.[2] To fill their absence the show brought in two new featured players, Nasim Pedrad of The Groundlings and stand-up comic Jenny Slate.[3] Abby Elliott and Bobby Moynihan remained as featured players.
This would be the last season for longtime cast member Will Forte, who had been with the cast for 8 seasons since 2002.[4] This would also be the only season for featured player Jenny Slate.
Cast roster
Repertory players
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Featured players
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bold denotes Weekend Update anchor
Writers
Second City theater performer Mike O'Brien joins the writing staff.[5] He would join the cast for the show's thirty-ninth season. Season 35 would prove to be the final season with Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone as a credited writer. He would make contributions to select Lonely Island sketches.
Episodes
No. overall | No. in season | Host | Musical guest | Original air date | Ratings/ Share | |
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659 | 1 | Megan Fox | U2 | September 26, 2009 | 4.6/11[6] | |
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660 | 2 | Ryan Reynolds | Lady Gaga | October 3, 2009 | 4.7/12[7] | |
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661 | 3 | Drew Barrymore | Regina Spektor | October 10, 2009 | 4.6/11[8] | |
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662 | 4 | Gerard Butler | Shakira | October 17, 2009 | 4.8/11[9] | |
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663 | 5 | Taylor Swift | Taylor Swift | November 7, 2009 | 5.0/12[11] | |
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664 | 6 | January Jones | The Black Eyed Peas | November 14, 2009 | 4.7/12[12] | |
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665 | 7 | Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Dave Matthews Band | November 21, 2009 | 4.3/11[13] | |
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666 | 8 | Blake Lively | Rihanna | December 5, 2009 | 4.4/12[14] | |
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667 | 9 | Taylor Lautner | Bon Jovi | December 12, 2009 | 5.1/12[15] | |
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668 | 10 | James Franco | Muse | December 19, 2009 | 4.4/11[16] | |
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669 | 11 | Charles Barkley | Alicia Keys | January 9, 2010 | 4.4/19[17] | |
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670 | 12 | Sigourney Weaver | The Ting Tings | January 16, 2010 | 5.4/14[18] | |
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671 | 13 | Jon Hamm | Michael Bublé | January 30, 2010 | 5.0/12[19] | |
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672 | 14 | Ashton Kutcher | Them Crooked Vultures | February 6, 2010 | 5.3/13[20] | |
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673 | 15 | Jennifer Lopez | Jennifer Lopez | February 27, 2010 | 6.3/15[21] | |
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674 | 16 | Zach Galifianakis | Vampire Weekend | March 6, 2010 | 5.0/12[22] | |
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675 | 17 | Jude Law | Pearl Jam | March 13, 2010 | 4.5/11[24] | |
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676 | 18 | Tina Fey | Justin Bieber | April 10, 2010 | 5.7/14[25] | |
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677 | 19 | Ryan Phillippe | Ke$ha | April 17, 2010 | 5.2/13[27] | |
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678 | 20 | Gabourey Sidibe | MGMT | April 24, 2010 | 4.7/12[28] | |
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679 | 21 | Betty White | Jay-Z | May 8, 2010 | 8.8/21[29] | |
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680 | 22 | Alec Baldwin | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | May 15, 2010 | 5.8/14[32] | |
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Specials
Title | Original air date | |
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"Saturday Night Live Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas" | December 17, 2009 | |
Holiday-themed sketches from past episodes are aired, including Adam Sandler's "The Hanukkah Song", Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg's "Dick In A Box" Digital Short, Delicious Dish and many more. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin make guest appearances. Kristen Wiig hosts as her character Gilly, with Will Forte, Kenan Thompson, Bobby Moynihan and Abby Elliott reprising their roles as the sketch's supporting characters. | ||
"Saturday Night Live Presents: Sports All-Stars" | January 31, 2010 | |
Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis host the show as Pete Twinkle and Greg Stink, their recurring ESPN Classic sports announcer characters. Sketches featuring appearances by professional athletes including: Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Charles Barkley and others are shown (most of which previously appeared in last year's SNL clip show special about sports-related sketches). | ||
"Saturday Night Live in the 2000s: Time and Again" | April 15, 2010 | |
The special featured insight on the show during the 2000s: topics discussed include Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey as the new Weekend Update anchors after the departure of Colin Quinn, how SNL became popular for its spoofs on the 2000 United States presidential election, how the show's humor survived the 9/11 attacks and the anthrax scare, Will Ferrell's departure at the end of season 27 and the search for a replacement cast member to play George W. Bush, SNL's shaky years between seasons 28 and 30 due to Jimmy Fallon's and Horatio Sanz's cracking up on camera, Jimmy Fallon's departure from the show, Amy Poehler teaming up with Tina Fey for Weekend Update, the hiring of Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Kristen Wiig, and SNL regaining its popularity with the Digital Shorts, its return from the WGA strike of 2007–2008, the introduction of new fan-favorite hosts like Justin Timberlake and Jon Hamm, and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election. Fred Armisen, Alec Baldwin, Rachel Dratch, Abby Elliott, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Will Forte, Bill Hader, Darrell Hammond, Chris Kattan, Marci Klein, John McCain, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, Tracy Morgan, Bobby Moynihan, Chris Parnell, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg, Horatio Sanz, Akiva Schaffer, Molly Shannon, Michael Shoemaker, Jason Sudeikis, Jorma Taccone, Kenan Thompson, Justin Timberlake, Christopher Walken and Kristen Wiig gave insight in the special. |
Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday
The second season of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, a limited-run series based on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" sketch, has aired in conjunction with this season. The show is hosted by Seth Meyers, Update's current host, and former Update co-host Amy Poehler. Like the sketch, the show is a parody of local news broadcasts and satirizes contemporary news stories and figures. As of June 2010, three episodes have aired. An additional three episodes were scheduled to air in spring 2010, but were scrapped.[34]
Episode number | Original airdate | Notes |
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Episode 1 | September 17, 2009 |
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Episode 2 | September 24, 2009 |
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Episode 3 | October 1, 2009 |
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MacGruber film
The first SNL film since 2000's The Ladies Man, MacGruber was released on May 21, 2010. The film, starring SNL cast members Will Forte and Kristen Wiig and former cast member Maya Rudolph, is based on the "MacGruber" sketches from the show. It received mixed reviews from critics and, in spite of a wide initial release, was a box office bomb. After a two-week opening commitment during which it was shown in 2,546 theaters, it was dropped from all but 177 theaters starting in its third week, a drop exceeded since 1982 only by Meet Dave and The Rocker.[35]
References
- Seidman, Robert (May 13, 2010). "Update: Betty White Hosting Turn on "Saturday Night Live" Averages 12.1 Million Viewers and a 4.6 Rating With Adults 18–49". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- Leo, Alex (October 20, 2009). "Michaela Watkins & Casey Wilson FIRED From 'SNL'". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- Leo, Alex (October 17, 2009). "Jenny Slate & Nasim Pedrad: SNL's New Hires". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- Barrett, Annie (August 26, 2010). "'Saturday Night Live': Will Forte reportedly leaving on amicable terms. 'Vagisil!'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- Pang, Kevin (August 14, 2009). "Second City sends another one of its own to 'Saturday Night Live'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- Gorman, Bill (September 28, 2009). "Saturday Night Live Premiere TV Ratings: Way Down vs. 2008 With No Sarah Palin/Tina Fey". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014.
- Gorman, Bill (October 5, 2009). "Saturday Night Live Still Really Misses Sarah Palin / Tina Fey". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011.
- Gorman, Bill (October 12, 2009). "Saturday Night Live Ratings Down A Fraction From Last Week". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011.
- Gorman, Bill (October 19, 2009). "Saturday Night Live Hits Season Highs". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014.
- Steinberg, Brian (October 15, 2009). "Bud Light Golden Wheat to Be Sole Advertiser on Next 'SNL' | News – Advertising Age". Adage.com. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
- Seidman, Robert (November 8, 2009). "Wanda Sykes Show premieres 100% better than Spike Feresten, but nowhere near SNL". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
- Gorman, Bill (November 16, 2009). "Saturday Night Live w/ January Jones & Black Eyed Peas Scores 4.7 Household Rating". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014.
- Gorman, Bill (November 23, 2009). "Saturday Night Live, w/ Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dave Matthews Band Scores A 4.3 Metered-Market Household Rating". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011.
- Gorman, Bill (December 7, 2009). "Saturday Night Live With Blake Lively & Rihanna Scores A 4.4 Household Rating". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
- Seidman, Robert (December 14, 2009). ""Saturday Night Live" Hits Season Highs With Taylor Lautner". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
- Gorman, Bill (December 20, 2009). "Saturday Night Live With James Franco and Muse Scores 4.4 Household Rating". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013.
- Seidman, Robert (January 14, 2010). "Charles Barkley Leads Saturday Night Live To 10.4 Million & Best Performance In 14 Months". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
- Gorman, Bill (January 18, 2010). "Saturday Night Live With Sigourney Weaver & The Ting Tings Scores Among The Best Ratings This Season". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
- Seidman, Robert (February 1, 2010). "Saturday Night Live With Jon Hamm Down A Bit". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on September 10, 2011.
- Seidman, Robert (February 8, 2010). "Saturday Night Live With Ashton Kutcher Up a Bit". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014.
- Gorman, Bill (February 28, 2010). "Saturday Night Live With Jennifer Lopez Second Highest Rated Of Season, Behind Only Charles Barkley's". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014.
- Seidman, Robert (March 8, 2010). "Saturday Night Live hosted by Zach Galifianakis scores a 5.0 Household Rating in Metered Markets". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014.
- "Saturday Night Live – SNL Backstage: Zach Shaves His Beard – Video". NBC.com. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
- Seidman, Robert (March 15, 2010). "Saturday Night Live With Jude Law Ratings A Bit Below Average in Preliminaries". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014.
- Seidman, Robert (April 11, 2010). "Corrected: Tina Fey Hosted "Saturday Night Live" Scores Best Ratings Since Jennifer Lopez". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012.
- 62nd Emmy Nomination List (PDF), Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences, archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2011
- Gorman, Bill (April 19, 2010). "Saturday Night Live With Ryan Phillippe & Ke$ha Ratings". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
- Seidman, Robert (April 26, 2010). ""Saturday Night Live" With Gabourey Sidibe and MGMT Ratings". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012.
- Gorman, Bill (May 9, 2010). "Betty White Scores! Saturday Night Live Sees Best Overnight Ratings In 18 Months". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010.
- "Betty White to Host SNL (please?)!". Facebook. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
- Levin, Gary (March 12, 2010). "Live, from New York, it's ... Betty White hosting 'SNL'". USA Today. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- Seidman, Robert (May 16, 2010). ""Saturday Night Live" Hosted by Alec Baldwin Delivers Best Season Finale Ratings in Five Years". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012.
- Itzkoff, Dave (August 26, 2010). "Will Forte is Leaving 'Saturday Night Live'". The New York Times.
- Carter, Bill (May 4, 2009). "Return of 'Weekend Update Thursday". The New York Times.
- "Biggest Theater Drops". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 20, 2010.