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History of Saturday Night Live

 
Wikipedia: History of Saturday Night Live (2000–2005)
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Early 21st century

The 2000-2001 season of Saturday Night Live began yet another transitional phase. Old faces like Colin Quinn, Tim Meadows and Cheri Oteri were gone and Molly Shannon left mid-season.

Horatio Sanz and Jimmy Fallon

Veterans such as Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell still predominated on the show, but more time was being given to newer cast members Horatio Sanz (who was groomed to be a new Belushi/Farely figure and Jimmy Fallon (whose prodigious ability at impressions would be increasingly utitilised, causing disquiet amongst some fans who felt this typified an unwelcomed shift in comedy style).[citation needed] Although generally popular, Fallon and Sanz were accused of being too derivative of Farley and Adam Sandler, typified by Sanz's oafish bumbling and Fallon's guitar-playing and singing during Weekend Update.[citation needed] Both were also criticized for regularly and self-consciously corpsing during many sketches. This became increasingly common, despite Lorne Michaels' avowel that the show would never become insular or amateurish (one of the things he despised about The Carol Burnett Show)[citation needed].

Tina Fey

In 1999, Tina Fey became the show's first female head writer. SNL had always had female writers but they often had little to no voice over the pacing of the show, sometimes not even their own sketches.[citation needed] With Colin Quinn's highly uneven "Weekend Update" tenure over, Lorne Michaels scrambled to find a different sort of format for the aging concept. He gambled on having Fey co-anchor "Weekend Update" with Jimmy Fallon, the first co-anchorship since Christine Ebersole and Brian Doyle-Murray in the early 1980s. Fallon's frat boy antics and Fey's droll, knowing smirks were warmly welcomed by fans. Fey quickly moved from writer to featured player and within a year was a contract player.

2000 U.S. Presidential election

The 2000 season was also noted for its well-received spoofing of that year's presidential campaign, with adroit critiques[citation needed] of all the primary nominees, but especially Al Gore and George W. Bush. The two candidates even appeared (separately) on a prime time special with the cast in fall 2000. Darrell Hammond's portrayal of Gore parodied the candidate's varying personas at the three presidential debates so well that Gore and his advisers watched the sketches to get a grip on his public perception.[citation needed] Ferrell's Bush impression coined the term "strategery" in a sketch mocking Bush's propensity for mispronunciations.

Fallout from the 9/11 terrorist attacks

The first season premiere after the September 11, 2001 attacks opened with then New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and police officers, signifying that the New York-based series was deeply affected by the terrorist attack. As a result, the political commentary was scaled back. As time passed, the show gave more attention to political humor, but earlier attempts were seen by critics as tame, evidence that the show had over the decades gone from counterculture to safe and mainstream. Robert Smigel's cartoons, however, retained their bite and became heavily featured on the show.

Frequent cast turnover

In 2001, supporting player Chris Parnell was fired. Less than six months later, he was rehired, marking the first time since Jim Belushi's dismissal in 1983 that SNL had ever fired and then rehired any cast member. The 2001-2002 season also marked the arrival of improvisational mastermind Amy Poehler, who was well-liked by fans due to her wide range and impressions and high spirits despite her lack of strong material. Tracy Morgan left in 2003 to become one of many SNL alumni to have a flop sitcom (The Tracy Morgan Show). Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer left in 2002 and Kattan in 2003, followed by Jimmy Fallon in 2004. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler co-anchored Weekend Update, the first time that two women were given the job.

During 2000-2005, the show began a frequent process of cast turnover. In the past, the show had been known for large amount of cast members being added at the same time, but in the early 2000s, the show tended to add and subtract a couple of cast members each season. Some criticize this method, arguing that it results in a lack of chemistry, as you have cast members at various points in their SNL careers acting together, as compared to a group of new cast members growing up together. On the other hand, adding new cast members each season ensured that there was always someone new to see.

Ashlee Simpson's lip synching incident

An embarrassing event in the career of pop singer Ashlee Simpson occurred live on October 23, 2004. Simpson's second performance of the evening opened with the sound of her pre-recorded voice heard singing the song she had already performed earlier. Despite a quick fadeout, it was obvious that what was heard was not the live voice of the singer. A flustered Simpson did an improvised dance and then left the stage. The New York Times summarized the incident in the words, "Ailing Singer Needed Lip-Sync, Father Says," and said that it "exposed the pop singer Ashlee Simpson's use of prerecorded vocals on live television."[1] Simpson's father said that her use of a prerecorded track was necessitated that evening by hoarseness caused by acid reflux disease.[2] The incident subsequently inspired several SNL skits. When questioned by reporters, Lorne Michaels initially denied[3], then acknowledged[4], that this was not the first time so-called "backing tracks" had ever been used on SNL. In October, 2005, Simpson returned as a musical guest, performing without incident.

Season breakdown

2000-2001 season

Opening montage

This newest SNL montage was used for three seasons and contains various shots from around New York and has the cast members shown in a night club. It was also the first opening montage since 1993-1994 in which the cast members moved on screen. The music that would accompany the opening credits for this season and the next two would garner some criticism from some SNL "purists" because of its heavy use of turntables and DJ equipment.

Cast

Featuring

Notes
  • After seven years, Molly Shannon leaves the cast mid-season, completing the longest tenure of any female cast member until Rachel Dratch leaves the show in 2006.
  • Shannon was also the longest-serving cast member during that season. After her departure, that honor goes to Ferrell and Hammond.
  • Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon take over the Weekend Update desk, making them the first WU duo since Brian Doyle-Murray and Christine Ebersole in 1982.
  • Chris Parnell is fired at the end of this season, only to return the following year.
  • This is Jerry Minor's only season on SNL--resulting in a joke that he had "lived up to his last name" as a cast member. He was fired from the show, something that fellow cast member Parnell called a "high crime."

2001-2002 season: Will Ferrell's farewell

Opening montage

The opening montage is the same as the 2000-2001 season, save for cast changes. Ana Gasteyer's clip was changed.

Cast

Featuring

Notes
  • Will Ferrell and Darrell Hammond shared the honor of longest-serving cast members during this season.
  • Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph were upgraded to contract status.
  • Chris Parnell returns after being fired by Lorne Michaels over budget issues less than a year earlier.
  • Jeff Richards was the first (and so far only) castmember from MADtv to cross over to Saturday Night Live.
  • After seven seasons, Ferrell leaves the show after having become the highest paid cast member in SNL's history.[citation needed]
  • The last segment of the season finale featured an homage to Ferrell by his fellow castmates reflecting on his personality, talent, and what he brought to the show. It remains one of the only full-fledged farewells to a longtime cast member in the long history of SNL. In one particular clip, Parnell reveals that he was previously fired but that Ferrell lobbied executives for his eventual return.
  • Ana Gasteyer goes on maternity leave at the end of this season. After her daughter, Frances McKittrick, is born, she decides not to return to the show.
  • Amy Poehler is upgraded to a contract player during the latter part of this season.

2002-2003 season

Opening montage

Basically a "film negative" version of the 2000 montage, using new effects when displaying the cast's title cards. Horatio Sanz's clip was changed.

Cast

Featuring

Notes
  • Darrell Hammond was the longest-serving cast member during this season. He would hold on to that honor for the rest of his tenure.
  • After the season is over, Dean Edwards and producers mutually agree he is not right for the show, and Edwards is let go.
  • Chris Kattan and Tracy Morgan leave the show after this season, but would made several cameos throughout the next season.

2003-2004 season

Opening montage

A brand new opening for 2003 has a Grand Central Terminal theme, with a "first-person" camera following the cast members who are found around various sections of the subway, and local eateries. Possibly the most "hi-tech" (for its time) of the show's montages since the 1984 season.[citation needed]

Cast

Featuring

Notes
  • A new main set is unveiled, following the theme of the montage to resemble Grand Central Terminal.
  • This opener does not credit the Saturday Night Live Band.
  • Will Forte, Seth Meyers and Jeff Richards are upgraded to contract players for this season.
  • Finesse Mitchell and Kenan Thompson replace Tracy Morgan and Dean Edwards as the show's male African-American cast members.
  • Thompson, born in 1978, is the first SNL cast member to be younger than the show itself.
  • Richards mysteriously disappears from the cast after 1/17 broadcast. He is believed to have been fired from the show as a result of unreliable performances. In an interview, Richards said he left on his own terms.
  • Jimmy Fallon announces on the last Weekend Update of the season that it would be his final show.

2004-2005 season

Opening montage

Another brand new montage for 2004 opens on a shot of the Brooklyn Bridge, and basically shows the cast engaging in conversations around a local night club.

Cast

Featuring

Notes
  • The stage still has the Grand Central Terminal theme.
  • Fred Armisen is upgraded to a contract player.
  • Rob Riggle; an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve; joins the cast as a featured player, in what would be his only season. Riggle would go on to become a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart a year later. He would become the third SNL cast member to join The Daily Show after leaving SNL. (along with A. Whitney Brown and Nancy Walls)
  • Jason Sudeikis, previously a writer on the show since 2003, joins the cast as a featured player with only three episodes left in the season.

References

  1. ^ "Ailing Singer Needed Lip-Sync, Father Says", New York Times, October 26, 2004
  2. ^ "Ailing Singer Needed Lip-Sync, Father Says", New York Times, October 26, 2004
  3. ^ 60 Minutes, aired October 31, 2004
  4. ^ "Simpson Dad Blames Acid Reflux for Gaffe", Associated Press, October 25, 2004

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Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "History of Saturday Night Live (2000–2005)".  Read more