The twenty-third season started September 27, 1997 and ended on May 9, 1998, with 20 episodes being produced. A few changes happened before the start of the season; Colin Quinn was promoted to repertory status and Mark McKinney left the show while Fred Wolf left in the start of the twenty-second season. This season was also notable for not having any featured players or any new cast members. This season was also the only season to have an opening sequence that didn't show any shots of New York City, being replaced by a 1950's-inspired design.
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Reviews
Community reviews for Saturday Night Live, shown here with its season details.
G
GenerationofSwine
1.0
It was good, then it was great, then it was good again and now it stinks.
As of 2018 The edginess is gone. There are no risks in the jokes. They all consist of two things, 1. Trump is bad. and 2. This was a thing, remember it?
Neither of those really work for me. Make fun of Trump all you want, but do it with a punch line. Most of the time they forget the punchline. Simply not liking him is NOT a punchline. You have to exaggerate something, make it satire, mock it in some way. I don't even care if it's a cruel mockery...so long as it doesn't seem like they are just stating an opinion.
Opinions are NOT jokes.
The same thing goes with their "remember this, this was a thing" jokes...
They leave you sitting there waiting for them to say something funny about it. You're with them for a little while, "Yeah I remember it, go on..." then you realize that, no, that was the joke.
That's not a joke, that's just asking me to remember something.
Again, if they had a punch line, if they said something about what they were asking me to remember, then it might be funny...but they don't. The jokes are literally "this was a thing, laugh at it." and that's not funny. It has to be followed up with something.
Like with Trump, an opinion is NOT a joke unless it is followed by something. The same thing with a memory, a memory is NOT a joke in and of itself. They both have to be followed by something
s
sethdozerman
Saturday Night Live will always be my comfort show. The longevity and influence SNL has had on the comedy scene is unmatched. It has been the catalyst for so many careers, e.g. Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, Will Ferrell etc... The show has definitely had its ups and downs but, in taking a step back it is evident that the show has remained consistently mixed in it entire run.
Not every season has had great writers or talent, some actors have been much more successful than others, and yet it has always found an audience. My favourite era of the show was the mid 2000s with Bill Hader and Andy Samberg, but most people have a a preference for whatever season they had as a teenager. The consistency of structure and crew unites all the different casts, creating a familiar image and sensibility, found in every season.
There will always be a host monologue, musical guest, Weekend Update and most importantly, it will always be LIVE! The production process of a pitch meeting with the host, staying up all night on Tuesdays to write, read-through and dress rehearsal. Whether it's 1975 or 2023, everyone endures the same experience (although whether they have the aid of cocaine is certainly a difference!).
The argument SNL hasnt been funny since the "insert previous ten years" is redundant. Every season of the show has been criticised for not being funny but every season of the show has produced hilarious sketches and shone a light on the new faces of comedy. In the 70s they had Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, the 80s they had Julia Louis Dreyfus and Conan O'Brien, the 90s they had Will Ferrell and Eddy Murphy, the 2000s Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the 2010s Kate McKinnon and Vanessa Bayer and finally in the 2020s we have Bowen Yang and Marcello Hernandez.
The show continues to inspire and entertain the next generation of aspiring creatives with it's ground approach to sketch comedy. It is an American institution that will always hold a very dear place in my heart.
Episodes
Episode 1
Sylvester Stallone/Jamiroquai
NR
Sep 27, 199767 min
Sketches include ""Oprah's Book Club,"" ""Rita Delvechio,"" ""Car Accident with Sylvester Stallone,"" ""Roxbury Guys,"" ""Janet Reno,"" ""Computer Store,"" ""Planet Hollywood,"" and ""Lou's Lovely Daughters.""
Episode 2
Matthew Perry/Oasis
NR
Oct 4, 199767 min
Sketches include ""Spartan Cheerleaders,"" ""Celebrity Jeopardy,"" ""Sarcasm 101,"" ""The Ladies' Man,"" ""Space the Infinite Frontier with Harry Caray,"" ""Goat Boy,"" ""Friends,"" and ""Good Morning with Liza.""
Episode 3
Brendan Fraser/Bjork
NR
Oct 18, 199767 min
Sketches include ""Janet Reno,"" ""Xena: Warrior Princess,"" ""Issues,"" ""Delicious Dish,"" ""Crazy Lady Gets Prescription Filled,"" and ""Mango.""
Episode 4
Chris Farley/The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
NR
Oct 25, 199767 min
Sketches include ""Farley Gets Permission to Host,"" ""Morning Latte,"" ""Mary Katherine Gallagher,"" ""Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker,"" ""Goth Talk,"" ""The Sally Show,"" ""Monday Night Football Song,"" ""Superfans,"" and ""El Niño.""
Episode 5
Jon Lovitz/Jane's Addiction
NR
Nov 8, 199767 min
Sketches include ""Rival Billionaires,"" ""Fred the Baker,"" ""Larry King's Wedding,"" ""Win a Year with Jewel,"" ""The Ladies' Man,"" ""The Late Show with David Letterman,"" and ""The Robin Byrd Show,"" and ""Save Our Nanny.""
Jane's Addiction performs ""Jane Says.""
Episode 6
Claire Danes/Mariah Carey
NR
Nov 15, 199767 min
Sketches include ""Bill and Hillary Clinton,"" ""Barry Scheck's Apartment,"" ""The View,"" ""The Culps,"" ""Peter Pan,"" ""Mr. Peepers,"" ""CEO Dreamboats Magazine,"" and ""The Louvre.""
Episode 7
Rudy Giuliani/Sarah McLachlan
NR
Nov 22, 199767 min
Sketches include ""Rudy Giuliani and Colin Quinn,"" ""Nightline with Saddam Hussein,"" ""Rita Delvechio,"" ""Mary Katherine Gallagher,"" ""The Joe Pesci Show,"" ""Friggin' Giuliani,"" ""Janet Reno's Dance Party,"" ""Colin Quinn Explains the New York Times,"" and ""Perspectives.""
Episode 8
Nathan Lane/Metallica
NR
Dec 6, 199767 min
Sketches include ""Well Babies Tragedy,"" ""Spartan Cheerleaders,"" ""The Quiet Storm,"" ""Sister Wendy Beckett's Art Odyssey,"" ""The History of Vaudeville,"" ""Vance and Miss Milo,"" and ""Santa Claus the Ex-Convict.""
Episode 9
Helen Hunt/Hanson
NR
Dec 19, 199767 min
Sketches include ""The Culps,"" ""Delicious Dish,"" ""The Ladies' Man,"" ""Baseball Wish,"" ""Roxbury Guys,"" ""Joan Rivers,"" ""Burt Renolds Christmas,"" ""ChristmaSoft with Bill Gates,"" and ""Hanson in an Elevator.""
No episode image
Episode 10
Samuel L. Jackson/Ben Folds Five
NR
Jan 10, 199867 min
Live From New York, it's...Darrell Hammond
Sketches include: The Clinton Movie, Lemon Glow, Publisher's Clearing House Go To The Ghetto, Quentin Tarantino's ""Pulp Fiction"" Auditions, Jazzterpieces, Judge Judy, TV Funhouse: George Clooney's ""Speed Racer"", Black People on the Titanic, Mango and Monroe, The Weston Collection, The Learning Annex, and The Playboy Channel
Ben Folds Five performs: ""Brick""
Episode 11
Sarah Michelle Gellar/Portishead
NR
Jan 17, 199867 min
Sketches include ""Ted Kazinsky,"" ""The View,"" ""John Gray's Inspirational Tapes,"" ""Dysfunctional Family Argues Over Dinner,"" ""CBS World of Sports,"" ""Goth Talk,"" ""The Robin Byrd Show,"" and ""The Tiger Beat Ultra Super Duper Dreamy Love Show.""
Episode 12
John Goodman/Paula Cole
NR
Feb 7, 199867 min
Sketches include ""Linda Tripp and Monica Lewinsky,"" ""Morning Latte,"" ""The Ten Commandments with Bill Clinton,"" ""CBS Olympics,"" ""Emeril Live,"" ""Judge Judy,"" ""Martha Stewart,"" ""Sabado Chistoso,"" ""When Cobras Attack,"" and ""Storytellers with Neil Diamond.""
Episode 13
Roma Downey/Missy Elliot
NR
Feb 14, 199867 min
Sketches include ""Nightline,"" ""The Culps,"" ""Press Conference with Catherine II,"" ""Martha Stewart Living,"" ""CBS Olympics,"" ""Riding My Donkey: Political Talk Show,"" ""Fran,"" ""The Ladies' Man,"" and ""Lou's Lovely Daughters.""
Episode 14
Garth Brooks
NR
Feb 28, 199867 min
Sketches include ""Larry King Live,"" ""Mary Katherine Gallagher,"" ""The Celine Dion Show,"" ""Party of Five,"" ""Re-Enactment Awards,"" ""Spartan Cheerleaders,"" ""Issues,"" and ""College Singers.""
Episode 15
Scott Wolf/Natalie Imbruglia
NR
Mar 7, 199867 min
Sketches include ""Titanic,"" ""Delicious Dish,"" ""The Ladies' Man,"" ""Barbara Walters,"" ""TV Funhouse: Conspiracy Theory Rock"", ""Pretty Living,"" ""Terrence Maddox in Art Class,"" ""Liza,"" and ""Shirtless Bible Salesman.""
The NBC and syndicated reruns of this episode do not have the TV Funhouse: Conspiracy Theory Rock cartoon.
Episode 16
Julianne Moore/Backstreet Boys
NR
Mar 14, 199867 min
Sketches include ""Viewers Choose Clinton Coverage,"" ""Alice in Wonderland,"" ""Morning Latte,"" ""Goth Talk,"" ""Stuff We Made,"" ""Judge Judy,"" ""Job Interviews,"" and ""I Took a Gay Guy to the Prom.""
Episode 17
Steve Buscemi/Third Eye Blind
NR
Apr 4, 199867 min
Sketches include ""Martha Stewart,"" ""Name That Dog!,"" ""The Culps,"" ""Restaurant,"" ""House of Dogs,"" ""Nightline,"" ""Pirate Ship,"" and ""The Robin Byrd Show.""
Episode 18
Greg Kinnear/All Saints
NR
Apr 11, 199867 min
Sketches include ""The Ladies' Man,"" ""The View,"" ""The Zimmermans,"" ""Pretty Living,"" ""The Celine Dion Show,"" ""Prime Minister's Questions,"" ""Limousine Rides,"" and ""Comic Minds.""
Episode 19
Matthew Broderick/Natalie Merchant
NR
May 2, 199867 min
Sketches include ""Janet Reno,"" ""Spartan Cheerleaders,"" ""Celebrity Jeopardy,"" ""Mango,"" ""Oprah Meets Goat Boy,"" and ""To the Moon and Back.""
Episode 20
David Duchovny/Puff Daddy & Jimmy Page
NR
May 9, 199867 min
Sketches include ""Janet Reno,"" ""Spartan Cheerleaders,"" ""Celebrity Jeopardy,"" ""Mango,"" ""Oprah Meets Goat Boy,"" and ""To the Moon and Back.""