Saturday_Night_Live_(season_23)
Saturday Night Live season 23
Season of television series
The twenty-third season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 27, 1997, and May 9, 1998.
Quick Facts Saturday Night Live, No. of episodes ...
| Saturday Night Live | |
|---|---|
| Season 23 | |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 27, 1997 (1997-09-27) – May 9, 1998 (1998-05-09) |
| Season chronology | |
| List of episodes | |
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This season saw the deaths of two former cast members. Six weeks after he came back to host, Chris Farley became the fifth SNL cast member to die prematurely. Influenced by his idol, John Belushi, Farley died of a speedball overdose at the age of 33. Two weeks after the season finale, long-time performer Phil Hartman was murdered by his wife who then committed suicide. Following their deaths, NBC aired two SNL specials as tributes to Farley and Hartman in dedication to their legacies during this season.[1][2]
Before the season, Mark McKinney left the show after three seasons since 1995.[3] In the wake of McKinney's departure, Colin Quinn was promoted to repertory status. This season is the first season to not include any featured players or new cast members.
During the season, a controversy arose in which Weekend Update anchor Norm Macdonald was removed from the Update segment. Macdonald's final episode as Update anchor was on December 13, 1997.[4][5] Quinn was then promoted to the job and anchored the segment in the next live episode, which aired January 10, 1998. Even though Macdonald still performed in sketches, he was not happy and eventually quit the show; his final appearance was on March 14, 1998.
This was also the final season for Jim Breuer as he left the show at season's end to move on to other acting opportunities.[6]
It was also the only season to have an opening sequence that did not show any shots of New York City, instead featuring a 1950s-inspired design.[7]
Cast roster
Repertory players
- Jim Breuer
- Will Ferrell
- Ana Gasteyer
- Darrell Hammond
- Chris Kattan
- Norm Macdonald (final episode: March 14, 1998)
bold denotes Weekend Update anchor
Main article: List of Saturday Night Live writers § season 23
Tina Fey joins the writing staff in this season. Longtime writer Jim Downey is fired coinciding with Norm Macdonald being taken off of Weekend Update.[8][9]
Main article: List of Saturday Night Live episodes
More information No. overall, No. in season ...
| No. overall | No. in season | Host | Musical guest(s) | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 427 | 1 | Sylvester Stallone | Jamiroquai | September 27, 1997 (1997-09-27) | |
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| 428 | 2 | Matthew Perry | Oasis | October 4, 1997 (1997-10-04) | |
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| 429 | 3 | Brendan Fraser | Björk | October 18, 1997 (1997-10-18) | |
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| 430 | 4 | Chris Farley | The Mighty Mighty Bosstones | October 25, 1997 (1997-10-25) | |
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| 431 | 5 | Jon Lovitz | Jane's Addiction | November 8, 1997 (1997-11-08) | |
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| 432 | 6 | Claire Danes | Mariah Carey | November 15, 1997 (1997-11-15) | |
| 433 | 7 | Rudolph Giuliani | Sarah McLachlan | November 22, 1997 (1997-11-22) | |
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| 434 | 8 | Nathan Lane | Metallica | December 6, 1997 (1997-12-06) | |
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| 435 | 9 | Helen Hunt | Hanson | December 13, 1997 (1997-12-13) | |
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| 436 | 10 | Samuel L. Jackson | Ben Folds Five | January 10, 1998 (1998-01-10) | |
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| 437 | 11 | Sarah Michelle Gellar | Portishead | January 17, 1998 (1998-01-17) | |
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| 438 | 12 | John Goodman | Paula Cole | February 7, 1998 (1998-02-07) | |
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| 439 | 13 | Roma Downey | Missy Misdemeanor Elliott | February 14, 1998 (1998-02-14) | |
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| 440 | 14 | Garth Brooks | Garth Brooks | February 28, 1998 (1998-02-28) | |
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| 441 | 15 | Scott Wolf | Natalie Imbruglia | March 7, 1998 (1998-03-07) | |
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| 442 | 16 | Julianne Moore | Backstreet Boys | March 14, 1998 (1998-03-14) | |
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| 443 | 17 | Steve Buscemi | Third Eye Blind | April 4, 1998 (1998-04-04) | |
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| 444 | 18 | Greg Kinnear | All Saints | April 11, 1998 (1998-04-11) | |
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| 445 | 19 | Matthew Broderick | Natalie Merchant | May 2, 1998 (1998-05-02) | |
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| 446 | 20 | David Duchovny | Puff Daddy & Jimmy Page | May 9, 1998 (1998-05-09) | |
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More information #, Special ...
| # | Special | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "SNL Halloween '97" | November 1, 1997 (1997-11-01) | |
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A clip show hosted by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey featuring material from previous shows. | |||
| 2 | "SNL Sports Extra '98" | January 24, 1998 (1998-01-24) | |
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A clip show featuring material from previous shows. | |||
| 3 | "Best of the New Season '97-'98" | January 31, 1998 (1998-01-31) | |
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A clip show featuring some of the best material from the first half of the '97-'98 season. Sketches include "Well Babies Tragedy," "Cookie Dough Sport," "The View," "The Ladies' Man," and "The Ambiguously Gay Duo". | |||
| 4 | "SNL Remembers Chris Farley" | February 21, 1998 (1998-02-21) | |
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The special, introduced by Tim Meadows, featured some of the best material featuring Chris Farley during his stint on the show. Sketches include "Chippendales Auditions," "Superfans," "The Chris Farley Show," "Bobby Watches Grandma," "Schmitts Gay," "Focus On Beauty II," "Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker," "Giuliani's Inauguration," "Tater Junction," "Lunchlady Land", "Lillehammer", "Clinton Auditions," "Good Morning Brooklyn," "Japanese Game Show," "Juggernaut Force," "Zagat's," and "Hidden Camera Commercials". | |||
| 5 | "SNL Remembers Phil Hartman" | June 13, 1998 (1998-06-13) | |
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The special featured some of the best material featuring Phil Hartman during his stint on the show. Sketches include "Donahue," "The Crosby Show," "Star Trek Convention," "Discover," "On Broadway," "Church Chat," "Cumpulsion," "Anne Boleyn," "Succinctly Speaking," "All-Drug Olympics," "Nicknames," "Win, Lose, or Tie," "Love is a Dream (film)," "Nancy Reagan Visits," "Robot Repair," "Cooking with the Anal Retentive Chef," "A Betty Ford Straight Arrow Christmas," "Celebrity Lawyer Court," "Greenhilly," "The Sinatra Group," "Clarence Thomas Hearings," "Campaign '92," "Sprockets," "Dick Clark's Snotty Receptionist," "Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer," "Johnny Carson's Last Episode," "Perot and Stockdale Car Trip," "Clinton at McDonald's," "Sassy's Sassiest Boys," and "Acting Class". | |||
| 6 | "The Best of Eddie Murphy" | August 22, 1998 (1998-08-22) | |
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The special featured some of the best material featuring Eddie Murphy during his tenure on the show. Sketches include "The Little Richard Simmons Show," "Prose and Cons" (film), "Velvet Jones School Of Technology," "Career Corner," "Ebony & Ivory," "Buckwheat Dead," "Stevie Wonder Impersonator," "Rock & Roll... and then some," "Black History Minute," "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood," "Gumby," "Buckwheat Sings," and "James Brown's Hot Tub Party". | |||
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- "NBC to Air Chris Farley Tribute". Chicago Tribune. May 11, 1998. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
- "'SNL' Salute to Hartman Pure Genius". New York Daily News. June 16, 1998. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
- Wright, Megh (June 6, 2012). "Saturday Night's Children: Mark McKinney (1995-1997)". Vulture. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- Hugar, John (February 13, 2015). "The Bizarre Circumstances And Shaky Aftermath Of Norm Macdonald's Dismissal From Weekend Update". UPROXX. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- Garrity, Katie (September 16, 2021). "Norm Macdonald Was Fired From 'Saturday Night Live' in 1998, but Why Exactly?". Distractify. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- Evans, Bradford (November 22, 2013). "Adam McKay Responds to Jim Breuer Saying He Got Him Fired from 'SNL'". Vulture. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- "Season 23: Opening Montage Variants (The WORST Ever!)". r/LiveFromNewYork. March 31, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- Itzkoff, Dave (March 3, 2008). "'SNL' Writer Narrows the Gap Between Politics and Farce". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
- Sacks, Mike (June 24, 2014). "'SNL's James Downey on Working with Norm Macdonald and Getting Fired for Making Fun of OJ Simpson". Vulture. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
- Lindbergh, Ben (December 13, 2022). "The Oral History of the "Baseball Dreams Come True" 'Saturday Night Live' Sketch". The Ringer. Retrieved December 13, 2022.