NBC's Saturday Night Live is a staple of American television, and the best SNL seasons feature some of the funniest in small-screen history. Though it has seen many ups and downs, SNL has consistently pleased its fans even when the casts have changed over the years. Beginning in 1975, Saturday Night Live is now in its 50th season and doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. The sketch comedy show has launched the careers of myriad prolific comedians, such as Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, and more.
Not only that, but iconic characters created on SNL have often gotten their own spinoff movies. Wayne's World and Night at the Roxbury are based on SNL sketches, and the same goes for Coneheads and The Blues Brothers. Due to the fact that it is a sketch show, it is hard to judge episodes and seasons as a whole, but audiences have gravitated towards certain eras of the show and they have garnered high ratings and critical accolades. Whenever the cast, host, and musical guest are of a consistent quality, few shows are as hilarious as SNL.
25 Season 12
1986-1987
Saturday Night Live season 12 saw a complete overhaul of the cast. The show fired Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Michael Hall, Joan Cusack, and Randy Quaid from the previous season. While they all went on to great careers, they weren't a good fit for the sketch comedy show. However, the newcomers were all-timers, with names like Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks, Kevin Nealon, and Phil Hartman ing the returning Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller (who was hosting Weekend Update).
Dana Carvey introduced The Church Lady and his George H. Bush impersonation in this season.
The show even made the firings a joke when Madonna showed up in the season premiere and called season 11 a "horrible dream." This was the season that Carvey introduced one of his most beloved characters - the Church Lady. There were some great hosts this season as well, including Robin Williams and William Shatner, while former cast Chevy Chase and Bull Murray had hosting duties as well.
24 Season 16
1990-1991
The 16th season of Saturday Night Live had several returning stars, with big names like Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Phil Hartman, and Jan Hooks all coming back. However, this was also the year that some fresh talent arrived - names who would go down as some of the biggest from that era. Chris Farley, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, and David Spade all ed the SNL cast, and this helped create some memorable sketches and moments.
Dennis Miller was still running Weekend Update, Myers and Carvey had Wayne's World going strong, and Carvey was also at the top of his game as George H. Bush, The CUrch Lady, and one-half of Hans and Franz (with Kevin Nealon). Farley was a stand-out for the newcomers, especially his memorable Chippendales sketch with Patrick Swayze, one that remains an all-time great. There were few great hosts this season, but the cast carried the show to great heights.
23 Season 31
2005-2006
Saturday Night Live season 31 introduced something to the series that became a huge addition. This was the year the "Digital Shorts" made their debut, with "Lazy Sunday," "Natalie Raps," "Laser Cats," and "Close Talkers" as standouts. This was all thanks to the show bringing on Andy Samber as a new cast member and then hiring his Lonely Island sketch group as writers (Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone). Other new cast included Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader.
This was the first season to have the "Digital Shorts" by the Lonely Island sketch group.
They ed Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson, Maya Rudolph, Seth Meyers, Darrell Hammond, Tina Fey, Fred Armisen, and Rachel Dratch for a very deep and talented cast. This was clearly a season that showed that SNL was making some major changes, and it was a turning point for the sketch comedy series after a few seasons of falling quality. The season also had some great hosts, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, and Steve Martin.
22 Season 35
2009-2010
Saturday Night Live season 35 is best known for the rise of Kenan Thompson from a solid cast member to a top-of-the-line star. Thompson has since become the longest-running cast member in the show's history (ing Darrell Hammond, who left before this season started). This was also the season that Thompson introduced his popular "What Up With That?" sketch, which was just the start to his rise as the most consistently funny cast member of this era.
This was the season that featured the highest-rated episode in Saturday Night Live history when Betty White hosted the show, and 12.1 million people tuned in to see it. SNL knew it would be a hit and brought back former female cast Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer, and Molly Shannon to White for the episode. This was also the final season for Will Forte, and the only season that Jenny Slate appeared in the cast.
21 Season 7
1981-1982
The seventh season of Saturday Night Live came with a lot of changes. Lorne Michaels was not around, and this was the first full season that Dick Ebersol produced. This season had a mostly unknown cast of comedians, except two returning stars - Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy. It was the second of those stars who not only thrived but helped turn the seventh season into one of the best in SNL history, all on his talented shoulders. He also introduced some of his most iconic characters.
In season seven, Eddie Murphy introduced Buckwheat, Velvet Jones, and Gumby on Saturday Night Live.
Season 7 saw Murphy bring out Buckwheat, Velvet Jones, and Gumby. He also returned with Mister Robinson's Neighborhood and brought back his beloved TV critic, Raheem Abdul Muhammed, to Weekend Update. While Piscopo was also great, the seventh season was a roller coaster, with Ebersol firing writer Michael O'Donoghue for repeated arguments behind the scenes and Christine Ebersole for complaining about the treatment of women. Despite this, Murphy carried it to great heights all by himself.
20 Season 22
1996-1997
The cast of Saturday Night Live is always the biggest factor in how well a season goes. They are the constants that have to keep the show going as hosts come and go each week. However, a truly great line-up of hosts can elevate a season from good to great. Season 22 has one of the best collections of hosts from beginning to end as the show seemed to embrace the fact that past SNL tend to be the best hosts.
Season 22 saw a terrific roster of former cast return to the show to host, including one stretch in the middle of the season where there were five consecutive episodes in which the host was a former cast member. These hosts included some of the best cast of all time, like Chevy Chase and Martin Short, those who were misused while on the show but became big stars, like Chris Rock and Robert Downey Jr., and SNL players who had just recently left, like Mike Myers and Dana Carvey.
However, one of the highlights of the season was the introduction of the Celebrity Jeopardy skit that became an all-time classic.
19 Season 10
1984-1985
The transition years on Saturday Night Live have always been a rocky time for the show. These are seasons in which a large majority of the cast, especially the most popular performers, have left, new cast are brought in, and new stars have to emerge. The first time there was a large transition like this was in season 6 when all of the original cast exited and the show nearly fell apart. There was a lot of pressure for season 10 not to make a similar mistake and they achieved this with an inventive solution.
With Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo among the five cast who left the previous year, SNL decided that instead of bringing in new up-and-coming comedic talent, they would hire proven stars of the comedy world. Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Martin Short were among the people hired to the cast. While the entire cast would be replaced the following year with none of the big stars choosing to return, the star-studded season made for an exciting year in SNL's storied history.
18 Season 26
2000-2001
Season 26 was a powerhouse installment for Saturday Night Live. Election years are SNL's bread and butter, and with the politically turbulent race between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore, the sketch series struck comedy gold with Will Ferrell and Darrell Hammond's hysterical impersonations of Bush and Gore, respectively. The season proved to be yet another where Ferrell dominated, as this was when he and Rachel Dratch debuted their hilarious "Lovers" sketch, in which they play an overly amorous couple.
But what truly made Saturday Night Live season 26 special was that it marked Tina Fey's debut in front of the camera. While she had been a writer for the show since 1997, season 26 saw her become a featured player. Fey and Jimmy Fallon took over Colin Quinn's Weekend Update hosting duties and their chemistry was electric.
17 Season 21
1995-1996
Season 21 was another year of change for Saturday Night Live and one that helped push the show forward. The previous season had seen some of the biggest stars like Adam Sandler and Chris Farley fired, which led to a mostly new cast to kick off the season. However, while those were big shoes to fill for new cast , the fact that season 21 marked Will Ferrell's first year meant the show was heading in the right direction.
Along with Ferrell, who quickly made a name for himself in the series, Molly Shannon was also given a more prominent role while Chris Kattan was hired near the end of the season and quickly made a splash. The new cast saw Saturday Night Live once again developing characters who could become beloved recurring bits, with season 21 marking the debut of the likes of the Spartan Cheerleaders, Mary Katherine Gallagher, and The Roxbury Guys.
16 Season 34
2008 - 2009
Sometimes the events in the real world become perfect material for Saturday Night Live. Season 34 proved to be one such season, which saw a huge ratings boost as the show covered the presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain. While that proved to be a historic election for the United States of America, SNL excelled at focusing not on the presidential candidates but rather on a vice presidential hopeful. Season 34 kicked off with Tina Fey returning to the show playing Sarah Palin.
Fey's performance, which won her an Emmy, gave SNL much-deserved buzz, and excitement in seeing the show tackle such an intriguing political figure grew to astonishing heights. Fey's appearances were peppered throughout the season, with Palin doing a press conference alongside Hillary Clinton, being interviewed by Katie Couric, and meeting with Will Ferrell's George W. Bush. The real Sarah Palin also made an appearance, showing the pop culture effect of the impression. Season 34 was also bittersweet, as it marked the final season for Amy Poehler, one of the best SNL cast of all time.
