And just like that, another season of SNL is in the books. What a journey Season Four has been—filled with soaring highs and crushing lows that has gone on to help define an era of television comedy. While it was the most popular season of Saturday Night Live to date, it's also tinged with melancholy, foreshadowing the end of a golden age and some massive changes that would reshape the show when it returned for Season Five.

In this season wrap-up episode, Brad and Gary discuss everything that made Season Four so memorable and significant. They reflect on the lessons learned, remember what they loved most, and confess what surprised them from this iconic outing. They also shine a light on their favorite episodes, hosts, and musical guests, as well as compile their lists of “Best Bits” for the season.

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Today we mourn the passing of The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson.

In remembrance, we're revisiting his memorable appearance as the musical guest on SNL's Season 2, Episode 9, hosted by Jodie Foster. The Beach Boys were originally scheduled to perform a month earlier but had to pull out, with John Prine stepping in as their replacement.

On this episode – which originally aired on Thanksgiving weekend - Brian Wilson performed three songs, including "Good Vibrations" where he sat at a grand piano on a set covered in sand. Wilson also made a cameo appearance in a sketch, making him the VERY FIRST musical guest to appear unannounced in an SNL sketch.

This episode of The Not Ready for Prime Time Project, featuring guest Andy Hoglund, originally aired on November 28, 2023.

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Another season of The Early Years of SNL comes to a close, which can only mean one thing… Buck is Back! Buck Henry returns for his 8th time hosting and this time he gets a proper season finale musical guest with the one and only Bette Midler.

Saturday Night Live brings its highest-rated season yet to a close and while things are mostly upbeat, there is still a sense that this is somewhat of a goodbye. In what will end up being the final episode for Dan Aykroyd (unknowingly) and John Belushi (pretty evident) as cast members we see the final appearance of The Samurai, The Olympia Café closes its doors, and Richard Nixon makes one last appearance in the original era. On a brighter note, we get one of the most well-known cold opens of the era courtesy of Mr. Bill and an appearance by master impressionist Michael O’Donoghue!

We're once again joined by Jon Schneider of The Saturday Night Network to reminisce about the joys of Buck hosting, argue about Garrett giving his best performance of all time, lament the final episode of two of the show’s original stars, and teach Brad a thing or two about... well, nothing to do with SNL whatsoever. It's a hell of a way to go out!

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On the surface, veteran stage and screen actress Maureen Stapleton may seem like an odd choice to host Saturday Night Live. After watching this episode, that assessment might prove generous.

Season 4's penultimate episode stands as one of the more peculiar outings from SNL's original era. The accomplished host finds herself surprisingly underutilized, appearing in only a couple of sketches that truly showcase her talents. The show meanders through a mix of recurring characters and familiar formats—some expected, others quite surprising. And while the musical guests – Linda Ronstadt & Phoebe Snow – look good on paper, their performances just don’t seem to click.

The entire episode feels oddly restrained, as if everyone involved was operating at half-speed. Was this the inevitable result of Season 4's notoriously grueling production schedule finally catching up with the cast and crew? Or were they simply coasting, saving their energy for the following week's season finale host?

We try to answer these questions and more, though first one of us had to figure out exactly who Maureen Stapleton was—and perhaps more importantly, who she wasn't.

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Over SNL's legendary 50-year run, only a select few bits have managed to stand the test of time. One that has… the commercial parody. From fake products that feel disturbingly real to outrageous pitches that somehow make perfect sense, these sketches have become a staple of the show since day one.

For this edition of Tournament Talk, Bill Swerkski assembles an expert panel to dive deep into Saturday Night Live's comedy vault and debate the greatest commercial parodies of all time. With five decades of material to choose from, the competition is fierce—and the arguments even fiercer.

Which beloved classics will advance to the finals? And which controversial choices will spark the most heated debates among our panel? Which forgotten gems deserve recognition?

We laugh, we argue, we passionately defend our picks as we battle through bracket-style eliminations to crown the ultimate SNL commercial parody champion. Join us for a nostalgic journey through comedy history, where the debates about what didn't make the cut might be just as entertaining as what did.

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Blink and you might miss it, but Michael Palin returns to SNL for the third time. He is joined by James Taylor, making his second appearance as musical guest.

This episode serves up a mixed bag – a couple of VERY long sketches combined with three songs from JT results in one of the fewest comedy bits of any Saturday Night Live episode. Add to that the Monty Python veteran's surprisingly sparse on-camera presence, and you've got an outing that leaves something to be desired.

But fear not! Empire Magazine editor and author of Wild & Crazy Guys, Nick de Semlyen joins us from merry old England to dive deep into Palin's comedic legacy, question James Taylor's musical choices, and speak with an accent that generally makes him sound smarter than both our hosts combined.

Along the way, we somehow manage to shoehorn in references to Gary Busey, Steven Seagal, and contemplate the merits behind the plot of Diff'rent Strokes.

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The ladies of Saturday Night Live team up with the two comedy legends for the last SNL “off week” special. Jane, Laraine, & Gilda join Bob & Ray for a show filmed in 8H, produced and shot by the SNL crew, and (except for a Weekend Update) could easily be seen as a decent episode hosted by the duo.

Relying mostly on seasoned bits by the two comic icons the special does tend to, at times, feel bogged down. But there are some definite high points, especially when the writing slides over into the SNL sensibilities.

And of course there are musical guests! Willie Nelson & Leon Russell are on hand to sing three numbers – two of them from their recently released album together.

You read that correctly – Willie Nelson and Leon Russell put out an album together in the late 70s. And it is…A-mazing!

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It's the end of an era! After seven seasons and nearly 200 episodes, The SNL Hall of Fame—one of the cornerstones of the Saturday Night Live fan community—is closing its doors. This beloved podcast has hosted incredible conversations about the most influential cast members, writers, hosts, and musical guests in SNL's storied history.

Throughout their run, they've worked with listeners to enshrine over 35 SNL luminaries in the Hall. As their final season concludes, fans have just ONE LAST CHANCE to make their voices heard by voting on who should make up the seventh—and final—class of The SNL Hall of Fame.

The SNL Hall of Fame curator and podcast creator Jamie Dew is joined by current Chief Conversationalist Bill Kenney and his predecessor Thomas Sena (who held the role for five seasons) as they reflect on the Hall's origins, the podcast's evolution, and its impact on the SNL fan community. They share their favorite moments from the show's run and make some final pitches for nominees they feel can’t be left off this last round of voting.

Haven't listened yet? Now's the time! And don't forget to VOTE! Head to The SNL Hall of Fame website to cast your ballot for the final class of inductees, then explore their incredible archive of episodes.

Thank you, JD, Thomas, Bill, and Matt, for all you've done in helping to preserve SNL's legacy. We love you. You will be missed!

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