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Saturday Night Live — Season 20

Saturday Night Live aired its twentieth season during the 1994–95 television season on NBC. The twentieth season began on September 24, 1994 and ended on May 13, 1995. Much like seasons six and eleven, this season was lambasted by critics for its decline in quality. Season twenty suffered from having sketches based on very thin premises, a high number of which focused on or mentioned O. J. Simpson's 1995 murder trial. Much like the 1980–1981 season and the 1985–1986 season, NBC worried over SNL's decline in quality and initially decided that now would be the best time to pull the plug on the show once and for all. According to the prime time special Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation, Lorne Michaels credits this season as the closest he's ever been to being fired. In the end, the cast member firings and crew turnover resulting from this season represented the biggest involvement into the show's affairs by NBC executives since the 1980–1981 season and the biggest cast overhaul since the 1985–1986 season. This season saw the deaths of two SNL alumni: Danitra Vance and Michael O'Donoghue. The Sarah Jessica Parker/R.E.M. episode featured a special appearance by Bill Murray, who introduced a clip of "Mr. Mike's Least Favorite Bedtime Stories" in O'Donoghue's memory.

Episodes

  • E01 Steve Martin/Eric Clapton

    Sep 24, 1994 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""Clinton Auditions,"" ""The Ron Wood Show,"" ""Baseball Cruise,"" ""Steve Martin's All-Natural Penis Beauty Creme,"" and ""Bad Ad Campaign."" ""Court TV: O.J. Simpson Trial,"" ""Total Bastard Airlines,"" and ""The Better Baby."" Bathroom Monkey Commercial"", ""Weekend Update with Norm MacDonald"", ""Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey"", ""Leland-Meyers Home Headache Test Commercial"".

  • E02 Marisa Tomei/Bonnie Raitt

    Oct 1, 1994 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include "Bill Clinton," "Court TV: O.J. Simpson Trial," "Adult Education Class," "Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley," and "Monsters of Monologue '94."

  • E03 John Travolta/Seal

    Oct 15, 1994 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""Bathroom Monkey,"" ""Coffee Talk With Linda Richman,"" ""Dracula's Not Gay,"" ""Quentin Tarantino's Welcome Back Kotter,"" ""Women's Self-Defense,"" ""Larry King Live,"" ""Small Office,"" ""Deaf Drug Dealer""

  • E04 Dana Carvey/Edie Brickell

    Oct 22, 1994 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""George Bush,"" ""Virtual Reality Books,"" ""Johnny Carson,"" ""Ross Perot,"" ""Pepper Boy,"" ""Nobel Prize Awards,"" ""Work Excuses,"" ""Office Space""

  • E05 Sarah Jessica Parker/R.E.M.

    Nov 12, 1994 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""Concession Speech,"" ""Good Morning Brooklyn,"" ""Nice and Naughty Guitarists,"" ""Confucius,"" ""The Casting Couch,"" ""The Munchkins,"" and ""Tribute to Michael O'Donoghue"".

  • E06 John Turturro/Tom Petty

    Nov 17, 1994 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""It's a Wonderful Newt,"" ""Christopher Walken's Celebrity Psychic Friends Network,"" ""Phone Hang-Ups,"" ""Taxi Driver: The Musical,"" ""Stop That,"" ""The Movie Club""

  • E07 Roseanne/Green Day

    Dec 3, 1994 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""Jesse Helms,"" ""Roseanne Goes to Therapy,"" ""USAir,"" ""Rescue 911,"" ""Civil War Memories,"" and ""Yogurt Store.""

  • E08 Alec Baldwin/Beastie Boys

    Dec 10, 1994 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""Joycelyn Elders,"" ""Japanese Game Show,"" ""Los Angeles Breast and Penis,"" ""Celebrity Memorial Auction,"" and ""Family Auto Trip.""

  • E09 George Foreman/Hole

    Dec 17, 1994 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""Bill Clinton,"" ""Time Boxer,"" ""Looking Good,"" ""Matt Foley,"" ""Uncle Joe,"" ""The Incredible Hulk,"" ""Chris Elliot's Bedtime Story,"" ""Jackie Stallone's Psychic Circle""

  • E10 Jeff Daniels/Luscious Jackson

    Jan 14, 1995 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""Newt Gingrich,"" ""Connie Chung and Newt Gingrich's Mom,"" ""Martin Luther King Day,"" ""Mystery Dinner Theatre,"" ""Eterna-Rest,"" ""Film Beat,"" ""Entertainment Tonight""

  • E11 David Hyde Pierce/Live

    Jan 21, 1995 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include "O.J. Simpson", "Rock Poetry Class", "Tales of Little Women", "Scottish Soccer Hooligan Weekly", "Robot Spy Onboard", "Nervous Habits", "Jersey Kids Meet the Foreigner", "Perspectives", "Claire Tries Internet Sex", and "Movie News".

  • E12 Bob Newhart/Des'ree

    Feb 11, 1995 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""C-SPAN: Colin Ferguson,"" ""Ricki Lake,"" ""Book Buzz,"" ""Baywatch,"" ""Poster Worker Evaluation,"" ""Hi Bob,"" and ""Sports Beat."" Des'ree performed ""You Gotta Be"" and ""Feels So High.""

  • E13 Deion Sanders/Bon Jovi

    Feb 18, 1995 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include: ""O.J. Simpson Tour,"" ""The 1995 ESPY Awards,"" ""Rappers With Simple Lyrics,"" ""Perspectives,"" ""Deep Thoughts By Jack Handey,"" and ""Sick Boy""

  • E14 George Clooney/The Cranberries

    Feb 25, 1995 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""Black History Month,"" ""Mandy the Whale,"" ""Tales of Fraud and Malfeasance in Railroad Hiring Practices,"" ""Taxicab Confessions,"" and ""Zagat's"".

  • E15 Paul Reiser/Annie Lennox

    Mar 18, 1995 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""Newt Gingrich's Sister,"" ""Where's Superman?,"" ""Mad About You Aliens,"" ""Sparklebrite Toothpaste,"" and ""One Brother Cafe.""

  • E16 John Goodman/Tragically Hip

    Mar 25, 1995 · 1h 7m

    Live from New York, it's…Dan Aykroyd! Sketches include ""This Week With David Brinkley,"" ""Superfans Return,"" ""The Late Late Show With Tom Snyder,"" ""Dog Park,"" ""Howard Stern,"" ""Self-Deluded Losers,"" ""Unsolved Mysteries,"" ""Coal Miners,"" and ""Penis-Measuring Device.""

  • E17 Damon Wayans/Dionne Farris

    Apr 8, 1995 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include: ""Judge Ito,"" ""Men on Film,"" ""Spit Valves,"" ""Black Names,"" ""Christopher Walken for Skittles"", and ""Court TV: The O.J. Trial.""

  • E18 Courteney Cox/Dave Matthews Band

    Apr 15, 1995 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""Matt Foley,"" ""Good Morning Brooklyn,"" ""Gapardy,"" ""Melanie Babysits,"" ""Charles Manson,"" ""Truth vs. Jokes,"" ""Replacement Baseball,"" ""His Muse Friday,"" ""Obnoxious Co-worker""

  • E19 Bob Saget/TLC

    May 6, 1995 · 1h 7m

    Sketches include ""Tony Vallencourt,"" ""Fast,"" ""America's Funniest Hate Videos,"" ""Fashion Designer,"" ""Where In the World is San Diego, California?"", ""Boyz II Men,"" ""Karl's,"" ""Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey,"" ""Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley,"" ""Pacemaker""

  • E20 David Duchovny/Rod Stewart

    May 13, 1995 · 1h 7m

    Live from New York, for the last time, it's…Michael McKean! Sketches include ""Beastman of Studio 8H,"" You Think You're Better Than Me?, Zagat's, ""New England General Store,"" Ricki Lake, ""Rock and Roll Realtor,"" and ""Polar Bears.""

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