History Series / SaturdayNightLive

** Then there was the sketch on the Zack Galifianakis episode where a mom and dad (Kristen Wiig and Galifianakis) reveal to their kids (Abby Elliot, Nasim Pedrad, and Bobby Moynihan) that their pet dog, Noodles, died while performing autoerotic asphyxiation. While the premise does come off as shocking and offensive, the image of a dog using his own collar to choke himself (despite not having thumbs) and the revelation that the dog had a porno called "Puggs" (which Galifianakis's character [[CovertPervert briefly ogles at before putting it down]]) makes this too ridiculous to be offensive ([[YourMileageMayVary at least in some people's eyes]]).

** Then there was the sketch on the Zack Galifianakis episode where a mom and dad (Kristen Wiig and Galifianakis) reveal to their kids (Abby Elliot, Nasim Pedrad, and Bobby Moynihan) that their pet dog, Noodles, died while performing autoerotic asphyxiation ([[spoiler: HeGotBetter at the end]]). While the premise does come off as shocking and offensive, the image of a dog using his own collar to choke himself (despite not having thumbs) and the revelation that the dog had a porno called "Puggs" (which Galifianakis's character [[CovertPervert briefly ogles at before putting it down]]) makes this too ridiculous to be offensive ([[YourMileageMayVary at least in some people's eyes]]).

* '''Danitra Vance''' (a little-known cast member from the same cast as Terry Sweeney [1985-1986]) is not only the first black female cast member who was hired as a repertory player ('''Yvonne Hudson''' is technically the first black female cast member ever to be hired on ''SNL'', but Hudson was only hired as a feature player -- during Jean Doumanian's notoriously bad sixth season -- and not much is known about her either, besides the fact that she was on ''SNL''), but also the only ''SNL'' cast member who had a learning disability (she was dyslexic), the only black female ''SNL'' cast member who is deceased (Vance died of breast cancer in 1994), and the only female cast member who was a lesbian (though her sexual preference wasn't made known until after she died).

* AllCheeringAllTheTime: The Spartan Cheerleaders

* TheAnnouncer: Don Pardo, still holding the job at the ripe old age of 93.

* AwesomeMcCoolName: Taran Killam (Pronounced Tear n' Kill em')

* TheComicallySerious: Lorne Michaels' on-air personality is not only famous for how dry he acts, but also for the fact he has almost never lost his composure (the few times he ''has'' lost his composure is considered a real achievement for the actors).

* ButtMonkey: Both played by cast members (though Chris Kattan, Chris Parnell, Fred Armisen, Jane Curtin [from the 1970s episodes], and some of the black cast members {with the possible exceptions of Eddie Murphy, Tim Meadows post-Season 20, and some of the black feature players like Damon Wayans, Jerry Minor, Dean Edwards, and Jay Pharoah, as Wayans, Minor, and Edwards didn't last long and Pharoah has his impersonations to save him from being relegated to ButtMonkey roles} always seem to be saddled with less than desirable roles) and episode hosts. One particular exception (where a musical guest was the ButtMonkey) was seen in the Season 35 episode hosted by Jon Hamm with musical guest Michael Bublé in a fake commercial for a restaurant that serves ham and champagne ("Hamm and Bublé"). In that sketch, Bublé keeps having his name mispronounced (as "bubbly" instead of "boob-lay"), is forced to sing a parody of his song "I Haven't Met You Yet", was roped into being Hamm's business partner because Hamm had the idea for the restaurant while he was drunk and slapped Bublé when he thought it was a joke, and has been held captive and forced to perform ventriloquism and one-man shows instead of singing.
** From the early days, Mr. Bill.
** JimHenson and his Muppet creations from The Land of Gorch sketches really became ButtMonkey material during the second half of the first season, with every one of their sketchs centered around the Gorch residents being out of jobs on SNL and desperatly pleaing for their jobs back with no luck. This likely steamed from the fact that the SNL writers loathed writing material for Henson.

* CueCardPause: Prevalent in the "JimmyFallon cracking up" era. Not so much now, unless you count the many times that a newbie host has trouble with his or her lines in a sketch.

* AllNaturalGemPolish: Cristhopher Reeve's solid carbon to diamond trick.

* {{Corpsing}}: It's live comedy, after all. It's also happened in ''every'' Stefon segment from the current era.

* '''Terry Sweeney''', the only male homosexual cast member (his lover is Lanier Laney, who, coincidentally, is Terry Sweeney's comedy writing partner. The two are often credited together as seen in ''TrippingTheRift'' and The WB!'s short-lived sketch show, ''Hype'') and one of two hired as writers by Jean Doumanian during her abysmal 1980-81 season (the other was Bill Murray's brother, {{Brian-Doyle Murray}})

* '''SethMeyers''', the only cast member to have a family member who was on a rival show (Josh Meyers, his younger brother, was on ''{{MADtv}}'' for Seasons 8-9). Meyers is now the longest-running male cast member on the show following Darrell Hammond's departure (Meyers has been on the show since 2001, but he didn't become popular until he replaced TinaFey as Weekend Update anchor -- though YourMileageMayVary as some fans hate Meyers for replacing Fey -- and hate him even more now that his Weekend Update co-anchor Amy Poehler left).
* '''Jeff Richards''', the first cast member who was also a ''[=MADtv=]'' cast member (Richards was on ''[=MADtv=]'' from 2000-01, then left for ''SNL'' and stayed on there from 2001 to the middle of the 2003-04 season). As of 2010, another former ''[=MADtv=]'' cast member has been hired on ''SNL'' — '''Taran Killam''', one in a long string of feature players who were on ''[=MADtv=]'' for one to two seasons and rarely got any screentime (outside of a music video or movie trailer parody). Killam is also the second ''SNL'' cast member who got his start on Nickelodeon kids' shows before moving onto projects intended for general audiences.
* '''EddieMurphy''', the first black cast member to be famous, the youngest black male cast member to be hired (Murphy was only 19 when he joined the 1980-1981 cast) and the only host to host an episode while still a cast member — specifically the December 11, 1982 show that was '''supposed''' to be helmed by Nick Nolte, but Nolte was too hungover from partying to make it to rehearsals, so Murphy took over...much to the shock and anger of the cast, who felt that Murphy was overtaking the show.

* '''Danitra Vance''' (a little-known cast member from the same cast as Terry Sweeney [1985-1986]) is not only the first black female cast member who was hired as a repertory player (Yvonne Hudson is technically the first black female cast member ever to be hired on ''SNL'', but Hudson was only hired as a feature player -- during Jean Doumanian's notoriously bad sixth season -- and not much is known about her either, besides the fact that she was on ''SNL''), but also the only ''SNL'' cast member who had a learning disability (she was dyslexic), the only black female ''SNL'' cast member who is deceased (Vance died of breast cancer in 1994), and the only female cast member who was a lesbian (though she wasn't as open about her sexuality as Terry Sweeney was).

* '''Jason Sudeikis''' and '''Paul Brittain''': Both are nephews to two comic actors who have hosted the show more than once. Jason Sudeikis's uncle is George Wendt (Norm from ''Cheers''); Paul Brittain is the nephew of Bob Newhart.

* Christopher Guest (from the 1984-1985 season -- season 10): Is the only ''SNL'' cast member who is a member of British nobility (his real title is, "Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest").

* MissingEpisode: In its 36 years, there have been times where the show was put on hiatus due to the Writers' Guild of America going on strike (specifically in 1981, 1985, 1988, and 2007-08). Because of this, a lot of planned episodes were never written — or were written but never performed. One particularly sad example is a planned 1988 episode that was supposed to be hosted by Gilda Radner from the original "Not Ready for Primetime Players" cast. Sadly, because of the strike and Radner's death from ovarian cancer, this episode has never been made and never will be.

* Harry Shearer, the only cast member to be such for two non-consecutive seasons (1979-80 and 1984-85), making him the GroverCleveland of ''SNL''. Also the only cast member to be a regular cast member on another long-running American comedy show that heavily influenced modern pop culture, is considered a goldmine of memes in the pre-Internet era, and whose humor and quality has been called into question in recent years — ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''[[hottip:*:(Phil Hartman, while a memorable and endearing cast member of both ''SNL'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', doesn't count since he wasn't credited as a regular on ''The Simpsons''.)]]
* Terry Sweeney, the only male homosexual cast member (his lover is Lanier Laney, who, coincidentally, is Terry Sweeney's comedy writing partner. The two are often credited together as seen in ''TrippingTheRift'' and The WB!'s short-lived sketch show, ''Hype'') and one of two hired as writers by Jean Doumanian during her abysmal 1980-81 season (the other was Bill Murray's brother, {{Brian-Doyle Murray}})
* AnthonyMichaelHall (the youngest male ''SNL'' cast member. Hall was only 17 when he joined the 1985-1986 cast)
* AbbyElliott, the first (and so far only) cast member who is the child of another cast member (her father is Chris Elliott, who was on ''Saturday Night Live'' during its 20th season [1994-1995]). Chris' own father was BobElliott of BobAndRay (who appeared on a Christmas episode of ''SNL'' in 1978), making the performers a three-generation comedy family who have appeared on the show. Elliott is also the youngest female cast member in the show's history (21 and five months when she first appeared as a cast member in 2009), beating out Julia Louis-Dreyfus (21 and eight months when she first came on the show in 1982).
* SethMeyers, the only cast member to have a family member who was on a rival show (Josh Meyers, his younger brother, was on ''{{MADtv}}'' for Seasons 8-9). Meyers is now the longest-running male cast member on the show following Darrell Hammond's departure (Meyers has been on the show since 2001, but he didn't become popular until he replaced TinaFey as Weekend Update anchor -- though YourMileageMayVary as some fans hate Meyers for replacing Fey -- and hate him even more now that his Weekend Update co-anchor Amy Poehler left).
* Jeff Richards, the first cast member who was also a ''[=MADtv=]'' cast member (Richards was on ''[=MADtv=]'' from 2000-01, then left for ''SNL'' and stayed on there from 2001 to the middle of the 2003-04 season). As of 2010, another former ''[=MADtv=]'' cast member has been hired on ''SNL'' — Taran Killam, one in a long string of feature players who were on ''[=MADtv=]'' for one to two seasons and rarely got any screentime (outside of a music video or movie trailer parody). Killam is also the second ''SNL'' cast member who got his start on Nickelodeon kids' shows before moving onto projects intended for general audiences.
* Eddie Murphy, the first black cast member to be famous, the youngest black male cast member to be hired (Murphy was only 19 when he joined the 1980-1981 cast) and the only host to host an episode while still a cast member — specifically the December 11, 1982 show that was '''supposed''' to be helmed by Nick Nolte, but Nolte was too hungover from partying to make it to rehearsals, so Murphy took over...much to the shock and anger of the cast, who felt that Murphy was overtaking the show.
* Michael [=McKean=], the oldest person to be hired as a cast member (he was 46 when he first joined the cast).
* Darrell Hammond, the cast member with the most celebrity impersonations (107, with Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump, most of GeorgeWBush's Cabinet [particularly Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney], ''Hardball'' host Chris Matthews, and Sean Connery as his most frequent and most popular), the last cast member hired in the 1990s to leave the show (Hammond left at the end of Season 34), the oldest cast member to leave the show (Hammond was 55 when he left the show), and the longest-running white male cast member at 14 seasons (1995-2009).
* Billy Crystal, one of two cast members who hosted prior to being cast on the show (the other was [=McKean=], who also holds the distinction of being the only cast member to host and be a musical guest before becoming a cast member).
* Rob Riggle, the only member of the '''''[[SemperFi U.S. Marine Corps]]''''' to be a cast member. Also the third former cast member to become a correspondent on ''Series/TheDailyShow'', joining A. Whitney Brown and Nancy Walls.
* Tim Meadows, the longest-serving black male cast member (1990-2000). He wasn't that popular in his early years on the show, but became popular in the mid-to-late 1990s when Lorne fired most of the season 20 cast and revamped the show for season 21.
* Tony Rosato, Pamela Stephenson, Morwenna Banks, Horatio Sanz, and Nasim Pedrad are the only cast members to be born outside of North America (Rosato was born in Italy before his parents emigrated to Canada, Stephenson was born in New Zealand and is now an Australian citizen, Banks was originally from England, Sanz was born in Chile, and Nasim Pedrad in Iran).
** Tony Rosato and Robin Duke were the first former cast members of ''{{SCTV}}'' to be in the cast (they joined in 1981 when Dick Ebersol was hired to retool ''SNL'' after Jean Doumanian ruined it; Martin Short joined in 1984).
* Danitra Vance (a little-known cast member from the same cast as Terry Sweeney [1985-1986]) is not only the first black female cast member who was hired as a repertory player (Yvonne Hudson is technically the first black female cast member ever to be hired on ''SNL'', but Hudson was only hired as a feature player -- during Jean Doumanian's notoriously bad sixth season -- and not much is known about her either, besides the fact that she was on ''SNL''), but also the only ''SNL'' cast member who had a learning disability (she was dyslexic), the only black female ''SNL'' cast member who is deceased (Vance died of breast cancer in 1994), and the only female cast member who was a lesbian (though she wasn't as open about her sexuality as Terry Sweeney was).
* Joan Cusack and Kristen Wiig are the only female cast members to be nominated for [[AcademyAward Academy Awards]]; Cusack, twice (for Best Supporting Actress in ''WorkingGirl'' and ''In & Out''), and Wiig, once (for Best Original Screenplay, as the co-writer of ''{{Bridesmaids}}'').
* Jason Sudeikis and Paul Brittain: Both are nephews to two comic actors who have hosted the show more than once. Jason Sudeikis's uncle is George Wendt (Norm from ''Cheers''); Paul Brittain is the nephew of Bob Newhart.
* AlFranken: The first -- and so far only -- ''SNL'' cast member who is now a U.S. Senator.

* Jason Sudeikis and Paul Brittain: Both are nephews to two comic actors who have hosted the show more than once. Jason Sudeikis's uncle is George Wendt (Norm from ''Cheers''); Paul Brittain is the nephew of BobNewhart.

* SethMeyers, the only cast member to have a family member who was on a rival show (Josh Meyers, his younger brother, was on ''{{MADtv}}'' for Seasons 8-9). Meyers is now the longest-running male cast member on the show following Darrell Hammond's departure (Meyers has been on the show since 2001, but he didn't become popular until he replaced TinaFay as Weekend Update anchor -- though YourMileageMayVary as some fans hate Meyers for replacing Fey -- and hate him even more now that his Weekend Update co-anchor Amy Poehler left).

* Harry Shearer, the only cast member to be such for two non-consecutive seasons (1979-80 and 1984-85), making him the GroverCleveland of ''SNL''. Also the only cast member to be a regular cast member on another long-running American comedy show that heavily influenced modern pop culture and whose humor and quality has been called into question in recent years — ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''[[hottip:*:(Phil Hartman, while a memorable and endearing cast member of both ''SNL'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', doesn't count since he wasn't credited as a regular on ''The Simpsons''.)]]
* Terry Sweeney, the only male homosexual cast member (his lover is Lanier Laney, who, coincidentally, is Terry Sweeney's comedy writing partner) and one of two hired as writers by Jean Doumanian during her abysmal 1980-81 season (the other was Bill Murray's brother, {{Brian-Doyle Murray}})

* SethMeyers, the only cast member to have a family member who was on a rival show (Josh Meyers, his younger brother, was on ''{{MADtv}}'' for Seasons 8-9).

* Eddie Murphy, the first black cast member to be famous and the only host to host an episode while still a cast member — specifically the December 11, 1982 show that was '''supposed''' to be helmed by Nick Nolte, but Nolte was too hungover from partying to make it to rehearsals, so Murphy took over...much to the shock and anger of the cast, who felt that Murphy was overtaking the show.

* Darrell Hammond, the cast member with the most celebrity impersonations (107, with Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump, most of GeorgeWBush's Cabinet [particularly Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney], and Sean Connery as his most frequent and most popular), the last cast member hired in the 1990s to leave the show (Hammond left at the end of Season 34), the oldest cast member to leave the show (Hammond was 55 when he left the show), and the longest-running white male cast member at 14 seasons (1995-2009).

* Rob Riggle, the only member of the [[SemperFi U.S. Marine Corps]] to be a cast member. Also the third former cast member to become a correspondent on ''Series/TheDailyShow'', joining A. Whitney Brown and Nancy Walls.

* Tony Rosato, Pamela Stephenson, Morwenna Banks, Horatio Sanz, and Nasim Pedrad are the only cast members to be born outside of North America (Rosato in Italy, Stephenson in New Zealand, Banks in England, Sanz in Chile, and Nasim Pedrad in Iran).
** Tony Rosato and Robin Duke were the first former cast members of ''{{SCTV}}'' to be in the cast (they joined in 1981; Martin Short joined in 1984).

* Joan Cusack and Kristen Wiig, who are the only female cast members to be nominated for [[AcademyAward Academy Awards]]; Cusack, twice (for Best Supporting Actress in ''WorkingGirl'' and ''In & Out''), and Wiig, once (for Best Original Screenplay, as the co-writer of ''{{Bridesmaids}}'').

* ParodyAssistance: ''SaturdayNightLive'''s ''SchoolhouseRock'' parody [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JLKw0q4kY "Conspiracy Theory Rock"]] had Jack Sheldon reprise his role as the main singer.

* Joan Cusack and Kristen Wiig, who are the only SNL cast members ever to be nominated for [[AcademyAward Academy Awards]]; Cusack, twice (for Best Supporting Actress in ''WorkingGirl'' and ''In & Out''), and Wiig, once (for Best Original Screenplay, as the co-writer of ''{{Bridesmaids}}'').

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* VomitIndiscretionShot: An infamous sketch where a murder victim is apparently so gruesome that all the cops/coroners/reporters/etc who see pictures vomit everywhere. It was later parodied on ''[[ThirtyRock 30 Rock]]''.

* SpiritualSuccessor: In ''[[{{ptitleolsdue4jfzga}} 30 Rock]]'', complete with TinaFey as DemotedCreator and Lorne Michaels as executive producer.

The number of stars that emerged from this show is mindboggling by itself. Just among the first year cast, SNL launched the careers of Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, DanAykroyd, JohnBelushi and JaneCurtin, as well as frequent guest performer (though never host) AndyKaufman. Other famous cast members include BillMurray, EddieMurphy, Robert Downey, Jr., WillFerrell, AlFranken (making it the only late-night entertainment show to produce a ''United States Senator''), Gilbert Gottfried, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Billy Crystal, Phil Hartman, Chris Rock, AdamSandler, Chris Farley, Dennis Miller and many more. Among the most recent cast members, TinaFey has a very dedicated fandom in no small part because of her success with being head writer and cast member on ''SNL'', the film ''MeanGirls'', and the sitcom ''[[{{ptitleolsdue4jfzga}} 30 Rock]]''.

* Rob Riggle, the only member of the [[SemperFi U.S. Marine Corps]] to be a cast member. Also the third former cast member to become a correspondent on ''TheDailyShow'', joining A. Whitney Brown and Nancy Walls.

* Harry Shearer, the only cast member to be such for two non-consecutive seasons (1979-80 and 1984-85), making him the GroverCleveland of ''SNL''. Also the only cast member to be a regular cast member on another long-running American comedy show that heavily influenced modern pop culture and whose humor and quality has been called into question in recent years — ''TheSimpsons''[[hottip:*:(Phil Hartman, while a memorable and endearing cast member of both ''SNL'' and ''TheSimpsons'', doesn't count since he wasn't credited as a regular on ''The Simpsons''.)]]