| Saturday Night Live | |
|---|---|
| Season 35 | |
 | |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 26, 2009 (2009-09-26) – May 15, 2010 (2010-05-15) |
| Season chronology | |
← Previous season 34 Next → season 36 | |
| List of episodes | |
Thethirty-fifth season ofSaturday Night Live (also brandedSNL 35), an Americansketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States onNBC between September 26, 2009, and May 15, 2010.
A total of 22 episodes were broadcast during the show's eight-month-long season, which included a two-week break in February due to the2010 Winter Olympics. The season was accompanied by three prime-time episodes ofSaturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday and three prime-timeSNLclip shows.
This season introduced a new opening montage, which was shot using theCanon EOS 5D Mark II andCanon EOS 7D digital SLR cameras. Typical elements are recorded at thirtyframes per second (fps), with slow-motion sequences shot at sixty fps, both in full 1080p high definition.[1]
A notable moment of the season was when aninternet campaign was created to get actressBetty White to host an episode of the show. The campaign was started in early 2010 on Facebook and the group was called "Betty White to Host SNL (please?)!" The campaign was successful, and White became theoldest person ever to host the show. For White's episode,Lorne Michaels brought back former cast membersRachel Dratch,Tina Fey,Ana Gasteyer,Amy Poehler,Maya Rudolph andMolly Shannon. The episode garnered the show's highest ratings in over a year. with a rating of 5.8 in the 18–49 rating, demographic and with 12.1 million viewers overall.[2]
Prior to the start of the season,Darrell Hammond, who was the last cast member from the 1990s, left the show. At the time, Hammond became the longest-running cast member with a total of 14 seasons, though he would later be surpassed byKenan Thompson in 2017. Following Hammond's departure, featured playersMichaela Watkins andCasey Wilson were both let go from the show after the finale of the previous season. Wilson had been on the show for two seasons, while Watkins had been on for only one.[3] To account for the absences of Watkins and Wilson, the show brought in two new female featured players as replacements, comedian and writerNasim Pedrad ofThe Groundlings and stand-up comicJenny Slate.[4]Abby Elliott andBobby Moynihan remained as featured players.
This would be the final season for longtime cast memberWill Forte, who had been on the show for 8 seasons since2002.[5] This would also be the only season for Slate, who was let go at the end of the season.[6]
Repertory players | Featured players
|
bold denotes Weekend Update anchor
Second City theater performerMike O'Brien joins the writing staff.[7] He would join the cast for the show'sthirty-ninth season.
Additionally, starting with this season, writersColin Jost (who has been writing for the show since2005),Emily Spivey (who had been writing for the show since2001), andJohn Mulaney (who was hired at the start of the previous season in2008), were named as this season's writing supervisors, replacingPaula Pell (who took a brief leave of absence).[8]
Starting with the Tina-Fey hosted episode, Pell (who had been a writer on the show since1995, and was gone for most of the season) returns to the writing staff. This episode would also be the last for longtime writer Spivey, as she left the show following this episode, after nine years as a writer.[9]
Also, starting with the following Ryan Phillipe-hosted episode,Bryan Tucker (a writer for the show since2005) is named as the new co-writer supervisor, alongside Jost and Mulaney.[10]
Season 35 would also prove to be the final season for fellow longtime writer/Lonely Island memberJorma Taccone (who had been a writer since2005), as he left the show after five years.[11] He would make contributions to select future Lonely Island sketches.
This was also the final season for another longtime writer,John Lutz (who had been with writing staff since2004), as he left the show after 6½ years.[12]
| No. overall | No. in season | Host | Musical guest | Original release date | Ratings/ Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 659 | 1 | Megan Fox | U2 | September 26, 2009 (2009-09-26) | 4.6/11[13] | |
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| 660 | 2 | Ryan Reynolds | Lady Gaga | October 3, 2009 (2009-10-03) | 4.7/12[14] | |
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| 661 | 3 | Drew Barrymore | Regina Spektor | October 10, 2009 (2009-10-10) | 4.6/11[15] | |
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| 662 | 4 | Gerard Butler | Shakira | October 17, 2009 (2009-10-17) | 4.8/11[17] | |
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| 663 | 5 | Taylor Swift | Taylor Swift | November 7, 2009 (2009-11-07) | 5.0/12[18] | |
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| 664 | 6 | January Jones | Black Eyed Peas | November 14, 2009 (2009-11-14) | 4.7/12[19] | |
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| 665 | 7 | Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Dave Matthews Band | November 21, 2009 (2009-11-21) | 4.3/11[20] | |
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| 666 | 8 | Blake Lively | Rihanna | December 5, 2009 (2009-12-05) | 4.4/12[21] | |
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| 667 | 9 | Taylor Lautner | Bon Jovi | December 12, 2009 (2009-12-12) | 5.1/12[22] | |
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| 668 | 10 | James Franco | Muse | December 19, 2009 (2009-12-19) | 4.4/11[23] | |
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| 669 | 11 | Charles Barkley | Alicia Keys | January 9, 2010 (2010-01-09) | 4.4/19[24] | |
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| 670 | 12 | Sigourney Weaver | The Ting Tings | January 16, 2010 (2010-01-16) | 5.4/14[25] | |
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| 671 | 13 | Jon Hamm | Michael Bublé | January 30, 2010 (2010-01-30) | 5.0/12[26] | |
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| 672 | 14 | Ashton Kutcher | Them Crooked Vultures | February 6, 2010 (2010-02-06) | 5.3/13[27] | |
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| 673 | 15 | Jennifer Lopez | Jennifer Lopez | February 27, 2010 (2010-02-27) | 6.3/15[28] | |
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| 674 | 16 | Zach Galifianakis | Vampire Weekend | March 6, 2010 (2010-03-06) | 5.0/12[30] | |
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| 675 | 17 | Jude Law | Pearl Jam | March 13, 2010 (2010-03-13) | 4.5/11[31] | |
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| 676 | 18 | Tina Fey | Justin Bieber | April 10, 2010 (2010-04-10) | 5.7/14[33] | |
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| 677 | 19 | Ryan Phillippe | Kesha | April 17, 2010 (2010-04-17) | 5.2/13[34] | |
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| 678 | 20 | Gabourey Sidibe | MGMT | April 24, 2010 (2010-04-24) | 4.7/12[35] | |
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| 679 | 21 | Betty White | Jay-Z | May 8, 2010 (2010-05-08) | 8.8/21[40] | |
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| 680 | 22 | Alec Baldwin | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | May 15, 2010 (2010-05-15) | 5.8/14[42] | |
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| Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|
| "Saturday Night Live Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas" | December 17, 2009 (2009-12-17) | |
Holiday-themed sketchesfrom past episodes are aired, includingAdam Sandler's "The Hanukkah Song",Justin Timberlake andAndy Samberg's "Dick In A Box"Digital Short,Delicious Dish and many more. Alec Baldwin andSteve Martin make guest appearances. Kristen Wiig hosts as her character Gilly, withWill Forte,Kenan Thompson,Bobby Moynihan andAbby Elliott reprising their roles as the sketch's supporting characters. | ||
| "Saturday Night Live Presents: Sports All-Stars" | January 31, 2010 (2010-01-31) | |
Will Forte andJason Sudeikis host the show as Pete Twinkle and Greg Stink, their recurringESPN Classic sports announcer characters. Sketches featuring appearances by professional athletes including:Peyton Manning,Derek Jeter,LeBron James,Michael Jordan,Tom Brady,Charles Barkley and others are shown (most of which previously appeared in last year'sSNLclip show special about sports-related sketches). | ||
| "Saturday Night Live in the 2000s: Time and Again" | April 15, 2010 (2010-04-15) | |
The special featured insight on the show during the 2000s: topics discussed includeJimmy Fallon andTina Fey as the newWeekend Update anchors after the departure ofColin Quinn, howSNL became popular for its spoofs on the 2000United States presidential election, how the show's humor survived the9/11 attacks and theanthrax scare,Will Ferrell's departure at the end of season 27 and the search for a replacement cast member to play George W. Bush,SNL's shaky years between seasons 28 and 30 due to Jimmy Fallon's andHoratio Sanz's cracking up on camera, Jimmy Fallon's departure from the show, Amy Poehler teaming up with Tina Fey for Weekend Update, the hiring of Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Kristen Wiig, andSNL regaining its popularity with theDigital Shorts, its return from the WGA strike of 2007–2008, the introduction of new fan-favorite hosts like Justin Timberlake and Jon Hamm, and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election. Fred Armisen,Alec Baldwin,Rachel Dratch,Abby Elliott,Jimmy Fallon,Will Ferrell,Tina Fey,Will Forte,Bill Hader,Darrell Hammond,Chris Kattan,Marci Klein,John McCain,Seth Meyers,Lorne Michaels,Tracy Morgan,Bobby Moynihan,Chris Parnell,Amy Poehler,Maya Rudolph,Andy Samberg,Horatio Sanz,Akiva Schaffer,Molly Shannon,Michael Shoemaker,Jason Sudeikis,Jorma Taccone,Kenan Thompson,Justin Timberlake,Christopher Walken andKristen Wiig gave insight in the special. | ||
The second season ofSaturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, alimited-run series based on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" sketch, aired in conjunction with this season. The show is hosted bySeth Meyers,Update's current host, and formerUpdate co-hostAmy Poehler. Like the sketch, the show is a parody of local news broadcasts and satirizes contemporary news stories and figures. As of June 2010, three episodes have aired. An additional three episodes were scheduled to air in spring 2010, but were scrapped.[43]
| Episode number | Original airdate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | September 17, 2009 |
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| Episode 2 | September 24, 2009 |
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| Episode 3 | October 1, 2009 |
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The firstSNL film since 2000'sThe Ladies Man,MacGruber was released on May 21, 2010. The film, starringSNL cast membersWill Forte andKristen Wiig and former cast memberMaya Rudolph, is based on the "MacGruber" sketches from the show. It received mixed reviews from critics and, in spite of a wide initial release, was abox office bomb. After a two-week opening commitment during which it was shown in 2,546 theaters, it was dropped from all but 177 theaters starting in its third week.[44]