Saturday Night Live (season 42)

Saturday Night Live (season 42)
Country of origin	United States
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	October 1, 2016 – present

The forty-second season of the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on October 1, 2016 during the 2016–2017 television season, with host Margot Robbie and musical guest The Weeknd.^[1] The season sees a reduction of ads by 30% by removing two commercial breaks per episode in order to increase episode content.^[2]

Cast

Prior to the start of the season, Taran Killam, Jay Pharoah (both cast members since 2010), and Jon Rudnitsky (a cast member since 2015) were let go from the cast.^[3][4] Killam, despite having signed a seven-year contract that would have taken him to the end of season 42, was dropped from the cast due in part to issues concerning his work directing the film Why We're Killing Gunther, which would have limited his time on the show.^[5]

The show added three new featured players: SNL staff writer Mikey Day, Chicago improviser Alex Moffat and stand-up comedian/impressionist Melissa Villaseñor.^[6][7] While it was initially reported that Chicago improviser Chris Redd, best known for his role in Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, would also be joining the cast, this information was later proven to be incorrect.^[6][8]

Featured players Michael Che, Pete Davidson, and Leslie Jones were all upgraded to repertory status.^[9]

Though not a member of the cast, it was announced on September 28, 2016 that Alec Baldwin would take over impersonating Donald Trump from Darrell Hammond, who continues on as the show's announcer.^[10]

Cast roster

Repertory players[11] Vanessa Bayer Beck Bennett Aidy Bryant Michael Che Pete Davidson Leslie Jones Colin Jost Kate McKinnon Kyle Mooney Bobby Moynihan Cecily Strong Kenan Thompson Sasheer Zamata

Featured players Mikey Day Alex Moffat Melissa Villaseñor

bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor

Crew

Prior to the start of the season, short-film director Matt Villines (of the directing duo Matt & Oz) died of cancer.^[12]

Writers

In August 2016, writing duo Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider were promoted to co-head writers.^[13] In addition, eight new writers were hired for the upcoming season: Kristen Bartlett, Zack Bornstein, Joanna Bradley, Anna Drezen, Julio Torres, Nick Kocher, Brian McElhaney, and Drew Michael.^[14][15]

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Host(s)	Musical guest(s)	Original air date	Ratings/ Share
809	1	Margot Robbie	The Weeknd	October 1, 2016	5.8/15[16]
The Weeknd performs "Starboy" and "False Alarm" and also appears on Weekend Update during a bit titled "The Weeknd Update." Starting with this episode, Alec Baldwin takes over the task of impersonating Donald Trump from Darrell Hammond, who will continue on as the show's announcer.[10] He appears in the show's cold open, a parody of the first presidential debate. Hammond and Larry David appear in the Family Feud: Political Edition sketch as Bill Clinton and Bernie Sanders, respectively. Mikey Day, Alex Moffat, and Melissa Villaseñor's first episode as cast members.[17]
810	2	Lin-Manuel Miranda	Twenty One Pilots	October 8, 2016	5.2/13[18]
Twenty One Pilots performs "Heathens" and "Ride." Alec Baldwin appears as Donald Trump in the cold open. Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon appear on Weekend Update.
811	3	Emily Blunt	Bruno Mars	October 15, 2016	5.0/12[19]
Bruno Mars performs "24K Magic" and "Chunky" and appears in the "Drive-Thru Window" sketch. Alec Baldwin appears as Donald Trump in both the cold open and the pre-recorded "Melanianade" sketch.
812	4	Tom Hanks	Lady Gaga	October 22, 2016	6.1/15[20]
Lady Gaga performs "A-Yo" with Mark Ronson on guitar and "Million Reasons". Alec Baldwin appears as Donald Trump in the cold open and as a pilot in the "Cockpit" sketch.
813	5	Benedict Cumberbatch	Solange	November 5, 2016	5.8/14[21]
Solange performs "Cranes in the Sky" and "Don't Touch My Hair" with Sampha. Alec Baldwin appears as Donald Trump in the cold open. Dana Carvey appears as The Church Lady on Weekend Update. Chicago Cubs baseball players Anthony Rizzo, Dexter Fowler, and David Ross appear in the "Surprise Bachelorette" sketch. They also appear with Bill Murray on Weekend Update, singing "Go, Cubs, Go". A photo of NBC Universal employee John Homer is shown in silence before the goodnights.
814	6	Dave Chappelle	A Tribe Called Quest	November 12, 2016	6.2/16[22]
A Tribe Called Quest performs "We the People..." and "The Space Program" with Consequence and Busta Rhymes. The cold open pays tribute to the late Leonard Cohen and addresses the aftermath of Donald Trump's unexpected election victory, with Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton performing "Hallelujah". Chris Rock appears in the "Election Night" sketch. Donnell Rawlings appears in the pre-recorded "Walking Dead Chappelle's Show" sketch.
815	7	Kristen Wiig	The xx	November 19, 2016	4.7/12[23]
The xx performs "On Hold" and "I Dare You". Alec Baldwin and Jason Sudeikis appear as Donald Trump and Mitt Romney, respectively, in the cold open. Steve Martin and Will Forte appear in the opening monologue. Bill Hader has a vocal cameo in the "Secret Word" sketch.
816	8	Emma Stone	Shawn Mendes	December 3, 2016	4.4/11[24]
Shawn Mendes performs "Mercy" and "Treat You Better". Alec Baldwin appears as Donald Trump in the cold open. Jennifer Aniston appears on Weekend Update and in the "Film Screening" sketch.
817	9	John Cena	Maren Morris	December 10, 2016	TBD
Confirmed on air.
818	10	Casey Affleck[25]	Chance the Rapper[25]	December 17, 2016	TBD

Specials

Title	Original air date	Ratings/Share (Adults 18-49)
"Weekend Update at the RNC[26]"	July 20, 2016	N/A
Colin Jost and Michael Che host a special edition of Weekend Update from the 2016 Republican National Convention live on MSNBC. Kate McKinnon appears as Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
"Weekend Update at the DNC[27]"	July 27, 2016	N/A
Colin Jost and Michael Che host a special edition of Weekend Update from the 2016 Democratic National Convention live on MSNBC.
"The 2016 SNL Election Special[28]"	November 7, 2016	2.1/7[29]
Recent political sketches involving the 2016 US presidential election, hosted by Tom Brokaw.
"SNL Thanksgiving Special[30]"	November 23, 2016	1.6/5[31]
Thanksgiving-themed comedy from the Saturday Night Live crew is presented.

References

1. Roshanian, Arya (September 22, 2016). "Margot Robbie to Host 'Saturday Night Live' Season Premiere". Variety. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
2. Poggi, Jeanine (April 25, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Will Cut Ads by 30% Next Season". AdvertisingAge. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
3. Auseillo, Michael (August 8, 2016). "SNL Vets Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah Not Returning for Season 42". TVLine. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
4. Andreeva, Nellie (August 9, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Featured Player Jon Rudnitsky To Depart". Deadline. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
5. Ryan, Mike (August 8, 2016). "Taran Killam On Why He's Leaving 'Saturday Night Live'". Uproxx. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
6. O'Keefe, Meghan (September 9, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Reportedly Adds 2 New Castmembers: Chris Redd & Mikey Day". Decider. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
7. Andreeva, Nellie (September 12, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Cast Additions: Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor & Mikey Day". Deadline. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
8. Macrae, Dan (September 9, 2016). "'SNL' Adds Writer Mikey Day To The Cast For Season 42". Uproxx. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
9. http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/credits/cast/season-42
10. Abramovitch, Seth (September 28, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Casts Alec Baldwin as Its New Donald Trump". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
11. Robinson, Will (August 23, 2016). "SNL confirms remainder of cast to return for season 42". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
12. McClendon, Lamarco (July 11, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Director Matt Villines Dies at 39". Variety. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
13. Jones, Nate (August 12, 2016). "Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider Are Your Newest SNL Head Writers". Vulture. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
14. Wright, Megh (2016-09-14). "'SNL' Hires Seven New Writers for Season 42". Splitsider.
15. Wright, Megh (2016-09-30). "'Saturday Night Live' Hires Drew Michael as a Weekend Update Writer". Splitsider.
16. Doty, Meriah (October 2, 2016). "'SNL' Has Biggest Premiere Since 2008". TheWrap. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
17. Evans, Greg (October 2, 2016). "'SNL' Surprise: Newcomers Mikey Day, Alex Moffat & Melissa Villaseñor Actually Make Good, Strong Impressions". Deadline. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
18. Porter, Rick (October 9, 2016). "TV Ratings Saturday: ABC leads primetime with college football, 'SNL' solid in week 2". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
19. ""SNL" Scores Its Highest Week 3 Rating in 8 Years". The Futon Critic. October 16, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
20. ""SNL" Hits Season Highs, Best October Overnights in 8 Years". The Futon Critic. October 23, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
21. Porter, Rick (November 6, 2016). "TV Ratings Saturday: CBS college football tops primetime, 'SNL' stays strong". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
22. Ariens, Chris (November 13, 2016). "Saturday Night Live Sees Highest Rating Since Donald Trump Hosted Last Year". Adweek. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
23. Porter, Rick (November 20, 2016). "TV Ratings Saturday: College football tops primetime, 'Saturday Night Live' falls". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
24. ""Saturday Night Live" Grows Versus the Year-Ago Night". The Futon Critic. December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
25. Pedersen, Erik (December 2, 2016). "Casey Affleck & John Cena To Host 'SNL' Shows This Month". Deadline. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
26. "Weekend Update at the RNC". YouTube. July 20, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
27. "Weekend Update at the DNC - SNL". YouTube. July 27, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
28. "The 2016 SNL Election Special". YouTube. November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
29. Maglio, Tony (November 8, 2016). "Ratings: '2016 SNL Election Special' Dominates Behind 'The Voice'". Yahoo. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
30. Grodsky, Janelle (November 11, 2016). "9 TV Shows & Specials to Watch During the Thanksgiving Holiday". InStyle. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
31. Welch, Alex (November 24, 2016). "TV Ratings Wednesday: 'Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' gives ABC the win". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 25, 2016.