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Saturday Night Live
Season 34
No. of episodes22
Release
Original network NBC
Original releaseSeptember 13, 2008 (2008-09-13) –
May 16, 2009 (2009-05-16)
Season chronology
← Previous
season 33
Next →
season 35
List of episodes

The thirty-fourth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 13, 2008, and May 16, 2009.

This season is notable for its take on the 2008 presidential election, which saw the show's ratings rapidly increase and a number of award nominations.

History

The show was nominated for many awards including Emmy Awards, a Peabody award and nomination for Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) Series at the Writers Guild of America Awards 2009. [1] After gaining so much media coverage and high seasonal ratings, rival sketch show Mad TV ended in 2009 after its fourteenth season due to low ratings and a dip in quality brought on by budget constraints and mediocre writing (though MADtv would later return in 2016, it would only be for a brief, eight-episode run and the ratings were not enough for the show to be completely brought back from cancellation). [2]

Election

SNL received much media coverage for the show's take on the 2008 presidential election, causing ratings to increase rapidly. The season premiere opened with Tina Fey playing Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin (alongside a pregnant Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton) in a "non-partisan message on sexism". [3] The phrase "I can see Russia from my house!" was coined by SNL producer Mike Shoemaker during this sketch. [4]

Cast

Before the start of the season, the cast remained mostly unchanged except for the addition of Bobby Moynihan. Moynihan (like Casey Wilson in the previous season) came to SNL as a performer with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater;[5] during season 33, Moynihan and Wilson were among the group of Upright Citizens Brigade performers SNL auditioned mid-season while the show was looking for a new cast member to join after the writers' strike in early 2008; longtime cast member Maya Rudolph had left during the strike, due in part to her seven-year contract with SNL expiring during that year. While Wilson made her season 33 audition and became Rudolph's successor, Moynihan did not, but instead ended up being invited back for another audition shortly before this season started. Wilson remained a featured player for this season.

Midway through the season, longtime cast member Amy Poehler went on maternity leave after giving birth to her son hours before the October 25, 2008 episode, hosted by Jon Hamm. Poehler, who had been on the show for eight seasons since 2001, returned on December 6, 2008 in the John Malkovich hosted episode and made her final appearance as a cast member the following week on the Hugh Laurie hosted episode on December 13, 2008.[6][7] She announced that it would be her final show at the end of Weekend Update, leaving Seth Meyers to anchor Weekend Update himself. With this announcement, Poehler became the longest serving female cast member at the time, as she surpassed Molly Shannon and Rachel Dratch's record after staying for eight seasons. Poehler's record would be surpassed eleven years later by Kate McKinnon, who joined the show during the final five episodes of season 37, with her eventual tenure extending across nine seasons.

Shortly after Poehler went on maternity leave, the show added two new female cast members to fill the void. Abby Elliott (daughter of former SNL cast member Chris Elliott) and Michaela Watkins, a performer with The Groundlings in Los Angeles, joined the show as featured players on November 15, 2008.[8] Watkins, like Moynihan, had originally auditioned in season 33, not earning a spot with the cast for that season, but being invited back for another audition the next season.[9]

This season would also be the last for longtime cast member Darrell Hammond, the last remaining cast member from the 1990s, who had been on the show for 14 seasons. He was the longest-running cast member until Kenan Thompson surpassed him in 2017. Hammond would eventually return to SNL, making multiple cameo appearances in sketches, until he succeeded longtime announcer Don Pardo in 2014, after Pardo died a month before the 40th season began. Following Hammond's departure, featured players Casey Wilson and Michaela Watkins were both let go after the season's finale.

Cast roster

bold denotes Weekend Update anchor

Writers

Main article: List of Saturday Night Live writers § season 34

Episodes

Main article: List of Saturday Night Live episodes
No.
overall		 No. in
season		HostMusical guest(s)Original air dateRatings/
Share
6371 Michael Phelps Lil WayneSeptember 13, 2008 (2008-09-13)7.4/18 [7]

6382 James Franco Kings of LeonSeptember 20, 2008 (2008-09-20)8.5/18

6393 Anna Faris DuffySeptember 27, 2008 (2008-09-27)6.0/15 [9]

6404 Anne Hathaway The KillersOctober 4, 2008 (2008-10-04)7.4/18 [11]

  • The Killers performed " Human" and " Spaceman".
  • Queen Latifah appeared as Gwen Ifill and Tina Fey returned as Sarah Palin in a parody of the Vice Presidential Debate, with Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden in the cold open.
  • An edited version of the sketch parodying the economic bailout was posted on NBC.com, removing references to Herbert and Marion Sandler's (played by Darrell Hammond and Casey Wilson, respectively) corrupt activities and removing the graphic labeling the couple as "people who should be shot." Lorne Michaels admitted he did not know the Sandlers were a real couple; he believed they were simply characters written for the sketch. [10] The Netflix version (and versions of this sketch shown on Hulu and Saturday Night Live's mobile app) of this episode includes the scene with the Sandlers, but edited it to remove the "People Who Should Be Shot" lower-third and cut the part where Herbert Sandler thanks Barney Frank for letting them get away with what they did to Wachovia Bank.
  • Andy Samberg plays Mark Wahlberg in a sketch where Wahlberg talks to animals, which is referenced by Wahlberg in the following episode.
6415 Josh Brolin AdeleOctober 18, 2008 (2008-10-18)10.7/24 [12]

6426 Jon Hamm ColdplayOctober 25, 2008 (2008-10-25)7.1/18 [13]

  • Coldplay performs " Viva La Vida", " Lost!", " Yellow", and " Lovers in Japan", which was cut off.
  • Co-stars Elisabeth Moss and John Slattery appeared in the "Ad Agency" sketch as their Mad Men characters Peggy Olson and Roger Sterling, respectively.
  • Amy Poehler did not appear, having given birth hours before this episode aired; Seth Meyers anchored Update by himself, announcing at the beginning of the segment "Amy Poehler is not here tonight, because she's having a baby" to tremendous applause, then continuing with "tonight's other top stories."
  • Maya Rudolph appears as Michelle Obama in the Obama Variety Hour sketch, and performs a brief cover of " Can't Take My Eyes Off You", replacing "I love you, baby" with "we love you, Amy", with Kenan Thompson at the end of Update, wishing Poehler the best during her maternity leave.
6437 Ben Affleck David CookNovember 1, 2008 (2008-11-01)9.0/20 [14]

6448 Paul Rudd BeyoncéNovember 15, 2008 (2008-11-15)6.8/21

6459 Tim McGraw Ludacris & T-PainNovember 22, 2008 (2008-11-22)5.9/16

  • Ludacris and T-Pain perform " One More Drink" and " Chopped & Skrewed". Both Ludacris and T-Pain appear in the "Blizzard Man Replaces T-Pain" sketch.
  • Justin Timberlake was originally scheduled to be the host and musical guest for this episode, but he had to cancel at the last minute, as he explained in the previous episode.
64610 John Malkovich T.I.December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06)7.3/20

64711 Hugh Laurie Kanye WestDecember 13, 2008 (2008-12-13)7.4/22

  • Kanye West performed " Love Lockdown" and a medley including " Heartless" and "Pinocchio Story".
  • Maya Rudolph performs in a "Bronx Beat" sketch with Amy Poehler.
  • Amy Poehler's final episode as a cast member; she announces her departure at the end of Weekend Update, being interrupted at one point by Fred Armisen as New York governor David Paterson walking in front of the camera, having left shortly before; as Meyers and Poehler sign off Update, they share a long hug as the segment ends.
  • Shortly after this broadcast, Paterson himself openly complained about Armisen's portrayal of him, saying the impression was insensitive to the blind and visually impaired (Paterson would later appear with Armisen on the premiere episode of season 36) [15]
64812 Neil Patrick Harris Taylor SwiftJanuary 10, 2009 (2009-01-10)9.5/24

  • Taylor Swift appears in the "Save Broadway" sketch as Annie, and performs " Love Story" and "Forever & Always".
  • Liza Minnelli appears in the "Group Therapy" sketch.
  • Harris reprises his RENT character of Mark Cohen on "Save Broadway" sketch, which he played during the Los Angeles production in 1997. In the same sketch Fred Armisen, a former drummer for the Blue Man Group, plays the center blue man.
64913 Rosario Dawson Fleet FoxesJanuary 17, 2009 (2009-01-17)6.6/16

  • Fleet Foxes performs "Mykonos" and "Blue Ridge Mountains".
65014 Steve Martin Jason MrazJanuary 31, 2009 (2009-01-31)6.4/15

  • Jason Mraz performs " I'm Yours" and " Lucky" with Colbie Caillat.
  • Steve Martin (15th time as host) performed "Late for School" on his banjo from his new album " The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo" with Michael Daves, Craig Eastman, Brittany Haas, and Skip Ward. This marked the first time since 1978 that Martin had performed music on the SNL stage.
  • During the original broadcast Richard Dean Anderson, who played MacGyver on the TV series, reprised his role in three MacGruber Pepsi ads as a helper to MacGruber.
  • This episode marks the last time Martin would host SNL until Season 48, though he would continue to make cameos and served as de facto host for SNL's 40th Anniversary Special in 2015.
65115 Bradley Cooper TV on the RadioFebruary 7, 2009 (2009-02-07)5.8/12

65216 Alec Baldwin Jonas BrothersFebruary 14, 2009 (2009-02-14)7.1/19

  • The Jonas Brothers perform " Tonight" and "Video Girl". They also appear in a sketch and an SNL Digital Short. [16]
  • Former castmember Dan Aykroyd appears as John Boehner in the cold opening. [17]
  • Baldwin’s 30 Rock co-star Jack McBrayer makes a guest appearance in the opening monologue.
  • Cameron Diaz once again reprises her role as Kiki Deamore in the recurring sketch "The Cougar Den".
  • Alec Baldwin's nieces Alaia and Hailey make a cameo introducing the Jonas Brothers' second song. [18]
65317 Dwayne Johnson Ray LaMontagneMarch 7, 2009 (2009-03-07)6.8/17

65418 Tracy Morgan Kelly ClarksonMarch 14, 2009 (2009-03-14)7.6/21

65519 Seth Rogen PhoenixApril 4, 2009 (2009-04-04)5.5/12

65620 Zac Efron Yeah Yeah YeahsApril 11, 2009 (2009-04-11)5.1 [19]

  • Yeah Yeah Yeahs perform " Zero" and " Maps".
65721 Justin Timberlake CiaraMay 9, 2009 (2009-05-09)6.0

65822 Will Ferrell Green DayMay 16, 2009 (2009-05-16)5.7

Specials

TitleOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
"Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash 2008"November 3, 2008 (2008-11-03)N/A
A selection of sketches relating to the 2008 election.

References

  1. ^ "2010 Writers Guild Awards Television, Radio, News, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation Nominees Announced" (Press release). Writers Guild of America West. December 14, 2009. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
  2. ^ Rice, Lynette. "'MADtv' to end its 14-year run at season's end". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  3. ^ Spillius, Alex (September 14, 2008). "Tina Fey lands the first punch at Sarah Palin in Saturday Night Live sketch". The Telegraph. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  4. ^ Poehler, Amy (October 29, 2014). "Amy Poehler on What It Was Like to Tape Saturday Night Live While Pregnant". Vulture.com. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "Live, From New York: Barack Obama!". People. September 11, 2008. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  6. ^ "Rain Check? Obama Nixes SNL Visit Due to Hurricane". TV Guide. September 13, 2008. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  7. ^ Stelter, Brian (September 14, 2008). "'SNL' Sees Its Ratings Soar". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  8. ^ "Diaz plays 'cougar' on TV show". Daily Express. Northern & Shell. September 21, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  9. ^ Gough, Paul J. (September 28, 2008). "'SNL' continues ratings run". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 1, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  10. ^ Gold, Matea (October 7, 2008). "'Saturday Night Live' yanks, then reposts, controversial bailout sketch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  11. ^ "Fey as Palin continues to boost 'SNL' ratings". MSNBC. October 7, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  12. ^ Gough, Paul J. (October 19, 2008). "Palin helps 'SNL' to best ratings in 14 years". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 20, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  13. ^ Gough, Paul J. (October 26, 2008). "'Saturday Night Live' still solid". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 29, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  14. ^ Seidman, Robert (January 14, 2010). "Charles Barkley Leads Saturday Night Live To 10.4 Million & Best Performance In 14 Months". TV By The Numbers. zap2it.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014.
  15. ^ "Saturday Night Live: Hugh Laurie/Kanye West Trivia and Quotes on". Tv.com. March 12, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
  16. ^ "SNL Archives | Episodes | Details". Snl.jt.org. February 14, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  17. ^ "SNL Archives | Episodes | Details". Snl.jt.org. February 14, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  18. ^ "Season 34: Episode 16". Saturday Night Live Transcripts. February 14, 2009.
  19. ^ "Zac Efron, "Saturday Night Live" score higher ratings than prime-time fare Saturday; "Ten Commandments" gives ABC a win". Orlando Sentinel. April 12, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  20. ^ "Saturday Night Live - News - Yahoo! TV". Tv.yahoo.com. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
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