Season 2 poster
22 episodes

Saturday Night Live - Season 2

First aired Sep 18, 1976Season 2

Saturday Night Live aired its second season during the 1976–1977 television season on NBC. The second season started on September 18, 1976, and ended on May 21, 1977. This season saw the first of many SNL cast changes. Chevy Chase, who was pursuing a movie career in California, left the show after the October 30th episode hosted by Buck Henry with musical guest, The Band. Jane Curtin became the first female cast member to become a Weekend Update anchor following Chase's departure. On the January 15, 1977 episode, Bill Murray joined the cast to fill the void left by Chase's departure. This season also saw another change in the show: its name. Following the cancellation of ABC's Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell, NBC changed the name of the show from NBC's Saturday Night to its current title, Saturday Night Live in the episode hosted by Jack Burns in 1977. It was the last time that the Muppet sketches would appear on the show. In a 1977 interview with Playboy, O'Donoghue who was head writer/performer, referred to the Muppets as "those fucking Muppets, those little hairy facecloths" and were "made from the refuse after they cleaned up after Woodstock". He also refused to write for them, saying "I don’t write for felt". O'Donoghue also had a lynched Big Bird hanging in the writer's office.

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Reviews

Community reviews for Saturday Night Live, shown here with its season details.

G

GenerationofSwine

1.0

It was good, then it was great, then it was good again and now it stinks. As of 2018 The edginess is gone. There are no risks in the jokes. They all consist of two things, 1. Trump is bad. and 2. This was a thing, remember it? Neither of those really work for me. Make fun of Trump all you want, but do it with a punch line. Most of the time they forget the punchline. Simply not liking him is NOT a punchline. You have to exaggerate something, make it satire, mock it in some way. I don't even care if it's a cruel mockery...so long as it doesn't seem like they are just stating an opinion. Opinions are NOT jokes. The same thing goes with their "remember this, this was a thing" jokes... They leave you sitting there waiting for them to say something funny about it. You're with them for a little while, "Yeah I remember it, go on..." then you realize that, no, that was the joke. That's not a joke, that's just asking me to remember something. Again, if they had a punch line, if they said something about what they were asking me to remember, then it might be funny...but they don't. The jokes are literally "this was a thing, laugh at it." and that's not funny. It has to be followed up with something. Like with Trump, an opinion is NOT a joke unless it is followed by something. The same thing with a memory, a memory is NOT a joke in and of itself. They both have to be followed by something

s

sethdozerman

Saturday Night Live will always be my comfort show. The longevity and influence SNL has had on the comedy scene is unmatched. It has been the catalyst for so many careers, e.g. Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, Will Ferrell etc... The show has definitely had its ups and downs but, in taking a step back it is evident that the show has remained consistently mixed in it entire run. Not every season has had great writers or talent, some actors have been much more successful than others, and yet it has always found an audience. My favourite era of the show was the mid 2000s with Bill Hader and Andy Samberg, but most people have a a preference for whatever season they had as a teenager. The consistency of structure and crew unites all the different casts, creating a familiar image and sensibility, found in every season. There will always be a host monologue, musical guest, Weekend Update and most importantly, it will always be LIVE! The production process of a pitch meeting with the host, staying up all night on Tuesdays to write, read-through and dress rehearsal. Whether it's 1975 or 2023, everyone endures the same experience (although whether they have the aid of cocaine is certainly a difference!). The argument SNL hasnt been funny since the "insert previous ten years" is redundant. Every season of the show has been criticised for not being funny but every season of the show has produced hilarious sketches and shone a light on the new faces of comedy. In the 70s they had Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, the 80s they had Julia Louis Dreyfus and Conan O'Brien, the 90s they had Will Ferrell and Eddy Murphy, the 2000s Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the 2010s Kate McKinnon and Vanessa Bayer and finally in the 2020s we have Bowen Yang and Marcello Hernandez. The show continues to inspire and entertain the next generation of aspiring creatives with it's ground approach to sketch comedy. It is an American institution that will always hold a very dear place in my heart.

Episodes

Lily Tomlin/James Taylor still

Episode 1

Lily Tomlin/James Taylor

5.3
Sep 18, 197667 min3 votes

Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include-- Big shot Lily Tomlin will do the show without rehearsing, "Debate 76", Legionnaire's Disease Outbreak, The Phone Company, "Women In Literature", Tess DiSenzo, The Antler Dance, Judith Beasley.

Norman Lear/Boz Scaggs still

Episode 2

Norman Lear/Boz Scaggs

5.0
Sep 25, 197667 min3 votes

Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase (On telephone) Sketches include-- Gilda plans to do the fall, Jimmy Carter speaks on sexual performance in the White House, Chevy's Girls, Trial sitcom--"The Snakehandling O'Sheas", Joseph Franklin--The Metric Clock, Abusive Divorce Lawyer, Rhodesian Peace Talks.

Eric Idle/Joe Cocker and Stuff still

Episode 3

Eric Idle/Joe Cocker and Stuff

6.2
Oct 2, 197667 min4 votes

Live from New York, it's..Chevy Chase (on telephone)! Sketches include-- Hospitalized Chevy confronts impostor, Designer Babies, KLOG Deejay, The Killer Bees, Cufflinks of the Gods, Drag is Not Funny, Dragnet, Drag Racing Today, Jacques Cousteau, Joe Cocker and his doppleganger(Belushi), "Ken Norton is more talented than Muhummad Ali".

Karen Black/John Prine still

Episode 4

Karen Black/John Prine

5.3
Oct 16, 197667 min3 votes

Live from New York, it's...Chevy Chase! Sketches include-- Chevy returns, "Baba Wawa at Large," Debate '76, A*M*I*S*H, Cancer-free Cupcakes, "Love Russian Style," The Lunch Counter Reunion, Mr. Bill, Ode to American Coinage.

Steve Martin/Kinky Friedman still

Episode 5

Steve Martin/Kinky Friedman

7.5
Oct 23, 197667 min2 votes

Sketches include "Yankees Lose," "Jeopardy 1999," "Speak Out For Milk", "The Beatnik Club," "Ted Baxter Kills Mary Richards," "Looks at Books," and "Mysteries in Medicine." Kinky Friedman performed "Dear Abby."

Buck Henry/The Band still

Episode 6

Buck Henry/The Band

7.0
Oct 30, 197667 min2 votes

Sketches include-- Trick or Treating Land Shark, "Not For Ladies Only", Samurai Stockbroker, Garrett Morris's Family History, Debate 76, Super Bass-O-Matic 77, "The OintMENt", Mr. Mike's Least Loved Bedtime Tales, Houdini's Ghost.

Dick Cavett/Ry Cooder still

Episode 7

Dick Cavett/Ry Cooder

6.0
Nov 13, 197667 min2 votes

Live from New York, It's...Gilda Radner Sketches include-- Chroma Trak Girl, Puppy Uppers and Doggie Downers, Nixon's Watergate Frame-up, Crossroads, Grandparent Bees, Mr.Mike's Least Loved Bedtime Tales--"The Blind Chicken", Mobile Shrink, "How Things Work", Marines--Looking For A Few Good Men.

Paul Simon/Paul Simon, George Harrison still

Episode 8

Paul Simon/Paul Simon, George Harrison

7.5
Nov 20, 197667 min2 votes

Live from New York, It's...George Harrison Sketches include-- Paul Simon meets pauper Chevy Chase on sidewalk while Lorne talks with George Harrison, Quarry, "Baba Wawa at Large", The Twilight Zone, Billy Paul, "Tomorrow with Tom Synder".

Jodie Foster/Brian Wilson still

Episode 9

Jodie Foster/Brian Wilson

5.5
Nov 27, 197667 min2 votes

Live from New York, It's...Gilda Radner Sketches include-- Gilda wont be in much of tonight's show, Wendy, Bee Peter Pan and Tinkerbee, Rovco's Puberty Helper, Metal Man, Steve Bashekis, Im Not Black, The Crush on the Biology Teacher, Don Pardo--The First Fifty Years, Laraine Newman's talents, Mr.Mike's Least Loved Bedtime Tales--""he Little Train That Died".

Candice Bergen/Frank Zappa still

Episode 10

Candice Bergen/Frank Zappa

7.0
Dec 11, 197667 min1 votes

Live from New York, it's... Gilda Radner! Sketches include: "Patty Hearst At Home," "Jimmy Carter Can't Keep His Promises," "Santi-Wrap," Consumer Probe, Fern and Friend in PSA for The Right to Extreme Stupidity League, FX-70 Cheese Slicer, The Killer Trees trailer, "Adopt John Belushi For Christmas," "Radioactive Fallout Report," and "Let's Kill Gary Gilmore For Christmas."

Ralph Nader/George Benson still

Episode 11

Ralph Nader/George Benson

7.5
Jan 15, 197767 min2 votes

Live from New York, It's...Ralph Nader Sketches include-- Ralph Nader wants to cut loose, Badmouthing Grandfather, Dress Rehearsal for Execution, The Confederate Takeover, "Baba Wawa At Large"" The Coneheads, "Youth Ask Questions", Andy Kaufman as Elvis, Testing Party Dolls.

Ruth Gordon/Chuck Berry still

Episode 12

Ruth Gordon/Chuck Berry

4.5
Jan 22, 197767 min2 votes

Live from New York, it's...Ruth Gordon! Sketches include-- Belushi's too sick to do the show, Barbara Streisand, Emily Litella and Her Sister, Tomorrow with Tom Snyder, Little Old Ladies of The Night, Asking the Babysitter About Sex, E. Buzz Miller, Crazy Frank Commercial parody, and Mr. Mike's Least-Loved Bedtime Tales.

Fran Tarkenton/Leo Sayer still

Episode 13

Fran Tarkenton/Leo Sayer

6.0
Jan 29, 197767 min1 votes

Live from New York, it's...Fran Tarkenton! Sketches include "Locker Room Pep Talk," "Swiss Army Gun," "Amy Carter in School," "Chambers' Missing Arm," "Black Perspective," "Home Restaurant," "Community Appeal," "Fran's One-Night Stand," "Grand Stand," "French Liquid," and "Rhonda's Credit Card Counseling."

Steve Martin/The Kinks still

Episode 14

Steve Martin/The Kinks

6.5
Feb 26, 197767 min2 votes

Live from New York, It's... Steve Martin! Sketches include "Steve Martin's Ego Trip," "Coneheads' Tax Audit," "Celebrity Weightlifting," "Dr. Breadloaf's Quickloss Diet Book," "Pulling the Plug," "Broadway Baby," "Hollywood Bingo," "From the Big Orange to the Big Apple" (film), "Roots II," and "Plenty in Common."

Sissy Spacek/Richard Baskin still

Episode 15

Sissy Spacek/Richard Baskin

5.5
Mar 12, 197767 min2 votes

Live From New York, It's...Sissy Spacek! Sketches include-- "Dave Wilson's Dead," "Burger Master," "Ask President Carter", ""Belushi's Olympic Dream," "Gidget's Disease," "Bad Playhouse," and "White Trash Couple.

Broderick Crawford/Dr. John, The Meters still

Episode 16

Broderick Crawford/Dr. John, The Meters

5.0
Mar 19, 197767 min2 votes

Live From New York, it's... Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, & Linda Ronstadt! Sketches include "Goodbye Saccharine," "Samurai Hit-Man," "Broderick's Old Neighborhood" (film), "Mel's Hide Heaven", "Bill Murray, The New Guy," "Lucy Ricardo's Nuke Job," "Highway Patrol," "Baba Wawa At Large," and "Nixon and Hoover."

Jack Burns/Santana still

Episode 17

Jack Burns/Santana

5.0
Mar 26, 197767 min2 votes

Live From New York, It's...John Belushi Sketches include-- Belushi Refuses to Say Live From New York, The Coneheads, Marine Wedding, "The Untouchables", "The Story of The Squatters", "Ask Big Daddy", Washed Up Comedy Writer, Suicidal Buisnessman, Old-Fashioned Pharmacist.

Julian Bond/Brick still

Episode 18

Julian Bond/Brick

6.3
Apr 9, 197767 min3 votes

Live From New York, It's...Gilda Radner Sketches include-- Emily Litella's New Love, Lowell Brock, Black Perspective, "Dr.X, Family Counselor", Right On Afro Lustre, Great Moments In Motown, Creeley's Soup, Bad Cinema, George Wallace, Julian and Andrew Young Talk With President Carter.

Elliott Gould/McGarrigle Sisters still

Episode 19

Elliott Gould/McGarrigle Sisters

7.0
Apr 16, 197767 min2 votes

Live From New York, It's...John Belushi! Sketches include-- Brezhnev Wants to Appear on Carson, The Castration Walk, Nick The Lounge Singer, You've Come a Long Way, Buddy, United Face Bank, Jason and Sunshine, Pilson Feedbag Dinners.

Eric Idle/Neil Innes still

Episode 20

Eric Idle/Neil Innes

6.8
Apr 23, 197767 min4 votes

Live From New York, It's...Bill Murray Sketches include-- Potato Torture, The American Dope Growers Union, "The Nixon Interviews", Flight Attendant Sherry, "Plain Talk", "Heavy Wit Championship", Bill Murray's Bad Childhood Memories, "Telethon for Britian", "The Battle of Britain". Gary Weis film: Body Language.

Shelley Duvall/Joan Armatrading still

Episode 21

Shelley Duvall/Joan Armatrading

6.0
May 14, 197767 min2 votes

Live From New York, It's...John Belushi Sketches include-- Bee Sketch Is Pre-Empted by Norton-Bobick Fight, Video Vixens, Badly Disguised Bank Robber, Viva Las Vegas II, "Baba Wawa At Large", Feuding Couple, "Bad Ballet", "Night of The Moonies", Audience Member Chevy.

Buck Henry/Kenny Vance, Jennifer Warnes still

Episode 22

Buck Henry/Kenny Vance, Jennifer Warnes

7.5
May 21, 197767 min2 votes

Live From New York, It's...Gilda Radner Sketches include-- Carter's Energy Saving Message, Buck Performs A Live Sex Act, Samurai B.M.O.C, The Shower Mike, The Coneheads Return to Remulak, Rhonda Weiss's Bridal Shower, Charles Lindbergh Meets the Land Shark.