Season 5 poster
20 episodes

Saturday Night Live - Season 5

First aired Oct 13, 1979Season 5

Saturday Night Live aired its fifth season during the 1979–1980 television season on NBC, and also the final season with the original cast. This fifth season started on October 13, 1979 and ended on May 24, 1980. SNL's fifth season was released on DVD on December 1, 2009. John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd left the show at the end of the fourth season, leaving a void in the cast that most fans thought would be the beginning of the end of the late-night sketch show. To keep the show going, Lorne Michaels upgraded many of the show's writers to cast member status: Peter Aykroyd, Jim Downey, Brian Doyle-Murray, Don Novello, Tom Schiller and Alan Zweibel. Band leader Paul Shaffer also joined the cast, becoming the first person from the SNL band to become a cast member. Harry Shearer joined the show as a featured cast member and was promoted to repertory status during the season. This would be the final season for everyone in the cast. Tom Davis and Downey would return to the show in future seasons as writers. Al Franken, Doyle-Murray, Novello, and Shearer would rejoin the cast in future seasons.

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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

Steve Martin/Blondie still

Episode 1

Steve Martin/Blondie

7.0
Oct 13, 197967 min2 votes

Sketches include ""The Pope's Doorman,"" ""Craig's Travellers' Checks,"" ""Free Spanish Lesson,"" ""Juvenile Delinquent Vandal,"" ""Rise,"" ""Carole King,"" ""The David Susskind Show,"" ""Bolshoi Ballet,"" ""The All-New Mr. Bill Show,"" ""What the Hell is That?"". Blondie performs "Dreaming" and "The Hardest Part".

Eric Idle/Bob Dylan still

Episode 2

Eric Idle/Bob Dylan

6.0
Oct 20, 197967 min1 votes

Sketches include ""Eric's Sick,"" ""Hotel-Motel Art Fair,"" ""Mr. Howard's Shoe Store,"" ""Prince Charles Tells You How To Pick Up Girls!,"" ""Hardcore II,"" ""Heavy Sarcasm,"" and ""Ask Elvis."" Bob Dylan performs ""Gotta Serve Somebody,"" ""I Believe In You,"" and ""When You Gonna Wake Up.""

Bill Russell/Chicago still

Episode 3

Bill Russell/Chicago

5.0
Nov 3, 197967 min1 votes

Sketches include ""Kennedy in '80,"" ""Banshee,"" ""The Black Shadow,"" ""The Landers Files,"" ""Mr. Bill at Home,"" ""Nick in the Arctic,"" ""Eleanor Roosevelt,"" ""Sports Hot Line,"" and ""Big n' Tall That's All."" Chicago performs their 1970 hit ""I'm a Man"" and their then-current single ""Street Player.""

Buck Henry/Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers still

Episode 4

Buck Henry/Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

6.5
Nov 10, 197967 min2 votes

Sketches include ""Rush Home to the Bathroom,"" ""Find the Popes in the Pizza Contest drawing,"" ""Nerds #12,"" ""Harley's Bristol Cream"" and ""Banshee"" commercial parodies, and one of Aviva Slesin's ""First Love"" films.

Bea Arthur/The Roches still

Episode 5

Bea Arthur/The Roches

5.0
Nov 17, 197967 min1 votes

Sketches include ""Sex Change,"" ""The Backers' Audition,"" and ""First, He Cries.""

Howard Hesseman/Randy Newman still

Episode 6

Howard Hesseman/Randy Newman

5.0
Dec 8, 197967 min1 votes

Sketches include the ""Steve Marvin Radio Show"" and the debut of ""The Al Franken Decade.""

Martin Sheen/David Bowie still

Episode 7

Martin Sheen/David Bowie

7.0
Dec 15, 197967 min1 votes

Sketches include ""Quick Sex Change Operation,"" ""Le Shoe,"" ""Afraid of the Dark,"" ""Striking Teachers,"" ""Apocolypse Now,"" ""First Love, Part 2,"" ""Foreveready,"" ""Criminals,"" ""Minota AM-3 Camera,"" ""Revisions of Freudian History,"" ""Martin Sheen Hairspray""

Ted Knight/Desmond Child and Rouge still

Episode 8

Ted Knight/Desmond Child and Rouge

6.0
Dec 22, 197967 min1 votes

Sketches include A Christmas Gift from The Shah, Nerds Nativity, and Java Junkie.

Teri Garr/The B-52's still

Episode 9

Teri Garr/The B-52's

7.0
Jan 26, 198067 min1 votes

Sketches include ""Paul McCartney in Japan: Day 11,"" ""Craig's,"" ""Somewhere Near Mason City, Iowa,"" ""Debs Behind Bars,"" ""Anchovy Council of America,"" ""Bad Playhouse,"" ""Baby Casting Director,"" and ""The Mr. Bill Show."" The B-52's perform ""Rock Lobster"" and ""Dance This Mess Around.""

Chevy Chase/Marianne Faithfull still

Episode 10

Chevy Chase/Marianne Faithfull

7.0
Feb 9, 198067 min1 votes

Live from New York, it's…Chevy Chase! Sketches include ""Henry Kissinger and Gerald Ford,"" ""Pre-Chewed Charlies,"" The Bel Airabs, ""You Can't Win,"" Speaking of Fashion, ""Linden Palmer, Hollywood's Forgotten Director,"" and ""Honduras.""

Elliott Gould/Gary Numan still

Episode 11

Elliott Gould/Gary Numan

7.0
Feb 16, 198067 min1 votes

Sketches include ""Kramer vs. Godzilla,"" ""The Incredible Man,"" Andy Aaron's film ""Get Rid of That Building,"" and ""All-Time Radio.""

Kirk Douglas/Sam and Dave still

Episode 12

Kirk Douglas/Sam and Dave

NR
Feb 23, 198067 min

Sketches include ""Kirk's Greatest Kirks,"" ""What If?,"" ""Arlene Meets Kirk Douglas,"" ""Greg's Bar Mitzvah,"" ""Prime Time Saturday,"" and ""Mask of Fear""

Rodney Dangerfield/J. Geils Band still

Episode 13

Rodney Dangerfield/J. Geils Band

7.0
Mar 8, 198067 min1 votes

Sketches include-- Dressing Room opening, Dr. Shockley's House of Sperm, Niggerands, Manhasset, The Subsitute Judge, Celebrity Corner: Bill Murray talks with Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow.

Paul Simon/James Taylor still

Episode 14

Paul Simon/James Taylor

6.0
Mar 15, 198067 min1 votes

Sketches include ""Anniversary Seance,"" ""Todd's Campaign,"" ""The Biggest Leprechaun,"" ""The Flogging Musicians,"" ""Talk or Die,"" and ""The David Susskind Show."" Paul Simon and James Taylor perform ""Cathy's Clown / Take Me to the Mardi Gras"" and David Sanborn performs ""Anything You Want.""

Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss/The Grateful Dead still

Episode 15

Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss/The Grateful Dead

7.0
Apr 5, 198067 min1 votes

Sketches include ""Women Empowerment"" and ""Hotel Room/Smell You.""

Burt Reynolds/Anne Murray still

Episode 16

Burt Reynolds/Anne Murray

9.0
Apr 12, 198067 min1 votes

Sketches include ""Burt's Not Angry,"" ""Vomitorium,"" ""The Burt Book,"" ""Be a Pepper,"" and ""Baba Wawa at Large."" Anne Murray performs ""Lucky Me.""

Strother Martin/The Specials still

Episode 17

Strother Martin/The Specials

7.0
Apr 19, 198067 min1 votes

The host for the episode is Strother Martin, and the musical guest is The Specials. The skits for this episode are as follows: Rosalyn Carter talks about sections of the 1980 census intended for illegal aliens, including questions about how they got into the US, where they would hide if the INS came to their homes, and how much they would be willing to do housework for. During his opening monologue, Strother Martin reveals that he was asked to host the show because Lorne Michaels mistook him for Tennessee Williams, and so far he's been keeping up the act. At Camp Beau Soleil, the campers are forced to learn French by the brutal camp counselor, Le Capitain, but a camper named Luke is determined to escape. Additional skits include a variety show will, the Conductor's Club, Any Town, and Food. The Specials perform "Gangsters" and "Too Much, Too Young".

Bob Newhart/The Amazing Rhythm Aces, Bruce Cockburn still

Episode 18

Bob Newhart/The Amazing Rhythm Aces, Bruce Cockburn

8.0
May 10, 198067 min1 votes

Sketches include ""Mysteries of the Universe,"" ""The Dating Zone,"" ""Writing Home,"" and ""Mr. Bill."" The Amazing Rhythm Aces (featuring Bill Murray) perform ""Third-Rate Romance.""

Steve Martin/Paul and Linda McCartney still

Episode 19

Steve Martin/Paul and Linda McCartney

NR
May 17, 198067 min

Sketches include: ""Father Guido Sarducci, Live from London,"" ""Real Incredible People,"" ""Stretch Marks Record Offer,"" ""Reagan's Dinner,"" and ""The Hominids."" 3-D performed ""All-Night Television.""

Buck Henry/Andrew Gold still

Episode 20

Buck Henry/Andrew Gold

8.0
May 24, 198067 min1 votes

Live from New York, it's Harry Shearer! Sketches include "Election '80: Almost Halfway Over," "The SNL Stars of the Future" monologue, "Lord and Lady Douchebag," "Uncle Roy," and "Nick at Trader Nick's."