Season 9 poster
19 episodes

Saturday Night Live - Season 9

First aired Oct 8, 1983Season 9

Saturday Night Live aired its ninth season during the 1983–1984 television season on NBC. The ninth season started on October 8, 1983 and ended on May 12, 1984. Before the start of the season the entire cast returned for another season. The only change was the hiring of Jim Belushi. The notable moment of season was when Eddie Murphy left the show mid-season. After 48 Hours, Murphy's star began to eclipse that of Joe Piscopo's. From the start of season 7, Dick Ebersol made it clear that his strategy was to showcase Murphy and Piscopo as much as possible while all the other cast members would play mainly supporting roles and were treated with very little patience by the producers. When Murphy's 48 Hours co-star Nick Nolte dropped out of hosting at the last minute, Ebersol offered Murphy the chance to host — a move that Piscopo would perceive as a major slight. Piscopo would later claim Ebersol used Murphy's success to divide the two erstwhile friends and play them against one another. Others countered that Piscopo was simply being a prima donna; said one writer, "Eddie Murphy's fame went to Joe Piscopo's head."

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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

Brandon Tartikoff/John Cougar still

Episode 1

Brandon Tartikoff/John Cougar

10.0
Oct 8, 198367 min1 votes

Sketches include ""In Brandon's Office,"" ""NBC Junket,"" ""Gumby's Rehearsal,"" ""Larry's Corner,"" and ""Whiner Show Ideas."" John Cougar Mellancamp performs ""Tumblin' Down"" and ""Pink Houses.""

Danny DeVito & Rhea Perlman/Eddy Grant still

Episode 2

Danny DeVito & Rhea Perlman/Eddy Grant

10.0
Oct 15, 198367 min

Sketches are ""Calvin Klein Cream Pies,"" ""Mister Robinson's Neighborhood,"" ""Crazy Edelman,"" ""Book Beat,"" ""What Would Frank Do?"" ""Amos n' Andy,"" and ""Spanish Class."" Eddy Grant performs ""I Don't Wanna Dance,"" ""Electric Avenue,"" and ""Living on the Front Line.""

John Candy/Men at Work still

Episode 3

John Candy/Men at Work

10.0
Oct 22, 198367 min1 votes

Sketches include ""Jim and Mr. Mambo,"" ""Doc Edmund,"" ""Village of the Damned Little Rascals,"" ""Eddie Murphy in the Suburbs,"" ""Dr. Tongue's Offer,"" ""Candace's Fantasy Shack,"" and ""Prison for the Winter."" Men at Work perform ""Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Jive.""

Betty Thomas/Stray Cats still

Episode 4

Betty Thomas/Stray Cats

NR
Nov 5, 198367 min

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.

Teri Garr/Mick Fleetwood's Zoo still

Episode 5

Teri Garr/Mick Fleetwood's Zoo

10.0
Nov 12, 198367 min1 votes

Sketches include ""Cheerleader Practice,"" ""Mister Robinson's Neighborhood,"" ""History: The Real Story,"" ""School Assembly,"" and ""Caffiene Achievers."" The Zoo (featuring Lindsey Buckingham) performs ""Tonight.""

Jerry Lewis/Loverboy still

Episode 6

Jerry Lewis/Loverboy

NR
Nov 19, 198367 min1 votes

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.

The Smothers Brothers/Big Country still

Episode 7

The Smothers Brothers/Big Country

NR
Dec 3, 198367 min

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.

Flip Wilson/Stevie Nicks still

Episode 8

Flip Wilson/Stevie Nicks

NR
Dec 10, 198367 min

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.

Father Guido Sarducci/Huey Lewis and the News still

Episode 9

Father Guido Sarducci/Huey Lewis and the News

NR
Jan 14, 198467 min

Sketches are ""National Phone-In Democratic Primary,"" ""Tasteless Choice,"" ""The Ghost of Buckwheat,"" ""Countdown '84: The Candidates,"" ""Nice Boys Don't Get Girls Pregnant,"" and ""Phone-In Results."" The News perform ""Heart & Soul"" and ""I Want a New Drug.""

Michael Palin, Mary Palin/The Motels still

Episode 10

Michael Palin, Mary Palin/The Motels

NR
Jan 21, 198467 min

Sketches include ""Donahue,"" ""Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood,"" and ""Powerful Living Snaps."" The Motels perform ""Suddenly Last Summer.""

Don Rickles/Billy Idol still

Episode 11

Don Rickles/Billy Idol

NR
Jan 28, 198467 min

Live From New York, it's... Joe Piscopo! Sketches include ""TV President,"" ""Kannon AE-1,"" ""I Married A Monkey,"" ""The Hamlisch Maneuver,"" ""Fascinating People And Their Friends,"" ""Witness Protection,"" ""Romeo and Juilet,"" ""El Dorko and Becky,"" and ""This Is Your Afterlife."" Billy Idol performed ""White Wedding"" and ""Rebel Yell.""

Robin Williams/Adam Ant still

Episode 12

Robin Williams/Adam Ant

7.0
Feb 11, 198467 min

Sketches include ""Olympic Coverage,"" ""Rock & Roll ...and then some,"" ""Gandhi & The Bandit,"" ""Firing Line,"" and ""MTV News."" Adam Ant performs ""Strip.""

Jamie Lee Curtis/The Fixx still

Episode 13

Jamie Lee Curtis/The Fixx

NR
Feb 18, 198467 min

Sketches include ""Rappin' Jimmy B.,"" ""Semi-Competant Video Store Clerk,"" ""The Julia Show,"" ""Jimmy and Jamie Lee Rehearse,"" ""People Transit,"" and ""Texxon."" The Fixx performs ""One Thing Leads to Another.""

Edwin Newman/Kool & the Gang still

Episode 14

Edwin Newman/Kool & the Gang

NR
Feb 25, 198467 min

Sketches include ""SNL Hairdressers,"" ""Edwin Newman and James Brown,"" and ""Prose and Cons."" Kool & the Gang perform ""Celebrate.""

Billy Crystal/Al Jarreau still

Episode 15

Billy Crystal/Al Jarreau

NR
Mar 17, 198467 min

Sketches include ""St. Patrick's Day Party,"" ""Hung Like Me,"" ""Unexplained Questions of the Universe."" ""Family in the Attic,"" ""Bad Career Moves,"" ""Ronald Reagen and Sammy Davis, Jr.,"" ""God's Place,"" ""The Womb,"" and ""SNL's First Episode."" Al Jarreau sang ""Mornin'"" and ""Trouble In Paradise.""

Michael Douglas/Deniece Williams still

Episode 16

Michael Douglas/Deniece Williams

NR
Apr 7, 198467 min

Sketches include ""Lost Script,"" ""MTV News,"" ""Four Minutes to Live"" (film), ""TV's Foul-Ups, Bleeps, Blunders, Bloopers, Practical Jokes, And Political Debates,"" ""Sugar or Plain"" (film), and ""Footless."" Deniece Williams performs ""Let's Hear It for the Boy.""

George McGovern/Madness still

Episode 17

George McGovern/Madness

NR
Apr 14, 198467 min

Sketches include ""60 Minutes,"" ""Menage a Trois,"" ""Book Talk,"" and ""My Brother, The Loser.""

Barry Bostwick/Spinal Tap still

Episode 18

Barry Bostwick/Spinal Tap

NR
May 5, 198467 min

Sketches are ""Simulated Cat Fight,"" ""Foldgers Crystals,"" ""Lie Detector Test,"" ""Spinal Tap Interview,"" ""Guest Performance: A. Whitney Brown,"" ""2 on the Town,"" and ""Texxon."" Spinal Tap perform ""Christmas with the Devil"" and ""Big Bottom.""

Billy Crystal, Ed Koch, Edwin Newman, Father Guido Sarducci, Betty Thomas/The Cars still

Episode 19

Billy Crystal, Ed Koch, Edwin Newman, Father Guido Sarducci, Betty Thomas/The Cars

NR
May 12, 198467 min

Sketches include ""Frank & Sammy,"" ""Sarducci & Nelson,"" ""Nose Guard,"" ""Hello, Trudy!,"" ""Needleman the Dentist,"" and ""Stooges Self-Defense."" The Cars perform ""Drive.""