Saturday Night Live (season 29)

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Saturday Night Live
Season 29
The title card for the twenty-ninth season of Saturday Night Live.
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes20
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseOctober 4, 2003 (2003-10-04) –
May 15, 2004 (2004-05-15)
Season chronology
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season 28
Next →
season 30
List of episodes

The twenty-ninth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 4, 2003, and May 15, 2004.

History[]

This season also marked the debut of a brand new stage for the host's monologue and the musical guest performing stage. Instead of the wrought-iron fire escape motif with the blinking "ON AIR" light, the stages are now modeled after Grand Central Terminal (right down to the spherical clock).

Cast[]

Before the start of the season, Chris Kattan, Tracy Morgan,[1] and Dean Edwards left the show. Despite Kattan and Morgan's departure, the two would make guest appearances in several episodes throughout the season and Morgan would later host in 2009 and 2015.

Before the season started, Will Forte, Seth Meyers and Jeff Richards were all promoted to repertory status, while Fred Armisen remained a featured player.

The show added two new African-American cast members: stand-up comedian Finesse Mitchell and Kenan Thompson, a former child star from the Nickelodeon comedy shows All That and Kenan & Kel. Thompson became the first SNL cast member to be born after the show's premiere in 1975 (Thompson was born in 1978), as well as the first SNL cast member to have gotten his start on a mainstream children's show (Denny Dillon and Dennis Miller also got their starts on children's shows, but Dillon starred on a short-lived Saturday morning NBC sketch show while Miller starred on a children's show that was shown on a local station in his native Pittsburgh).

This was the final season for both Jeff Richards (who quit mid-season over creative differences)[2] and Jimmy Fallon (who decided to leave the show after the final episode).[3]

Cast[]

bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor

Writers[]

Main article: List of Saturday Night Live writers § season 29

Future cast member Jason Sudeikis is hired as a writer this season.

Episodes[]

Main article: List of Saturday Night Live episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		Host(s)Musical guest(s)Original air date
5461Jack BlackJohn MayerOctober 4, 2003 (2003-10-04)

  • John Mayer performs "Bigger Than My Body" and "Clarity".
  • Will Ferrell makes a cameo appearance in the monologue.
  • Kyle Gass and Tyler James Williams made a cameo in this episode.
  • Finesse Mitchell and Kenan Thompson's first episode as cast members.
5472Justin TimberlakeJustin TimberlakeOctober 11, 2003 (2003-10-11)

  • Justin Timberlake performs "Rock Your Body", "Señorita" and "Cry Me a River".
  • First appearance of The Barry Gibb Talk Show sketch
  • Carl Weathers cameos in a short sketch announcing his candidacy as governor of any state, parodying his Predator co-stars Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger's successful campaign for governor, as well as the numerous celebrities running for governor in the 2003 California recall election.
5483Halle BerryBritney SpearsOctober 18, 2003 (2003-10-18)

  • Britney Spears performs "Me Against the Music" and "Everytime" and appears in the opening monologue.
  • George Wendt makes an appearance to reprise his character on Weekend Update as Bob Swerski.
5494Kelly RipaOutkastNovember 1, 2003 (2003-11-01)

  • OutKast performs "Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move".
  • Darrell Hammond takes over as George W. Bush, replacing Chris Parnell.
  • Chris Kattan returns to appear as Michael Gelman in the Live with Regis and Kelly sketch.
  • Writer and future cast member Jason Sudeikis makes an on-air appearance in the monologue.
5505Andy RoddickDave Matthews & FriendsNovember 8, 2003 (2003-11-08)

  • Dave Matthews & Friends performs "Save Me" and "So Damn Lucky".
  • John McEnroe makes multiple appearances in this episode, including the monologue, the Billie Jean King sketch and Jock Talk. He also cameos in a short piece after the "British Nanny" sketch where he and Chris Parnell play tennis commentators analyzing Roddick's hosting.
  • Finesse Mitchell appears during the opening monologue as André 3000 of OutKast and explains he never left after the wrap party from the previous week's show.
5516Alec BaldwinMissy ElliottNovember 15, 2003 (2003-11-15)

  • Missy Elliott performs "Pass That Dutch" and "Work It".
  • Former cast member Mike Myers appears in the monologue to plug the film The Cat in the Hat, which co-starred Alec Baldwin.
5527Al SharptonPinkDecember 6, 2003 (2003-12-06)

  • Pink performs "Trouble" and "God Is a DJ".
  • Paris Hilton appears on Weekend Update.
  • Former cast member Tracy Morgan appears in the monologue as the young Al Sharpton, in a sketch about the three wise men getting pulled over, in a reprise of his recurring segment, Brian Fellow's Safari Planet, with Sharpton as Fellow's brother, and in a sketch about racial stereotypes in a 1930s film.
  • Johnnie Cochran appears in the audience during the "Michael Jackson on a Roller Coaster" sketch.
5538Elijah WoodJetDecember 13, 2003 (2003-12-13)

  • Jet performs "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" and "Look What You've Done".
  • Chris Kattan appears in the monologue as Gollum and reprises his role as Buddy Mills in Rialto Grande.
5549Jennifer AnistonThe Black Eyed PeasJanuary 10, 2004 (2004-01-10)

  • The Black Eyed Peas performs "Where is the Love?" and "Hey Mama".
  • Former writer and cast member Al Franken appears in a filmed cameo during Weekend Update.
55510Jessica Simpson
Nick Lachey		G-UnitJanuary 17, 2004 (2004-01-17)

  • G Unit performs "Stunt 101" and "Wanna Get to Know You," the latter featuring a cameo by R&B singer Joe.
  • Jeff Richards' final episode as a cast member.
55611Megan MullallyClay AikenFebruary 7, 2004 (2004-02-07)

  • Clay Aiken performs "Invisible" and "The Way" and also appears as himself in the monologue and in the last sketch as a fictional relative named Tray Aiken.
  • Mullally's husband, Nick Offerman, makes a cameo appearance during the Golden Globes sketch.
  • Announcer Don Pardo mistakenly reads Chris Kattan's name over cast member Chris Parnell's graphic during the opening titles.
55712Drew BarrymoreKelisFebruary 14, 2004 (2004-02-14)

  • Kelis performs "Milkshake" and "Trick Me".
  • Will Forte plays George W. Bush for the first time, replacing Darrell Hammond.
  • Writer Scott Wainio appears in a brief filmed sketch where he interviews people without using a microphone.
55813Christina AguileraMaroon 5February 21, 2004 (2004-02-21)

  • Maroon 5 performs "This Love" and "Harder to Breathe".
  • Lorne Michaels appears during the monologue.
55914Colin FirthNorah JonesMarch 6, 2004 (2004-03-06)

  • Norah Jones performs "Sunrise" and "What Am I to You?".
  • Ana Gasteyer makes a cameo appearance in the cold opening as Martha Stewart.
56015Ben AffleckN*E*R*DMarch 13, 2004 (2004-03-13)

  • N.E.R.D. performs "She Wants to Move" and "Maybe".
  • Kelly Ripa appears in a filmed commercial parody about tourism in Bangkok.
56116Donald TrumpToots & the Maytals featuring Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Bootsy Collins, and The RootsApril 3, 2004 (2004-04-03)

  • Toots & the Maytals perform "Pressure Drop" with Ben Harper and Jack Johnson and "Funky Kingston" with The Roots and Bootsy Collins.
  • Future cast member Rob Riggle appears as an extra in a filmed commercial parody for "Fear Factor, Jr".
  • Carolyn Kepcher and George H. Ross (from The Apprentice) make cameo appearances in the cold opening, as does SNL producer Lorne Michaels.
56217Janet JacksonJanet JacksonApril 10, 2004 (2004-04-10)

  • Janet Jackson performs "All Nite (Don't Stop)" and "Strawberry Bounce".
  • Chris Kattan and Tracy Morgan both cameo in a Season's Greetings from SNL musical number. Morgan also reprises his role as Brian Fellow, appears in the Good Times sketch and introduces Janet Jackson's first performance. Kattan also introduces Jackson's second performance .
  • Simon Cowell also cameos in the Season's Greetings sketch to criticize them before joining in himself. Simon was actually asked to host the show, but would only agree to do a guest appearance.
56318Lindsay LohanUsherMay 1, 2004 (2004-05-01)

  • Usher performs "Yeah!" and "Burn". The former song features a cameo appearance by Ludacris.
  • Rachel Dratch makes her first appearance as Debbie Downer.
56419Snoop DoggAvril LavigneMay 8, 2004 (2004-05-08)

56520Mary-Kate and Ashley OlsenJ-KwonMay 15, 2004 (2004-05-15)

  • J-Kwon performs "Tipsy".
  • This episode features a short film about a bald boy named Harold, which was the basis for a film featuring the character.
  • Announcer Don Pardo appears in the Bloater Brother segment.
  • Because the show was running long, J-Kwon's second song was cut in order to make room for Jimmy Fallon's farewell sketch.
  • Jimmy Fallon's final episode as a cast member and as Weekend Update co-anchor.

Specials[]

TitleOriginal air date
"The Best of Chris Kattan"September 27, 2003 (2003-09-27)
Sketches included "The Roxbury Guys," "Mango," "Defense Attorney Suel," "The How Do You Say? Ah Yes, Show," "Mr. Peppers in the Lab," "Auditions for Bon Jovi," "America Undercover," "The Rialto Grande," "Goth Talk," "Sparks," "Oprah," "Larry King's Wedding Reception," "E! Impeachment Coverage," "Loaded-Musical Performance," "Emmy Awards Pre-Show," "Shopping at Home Network," "Siamese Twin Dates," and some "Weekend Update" clips.
"The Best of Tracy Morgan"October 25, 2003 (2003-10-25)
Sketches include "Wong & Owen, Ex-Porn Stars," "Brian Fellow's Safari Planet," "Pimp Chat," "Woodrow," "The View," "Uncle Jemima's Down House Mash Liquor," "Tracy Confronts Garth," "Astronaut Jones," "Talkin' to the Stars," "Hardball," "Big Bernard," "At the Movies," "Christmas Eve Drinks," "Channel 5 Late Night Movie," and a Weekend Update clips.
"The Best of Will Ferrell, Volume 2"December 20, 2003 (2003-12-20)
A second compilation of sketches featuring Will Ferrell.
"The Best of Christopher Walken"May 22, 2004 (2004-05-22)
Sketches include "The Continental" (on the TV airing, the "Continental" sketch that aired was the one from season 18; the DVD version also includes the one from season 25 and a dress rehearsal version of the one from season 28 shown picture-in-picture style under the title, "The Making of The Continental"), "Ed Glosser Trivial Psychic", "Rita Snowed In", "Behind the Music: Blue Oyster Cult", "Leon Loves Mango", "Hardball", "Pranksters", "The Bad Raft Captain" (DVD version only), "Colonel Angus" and "Christopher Walken at the 25th Anniversary Special". The DVD version includes two dress rehearsal sketches: "The Black Guardian Angel" (from season 25) and a movie trailer parody called Fonzie (from season 26).

References[]

  1. ^ Susman, Gary (May 8, 2003). "Chris Kattan is leaving SNL". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  2. ^ Ganahl, Jane (July 19, 2004). "After 'SNL,' Jeff Richards is moving on to movies. First came public access". SFGate. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  3. ^ "Jimmy Fallon signs off from 'Saturday Night Live'". Today. NBC News. May 18, 2004. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
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