Saturday Night Live (season 38)

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Saturday Night Live
Season 38
The title card for the thirty-eighth season of Saturday Night Live.
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes21
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 15, 2012 (2012-09-15) –
May 18, 2013 (2013-05-18)
Season chronology
← Previous
season 37
Next →
season 39
List of episodes

The thirty-eighth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 15, 2012 and May 18, 2013.

Also airing this season were two election-themed episodes of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, which aired on September 20, 2012 and September 27, 2012.[1] Two months before the season premiere, original writer and occasional featured player Tom Davis died after a two-year battle with throat and neck cancer.[2]

Cast[]

Prior the start of the season, Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg decided not to return following the end of the previous season.[3][4] As well, before the start of the season, Abby Elliott was let go after four seasons on the show.[5] Vanessa Bayer, Taran Killam, and Jay Pharoah were upgraded to repertory status, while Kate McKinnon remained a featured player.

To fill the void, the show hired three new cast members – Chicago improvisers Aidy Bryant, Tim Robinson, and Cecily Strong – as the replacements. According to the official press release, "Bryant trained at the iO Chicago, Annoyance Theatre and she was also part of the ensemble that performed on the Second City E.T.C Stage. Robinson also trained at the Second City, he performed on their Mainstage and was also part of their National Touring Company. Like Robinson, Strong had also performed as part of the National Touring Company and trained at the iO Theater".[6]

This was the final season for longtime cast members Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Jason Sudeikis. This would also be the only season for featured player Tim Robinson, who would leave his spot in the cast to instead join the writing staff the following season.[7][8]

Cast roster[]

bold denotes Weekend Update anchor

Writers[]

Main article: List of Saturday Night Live writers § season 38

Seth Meyers and Colin Jost are the season's co-head writers. Prior to the start of the season, Upright Citizens Brigade Theater performers Josh Patten and Neil Casey joined the writing staff.[9] [10]

Episodes[]

Main article: List of Saturday Night Live episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		HostMusical guest(s)Original air dateRatings/
Share
7251Seth MacFarlaneFrank OceanSeptember 15, 2012 (2012-09-15)4.8/12[12]

  • Frank Ocean performs "Thinkin Bout You" and the second half/single version of "Pyramids". John Mayer plays guitar on both songs.
  • In the opening monologue, MacFarlane utilizes his character voices of Peter, Stewie & Brian Griffin and Glenn Quagmire from Family Guy, and Roger Smith from American Dad! He also does the voices of George Takei, Droopy the Dog, Marty McFly and Kermit the Frog.
  • Psy appears in the "Gangnam Style" sketch alongside Bobby Moynihan's impersonation.
  • Starting with this episode, Jay Pharoah takes over impersonating President Barack Obama from Fred Armisen.[11]
  • Aidy Bryant, Tim Robinson and Cecily Strong's first episode as cast members.[6]
7262Joseph Gordon-LevittMumford & SonsSeptember 22, 2012 (2012-09-22)5.0/12[13]

7273Daniel CraigMuseOctober 6, 2012 (2012-10-06)4.5/11[14]

  • Muse performs "Madness" and "Panic Station".
  • Chris Parnell reprises his Jim Lehrer impression in the cold open.
  • Caroll Spinney appears as Big Bird on Weekend Update.
7284Christina ApplegatePassion PitOctober 13, 2012 (2012-10-13)4.6/11[15]

  • Passion Pit performs "Take a Walk" and "Carried Away".
  • Usain Bolt appears in the cold open and "The Californians" sketch.
  • Aidy Bryant does not appear in this episode, but is credited in the opening montage.
7295Bruno MarsBruno MarsOctober 20, 2012 (2012-10-20)5.4/14[16]

  • Bruno Mars performs "Locked Out of Heaven" and "Young Girls".
  • Tom Hanks appears in the cold open, introduces Mars' first musical performance and appears in the "Merryville Brothers" sketch.
  • Bill Hader introduces Mars' second musical performance as Stefon.
7306Louis C.K.fun.November 3, 2012 (2012-11-03)5.0/12[17]

  • fun. performs "Some Nights" and "Carry On".
  • Tim Robinson does not appear in this episode, but is credited in the opening montage.
7317Anne HathawayRihannaNovember 10, 2012 (2012-11-10)5.0/12[18]

  • Rihanna performs "Diamonds" and "Stay".
7328Jeremy RennerMaroon 5November 17, 2012 (2012-11-17)5.1/12[19]

  • Maroon 5 performs "One More Night" and "Daylight". Additionally, Adam Levine appears in "The Stand-Off" sketch, which was pre-recorded.
  • New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appears on Weekend Update.
  • This episode contains a cartoon, entitled "Cool Drones", animated by Augenblick Studios.
7339Jamie FoxxNe-YoDecember 8, 2012 (2012-12-08)4.6/11[20]

  • Ne-Yo performs "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)" and "She Is".
  • 2 Chainz appears during Foxx's monologue.
  • Dermot Mulroney appears in the "Dylan McDermott or Dermot Mulroney" sketch.
  • Charlie Day appears in the "Maine Justice" sketch.
73410Martin ShortPaul McCartneyDecember 15, 2012 (2012-12-15)5.1/12[21]

  • Paul McCartney performs "My Valentine" with Joe Walsh on guitar, "Cut Me Some Slack" with the surviving members of Nirvana (Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear), and "Wonderful Christmastime". McCartney also appears in the "Pageant Auditions" sketch.
  • Short brings back his characters Jackie Rogers Jr. and Ed Grimley (which he performs in a part of his monologue).
  • Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Tom Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Shaffer, and Kristen Wiig appear in the opening monologue.
  • Alec Baldwin appears as Tony Bennett in "The Tony Bennett Show" sketch.
  • Carrie Brownstein and Samuel L. Jackson appear in "What Up with That?", in which Martin Short reprises his Jackie Rogers Jr. character.
  • At the beginning of the show, in lieu of the traditional opening skit, the New York City Children's Chorus performs a rendition of "Silent Night" in remembrance of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which had occurred a day earlier. The choir also joins McCartney on "Wonderful Christmastime".
73511Jennifer LawrenceThe LumineersJanuary 19, 2013 (2013-01-19)4.9/12[22]

  • The Lumineers performs "Ho Hey" and "Stubborn Love".
73612Adam LevineKendrick LamarJanuary 26, 2013 (2013-01-26)5.0/12[23]

  • Kendrick Lamar performs "Swimming Pools (Drank)" and "Poetic Justice" and appears in the SNL Digital Short.
  • Cameron Diaz, Andy Samberg and Jerry Seinfeld appear in the opening monologue. Samberg also appears in the SNL Digital Short.
  • Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Danny McBride appear in the SNL Digital Short.
  • Levine's Maroon 5 bandmate Mickey Madden appears in the "Band Face-Off" sketch.
73713Justin BieberJustin BieberFebruary 9, 2013 (2013-02-09)4.9/12[24]

  • Justin Bieber performs the acoustic version of "As Long as You Love Me" and "Nothing Like Us".
  • Whoopi Goldberg appears in the opening monologue and introduces Bieber's first performance.
73814Christoph WaltzAlabama ShakesFebruary 16, 2013 (2013-02-16)4.6/12[25]

  • Alabama Shakes performs "Hold On" and "Always Alright".
73915Kevin HartMacklemore and Ryan LewisMarch 2, 2013 (2013-03-02)4.8/12[26]

  • Macklemore and Ryan Lewis perform "Thrift Shop" with Wanz and "Can't Hold Us" with Ray Dalton.
  • Longtime announcer Don Pardo was unavailable due to a broken hip. Instead, he is impersonated by former cast member Darrell Hammond.
74016Justin TimberlakeJustin TimberlakeMarch 9, 2013 (2013-03-09)5.9/15[28]

  • Justin Timberlake performs "Suit & Tie" with Jay-Z and "Mirrors".
  • Dan Aykroyd, Alec Baldwin, Candice Bergen, Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Paul Simon and future cast member Mike O'Brien appear in the "Five-Timers Club" opening monologue. Aykroyd and Martin reprise the characters "The Festrunk Brothers" in the "It's a Date" sketch. Short, Martin, and Chase also introduce Timberlake's second number as the Three Amigos.
  • Andy Samberg appears in "It's a Date" and "Maine Justice". "It's a Date" was written by Samberg along with former SNL writers Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone of The Lonely Island.[27]
74117Melissa McCarthyPhoenixApril 6, 2013 (2013-04-06)4.8/12[29]

  • Phoenix performs "Entertainment" and a medley of "Trying to Be Cool" and "Drakkar Noir".
  • Dennis Rodman appears in the cold opening.
  • Peter Dinklage appears on Weekend Update.
74218Vince VaughnMiguelApril 13, 2013 (2013-04-13)4.6/12[30]

  • Miguel performs "Adorn" and "How Many Drinks?"
  • Steve Jones appears in the pre-recorded "History of Punk" sketch.
74319Zach GalifianakisOf Monsters and MenMay 4, 2013 (2013-05-04)4.4/11[31]

  • Of Monsters and Men performs "Little Talks" and "Mountain Sound".
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau cameos in the "Game of Game of Thrones" sketch.
  • Galifianakis's co-stars from The Hangover series, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms, appear in the Jennifer Aniston lookalike sketch.
  • Jon Hamm appears in the pre-recorded edited version of the Darrell's House sketch.
74420Kristen WiigVampire WeekendMay 11, 2013 (2013-05-11)4.6/12[32]

  • Vampire Weekend performs "Diane Young" and "Unbelievers".
  • Jonah Hill and Maya Rudolph appeared in the opening monologue. Maya Rudolph appeared in "The Californians".
  • Kristen Wiig reprised her roles as Gilly in a pretaped portion of the monologue, Kareena (of The Californians), Kat (of Garth and Kat) on Weekend Update, the Target Lady, and Dooneese, one of the Finger Lakes singers.
74521Ben AffleckKanye WestMay 18, 2013 (2013-05-18)4.7/12[33]

  • Kanye West performs "Black Skinhead" and "New Slaves".
  • Affleck's then wife, Jennifer Garner, appears in the opening monologue.
  • Amy Poehler returns to Weekend Update for a segment of "Really?!? with Seth & Amy" and resumes her co-anchor duties.
  • Anderson Cooper appears on Weekend Update for a pre-taped sketch involving recurring character Stefon.
  • Kim Gordon, Steve Jones, Aimee Mann, J Mascis, Michael Penn and Fred Armisen's Portlandia co-star Carrie Brownstein appear in his goodbye, "It's a Lovely Day", sketch.
  • Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Tim Robinson and Jason Sudeikis' final episode as cast members.

Specials[]

TitleOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
"Saturday Night Live Christmas"November 28, 2012 (2012-11-28)7.36[34]
A collection of memorable holiday-themed sketches from past and present eras. Sketches include: "Santa's My Boyfriend", Jimmy Fallon's Christmas song monologue, "Turner Classic Movies presents: This, You Call a Wonderful Life", "The Mark Jensen Family Christmas Special", Garrett Morris' performance of "Winter Wonderland," "Glengarry Glen Santa's Workshop," "Steve Martin's Holiday Wish," Weekend Update: Adam Sandler's ""The Chanukah Song" from the season 20 episode hosted by Roseanne Barr, "Homelessville Mascot vs. Salvation Army Santa," Robert De Niro's monologue from season 30 (featuring an appearance by Kermit the Frog), "TV Funhouse: Christmastime for the Jews," Weekend Update: Stefon's Christmas Clubs from the season 37 episode hosted by Katy Perry, John Malkovich's monologue from season 34, the "Dick in a Box" Digital Short from the season 32 episode hosted by Justin Timberlake, "Consumer Probe," "Michael Buble's Holiday Duets," "The Vogelchecks' Christmas," "Martha Stewart's Topless Holiday Special," "Robert Goulet's Christmas Special," Weekend Update: Drunk Uncle Rambles About the Holidays, "What Up with That?" from the season 35 episode hosted by James Franco, "NPR: Schweddy Balls", "Mary Katherine Gallagher in the School Choir," and "Seasons Greetings From Saturday Night Live" from the season 26 episode hosted by Lucy Liu.

Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday[]

Main article: Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday

The third season of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, a limited-run series based on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" sketch, has aired in conjunction with this season. The specials focused on the United States presidential election. The show was hosted by Seth Meyers, Update's then current host.[1]

TitleOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
"Season 3, Episode 1"September 20, 2012 (2012-09-20)5.15
"Season 3, Episode 2"September 27, 2012 (2012-09-27)4.67

References[]

  1. ^ a b O'Connell, Michael (July 24, 2012). "TCA 2012: NBC Resurrecting 'Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  2. ^ Martin, Douglas (July 19, 2012). "Tom Davis, Comedian and 'SNL' Sketch Writer, Dies at 59". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  3. ^ "Andy Samberg is Now Officially Leaving Saturday Night Live". Vulture. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  4. ^ "Kristen Wiig gets a rousing sendoff from 'SNL' on its season finale after 7 years in the cast". Associated Press. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Exclusive: Abby Elliott on Her New Movie, A Role on 'How I Met Your Mother,' and Leaving 'SNL'". Elle. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
  6. ^ a b ""Saturday Night Live" Adds Three to Cast" (Press release). NBC Entertainment. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  7. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (May 14, 2013). "Good Night and Good Luck". The New York Times. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  8. ^ "Talking to Fred Armisen About 'SNL', 'Portlandia', And Being Part of A Comedy Collective". Splitsider. June 28, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
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  10. ^ Frucci, Adam (2012-09-06). "UCB's Neil Casey Hired as a Writer at 'SNL'". Splitsider. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
  11. ^ Warner, Denise (September 12, 2012). "Lorne Michaels: Jay Pharoah to take over Obama job on 'SNL'". Inside TV. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
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  15. ^ Bibel, Sara (October 14, 2012). "'Saturday Night Live' With Christina Applegate Delivers Average Ratings". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on January 18, 2014.
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  21. ^ Bibel, Sara (December 16, 2012). "'Saturday Night Live' With Martin Short and Paul McCartney Delivers Above Average Ratings". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on December 18, 2012.
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