Season 28 of Saturday Night Live premiered on October 5, 2002 with host Matt Damon and musical guest Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band and concluded on May 17, 2003, hosted by original (and former) cast member Dan Aykroyd with musical guest, Beyoncé Knowles.
Before the start of the season, longtime cast members Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer left the show. Ferrell, who had been a cast member for seven seasons since 1995, had left at the end of the previous season to pursue a career starring in films, while Gasteyer, who had been with the cast for six seasons since 1996, was on maternity leave during the break and decided not to return. Hired as new featured players were comedian and punk musician Fred Armisen and Will Forte (of The Groundlings). Armisen is the show's second Latino male cast member (Horatio Sanz being first), and also the second male cast member to have some Asian heritage (Rob Schneider being first).
This would be the final season for longtime cast members Chris Kattan and Tracy Morgan, who both had been on the show since 1996, as they left the show after seven years.
Meanwhile, featured player Dean Edwards, who initially joined the cast just two seasons ago in 2001, as he would let go, after just two years.
The opening montage is changed, with the repertory players having their names on screen, while the featured players don’t have their names on screen. This is also the final season with the set were the On-Air sign flashing above the audience appeared in every episode, and the door that says 25 on it since 1995.
Cast[]
Repertory Players[]
Featured Players[]
Opening montage[]
S28
This opening is essentially a film negative version of the intro from the previous two seasons.
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| Preceded by: Season 27 |
Season 28 (2002— 2003) |
Followed by: Season 29 |
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