Season 42 of Saturday Night Live premiered on October 1, 2016, with host Margot Robbie and musical guest The Weeknd and concluded on May 20, 2017, with host Dwayne Johnson and musical guest Katy Perry, ending with 21 episodes and 3 specials. The season reduced ads by 30%, removing two commercial breaks to increase episode content. Much of the season's content centered around the 2016 Presidential Election. The season was also notable for having three episodes in which the hosts joining the Five-Timers Club, with Scarlett Johansson, Melissa McCarthy, and Dwayne Johnson all hosting for the fifth time.
Beginning on the April 15th Episode, episodes began to air live in all four time zones, rather than running live in the East and Central time zones, while being tape-delayed in the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones.[1]
Prior to the start of the season, longtime cast members Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah, as well as featured player Jon Rudnitsky, were released from the cast.[2] Killam, despite having signed a seven-year contract that would have taken him to the end of this season, was dropped from the cast due in part to issues concerning his work directing the film Killing Gunther, which would have limited his time on the show.[7] The rest of the cast from the previous season returned. Following Killam, Pharoah, and Rudnitsky's departures, the show added three new featured players: SNL staff writer and Wild 'n Out alum Mikey Day of The Groundlings (promoted from the writers' room), Chicago improviser Alex Moffat, and stand-up comedian and impressionist Melissa Villaseñor.[3] Michael Che, Pete Davidson, and Leslie Jones were all promoted to repertory status.
On June 24, 2016, Lorne Michaels announced that Michael Che and Colin Jost would continue as the anchors of "Weekend Update".[15] Both were featured on SNL special editions of "Weekend Update" for the Democratic and Republican Conventions.
Though not a member of the cast, it was announced on September 28, 2016, that Alec Baldwin began a continuous cameo as Donald Trump, taking over from longtime former cast member Darrell Hammond, who continued as the show's announcer.[4]
This was the final season for longtime cast members Vanessa Bayer (who had been with the show for seven seasons since 2010), Bobby Moynihan (who had been with the show for nine seasons since 2008),[5] and Sasheer Zamata (four seasons since 2014.[14]
Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider were the head writers for this season.
Kent Sublette became the sole writing supervisor, and then joined the head writing staff, starting in the second-half of the season, and Tara Donnelly became the lead graphic artist.
Season 7 cast member Tony Rosato died on January 7, 2017, due to a heart attack. The season also acknowledged the deaths of NBC-Universal Employee John Homer, actress Carrie Fisher, and comedian Don Rickles.
Cast[]
Changes[]
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Repertory Players[]
Featured Players[]
Episodes[]
Specials[]
| Title | Original Air Date | Ratings/Share |
|---|---|---|
| The 2016 SNL Election Special | 2.1/7 | |
| Recent political sketches involving the 2016 US presidential election, hosted by Tom Brokaw. | ||
| Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving | November 23, 2016 | 1.6/5 |
| Thanksgiving-themed comedy from the Saturday Night Live crew is presented. | ||
| Saturday Night Live Christmas | December 14, 2016 | 1.6/5 |
| Holiday-themed comedy from Saturday Night Live is presented. | ||
Deaths[]
- Tony Rosato (January 10, 2017)
References[]
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| Preceded by: Season 41 |
Season 42 (2016— 2017) |
Followed by: Season 43 |
| Seasons | |
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