Series · Comedy, News
Saturday Night Live (1975)Season 12
Saturday Night Live aired its twelfth season during the 1986-1987 television season on NBC. The 12th season started on October 11, 1986, the 11th anniversary of the show's first episode, and ended on May 23, 1987. Despite plans to have Saturday Night Live canceled due to the ratings of its previous season, producer Lorne Michaels convinced Brandon Tartikoff to give the show another chance, provided that a better cast be found for the next season. As a result, many of season 11's cast members were fired, except for Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz, featured player A. Whitney Brown, and Weekend Update anchor Dennis Miller. Al Franken was rehired as a writer. The rest were relative unknowns, led by Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, and Kevin Nealon. Hooks had auditioned to be in the season 10 and 11 casts, but had been turned down. Hartman helped write sketches in season 11's Thanksgiving episode hosted by Pee-wee Herman, and appeared in a sketch as a Pilgrim. The first show of the 1986-1987 season opened with Madonna, host of the previous season opener, reading a "statement" from NBC about season 11's mediocre writing and bad cast choices. According to the "statement", the entire 1985-1986 season was "...all a dream. A horrible, horrible dream."
- Creator
- Dick Ebersol, Lorne Michaels
- Writers
- Lorne Michaels, Jim Downey, Robert Smigel
- Network
- NBC
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- First aired
- October 11, 1975
- Status
- Returning
- Next episode
- S52E4 · October 31, 2026
Cast
Kenan ThompsonSelf - Various Characters
Darrell HammondDonald Trump (uncredited)
Colin JostEmployee (uncredited)
Seth MeyersSelf - Host
Michael CheSelf - Various Characters
Fred ArmisenSelf - Host
Al FrankenThe Life of Vlad the Impalere announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Cecily StrongSelf - Cameo (uncredited)
Kate McKinnonSelf - Host
Mikey DaySelf - Cameo (uncredited)
Aidy BryantSelf - Cameo (uncredited)
Tim MeadowsLeon Phelps (uncredited)
Bobby MoynihanSelf
Kyle MooneySelf - Various Characters
Maya RudolphSelf - Host
Kevin NealonFranz (uncredited)
Jason SudeikisPolice Officer (uncredited)
Pete DavidsonSelf - Cameo (uncredited)
Bill HaderSelf - Various Characters
Tina FeyLaughing Writer (uncredited)
Episodes
0/20 watched- Episode 1: Sigourney Weaver/Buster Poindexter1 h 7 min · Oct 11, 1986
- Episode 2: Malcolm-Jamal Warner/Run DMC1 h 7 min · Oct 18, 1986
- Episode 3: Rosanna Arquette/Ric Ocasek1 h 7 min · Nov 8, 1986
- Episode 4: Sam Kinison/Lou Reed1 h 7 min · Nov 15, 1986
- Episode 5: Robin Williams/Paul Simon1 h 7 min · Nov 22, 1986
- Episode 6: Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, & Martin Short/Randy Newman1 h 7 min · Dec 6, 1986
- Episode 7: Steve Guttenberg/The Pretenders1 h 7 min · Dec 13, 1986
- Episode 8: William Shatner/Lone Justice1 h 7 min · Dec 20, 1986
- Episode 9: Walter Payton, Joe Montana/Debbie Harry1 h 7 min · Jan 24, 1987
- Episode 10: Paul Shaffer/Bruce Hornsby & the Range1 h 7 min · Jan 31, 1987
- Episode 11: Bronson Pinchot/Paul Young1 h 7 min · Feb 14, 1987
- Episode 12: Willie Nelson1 h 7 min · Feb 21, 1987
- Episode 13: Valerie Bertinelli/The Robert Cray Band1 h 7 min · Feb 28, 1987
- Episode 14: Bill Murray/Percy Sledge1 h 7 min · Mar 21, 1987
- Episode 15: Charlton Heston/Wynton Marsalis1 h 7 min · Mar 28, 1987
- Episode 16: John Lithgow/Anita Baker1 h 7 min · Apr 11, 1987
- Episode 17: John Larroquette/Timbuk 31 h 7 min · Apr 18, 1987
- Episode 18: Mark Harmon/Suzanne Vega1 h 7 min · May 9, 1987
- Episode 19: Garry Shandling/Los Lobos1 h 7 min · May 16, 1987
- Episode 20: Dennis Hopper/Roy Orbison1 h 7 min · May 23, 1987
