Season 12
Saturday Night Live
20 EPISODES • 1986
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."

Season 11

Episodes

1: Sigourney Weaver/Buster Poindexter
Oct 11, 1986
Live From New York, it's...Madonna Sketches Include: A Message From Madonna, ""General Dynamics,"" ""Tommy Flanagan,"" ""Quiz Masters,"" ""The Amazing Alexander,"" ""Church Chat,"" ""Bows and Smith Advertising,"" ""Alienses,"" ""Ten Weeks In Jail,"" ""Baby It's Cold Outside"" (musical number), ""Derek Stevens Auditions,"" and ""The Brecht Opera."" Buster Poindexter performed ""Smack Dab in the Middle"" and ""Fool For You.""
2: Malcolm-Jamal Warner/Run DMC
Oct 18, 1986
Sketches include "Bartles & Jaymes," "Xynex," "Donahue," "The Crosby Show," "Instant Coffee," "Parent-Teen Drunk Driving Contract," Sam Kinison performs stand-up, "Chalk Factory," and "Johnny's Finished." Run DMC performs "Walk This Way" and "Hit It, Run"; Buster Poindexter performs "Hit The Road Jack."
3: Rosanna Arquette/Ric Ocasek
Nov 8, 1986
Sketches include "Pretending To Be Lorne," "The People's Court," "Church Chat," "Helmsley Spook House," "Pork" (two part), "Eddie & The Two Sammies," "Dog Baseball," (film), "Make Joan Baez Laugh," "Miss Connie's Fable Nook," "I Saw God," "Coffee and Cigarettes" (film), and "Pango" (film). Ric Ocasek performed "Emotion In Motion" and "Keep On Laughin'."
4: Sam Kinison/Lou Reed
Nov 15, 1986
Sketches include: Church Lady protest Sam Kinison hosting SNL, Obnoxious School Teacher, Superman--Krypton dosent explode, ""Love Connection"", Chick Hazard, ""Adobe Car Commercial: Made out of clay"", ""New York, 1943 (B/W)"", ""Ching Chang's Pet Chicken Shop"", ""Lord Sketch-Me-or-You-Die"".
5: Robin Williams/Paul Simon
Nov 22, 1986
Sketches include ""Reagen's Earpiece,"" ""Hamlet,"" ""Sweeney Sisters Retirement Home,"" ""Adieu,"" ""Robin Williams' Standup Act"", and ""Paul Simon remembers everyone but Garfunkel"". Paul Simon performs ""Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes"" and ""The Late Great Johnny Grace.""
6: Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, & Martin Short/Randy Newman
Dec 6, 1986
Sketches include ""Stumblebums,"" ""I'm Me! (And You're Not...)"" (musical number), ""Ronald Reagan,"" ""Under the Couch Cushion,"" ""The Eggshell Family,"" ""The Pat Stevens Show,"" ""Halsey & Roarke British Customs,"" ""Ed Meets the Devil,"" ""Church Lady,"" ""Steve Martin's Holiday Wishes,"" and ""The Amazing Alexander, The World's Greatest Hypnotist"". Randy Newman performed ""Longest Night"" and ""Roll With The Punches.""
7: Steve Guttenberg/The Pretenders
Dec 13, 1986
Live from New York, it's... Jon Lovitz! Sketches include "Iranian National Assembly," "McSooshi," "Derek Stevens' Marketing Expert," "Seducing a Blind Man," "Sideshow Of The Stars," "Movie Talk," a performance by Penn & Teller, "The Back Page," "Ditzy Actress," "Bob Roberts" (film), and "Al-Anon." The Pretenders perform and "How Much Did You Pay For Your Soul?" and "Don't Get Me Wrong." Buster Poindexter performs "Rockin' Good Soul."
8: William Shatner/Lone Justice
Dec 20, 1986
Live from New York, it's... William Shatner! Sketches include "The Mute Marine," "Star Trek Seafood," "Star Trek Convention," "TJ Hooker," "Sweeney Sisters Christmas," "It's A Wonderful Life: The Lost Ending" "Frankie Toussaint" (film), and "Look at That!" Lone Justice performed "Shelter" and "I Found Love." Buster Poindexter performed "Zat You, Santa?"
9: Walter Payton, Joe Montana/Debbie Harry
Jan 24, 1987
Sketches include: ""NFL Video Countdown,"" ""Leslie and Stu,"" ""Pathological Liar,"" ""Church Chat,"" ""The NFL Today,"" ""Michael Jackson Workout,"" ""Chick Hazard: Private Investigator,"" ""Adobe Car Commercial: It's Made out of Clay"", ""A man and his dumb kidnapper"", ""Weekend Update with Dennis Miller"", ""Super Bowl Gambling Memories"", ""The Most Honest Guy in the World"". Debbie Harry performs "French Kissin'" and "In Love With Love".
10: Paul Shaffer/Bruce Hornsby & the Range
Jan 31, 1987
Sketches include ""Paul's Dressing Room,"" ""What's My Addiction?"" ""The Grenada Experience,"" ""The Pat Stevens Show,"" and ""Sweeney Sisters' Far East Medley."" The Range perform ""That's Just the Way It Is,"" and Paul Shaffer sings ""It Was a Very Good Year.""
11: Bronson Pinchot/Paul Young
Feb 14, 1987
Live from New York, it's... Phil Hartman! Sketches include "Liberace In Heaven," "Nightline," "Sports Ilustrated Swimsuit Issue," "The Life Of Golda Meir," "Hardware Store Gigolo," and "Miss Connie's Fable Nook." Paul Young performs "War Games" and "The Long Run." Buster Poindexter performs "Heart of Gold."
12: Willie Nelson
Feb 21, 1987
""Afterlife Styles of the Rich and Famous"", ""The Mob Snitch who Wears A Wire and Loses Deal"", ""Party Girl: Great Moments in the History of White Trash"", ""Church Chat"", ""Welfare Cheat: Great Moments in the History of White Trash"", ""Pathological Liar Tommy Flanagan Meets Willie Nelson"", ""Victoria Jackson w/Willie Nelson: The Boyfriend Song"", ""Heartache Love in a Truck Stop Cafe"", ""First Cousins: Great Moments in the History of White Trash"".
13: Valerie Bertinelli/The Robert Cray Band
Feb 28, 1987
Live from New York, it's... Phil Hartman! Sketches include "Reagan-Regan Affair," "McSooshi," "Hard News Cafe," "Discover," "Dinner At The Van Halen's," "Ching Chang In Love," "Washington Center Professionals," "Let's Go To The Movies," "On Broadway," and "Opera Singer Doctor." Eddie Van Halen performed "Stompin' 8H." Robert Cray Band performed "Smoking Gun" and "Right Next Door."
14: Bill Murray/Percy Sledge
Mar 21, 1987
Live from New York, it's...Bill Murray Sketches include: Backstage SNL: The 110-Show Contract, The New York Telephone, Bad One-Night Stand, Donahue, Nick The Lounge Singer In Prison, Girls-Only Doctor, Il Returno De Hercules, Tough Parents, and Honker Cab Driver Percy Sledge performs: ""When A Man Loves A Woman"" The NBC rerun has three changes to it: The ""Nick The Lounge Singer In Prison"" sketch has the word ""bitch"" muted out, The ""Donahue"" sketch replaces Nora Dunn's mention of Joe Piscopo with a mention of Gallagher, and Phil Hartman's clumsy introductory narration in the ""Il Returno De Hercules"" is dubbed over with a flawless narration by Al Franken.
15: Charlton Heston/Wynton Marsalis
Mar 28, 1987
Live from New York, it's... Charlton Heston! Sketches include "God's Money," "The New Paper Chase," "Church Chat," "Sweeney Sisters," "Slave Drivers," and "A Message About UNLV." Wynton Marsalis performs "J Mood" and "One Mustaad."
16: John Lithgow/Anita Baker
Apr 11, 1987
Live from New York, it's... John Lithgow! Sketches include "Embassy Spies," "Laramie Vice," "The Pat Stevens Show," "World's Meanest Methodist Minister," "Master Thespian," "Discover," "Cab Ride," and "The Fighter." Anita Baker performs "Sweet Love" and "Same Ole Love."
17: John Larroquette/Timbuk 3
Apr 18, 1987
Live from New York, it's... Dana Carvey! Sketches include "Pagan Easter Special," "Sold-Out Gold," "Collecting Evidence," "Heaven Has The Answers," "Instant Coffee," "ICM Meeting," and "Grab Bag Store." Timbuk 3 performs "Just Another Movie" and "Hairstyles & Attitudes."
18: Mark Harmon/Suzanne Vega
May 9, 1987
""The New Charlie's Angels"", ""People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive 1986"", ""Grown-up Babies in Modern America"", ""Very Smart Theater presents Attila the Hun: The Early Years"", ""The Myowling Bible Commercial"", ""Einstein Express Commercial: When it has to be there the day before yerterday"", ""A Salmon's Reproductive Tale"", ""Ad Council: Wasting your time in various ways for no good reason"".
19: Garry Shandling/Los Lobos
May 16, 1987
Sketches include ""Iran-Contra Hearings,"" ""Returning a Sweater,"" ""The Puppy,"" ""Stu's Support Group,"" ""Babette's Teeny Cafe,"" ""Trans-Ozark Airlines,"" ""Hollywood Mom"" (film), and ""The Happy Couple."" Los Lobos performs ""Is That All There Is"" and ""One Time, One Night.""
20: Dennis Hopper/Roy Orbison
May 23, 1987
Sketches include ""Easy Rider,"" ""Church Chat,"" ""What's That Smell?,"" ""This Week with David Brinkley,"" ""Problem Drinkers from Outer Space,"" ""Cannibalism Interview,"" ""Last Chance,"" and ""Sweeney Sisters Farewell."" Roy Orbison performs ""Crying,"" ""Oh, Pretty Woman,"" and ""In Dreams.""
Season 13
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