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Season 12

Saturday Night Live

Season 12

  • 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.”

  1. Sigourney Weaver/Buster Poindexter Episode 1 Sigourney Weaver/Buster Poindexter October 11, 1986, 1 h 7 min 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…
  2. Malcolm-Jamal Warner/Run DMC Episode 2 Malcolm-Jamal Warner/Run DMC October 18, 1986, 1 h 7 min 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…
  3. Rosanna Arquette/Ric Ocasek Episode 3 Rosanna Arquette/Ric Ocasek November 8, 1986, 1 h 7 min 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…
  4. Sam Kinison/Lou Reed Episode 4 Sam Kinison/Lou Reed November 15, 1986, 1 h 7 min 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)"",…
  5. Robin Williams/Paul Simon Episode 5 Robin Williams/Paul Simon November 22, 1986, 1 h 7 min 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…
  6. Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, & Martin Short/Randy Newman Episode 6 Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, & Martin Short/Randy Newman December 6, 1986, 1 h 7 min 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…
  7. Steve Guttenberg/The Pretenders Episode 7 Steve Guttenberg/The Pretenders December 13, 1986, 1 h 7 min 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…
  8. William Shatner/Lone Justice Episode 8 William Shatner/Lone Justice December 20, 1986, 1 h 7 min 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"…
  9. Walter Payton, Joe Montana/Debbie Harry Episode 9 Walter Payton, Joe Montana/Debbie Harry January 24, 1987, 1 h 7 min 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"",…
  10. Paul Shaffer/Bruce Hornsby & the Range Episode 10 Paul Shaffer/Bruce Hornsby & the Range January 31, 1987, 1 h 7 min 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,""…
  11. Bronson Pinchot/Paul Young Episode 11 Bronson Pinchot/Paul Young February 14, 1987, 1 h 7 min 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."…
  12. Willie Nelson Episode 12 Willie Nelson February 21, 1987, 1 h 7 min ""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…
  13. Valerie Bertinelli/The Robert Cray Band Episode 13 Valerie Bertinelli/The Robert Cray Band February 28, 1987, 1 h 7 min 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…
  14. Bill Murray/Percy Sledge Episode 14 Bill Murray/Percy Sledge March 21, 1987, 1 h 7 min 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…
  15. Charlton Heston/Wynton Marsalis Episode 15 Charlton Heston/Wynton Marsalis March 28, 1987, 1 h 7 min 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…
  16. John Lithgow/Anita Baker Episode 16 John Lithgow/Anita Baker April 11, 1987, 1 h 7 min 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…
  17. John Larroquette/Timbuk 3 Episode 17 John Larroquette/Timbuk 3 April 18, 1987, 1 h 7 min 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…
  18. Mark Harmon/Suzanne Vega Episode 18 Mark Harmon/Suzanne Vega May 9, 1987, 1 h 7 min ""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…
  19. Garry Shandling/Los Lobos Episode 19 Garry Shandling/Los Lobos May 16, 1987, 1 h 7 min 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…
  20. Dennis Hopper/Roy Orbison Episode 20 Dennis Hopper/Roy Orbison May 23, 1987, 1 h 7 min 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…