The forty-third season of the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on September 30, 2017, during the 2017–2018 television season with host Ryan Gosling and musical guest Jay-Z, and concluded on May 19, 2018, with host Tina Fey and musical guest Nicki Minaj.[1][2] Like the final four episodes of season 42, season 43 was broadcast live in all four time zones within the contiguous United States, with the exception of the Natalie Portman/Dua Lipa episode due to the network's commitment to the NFL.[3]
Saturday Night Live | |
---|---|
Season 43 | |
No. of episodes | 21 |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | September 30, 2017 May 19, 2018 | –
Season chronology | |
Cast
Prior to the start of the season, Bobby Moynihan, Vanessa Bayer, and Sasheer Zamata left the show.[4][5]
As a replacement, the show hired three new cast members, who became featured players: Heidi Gardner of The Groundlings, iO Chicago alum Luke Null, and stand-up comedian Chris Redd, who previously did sketch comedy at Second City.[6]
Redd had been incorrectly reported as joining the cast during the previous season.[7]
Mikey Day, Alex Moffat and Melissa Villaseñor continued as featured players until they upgraded to repertory status in the following season.
With this announcement came the confirmation that the rest of the cast from the previous season would return, including guest star Alec Baldwin in his role as President Donald Trump.[8][9]
With his return, Kenan Thompson surpassed Darrell Hammond's record as the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history, with a total of fifteen seasons compared to Darrell Hammond's fourteen seasons from 1995-2009.[10]
This is the only season for Luke Null, who was let go after the season's end.[11]
Cast roster
Repertory Players |
Featured Players
|
bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor
Crew
Writers
Prior to the start of the season, the show added Steven Castillo, Andrew Dismukes, Claire Friedman, Sam Jay, Erik Marino, Nimesh Patel, and Gary Richardson to the writing staff.[6] Also prior to the season, head writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider departed the show.[12] On December 12, 2017, Jost and Che were named co-head writers, making Che the first African American head writer.[13] Jost was previously the head writer for 3 years from 2012 to 2015.
Episodes
No. overall | No. in season | Host | Musical guest | Original air date | Ratings/ Share |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
830 | 1 | Ryan Gosling | Jay-Z | September 30, 2017 | 4.5[14] |
831 | 2 | Gal Gadot | Sam Smith | October 7, 2017 | 4.4[14] |
832 | 3 | Kumail Nanjiani | P!nk | October 14, 2017 | 4.6/11[15] |
833 | 4 | Larry David | Miley Cyrus | November 4, 2017 | 4.7/11[16] |
834 | 5 | Tiffany Haddish | Taylor Swift | November 11, 2017 | 4.3/10[17] |
835 | 6 | Chance the Rapper | Eminem | November 18, 2017 | 4.3/10[18] |
836 | 7 | Saoirse Ronan | U2 | December 2, 2017 | 4.3/10[19] |
837 | 8 | James Franco | SZA | December 9, 2017 | 4.5/10[20] |
838 | 9 | Kevin Hart | Foo Fighters | December 16, 2017 | 4.6/11[21] |
839 | 10 | Sam Rockwell | Halsey | January 13, 2018 | 4.6/10[22] |
840 | 11 | Jessica Chastain | Troye Sivan | January 20, 2018 | 4.3/10[23] |
841 | 12 | Will Ferrell | Chris Stapleton | January 27, 2018 | 4.9/11[24] |
842 | 13 | Natalie Portman | Dua Lipa | February 3, 2018 | 4.6/12[25] |
843 | 14 | Charles Barkley | Migos | March 3, 2018 | 4.2/10[26] |
844 | 15 | Sterling K. Brown | James Bay | March 10, 2018 | 4.1/10[27] |
845 | 16 | Bill Hader | Arcade Fire | March 17, 2018 | 4.5/10[28] |
846 | 17 | Chadwick Boseman | Cardi B | April 7, 2018 | 4.6/11[29] |
847 | 18 | John Mulaney | Jack White | April 14, 2018 | 3.9/9[30] |
848 | 19 | Donald Glover | Childish Gambino | May 5, 2018 | 4.1/10[31] |
849 | 20 | Amy Schumer | Kacey Musgraves | May 12, 2018 | 4.3/10[32] |
850 | 21 | Tina Fey | Nicki Minaj | May 19, 2018 | 4.5/11[33] |
Specials
Title | Original air date | Ratings/ Share |
---|---|---|
"The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special" | October 28, 2017 | 3.4/8[34] |
"SNL Presents: Halloween" | October 28, 2017 | 3.1/9[34] |
Notes
References
- ^ "Saturday Night Live – NBC.com". NBC Universal. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (April 18, 2018). "'Saturday Night Live' Sets Amy Schumer, Tina Fey as Hosts for Final Episodes of Season 43". Variety. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ Keveney, Bill (September 19, 2017). "'Saturday Night Live' will stay live in all time zones in Season 43". USA Today. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
- ^ Abramson, Alana (May 21, 2017). "SNL Bids Farewell to These Two Cast Members in Season Finale". Time Magazine. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ Shanley, Desantis (May 21, 2017). "Sasheer Zamata will not return to 'Saturday Night Live' following season finale". NY Daily News. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (September 26, 2017). "'Saturday Night Live' Taps Heidi Gardner, Luke Null & Chris Redd As New Cast Members, Adds 7 Writers For Season 43". Deadline. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- ^ O'Keefe, Meghan (September 9, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' Reportedly Adds 2 New Castmembers: Chris Redd & Mikey Day". Decider. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ^ Keveney, Bill; Ryan, Patrick (September 26, 2017). "'Saturday Night Live' adds three to cast for Season 43". USA Today. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ Melas, Chloe (June 26, 2017). "Alec Baldwin will return to 'SNL' as Donald Trump". CNN. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ Park, Andrea (August 25, 2017). "Kenan Thompson on "SNL" record and new kids' sketch comedy project". CBS News. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ^ "Luke Null Will Not Return to Saturday Night Live Next Season". Vulture. August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ https://ew.com/tv/2017/10/02/snl-head-writers-chris-kelly-sarah-schneider-exit/
- ^ Otterson, Joe (December 12, 2017). "'SNL' Names Michael Che, Colin Jost Co-Head Writers". Variety. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (October 15, 2017). "'Saturday Night Live' Ratings Rise To Season Highs With Host Kumail Nanjiani, Donald Trump & Harvey Weinstein Skits". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ ""Saturday Night Live" Generates Season Highs & the Show's 2nd Strongest Week 3 Metered-Market Rating in 6 Years". The Futon Critic. October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (November 5, 2017). "'Saturday Night Live' Hits Season High in Overnight Ratings". Variety. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
- ^ "Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC Pulls Back in Front with College Football". The Futon Critic. November 12, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
- ^ Porter, Rick (November 19, 2017). "TV Ratings Saturday: 'Saturday Night Live' rises, ABC leads primetime". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ "Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: College Football Pushes FOX to Top Spot". The Futon Critic. December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ "Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: CBS Edges Competition with Holiday Mix". The Futon Critic. December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ "Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX, NBC Top Demos; CBS Leads Viewers". The Futon Critic. December 17, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ "Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: CBS Rides NFL Playoffs to Victory". The Futon Critic. January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: NBA Primetime Return Puts ABC on Top". The Futon Critic. January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (January 28, 2018). "TV Ratings Saturday: 'Saturday Night Live' hits season highs, NBA leads primetime". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
- ^ "Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC, NBC Split Adults 18-49 Crown". The Futon Critic. February 4, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- ^ "Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC, NBA Reclaim Demo Crown". The Futon Critic. March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (March 11, 2018). "TV ratings Saturday: 'Saturday Night Live' down a little, 'Dateline' leads primetime". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
- ^ "Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: CBS, NCAA Continue Win Streak". The Futon Critic. March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC, NBA Top Demos; CBS Leads Total Viewers". The Futon Critic. April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "Saturday's Broadcast Ratings: NBC Tops Demos with NHL Playoffs". The Futon Critic. April 15, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (May 6, 2018). "TV ratings Saturday: 'Saturday Night Live' rises, NBA rules primetime". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ Hayes, Dade; Haring, Bruce (May 13, 2018). "'SNL' Ratings Boosted By Amy Schumer Star Power In Pre-Mother's Day Airing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (May 20, 2018). "TV ratings Saturday: 'Saturday Night Live' finale rises, NHL and royal wedding lead primetime". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ^ a b ""David S. Pumpkins" Is the #1 Non-World Series Broadcast of the Night in the Metered Markets". The Futon Critic. October 29, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2017.