That Week In SNL (A Vintage Saturday Night Live Podcast)

This week, we've got the second (and final) part of our interview with 80's SNL writer, Kevin Kelton! This time around, we explore Kevin's time writing for the tenth season of the show before moving on to his career in sitcoms and beyond. Topics include: Harry Shearer's firing, being approached for the eleventh season, working on Boy Meets World and more!

This week we're joined by 80's SNL writer Kevin Kelton for a interview for the ages! In part 1, we discuss Kevin's earliest days writing for bizarre, obscure sketch shows before we dive headlong into his first season at SNL. Topics include: selling jokes to David Letterman, Joe and Eddie, screaming matches with Jim Belushi, sketches that never made it and more!

Promises made, promises kept. This week we're digging into 1999's Superstar, that there SNL movie based around Molly Shannon's Mary Catherine Gallagher character. Is it as dire as a Night at the Roxbury? Can director (and Kids in the Hall alum) Bruce McCulloch wrangle some funny out of this one? The answer may surprise you, but it probably won't.

We're still on summer break but that doesn't mean we can't kick back with some SNL movies! This week we break out 1998's critically reviled "A Night At The Roxbury" to find out if it's an underrated classic or fully deserving of it's poor reputation.

This week we put in our final, definitive words on both seasons 21 and 43! There's also some catch up on the May episodes from season 43 in there as well but mostly we explore the various ups and downs as we saw them. The cast! The episodes! Those gosh darn cameos! It's all here and waiting for you. Get down on it.

It's the big finale for season 21 with Jim Carrey and Soundgarden! This one is a well-remembered classic that saw many repeats on Comedy Central back in the day but does it hold up all these years later? Mostly, yes. Tangents include more talk about the mid-90's Batman films than you ever wanted.

It's bizarre times with Christine Baranski and The Cure! Experience the last sputtering moments of unique season 21 favorites and a barrage of other weirdness! Tangents are kept to a minimum because we respect your time.

It's another boozy Off Week as we again catch up on the season 43 episodes we've missed from the last few months! We also ramble about where to take the show next season, the corrupting force of Migos, further appreciation of Luke Null and more!

This week Lois Lane herself, Teri Hatcher, joins musical guest Dave Matthews Band for a pretty fun little episode. Tangents include theories on the downfall of Dave Matthews and more!

This week, Presidential also-ran Steve Forbes and fun loving provocateurs Rage Against The Machine deliver one of the more strangely memorable episodes of season 21. Tangents include rioting with Rage, the joys of solid roofing work and more!

We return from our brief hiatus with a trip down memory lane with SNL legend, Phil Hartman. We get some old favorites like Charlton Heston, Sinatra and Frankenstein amidst the debut of some new favorites (?) like the Roxbury Guys and acting workshop teacher Bobby Coultsman. Tangents include listener response about Chris Kattan, Phil's effect on our lives and more!

This week, we steel ourselves with eggnog to do battle against the Christmas episode from 1995 with Madeline Kahn and musical guest Bush. We discuss the two previous times Madeline hosted the show back in the 70's before diving headlong into the dour reality of the episode before us. Tangents include eggnog, David Spade's short lived animated show Sammy and eggnog related tangents.

Fresh from his run on In Living Color, it's David Alan Grier and musical guest Silverchair! Includes an Adam McKay classic, JACKO ON HIS BACKO and a Weekend Update that damn near breaks us. Tangents include In Living Color (of course), random boxing memories and more!

SNL kicks off it's three episode December '95 run with ER's Anthony Edwards and the Foo Fighters. We get the first (and last) appearance of Swabby, Anthony does a shockingly good Princess Di, and the debut of both the Joe Pesci show and Gary MacDonald! Tangents include holiday cheer in non-holiday times, Goodfellas V.S. Casino, and more! Join us, won't you?

Melrose Place star Laura Leighton and punk band Rancid stop by for a strange one. Includes an all-time classic sketch and a whole lot of Fred Wolf. Tangents include the history of the Dandy Fops, theories on Norm MacDonald and more!

This time around, Pulp Fiction director Quentin Tarantino stops by the show to infuse it with his own special brand of awkward energy. Includes the debuts of both the Spartan Cheerleaders and the Dandy Fops! Side Note: This episode was recorded a week or two before the Harvey Weinstein incident blew up so don't expect any references to it here. It certainly does put some sketches in a different light, though...especially "Directors On Directing". Did you jam her, indeed.

This week, we get a little loose and utilize the Kumail Nanjiani episode to discuss the critical perception of season 43 as it stands now. We also talk a bit about the David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special and the recent documentary, Too Funny To Fail.

The Usual Suspects star Gabriel Byrne gives his all for a solid entry into Season 21. Featuring human potato Colin Quinn and the debut of Mary Katherine Gallagher. Tangents include further O.J. Today info, remembrances of Alanis, sports facts and the worst Spade in America yet!

Friends star David Schwimmer stops by the show (along with Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow in tow) for an all-around decent entry into Season 21. Tangents include poor Columbia House purchases, Nehi V.S. Knee high, the redemption of Jim Downey and more!

Season 21 is taking the week off but that certainly doesn't mean WE have to as well. So instead this week we discuss the first two episodes of season 43 hosted by Ryan Gosling and Gal Gadot. Do Captain Giggles and The Lady Who's Name We Don't Pronounce Right entertain? Grab a box of White Fudge Ding Dongs and find out!

Chevy Chase returns to Studio 8H to host the second episode of season 21 and low-key hilarity ensues! Tangents include an old Entertainment Weekly article that reviews the previous episode, the history of Chevy on SNL, the film roles of Father Guido Sarducci and more!

The chronological survey of season 21 begins here...at the beginning, of course. We dig into how the previous season brought the show to near cancellation, meet the new cast and read an ancient news article about the premiere. Tangents include "is this Stephen Colbert", Showgirls (or is it Striptease?) , the Weekend Update O.J. joke bet and more!

For our final test episode, we do battle against one of the absolute worst episodes in the show's 40-plus years: the Deion Sanders show from February 1995. It's a true dark night of the soul as we do our best to rail against the horrifying levels of abrasive non-comedy that was thrown at us. We made it out alive...just barely. And now we're here to tell our tale and give warning. Peace, we outta here.

For our penultimate test episode, Hill Street Blues actor Daniel J. Travanti hosts what ends up being one of the earliest live call-in shows on television, giving the audience the choice to either boil or save a lobster named Larry. In an episode exploding with Italian stereotypes, we decide to crown the one true Pizza Pasta, discuss the inoffensive blue collar charms of John Cougar, struggle through a never-ending Weekend Update and more.

For our second test episode we decided to tackle one of our favorite episodes, hosted by Woody Harrelson in 2014. It's a boozy celebration of those rare times SNL is firing on all cylinders, with some side excursions into the wistful/painful nostalgia of only three years ago. This one's for all the Marlboros.

The journey begins here with our old friend Kevin Bacon and his special guest, the Gulf War! Topics include Vanilla Ice, the first Stuart Smalley sketch, auto-erotic asphyxiation and one of Rob Schneider's most infamous creations.