The Late Nineties
1995-96 was a milestone year, marking the last season for David Spade, but also the debuts of a strong batch of new recruits — Jim Breuer, Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, David Koechner, Cheri Oteri, Nancy Walls, Chris Kattan and Colin Quinn. Ferrell, Hammond, Oteri, Shannon and Kattan became mainstays of the show for the rest of the decade and beyond. The last half of the Nineties arguably also produced some of SNL's best material in years, performed by one of the strongest and most versatile ensemble casts yet assembled. Many in this group were prone to mugging and overusing recurring characters, which gained them some success while on the show, but has not translated to fame outside of SNL (Will Ferrell excluded). This group managed to stop SNL's freefalling ratings and reputation, and at their best were highly entertaining. The most unfortunate circumstance was that the lack of subtlety and the refusal to give airtime to more than a handful of "stars" caused true geniuses like Mark McKinney to be forced out.
Ex-Groundling Ana Gasteyer joined in 1996-97, bringing an excellent singing voice and considerable musical skills, as well as creating some memorable characters — Margeret Jo McCullen, co-host of tedious public radio cooking show “The Delicious Dish”, ultra-square high school music teacher “Bobbi Mohan-Culp” her hatchet-faced impersonation of home improvement guru Martha Stewart; and, in one of the most popular segments of the late 1990s, her often-scathing impression of Céline Dion hosting a talk show (the real Dion has never appeared on SNL due to her exclusive TV special contract with CBS). Also new this year was another regular black cast member, Tracy Morgan, a move that some cynics have suggested was motivated by persistent criticisms that the show did not feature enough black performers.
Darrell Hammond proved a great find, perhaps the most gifted impressionist in the show's history. He has built up a repertoire of uncanny and hilarious impersonations, including Bill Clinton and Ted Koppel, taking the show's political satire to new heights. This aspect of the writing task was assisted by some of the juiciest and most satire-worthy stories in years, including the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, the OJ Simpson trial and the various Michael Jackson scandals.
Will Ferrell was undoubtedly the keystone of this new cast and during his stint he performed superbly in all his partnerships, with Oteri, Shannon, Gasteyer and Kattan, as well as creating some devastatingly funny solo characters. One of his most popular impressions was his bellowing, belligerent parody of former US Attorney General Janet Reno. And like Carvey's Bush and MacDonald's robot-like Bob Dole, Ferrell's fake Reno continued the tradition of having the real-life target of the satire appear on the show to confront their tormentor.
This period featured many classic recurring sketches and characters, with radio and TV parodies featuring prominently. They included the NPR parody “The Delicious Dish” (Shannon and Gasteyer), “The Ladies Man” (Tim Meadows), the geeky Spartan Cheerleaders (Ferrell and Oteri), Ferrell and Gasteyer's starchy, husband-and-wife music teacher duo Marty Culp and Bobbi Mohan-Culp, Kattan's campy “Mango”, the brain-dead, disco-loving “Roxbury Guys” (Ferrell and Kattan), Shannon and Kattan's delightful “Goth Talk” and Molly Shannon's star-struck, accident-prone Catholic schoolgirl, Mary-Catherine Gallagher.
The huge success of Wayne's World evidently encouraged more feature film spinoffs, with several popular 1990s sketch characters (and a few unlikely ones) adapted into movies. Producers tried their luck with a revival of '70s character The Coneheads, followed by movies based around Pat, Stuart Smalley, The Ladies Man, The Roxbury Guys and Mary-Catherine Gallagher. Some did moderate business but others bombed disastrously — notably It's Pat and Stuart Smalley Saves His Family, with the latter losing US$15 million despite good reviews.
This fine ensemble remained substantially unchanged for the 1997-98 and 1998-99 series, although the latter series introduced important new cast members — Jimmy Fallon, Chris Parnell and Horatio Sanz. The only surprise departure was Norm MacDonald who left the series under a cloud in 1997 and was replaced by Colin Quinn as Update anchor. It was reported that MacDonald was fired on the order of a senior NBC executive, who claimed the actor “unpopular and unfunny” but it was widely thought that MacDonald had been fired because the executive — a close friend of O.J. Simpson, a regular Weekend Update target — had taken offense at MacDonald's persistent attacks on Simpson and his blatant suggestions that Simpson was guilty of slaying his wife.
The 1999-2000 was the last for Colin Quinn, Cheri Oteri and Tim Meadows, but it also marked the arrival of two strong new female cast members, Rachel Dratch and Maya Rudolph (daughter of the late singer Minnie Riperton and a lifelong friend of actress Gwyneth Paltrow).
Although SNL has an often rapid turnover of supporting players (many of whom have appeared for only one season or less), some performers have had remarkably long tenures with the show. Among the longest serving are the late Phil Hartman (8 seasons), Will Ferrell (7 seasons), Darrell Hammond (now entering his record-breaking 10th season), Tim Meadows (9 1/2 Seasons) and Kevin Nealon (9 Seasons).
Season Breakdown
1995-1996 Season
Opening Montage:
Along with a virtually all new cast, this season also came with an all new opener. This montage has kind of a 30 Rockefeller Plaza (location of NBC Studios) theme, and consists of black and white images of the cast at a party, with purple and green titling. The SNL logo introduced here is the current logo the show still uses.
(You MUST have Windows Media Player (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b446ae53-3759-40cf-80d5-cde4bbe07999&displaylang=en) in order to view videos.)
Cast
(contract)
(featured)
Notes
- The only holdouts from the previous season were Meadows, Spade, Shannon, MacDonald and McKinney, and of the five only Meadows and Spade were true veterans. The latter three were still band new (MacDonald had a few bit parts in 93, but nothing notable; McKinney came in 94, and Shannon in early 95). Spade only stayed one final year to help bridge the gap between old and new casts. Meadows was allegedly kept mainly because NBC did not want be seen as eliminating all of their African-American performers in one fell swoop.
- Koechner and Walls are fired at the end of the season. Most of the other new regulars go on to become quite popular.
1996-1997 Season
Opening Montage:
This montage also uses a "30 Rock" theme, and is virtually identical to the 1995 montage, but with brand new cast photos.
(You MUST have Windows Media Player (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b446ae53-3759-40cf-80d5-cde4bbe07999&displaylang=en) in order to view videos.)
Cast
(contract)
(featured)
Notes
- Wolf is fired early in the season, and McKinney at the end of the season. The very talented and popular Ana Gasteyer arrives.
1997-1998 Season
Opening Montage:
This opener is most notable, as it is the only montage in SNL's long history, to NOT feature any images of New York City. It simply different colored bars that spin and reveal each cast photo. Its lack in tradition may be why it was only used for one season.
(You MUST have Windows Media Player (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b446ae53-3759-40cf-80d5-cde4bbe07999&displaylang=en) in order to view videos.)
Cast
(contract)
Notes
- This season is the first since 1984-1985 to have no featured players.
- Breuer and Macdonald are fired, Macdonald in a very high-profile dispute with NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer, who himself would lose his job a year later.
1998-1999 Season
Opening Montage:
This montage was used for two seasons, including during SNL's 25th Anniversary season. It is somewhat similar to the 97 montage in that various colored bars move and cross to reveal pictures, but the bars also contain various images from around New York, possibly due to breaking that tradition with the opener used the year prior.
(You MUST have Windows Media Player (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b446ae53-3759-40cf-80d5-cde4bbe07999&displaylang=en) in order to view videos.)
Cast
(contract)
(featured)
Notes
- The changing of the guard begins yet again as Parnell and particularly Sanz and Fallon are groomed for stardom, replacing several reliable players who will leave in the next year.
1999-2000 Season
Opening Montage:
This montage is the same as the 1998 season with little-to-no changes. One difference is that the SNL logo now as a small "25" superscript after it to comemmorate its 25th Anniversary. However, the version shown here is from 1998.
(You MUST have Windows Media Player (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b446ae53-3759-40cf-80d5-cde4bbe07999&displaylang=en) in order to view videos.)
Cast
(contract)
(featured)
Notes
- Quinn and Oteri leave at the end of the season, as does Meadows after nearly a decade of reliable service.
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