Saturday Night Live: Season 12
The twelfth season of Saturday Night Live aired on NBC from October 11, 1986, to May 23, 1987. The season began on the eleventh anniversary of the show's premiere. Following the conclusion of the eleventh season, the series faced potential cancellation due to poor ratings. Producer Lorne Michaels successfully negotiated with Brandon Tartikoff to continue the show, contingent upon a significant restructuring of the ca
Season 12 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- The series faced potential cancellation following the conclusion of the eleventh season due to low ratings.
- Producer Lorne Michaels secured the show's future by promising a complete overhaul of the cast.
- Most of the previous cast members were fired, leaving only Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz, A. Whitney Brown, and Dennis Miller.
- The show's leadership officially declared the entirety of the eleventh season to be a dream to facilitate a fresh start.
Season overview
The twelfth season of Saturday Night Live aired on NBC from October 11, 1986, to May 23, 1987. The season began on the eleventh anniversary of the show's premiere. Following the conclusion of the eleventh season, the series faced potential cancellation due to poor ratings. Producer Lorne Michaels successfully negotiated with Brandon Tartikoff to continue the show, contingent upon a significant restructuring of the cast. Consequently, most of the previous season's cast was dismissed, with the exception of Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz, A. Whitney Brown, and Weekend Update anchor Dennis Miller. Al Franken returned to the program as a writer. The new ensemble featured Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, and Kevin Nealon. Jan Hooks had previously auditioned for the tenth and eleventh seasons, while Phil Hartman had contributed to writing and performing in a sketch during the eleventh season's Thanksgiving episode. The season premiere featured Madonna, who had also hosted the previous season opener, delivering a statement from NBC that characterized the entire 1985-1986 season as a dream, effectively resetting the narrative trajectory of the series for the new cast and writing staff.
Episode Guide
Season 12 Progress Shield
Sigourney Weaver/Buster Poindexter
Oct 11, 1986 · 67 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,"
Malcolm-Jamal Warner/Run DMC
Oct 18, 1986 · 67 min
Sketches include "Bartles & Jaymes," "Xynex," "Donahue," "The Crosby Show," "Instant Coffee," "Parent-Teen Drunk Driving Contract," Sam Kinison performs stand-up, "Chalk Factory,"
Rosanna Arquette/Ric Ocasek
Nov 8, 1986 · 67 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
Sam Kinison/Lou Reed
Nov 15, 1986 · 67 min
Sketches include: Church Lady protest Sam Kinison hosting SNL, Obnoxious School Teacher, Superman--Krypton dosent explode, ""Love Connection"", Chick Hazard, ""Adobe Car Commercial
Robin Williams/Paul Simon
Nov 22, 1986 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Reagen's Earpiece,"" ""Hamlet,"" ""Sweeney Sisters Retirement Home,"" ""Adieu,"" ""Robin Williams' Standup Act"", and ""Paul Simon remembers everyone but Garfunk
Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, & Martin Short/Randy Newman
Dec 6, 1986 · 67 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,
Steve Guttenberg/The Pretenders
Dec 13, 1986 · 67 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
William Shatner/Lone Justice
Dec 20, 1986 · 67 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 Won
Walter Payton, Joe Montana/Debbie Harry
Jan 24, 1987 · 67 min
Sketches include: ""NFL Video Countdown,"" ""Leslie and Stu,"" ""Pathological Liar,"" ""Church Chat,"" ""The NFL Today,"" ""Michael Jackson Workout,"" ""Chick Hazard: Private Inves
Paul Shaffer/Bruce Hornsby & the Range
Jan 31, 1987 · 67 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 perfo
Bronson Pinchot/Paul Young
Feb 14, 1987 · 67 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,
Willie Nelson
Feb 21, 1987 · 67 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"", ""Wel
Valerie Bertinelli/The Robert Cray Band
Feb 28, 1987 · 67 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," "Wa
Bill Murray/Percy Sledge
Mar 21, 1987 · 67 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 Pris
Charlton Heston/Wynton Marsalis
Mar 28, 1987 · 67 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."
John Lithgow/Anita Baker
Apr 11, 1987 · 67 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," "Disco
John Larroquette/Timbuk 3
Apr 18, 1987 · 67 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
Mark Harmon/Suzanne Vega
May 9, 1987 · 67 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"",
Garry Shandling/Los Lobos
May 16, 1987 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Iran-Contra Hearings,"" ""Returning a Sweater,"" ""The Puppy,"" ""Stu's Support Group,"" ""Babette's Teeny Cafe,"" ""Trans-Ozark Airlines,"" ""Hollywood Mom"" (f
Dennis Hopper/Roy Orbison
May 23, 1987 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Easy Rider,"" ""Church Chat,"" ""What's That Smell?,"" ""This Week with David Brinkley,"" ""Problem Drinkers from Outer Space,"" ""Cannibalism Interview,"" ""Las