Saturday Night Live: Season 14
The fourteenth season of Saturday Night Live aired on NBC during the 1988 to 1989 television season, consisting of 20 produced episodes. The season commenced on October 8, 1988, and concluded on May 20, 1989. Initially, the production maintained the existing cast without any changes. As the season progressed, Lorne Michaels expanded the roster by hiring Mike Myers and Ben Stiller as featured players. Stiller, who had
Season 14 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Saturday Night Live is a long-running late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show.
- The program was created by Lorne Michaels and is known for launching the careers of various famous actors and comedians.
- The show features a rotating cast of performers who participate in recurring sketches and segments.
- The series has historically maintained a consistent production structure while occasionally integrating new featured players into the ensemble.
Season overview
The fourteenth season of Saturday Night Live aired on NBC during the 1988 to 1989 television season, consisting of 20 produced episodes. The season commenced on October 8, 1988, and concluded on May 20, 1989. Initially, the production maintained the existing cast without any changes. As the season progressed, Lorne Michaels expanded the roster by hiring Mike Myers and Ben Stiller as featured players. Stiller, who had previously contributed a film to the show during a 1987 episode hosted by Charlton Heston, remained for only five episodes before departing due to creative differences with Michaels. The season finale was marked by the death of original cast member Gilda Radner, who passed away from ovarian cancer on that same day. In a tribute to Radner, host Steve Martin included a clip from their 1978 Dancing in the Dark sketch during his monologue. This season remains a notable period in the program's history, balancing the introduction of new talent with the loss of a foundational performer, while continuing the show's established format of late-night live sketch comedy and variety performances under the leadership of creator Lorne Michaels.
Episode Guide
Season 14 Progress Shield
Tom Hanks/Keith Richards
Oct 8, 1988 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Pumping Up With Hans and Franz,"" ""ABC Presents Debate '88,"" ""Mr. Short Term Memory,"" ""Jew, Not a Jew,"" and ""The Pat Stevens Show."" ""First Citiwide C
Matthew Modine/Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians
Nov 5, 1988 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Nicknames,"" ""The Republican Party,"" ""The Liberal,"" ""Dukakis After Dark,"" and ""Church Chat."" The New Bohemians perform ""Little Miss S.""
Demi Moore/Johnny Clegg & Savuka
Nov 12, 1988 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Bush's Final Negative Campaign Ad"", ""Beauty and the Beast: The Double Date"", ""In a Camping Site at Night with Hans and Franz"", ""One Man's Demons"", and ""N
Tony Danza/John Hiatt
Jan 28, 1989 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Ted Bundy Lives,"" ""Come Back to Carbon Paper,"" ""War of Da Woilds,"" ""Frankie's Proposal,"" and ""What Are You Looking At?""
Ted Danson/Luther Vandross
Jan 28, 1989 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Cheers,"" ""Iranian People's Court,"" ""Plug Away,"" ""Kevin's First Love,"" and ""The Long Goodbye.""
Leslie Nielsen/Cowboy Junkies
Feb 18, 1989 · 67 min
Sketches include ""The Pat Stevens Show,"" ""The 60's Movie,"" ""Subliminal Man and Friend,"" and ""Wayne's World.""
Glenn Close/Gipsy Kings
Feb 25, 1989 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Barnes & Noble Under Siege,"" ""Therapy Session,"" ""Pumping Up With Hans & Franz,"" ""The 49th Westminster Mad Dog Show,"" and ""Master Thespian."" The Gipsy K
Mel Gibson/Living Color
Apr 1, 1989 · 67 min
Sketches include "Raymond the Bookie", "Tales of Ribaldry", "Mel Gibson, Dream Gynecologist", "Cooking with the Anal Retentive Chef", "Josh Acid" and "Tonto, Tarzan, & Frankenstein
Dolly Parton
Apr 15, 1989 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Rock Cleaners,"" ""Celebrity Restaurant,"" ""Planet of the Enormous Hooters,"" ""Sprockets,"" ""The Stories of Dolly Parton's Mom,"" ""Broadway Story,"" and ""Lo
Geena Davis/John Mellencamp
Apr 22, 1989 · 67 min
Sketches include ""George Bush,"" ""Bob Waltman Special,"" ""The Snow White Story,"" ""Attitudes,"" ""The Palmer Bunch,"" ""Suspended Animation,"" ""Game Show Models,"" and ""The A
Wayne Gretzky/Fine Young Cannibals
May 13, 1989 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Carter in Panama,"" ""Fishing With the Anal-Retentive Sportsman,"" ""Wayne's World,"" ""This Week with David Brinkley,"" ""Stanley Cup Loss,"" ""Point Blank,"" a
Steve Martin/Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
May 20, 1989 · 67 min
Sketches include ""George Bush,"" ""Pumping Up With Hans and Franz,"" ""Tammy Wynette Sings the Classics,"" ""Toonces, The Cat Who Could Drive a Car,"" ""An Ode to the Woman I Love