Saturday Night Live: Season 14
Saturday Night Live aired its fourteenth season during the 1988 - 1989 television season on NBC. The season began on October 8, 1988, and ended on May 20, 1989. 20 episodes were produced. Before the start of the season, no changes were made to the cast. However, as the season progressed Lorne Michaels would hire two new people to the cast: Mike Myers and Ben Stiller, who joined the show midseason as featured players.
Season 14 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Saturday Night Live Season 13.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Season overview
Saturday Night Live aired its fourteenth season during the 1988 - 1989 television season on NBC. The season began on October 8, 1988, and ended on May 20, 1989. 20 episodes were produced. Before the start of the season, no changes were made to the cast. However, as the season progressed Lorne Michaels would hire two new people to the cast: Mike Myers and Ben Stiller, who joined the show midseason as featured players. Stiller had actually appeared on the show before; his film made it onto the show in the episode hosted by Charlton Heston in 1987.
This season notably saw the second death of an original cast member, Gilda Radner, who died on the day of the season finale from ovarian cancer. In memory of Radner, Steve Martin showed a clip from the famous "Dancing in the Dark" sketch from the 1978 episode hosted by Martin himself as part of his monologue. This was the only season of the show for Stiller. After being on the show for five episodes, Stiller left the show due to creative differences with 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