Saturday Night Live: Season 26
Saturday Night Live aired its twenty-sixth season during the 2000–2001 television season on NBC. 20 episodes were produced. The season began on October 7, 2000 and ended on May 19, 2001. Before the start of the season Cheri Oteri, Colin Quinn, and Tim Meadows left the show. With the three of them gone, the show added two new castmembers. SNL head writer Tina Fey and Second City comedian Jerry Minor joined the cast a
Season 26 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 25.
- 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 twenty-sixth season during the 2000–2001 television season on NBC. 20 episodes were produced. The season began on October 7, 2000 and ended on May 19, 2001.
Before the start of the season Cheri Oteri, Colin Quinn, and Tim Meadows left the show. With the three of them gone, the show added two new castmembers. SNL head writer Tina Fey and Second City comedian Jerry Minor joined the cast as featured players at the start of the season. Fey had been a writer on the show since 1997 and began as the show's head writer in 1999. Rachel Dratch and Maya Rudolph remained featured players.
This would be Molly Shannon's final season on the show, leaving mid-season. Chris Parnell and Jerry Minor were both let go after this season ended. However, Chris Parnell would be re-hired midway through the next season. Michaels would later admit he made a mistake in firing Parnell from the cast and wanted him back.
With Colin Quinn's seat on Weekend Update empty, executive producer Lorne Michaels decided to have two anchors just as SNL had had in the 1970s. Jimmy Fallon and head writer Tina Fey were brought up to anchor the segment together. Because of Fey's head writer status she would appear rarely out of Weekend Update.
Episode Guide
Season 26 Progress Shield
Rob Lowe/Eminem
Oct 7, 2000 · 67 min
Live From New York, it's...Chris Parnell Sketches include The First Presidential Debate, Corn Chip Nails, Backstage SNL: Rob Lowe Meets Ralph Nader, Scooby Doo and Shaggy on Court
Kate Hudson/Radiohead
Oct 14, 2000 · 67 min
Live From New York, it's...Chris Parnell (again!) Sketches include "The Second Presidential Debate", "College Girl's Wild Spring Break", "TV Funhouse: The X-Presidents", "Inside T
Dana Carvey/The Wallflowers
Oct 21, 2000 · 67 min
Live From New York, it's...Dana Carvey Sketches include: "The Third Presidental Debate", "Magic Mouth", "Delicious Dish", "Church Chat", "Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. Go Hunting", "VH-1
Charlize Theron/Paul Simon
Nov 4, 2000 · 67 min
Live From New York, it's...Will Ferrell Sketches include: "A Glimpse of our Possible Future: George W. Bush", "TRL", "A Glimpse of our Possible Future: Al Gore and Bill Clinton",
Calista Flockhart/Ricky Martin
Nov 5, 2000 · 67 min
S26E05 (11/11/2000) was originally mis-identified as Presidential Bash (S00E36, air date 11/3/2000)
Tom Green/David Gray
Nov 18, 2000 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Decision 2000,"" ""Bald Eagles,"" ""Rap Street,"" ""Lorne and Tom in a Tub,"" ""Hardball,"" ""Dog Show,"" ""Oprah,"" ""Story Tellers,"" ""TV Funhouse: Sex and th
Val Kilmer/U2
Dec 9, 2000 · 67 min
Live From New York, it's...Chris Parnell Sketches include: Gore's Lawsuit, Wade Blasingame: Dog Lawyer, Behind The Music, Palm Beach, Veronica and Co., Seasons Greetings From SNL,
Lucy Liu/Jay-Z
Dec 16, 2000 · 67 min
Sketches include ""George W. Bush and Al Gore at Chi-Chi's,"" ""Gemini's Twin,"" ""Celebrity Jeopardy,"" ""Pretty Living,"" ""Jarret's Room,"" ""Christmas Ornaments,"" and ""Robert
Charlie Sheen/Nelly Furtado
Jan 13, 2001 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Dick Cheney,"" ""Iron Chef,"" ""Eric Dickerson's NFL Pre-Game Special,"" ""The Culps,"" ""Patsy March,"" ""Giving Birth to a Grown Man,"" ""T.G.I. Friday's Obnox
Mena Suvari/Lenny Kravitz
Jan 20, 2001 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Bill Clinton,"" ""Airport Metal Detector,"" ""Janet Reno's Dance Party, ""Rap Street,"" ""Veronica & Co.,"" and ""The DeMarco Brothers.""
Jennifer Lopez
Feb 10, 2001 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Will Ferrell and Jennifer Lopez,"" ""Mango,"" ""Gemini's Twin,"" ""Fly Girls,"" ""Good Morning Bronx,"" ""Jeanie Darcy,"" and ""Lana Thornberry.""
Sean Hayes/Shaggy
Feb 17, 2001 · 67 min
Sketches include ""George W. Bush,"" ""Delicious Dish,"" ""Hardball,"" ""Jeffrey's,"" ""Hello Dolly,"" ""Fashion Week,"" ""Action News,"" ""Mary Katherine Gallagher,"" ""Brian Fell
Katie Holmes/Dave Matthews Band
Feb 24, 2001 · 67 min
Sketches include ""The Clinton Family,"" ""Mr. Peepers,"" ""Drew Barrymore and Tom Green,"" ""Lovers,"" ""Jarret's Room,"" ""Tough as Nails,"" and ""Cruise Ship Lovers.""
Conan O'Brien/Don Henley
Mar 10, 2001 · 67 min
Live from New York, it's...Will Ferrell Sketches include: Bush's Good Health, Subshack, The Boston Teens At The Liquor Store, Moleculo: The Molecular Man, Napster Testimony, Taint
Julia Stiles/Aerosmith
Mar 17, 2001 · 67 min
Sketches include ""Martha Stewart Living,"" ""Wake Up Wakefield,"" ""Post Office Security,"" ""Suel Forrester,"" ""Foreign Cleaning Ladies,"" ""Amateur Night,"" and ""Der Lachlen B
Alec Baldwin/Coldplay
Apr 7, 2001 · 67 min
Sketches include ""George W. Bush,"" ""Delicious Dish,"" ""Military Soldier,"" ""Inside the Actor's Studio,"" ""Robert Goulet,"" ""Democrats.""
Renee Zellweger/Eve
Apr 14, 2001 · 67 min
Sketches include ""The Culps,"" ""Jerry Maguire 2,"" ""Hardball,"" ""A Wedding Story,"" ""Blind Date,"" and ""Crazy Doctor.""
Pierce Brosnan/Destiny's Child
May 5, 2001 · 67 min
Sketches include ""George W. Bush,"" ""Gemini's Twin,"" ""The Weakest Link,"" ""Jeffrey's,"" ""Psycho Boss,"" ""The West Wing,"" ""The Soldiers of World War II,"" and ""Paradise Lo
Lara Flynn Boyle/Bon Jovi
May 12, 2001 · 67 min
Live From New York, it's...Darrell Hammond Sketches include ""A Message From Mayor Giuliani,"" ""Leon Loves Mango,"" ""Hardball,"" ""The Continental,"" ""Porch Lovers,"" ""Dirty C
Christopher Walken/Weezer
May 19, 2001 · 67 min
Live From New York, it's...Darrell Hammond Sketches include ""A Message From Mayor Giuliani,"" ""Leon Loves Mango,"" ""Hardball,"" ""The Continental,"" ""Porch Lovers,"" ""Dirty C