Peacock just releasedSNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, a brand-new docuseries detailing the incredible 50-year-long history ofSaturday Night Live, one ofthe longest-running TV shows of all time.SNL50: Beyond Saturday Nightis among the multiplespecials aboutSNL’s50th anniversaryreleasing in January and February of this year, along withLadies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL MusicandSNL50: The Anniversary Special.
Perhaps because the other two specials have such specific focuses, or perhaps because of the title of this special, many were expectingSNL50: Beyond Saturday Nightto cover some of the thornier parts ofSNL’slong history, including controversies, secrets, and surprises. AlthoughSNL50: Beyond Saturday Nightwas ultimately much more a celebration of the show’s legacy than an unveiling ofSNL’sscandals,here are the 10 most shocking details fromSNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.
Kristen Wiig’s Target Lady Was In Her Audition
Wiig’s Audition Character Was A Major Success
Kristen Wiig, who was onSaturday Night Livefrom 2005 to 2012, is largely considered one of thebest femaleSNLcast members of all time, and that talent was made clear inSNL50: Beyond Saturday Night. The docuseries revealed thatmany of the characters Wiig introduced during her audition ended up becoming sketches onSaturday Night Live. Given how daunting the audition process was, and the expectations for sketches on the show, this is truly impressive.
In fact, even Kristen Wiig’s fan-favorite character ‘Target Lady’ was a character she introduced herself during her audition. Not only did the character work out for Wiig during her audition, but it also became one of the most popular Wiig characters onSaturday Night Live. It’s long been clear that Kristen Wiig is hilarious, but it’s nevertheless impressive that her audition material was such a success.
Will Ferrell’s Audition Became A Sketch In His First Show
Will Ferrell Was A Major Hit From The Start
Like Wiig,Will Ferrell had an incredibly successful audition forSaturday Night Live. Not only was Ferrell hired, but also, his audition material was used in his very first sketch on the show. His success only grew from there, with several of Ferrell’s sketches becoming among the most popular. In fact, Ferrell’s iconic sketch, “More Cowbell,” is largely considered thebestSNLskit of all time.
Not only was Ferrell hired, but also, his audition material was used in his very first sketch on the show.
Also like Kristen Wiig, Ferrell had a seven-year-long run on the show, beginning in 1995 and ending in 2002. Although it was undoubtedly a loss for the show when Ferrell walked away, this was great news for Ferrell’s career (and those who love Ferrell’s work). Many ofWill Ferrell’s best moviescame about after he leftSaturday Night Live, including movies likeBlades Of Glory(2007),Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby(2006), andAnchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy(2004).
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Damon Wayans Was Immediately Fired For His On-Air Improv
Wayans Spoke Openly About His SNL Experience In The Docuseries
One of the few genuine controversies depicted inSNL50: Beyond Saturday Nightwas the firing of Damon Wayans. Wayans was onSNLfor just one year, beginning in 1985. According to Wayans, he had"snapped"at a certain point, tired of feeling like he was only ever given roles that were stereotyping Black people. After one too many times of Wayans getting sidelined or having his ideas rejected, he’d had enough. InSNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, Wayans explains that he actually wanted to be fired that night.
Ultimately, his wish came true. During a sketch titled “Mr. Monopoly,” Wayans broke what is evidently the golden rule ofSaturday Night Liveby improving. More than that, Wayans did so by playing up the effeminate nature of his character, in a way that many felt was stereotyping gay men. As a result (likely of both elements), Wayans was apparently fired more or less the second he stepped off the stage.The docuseries highlights that some believed this would be the end of Wayans' career, but in many ways, it was only the beginning.
Francis Ford Coppola’s Episode Is The Only Episode Without The Standard Intro
Saturday Night Livehas a very specific formula that it follows, and for 50 years, it has followed that formula quite closely. However,in season 11 ofSaturday Night Live, award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola directed an episode ofSNL—the likes of which had truly never been seen before. Among other stark differences between Coppola’s episode and the standardSaturday Night Liveepisode was the alteration to the show’s intro, which had evidently never been changed any other time.
This curious choice to have Coppola direct was likely due in part to the circumstances ofSNLat the time. Season 11 ofSaturday Night Liveis a standout, although not in a positive way. Even the docuseries refers to season 11 as the"Weird Year,“as it was during this season that the show lost considerable popularity and made some unique left turns while attempting to find its way back. Perhaps for this reason, the Francis Ford Coppola-directed episode ofSNLisn’t necessarily well-known.
Season 11 ofSaturday Night Liveis a standout, although not in a positive way.
Will Ferrell Messed Up His Very First SNL Line
As has already been mentioned, Will Ferrell was a breakout star onSaturday Night Live, and even more than 20 years after his departure from the show, he is considered one of the best cast members in the show’s long history. It’s also the case that Ferrell won audiences over from the very beginning, with even his audition being a success. Even so,Will Ferrell revealed inSNL50: Beyond Saturday Nightthat he actually made a mistake during his very first episode.
Although it wasn’t too grave an error,SNL50: Beyond Saturday Nightdoes provide the clip, which shows Ferrell briefly stumbling over his words. Ultimately, that clearly didn’t have too serious an effect on Ferrell’s career, although he still seemed embarrassed about it all these years later. It is a bit difficult to now imagine Ferrell being nervous or making a mistake such as this one, however, as he’s become such a star in the time since.
Someone Auditioned For SNL Completely Naked
This Was A Saturday Night Live First That Didn’t Pay Off
Perhaps the single most surprising moment inSNL50: Beyond Saturday Nightwas the revelation thatsomeone once auditioned forSNLwhile fully naked. In the documentary, producer Lindsay Shookus explains that Henry Zebrowski, whom she just calls"the naked guy,“entered his audition fully nude. Evidently, it was also entirely unknown to everyone else that he was going to do this, so he rather jarringly ran out on stage fully naked without warning.
The docuseries does depict this briefly, while obviously not fully showing him naked. Ultimately, he did not get the job withSNL, although he has had other acting roles over the years. In part, this decision seems to have been due to the high-stakes nature of the auditions forSaturday Night Live. There was immense pressure forSNLhopefuls to bring something original to their audition, and this may have been a result of that.
During Auditions, No One Laughs
The Actors And Comedians Described An Intimidating Audition Process
Yet another terrifying aspect of theSaturday Night Liveauditions,SNL50: Beyond Saturday Nightrevealed that, for the most part, no one laughs in response to the jokes when someone is auditioning.SNLveterans explained how daunting this is, as it is obviously uncomfortable and also gives them no indication of how they’ve done. In fact,nearly everyone who discussed the auditioning process in the docuseries shared that they believed they’d done terribly and would never get the job.
The auditions were a major part ofSNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, with major actors like Amy Poehler and Andy Samberg watching back old recordings of their auditions and sketches they’d done early on in their time onSNL. In addition to being a fun look back at these stars' careers, this made it clear that the auditions process forSaturday Night Livereally was intimidating. Surely that early cut-throat approach is intentional, though, given the criticism (reaching far beyond the show’s producers) that will inevitably follow those who join the show.
Lorne Michaels Once Stepped Away From SNL
The Saturday Night Movie Made It Clear How Integral Lorne Michaels Is To SNL
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Nightalso confirms just how close creator and producer ofSaturday Night LiveLorne Michaels came to stepping away from the show permanently. Michaels leftSNLin 1980 for a host of reasons, including wanting to explore other career opportunities and feeling the weight of his undertaking withSaturday Night Live. Unfortunately, the show suffered considerably in the time following Michaels' departure.
Michaels eventually returned just five years later, in 1985, andhe continues to work onSaturday Night Liveto this day. It’s difficult to even imagine whatSNLwould be like without Michaels at the helm, but, clearly, his legacy with the show almost looked remarkably different.Saturday Night Livewasn’t entirely out of the woods, though, as 1985 also saw the beginning of season 11, one of the show’s most criticized (if not the single most criticized) seasons.
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SNL Nearly Got Canceled In Season 11
The Famous Show Nearly Died Off Relatively Early On
As mentioned,season 11 ofSaturday Night Liveis known as the"Weird Year,“andSNL50: Beyond Saturday Nightrevealed that this very nearly meant the end of the show. In fact, there had already been direct conversations behind the scenes about the show being on its last leg. The perception of this season as weird is multifaceted, but it primarily comes down to a number of confusing (and often controversial) sketches.
The perception of this season as weird is multifaceted, but it primarily comes down to a number of confusing (and often controversial) sketches.
This was the season that Coppola directed, although there were a number of other much more bizarre choices made that year. Some of the oddest were aTwilight Zoneparody, titled “Limits of the Imagination,” and a final episode cliffhanger that involved the cast seeming to be engulfed in flames. Luckily, this wasn’t the end ofSaturday Night Liveafter all, as the show was able to course correct and, obviously, go on for many more decades.
Christopher Walken Told Will Ferrell “More Cowbell” Ruined His Life
“More Cowbell” Became A Classic, But It Followed Walken
One of the single most iconic sketches inSaturday Night Livehistory was the sketch titled “More Cowbell,” which featured Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken, among others. Although there was originally plenty of speculation regarding whether this sketch would work, it quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Evidently, though, that wasn’t great news for everyone, asFerrell revealed inSNL50: Beyond Saturday Nightthat Walken had told Ferrell “More Cowbell” had ruined his life.
Walken seemed to be referring to the ways the key lines from the sketch, such as,“I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell,“follow him around, with people still saying them to Walken to this day. Clearly, the massive success of the sketch wasn’t entirely good news, although it seems likely Walken was at least partially joking when he spoke about the negative effects of the sketch. Nevertheless, the revelation that Christopher Walken feels “More Cowbell” ruined his life was one of the biggest reveals aboutSaturday Night LiveinSNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night
Cast
SN50: Beyond Saturday Night is a four-part docuseries that honors SNL’s legacy, featuring over 60 contributors. It examines the audition process, the writers’ room, iconic sketches like “More Cowbell,” and pivotal events like Season 11, providing an in-depth look at the show’s rich history and influence.
