Saturday Night Liveis celebrating its 50th season, a tremendous milestone for the late-night sketch comedy show. From the early days of Chevy Chase and John Belushi to Will Ferrell and Tina Fey,SNLhas produced memorable moments and sketcheswith various comedic legends, hosts, and musical guests. The show’s history is also commemorated in Jason Reitman’s biographical filmSaturday Night, andSNLseason 50 specials, includingSNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night LiveandLadies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music.
This season has had many famous hosts and singers, including Martin Short, Ariana Grande, Timothee Chalamet, Chappell Roan, and Billie Eilish. AsSNLprepares for its 50th-anniversary special on February 16th, more high-profile guests are expected to host and perform on Saturdays.One of the next hosts could beThe Breakfast Clubactor Anthony Michael Hall, who was a part of the show’s 11th season, the “weird year.“Hall’s potential return can pay homage to his brief time onSNLand how that impacted the show’s legacy.
Anthony Michael Hall Was A Cast Member During SNL’s “Weird Year”
Anthony Michael Hall and several up-and-coming actors, including Robert Downey, Jr., Randy Quaid, and Joan Cusack, led the “Weird Year” of SNL from 1985 to 1986. This season was overshadowed because it followed up the hilarious Eddie Murphy years. Due to declining ratings after Murphy’s departure,SNLcreator Lorne Michaels returned after a five-year hiatus to save his show from cancellation. Michaels and then-NBC president Brandon Tartikoff introduced the new cast led by Hall and Downey, Jr. to attract a younger audience.
John Lithgow
Dr. Federico
The new cast members struggled to adapt to theSNLformat, while the writers had a difficult time developing funny sketches for the young actors. The “Weird Year” ultimately became a one-season wonder for the cast (except for Jon Lovitz, Nora Dunn, and Dennis Miller). Lovitz impressed as compulsive liar Tommy Flanagan, while Dunn earned laughs as inappropriate talk show host Pat Stevens. Miller also had a decent run as a “Weekend Update” news anchor.
SNL 50 Should Bring Back Michael Anthony Hall As A Host
Hall Can Host SNL In Season 50 To Revive His Tenure As A Comedy Actor
Bringing Anthony Michael Hall to hostSNLduring its 50th seasonwould be a nice homecoming for the actor to revisit his comedic chops. Despite being on the show for only one mostly unmemorable season, Hall is still a renowned actor recognized for his work in hilarious John Hughes teenage comedies, includingThe Breakfast Club,Sixteen Candles, andWeird Science. Hall’s potential opportunity to hostSNLthis season would be timely for him considering he will promote his upcoming starring role in the third season of Amazon Prime’sReacher.
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Hall could revisit hischaracters and impressions from his time onSNL. These include his impersonations of singer Art Garfunkel, political figure Robert F. Kennedy, and soul musician Daryl Hall. Along with hosting, Hall can also reunite with his former co-stars, particularly Downey Jr., his good friend and frequent collaborator in the 1980s. Despite a brief and challenging run onSNL, Hall appreciated the learning experiences he took away from the sketch comedy and that he played a small part in the show’s history.
Why Anthony Michael Hall Being A Cast Member In SNL Season 11 Was Quite Controversial
Anthony Michael Hall was, and remains, the youngest cast member inSNLhistory when he joined the show in 1985 at age 17. However, Hall’s casting in season 11 was controversial because he wasn’t a comedian compared to the number of distinguished comics who have starred on the show. Hall was also under a tremendous amount of pressure due to being very young and one of the show’s leads that year. The actor was scared because, for him, sketch comedy on live TV is vastly different in contrast to working on comedic films.
The pressure on Hall was also added to the fact that season 11 marked Lorne’s return to his show, which unfortunately ended in an overall disaster due to several sketches that didn’t work and the inexperience of the young cast. The last sketch of the season jokingly summarized the show’s unsuccessful year when the cast was in danger from a fire caused by former New York Yankees manager Billy Martin, and Lorne only saves Lovitz (partially implying that Lovitz would return toSNLand everyone else is fired).
As for Hall, he and his co-stars can look back and laugh at a conflicting season that served as a valuable learning experience for them.
Despite a controversial season, the “Weird Year” helped Lorne and the producers prepare for the future ofSaturday Night Liveby analyzing the sketches and cast members that would help the show succeed while cutting everything that lowers the show’s ratings. As for Hall, he and his co-stars can look back and laugh at a conflicting season that served as a valuable experience for them. They can also be grateful for being a part of one of the greatest shows in television history that helped inspire and launch several acting and artistic careers.
Saturday Night Liveairs Saturdays at 11:30 pm andSNL 50: The Anniversary Specialwill air on February 16th on NBC.
