The thirty-fourth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 13, 2008, and May 16, 2009.
This season is notable for its take on the 2008 presidential election, which saw the show's ratings rapidly increase and multiple award wins.
SNL's coverage of the 2008 presidential election caused ratings to increase rapidly.[1][2] The season premiere opened with Tina Fey playing Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin (alongside a pregnant Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton) in a "non-partisan message on sexism".[3] The phrase "I can see Russia from my house!" was coined by SNL producer Mike Shoemaker during this sketch.[4]
Midway through the season, longtime cast member Amy Poehler went on maternity leave after giving birth to her son hours before the October 25, 2008 episode, hosted by Jon Hamm.[11] Shortly after Poehler went on maternity leave, the show added two new female cast members to fill the void. Abby Elliott (daughter of former SNL cast member Chris Elliott) and Michaela Watkins, a performer with The Groundlings, joined the show as featured players on November 15, 2008.[12] Poehler, who had been on the show for eight seasons since 2001, returned on December 6, 2008 in the John Malkovich hosted episode and made her final appearance as a cast member the following week on the Hugh Laurie hosted episode on December 13, 2008.[13][14] She announced that it would be her final show at the end of Weekend Update, leaving Seth Meyers to anchor Weekend Update solo. With this announcement, Poehler became the longest serving female cast member at the time, as she surpassed Molly Shannon and Rachel Dratch's record after staying for eight seasons. Poehler's record would be surpassed eleven years later by Kate McKinnon, who joined the show near the end of season 37, and stayed on for eleven seasons.
This season would also be the last for longtime cast member Darrell Hammond, the last remaining cast member from the 1990s, who had been on the show for fourteen seasons.[15] He was the longest-running cast member until Kenan Thompson surpassed him in 2017.[15] Hammond would eventually return to SNL, making multiple cameo appearances in sketches, until he succeeded longtime announcer Don Pardo in 2014, after Pardo died a month before the start of season 40.[16] Following Hammond's departure, featured players Watkins and Casey Wilson were both let go after the season's finale.[17]
Starting with this season, Seth Meyers is the sole head writer.[18]
Paula Pell (who had been head writer for the previous two seasons starting in 2006, and had overall been writing for the show since 1995) was demoted back to writing supervisor (though she was take a leave of absence for most of the next season before returning near the end of it.)[18]
While the previous third co-head writer, Harper Steele decided to leave the show. (Steele had previously spent four years as head writer, starting in that role back in 2004; and 13 years overall with the show since 1995).[18]
Additionally, John Mulaney is hired as a writer this season.[18]
William Shatner and Michael Phelps' mother Debbie make cameo appearances in the opening monologue. Guy Fieri was sitting next to Shatner in the audience, but wasn’t a part of the show.
Jared Fogle cameos in "The Michael Phelps Diet" sketch.
At the end of the episode, before the goodnights, a dedication screen was put up for producer/agent Bernie Brillstein, who had died a month before this episode aired. Brillstein helped in getting Saturday Night Live picked up as a TV series.
Senator Barack Obama was scheduled to make a second cameo appearance in this episode.[19] However, Obama canceled his appearance due to the results of Hurricane Ike.[20]
An edited version of the sketch parodying the economic bailout was posted on NBC.com, removing references to Herbert and Marion Sandler's (played by Darrell Hammond and Casey Wilson, respectively) corrupt activities and removing the graphic labeling the couple as "people who should be shot." Lorne Michaels admitted he did not know the Sandlers were a real couple; he believed they were simply characters written for the sketch.[22] The Netflix version (and versions of this sketch shown on Hulu and Saturday Night Live's mobile app) of this episode includes the scene with the Sandlers, but edited it to remove the "People Who Should Be Shot" lower-third and cut the part where Herbert Sandler thanks Barney Frank for letting them get away with what they did to Wachovia Bank.
Andy Samberg plays Mark Wahlberg in a sketch where Wahlberg talks to animals, which is referenced by Wahlberg in the following episode.
Tina Fey returned again as Sarah Palin, and was joined by Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin and the real Sarah Palin making guest appearances in the cold opening. Wahlberg also appeared in a brief sketch making amends with Andy Samberg, referring to a sketch from the previous episode. Sarah Palin also appeared on "Weekend Update".
Amy Poehler did not appear, having given birth hours before this episode aired; Seth Meyers anchored Update by himself, announcing at the beginning of the segment "Amy Poehler is not here tonight, because she's having a baby" to tremendous applause, then continuing with "tonight's other top stories."[11]
Maya Rudolph appears as Michelle Obama in the Obama Variety Hour sketch, and performs a brief cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", replacing "I love you, baby" with "we love you, Amy", with Kenan Thompson at the end of Update, wishing Poehler the best during her maternity leave.
John and Cindy McCain appear as themselves and Tina Fey makes an appearance as Sarah Palin in the cold opening. The episode aired only three days before the 2008 presidential election. McCain also appeared in "Weekend Update".
This episode marks the first appearance of Bill Hader's Stefon character, though he wouldn't be a Weekend Update character until next season's episode hosted by Gabourey Sidibe. Also, Kenan Thompson debuts his Grady Wilson character.
Ludacris and T-Pain perform "One More Drink" and "Chopped & Skrewed". Both Ludacris and T-Pain appear in the "Blizzard Man Replaces T-Pain" sketch.
Justin Timberlake was originally scheduled to be the host and musical guest for this episode, but he had to cancel at the last minute, as he explained in the previous episode.
Amy Poehler returns as Hillary Clinton in the cold opening and co-anchored "Weekend Update" with Seth Meyers after four weeks of being absent due to the birth of her son, Archie.
During the production of this episode, James Franco was around the SNL set throughout the entire week, shooting a documentary feature. Franco wanted initially some footage for a class project of his, but after realizing just how much access he was granted to the set, he decided to make a full documentary on the entire process the cast and crew go through in order to prepare for an SNL episode.
Kanye West performed "Love Lockdown" and a medley including "Heartless" and "Pinocchio Story".
Maya Rudolph performs in a "Bronx Beat" sketch with Amy Poehler.
Amy Poehler's final episode as a cast member; she announces her departure at the end of Weekend Update, being interrupted at one point by Fred Armisen as New York governor David Paterson walking in front of the camera, having left shortly before; as Meyers and Poehler sign off Update, they share a long hug as the segment ends.
Shortly after this broadcast, Paterson himself openly complained about Armisen's portrayal of him, saying the impression was insensitive to the blind and visually impaired (Paterson would later appear with Armisen on the premiere episode of season 36)[27]
Taylor Swift appears in the "Save Broadway" sketch as Annie, and performs "Love Story" and "Forever & Always".
Liza Minnelli appears in the "Group Therapy" sketch.
Harris reprises his RENT character of Mark Cohen on "Save Broadway" sketch, which he played during the Los Angeles production in 1997. In the same sketch Fred Armisen, a former drummer for the Blue Man Group, plays the center blue man.
Steve Martin (15th time as host) performed "Late for School" on his banjo from his new album "The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo" with Michael Daves, Craig Eastman, Brittany Haas, and Skip Ward. This marked the first time since 1978 that Martin had performed music on the SNL stage.
This episode marks the last time Martin would host SNL until Season 48, though he would continue to make cameos and served as de facto host for SNL's 40th Anniversary Special in 2015.
Seth Rogen reprises his impression of Rowlf the Dog from his first appearance on SNL.
Rogen appears in the SNL Digital Short for the music video of The Lonely Island's "Like a Boss". Rogen replaced Akiva Schaffer's vocals; however, Akiva Schaffer did make an appearance as the gun dealer. Fellow Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone also makes an appearance in the video delivering a harassment lawsuit to Andy Samberg.
This episode premiered the same night as the series finale of its rival sketch show MADtv. Coincidentally, Artie Lange cameoed on that episode in "Goodnight Saigon".
Specials
Title
Original air date
US viewers (millions)
"Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash 2008"
November 3, 2008 (2008-11-03)
N/A
A selection of sketches relating to the 2008 election.
^"Zac Efron, "Saturday Night Live" score higher ratings than prime-time fare Saturday; "Ten Commandments" gives ABC a win". Orlando Sentinel. April 12, 2009.