The ninth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 8, 1983, and May 12, 1984.
Jim Belushi was added to the cast, making his debut on the third episode of the season.[3][4]
Midway through the season in February 1984, Eddie Murphy left the show. To keep viewers watching, SNL aired segments Murphy had pre-taped in September of 1983.[5]
Brad Hall, who had been anchoring Weekend Update (then called Saturday Night News) since the previous season, left the position in January of 1984.[6] For the rest of the season and into the next, both cast members and SNL guest-hosts would take turns at the anchor chair. Hall himself left SNL at the end of the season.[6]
This season's writers were Jim Belushi, Andy Breckman, Robin Duke, Adam Green, Mary Gross, Nate Herman, Tim Kazurinsky, Kevin Kelton, Andy Kurtzman, Michael McCarthy, Eddie Murphy, Pamela Norris, Margaret Oberman, Joe Piscopo, Andrew Smith, Bob Tischler, Eliot Wald and Herb Sargent (who returned for the last few episodes of the season). [7] The head writers were Bob Tischler and Andrew Smith.
Besides, Murphy, Piscopo, and Duke, this was also the final season for writer Pam Norris, who left the show after four seasons. [8] Not counting Murphy or Piscopo, Norris was the last writer from the Jean Doumanian-era season to leave the show.
Stray Cats perform "(She's) Sexy + 17" and "I Won't Stand in Your Way",[9] the latter of which featured a cameo appearance by 14 Karat Soul.
Eddie Murphy performs one of SNL's most iconic sketches, "James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party". In a tease before the break, James Brown is seen in the hot tub with Dr. Joyce Brothers.[11]
Dr. Joyce Brothers appears in the "Fascinating People and Their Friends" sketch.
Don Rickles repeatedly ad-libs extra lines and gestures throughout his sketches (mostly with Joe Piscopo), causing other cast members to break character, and a few sketches even include improvised face-slapping competitions.[12]
