Saturday Night Live - Season 12
Season 12
Saturday Night Live aired its twelfth season during the 1986-1987 television season on NBC. The 12th season started on October 11, 1986, the 11th anniversary of the show's first episode, and ended on May 23, 1987.
Despite plans to have Saturday Night Live canceled due to the ratings of its previous season, producer Lorne Michaels convinced Brandon Tartikoff to give the show another chance, provided that a better cast be found for the next season. As a result, many of season 11's cast members were fired, except for Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz, featured player A. Whitney Brown, and Weekend Update anchor Dennis Miller. Al Franken was rehired as a writer. The rest were relative unknowns, led by Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, and Kevin Nealon. Hooks had auditioned to be in the season 10 and 11 casts, but had been turned down. Hartman helped write sketches in season 11's Thanksgiving episode hosted by Pee-wee Herman, and appeared in a sketch as a Pilgrim.
The first show of the 1986-1987 season opened with Madonna, host of the previous season opener, reading a "statement" from NBC about season 11's mediocre writing and bad cast choices. According to the "statement", the entire 1985-1986 season was "...all a dream. A horrible, horrible dream."
Network
Episodes20
DatesOct 11, 1986 - May 23, 1987
Episodes
Season 12Episode 190 min
Sigourney Weaver / Buster Poindexter
Sigourney Weaver hosts with musical guest Buster Poindexter.
Oct 11, 1986
Season 12Episode 290 min
Malcolm-Jamal Warner / RUN DMC
Sketches include "Bartles & Jaymes," "Xynex," "Donahue," "The Crosby Show," "Instant Coffee," "Parent-Teen Drunk Driving Contract," Sam Kinison performs stand-up, "Chalk Factory," and "Johnny's Finished."
Run DMC performs "Walk This Way" and "Hit It, Run"; Buster Poindexter performs "Hit The Road Jack."
Oct 18, 1986
Season 12Episode 390 min
Rosanna Arquette / Ric Ocasek
Sketches include "Pretending To Be Lorne," "The People's Court," "Church Chat," "Helmsley Spook House," "Pork" (two part), "Eddie & The Two Sammies," "Dog Baseball," (film), "Make Joan Baez Laugh," "Miss Connie's Fable Nook," "I Saw God," "Coffee and Cigarettes" (film), and "Pango" (film).
Ric Ocasek performed "Emotion In Motion" and "Keep On Laughin'."
Nov 8, 1986
Season 12Episode 490 min
Sam Kinison / Lou Reed
Sketches include: Church Lady protest Sam Kinison hosting SNL, Obnoxious School Teacher, Superman--Krypton dosent explode, ""Love Connection"", Chick Hazard, ""Adobe Car Commercial: Made out of clay"", ""New York, 1943 (B/W)"", ""Ching Chang's Pet Chicken Shop"", ""Lord Sketch-Me-or-You-Die"".
Nov 15, 1986
Season 12Episode 590 min
Robin Williams / Paul Simon
Sketches include ""Reagen's Earpiece,"" ""Hamlet,"" ""Sweeney Sisters Retirement Home,"" ""Adieu,"" ""Robin Williams' Standup Act"", and ""Paul Simon remembers everyone but Garfunkel"". Paul Simon performs ""Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes"" and ""The Late Great Johnny Grace.""
Nov 22, 1986
Season 12Episode 690 min
Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, & Martin Short / Randy Newman
Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, & Martin Short co-host with musical guest Randy Newman.
Dec 6, 1986
Season 12Episode 790 min
Steve Guttenberg / The Pretenders & Buster Poindexter
Live from New York, it's... Jon Lovitz!
Sketches include "Iranian National Assembly," "McSooshi," "Derek Stevens' Marketing Expert," "Seducing a Blind Man," "Sideshow Of The Stars," "Movie Talk," a performance by Penn & Teller, "The Back Page," "Ditzy Actress," "Bob Roberts" (film), and "Al-Anon."
The Pretenders perform and "How Much Did You Pay For Your Soul?" and "Don't Get Me Wrong." Buster Poindexter performs "Rockin' Good Soul."
Dec 13, 1986
Season 12Episode 890 min
William Shatner / Lone Justice & Buster Poindexter
Live from New York, it's... William Shatner!
Sketches include "The Mute Marine," "Star Trek Seafood," "Star Trek Convention," "TJ Hooker," "Sweeney Sisters Christmas," "It's A Wonderful Life: The Lost Ending" "Frankie Toussaint" (film), and "Look at That!"
Lone Justice performed "Shelter" and "I Found Love." Buster Poindexter performed "Zat You, Santa?"
Dec 20, 1986
Season 12Episode 990 min
Walter Payton & Joe Montana / Debbie Harry
Sketches include: ""NFL Video Countdown,"" ""Leslie and Stu,"" ""Pathological Liar,"" ""Church Chat,"" ""The NFL Today,"" ""Michael Jackson Workout,"" ""Chick Hazard: Private Investigator,"" ""Adobe Car Commercial: It's Made out of Clay"", ""A man and his dumb kidnapper"", ""Weekend Update with Dennis Miller"", ""Super Bowl Gambling Memories"", ""The Most Honest Guy in the World"". Debbie Harry performs "French Kissin'" and "In Love With Love".
Jan 24, 1987
Season 12Episode 1090 min
Paul Shaffer / Bruce Hornsby & the Range
Sketches include ""Paul's Dressing Room,"" ""What's My Addiction?"" ""The Grenada Experience,"" ""The Pat Stevens Show,"" and ""Sweeney Sisters' Far East Medley."" The Range perform ""That's Just the Way It Is,"" and Paul Shaffer sings ""It Was a Very Good Year.""
Jan 31, 1987
Season 12Episode 1190 min
Bronson Pinchot / Paul Young & Buster Poindexter
Live from New York, it's... Phil Hartman! Sketches include "Liberace In Heaven," "Nightline," "Sports Ilustrated Swimsuit Issue," "The Life Of Golda Meir," "Hardware Store Gigolo," and "Miss Connie's Fable Nook." Paul Young performs "War Games" and "The Long Run." Buster Poindexter performs "Heart of Gold."
Feb 14, 1987
Season 12Episode 1290 min
Willie Nelson
""Afterlife Styles of the Rich and Famous"", ""The Mob Snitch who Wears A Wire and Loses Deal"", ""Party Girl: Great Moments in the History of White Trash"", ""Church Chat"", ""Welfare Cheat: Great Moments in the History of White Trash"", ""Pathological Liar Tommy Flanagan Meets Willie Nelson"", ""Victoria Jackson w/Willie Nelson: The Boyfriend Song"", ""Heartache Love in a Truck Stop Cafe"", ""First Cousins: Great Moments in the History of White Trash"".
Feb 21, 1987
Season 12Episode 1390 min
Valerie Bertinelli / Eddie Van Halen & The Robert Cray Band
Live from New York, it's... Phil Hartman! Sketches include "Reagan-Regan Affair," "McSooshi," "Hard News Cafe," "Discover," "Dinner At The Van Halen's," "Ching Chang In Love," "Washington Center Professionals," "Let's Go To The Movies," "On Broadway," and "Opera Singer Doctor." Eddie Van Halen performed "Stompin' 8H." Robert Cray Band performed "Smoking Gun" and "Right Next Door."
Feb 28, 1987
Season 12Episode 1490 min
Bill Murray / Percy Sledge
Live from New York, it's...Bill Murray
Sketches include: Backstage SNL: The 110-Show Contract, The New York Telephone, Bad One-Night Stand, Donahue, Nick The Lounge Singer In Prison, Girls-Only Doctor, Il Returno De Hercules, Tough Parents, and Honker Cab Driver
Percy Sledge performs: ""When A Man Loves A Woman""
The NBC rerun has three changes to it: The ""Nick The Lounge Singer In Prison"" sketch has the word ""bitch"" muted out, The ""Donahue"" sketch replaces Nora Dunn's mention of Joe Piscopo with a mention of Gallagher, and Phil Hartman's clumsy introductory narration in the ""Il Returno De Hercules"" is dubbed over with a flawless narration by Al Franken.
Mar 21, 1987
Season 12Episode 1590 min
Charlton Heston / Wynton Marsalis
Live from New York, it's... Charlton Heston!
Sketches include "God's Money," "The New Paper Chase," "Church Chat," "Sweeney Sisters," "Slave Drivers," and "A Message About UNLV."
Wynton Marsalis performs "J Mood" and "One Mustaad."
Mar 28, 1987
Season 12Episode 1690 min
John Lithgow / Anita Baker
Live from New York, it's... John Lithgow!
Sketches include "Embassy Spies," "Laramie Vice," "The Pat Stevens Show," "World's Meanest Methodist Minister," "Master Thespian," "Discover," "Cab Ride," and "The Fighter."
Anita Baker performs "Sweet Love" and "Same Ole Love."
Apr 11, 1987
Season 12Episode 1790 min
John Larroquette / Timbuk 3
Live from New York, it's... Dana Carvey!
Sketches include "Pagan Easter Special," "Sold-Out Gold," "Collecting Evidence," "Heaven Has The Answers," "Instant Coffee," "ICM Meeting," and "Grab Bag Store."
Timbuk 3 performs "Just Another Movie" and "Hairstyles & Attitudes."
Apr 18, 1987
Season 12Episode 1890 min
Mark Harmon / Suzanne Vega
""The New Charlie's Angels"", ""People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive 1986"", ""Grown-up Babies in Modern America"", ""Very Smart Theater presents Attila the Hun: The Early Years"", ""The Myowling Bible Commercial"", ""Einstein Express Commercial: When it has to be there the day before yerterday"", ""A Salmon's Reproductive Tale"", ""Ad Council: Wasting your time in various ways for no good reason"".
May 9, 1987
Season 12Episode 1990 min
Garry Shandling / Los Lobos
Sketches include ""Iran-Contra Hearings,"" ""Returning a Sweater,"" ""The Puppy,"" ""Stu's Support Group,"" ""Babette's Teeny Cafe,"" ""Trans-Ozark Airlines,"" ""Hollywood Mom"" (film), and ""The Happy Couple."" Los Lobos performs ""Is That All There Is"" and ""One Time, One Night.""
May 16, 1987
Season 12Episode 2090 min
Dennis Hopper / Roy Orbison
Sketches include ""Easy Rider,"" ""Church Chat,"" ""What's That Smell?,"" ""This Week with David Brinkley,"" ""Problem Drinkers from Outer Space,"" ""Cannibalism Interview,"" ""Last Chance,"" and ""Sweeney Sisters Farewell."" Roy Orbison performs ""Crying,"" ""Oh, Pretty Woman,"" and ""In Dreams.""
May 23, 1987
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