Episode guide
Saturday Night Live: Season 12
20 episodes · premiered Oct 11, 1986
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."
- Episode 1: Sigourney Weaver/Buster Poindexter Oct 11, 1986 · 1h 7m Live From New York, it's...Madonna Sketches Include: A Message From Madonna, ""General Dynamics,"" ""Tommy Flanagan,"" ""Quiz Masters,"" ""The Amazing Alexander,"" ""Church Chat,"" ""Bows…
- Episode 2: Malcolm-Jamal Warner/Run DMC Oct 18, 1986 · 1h 7m Sketches include "Bartles & Jaymes," "Xynex," "Donahue," "The Crosby Show," "Instant Coffee," "Parent-Teen Drunk Driving Contract," Sam Kinison performs stand-up, "Chalk Factory," and…
- Episode 3: Rosanna Arquette/Ric Ocasek Nov 8, 1986 · 1h 7m 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…
- Episode 4: Sam Kinison/Lou Reed Nov 15, 1986 · 1h 7m Sketches include: Church Lady protest Sam Kinison hosting SNL, Obnoxious School Teacher, Superman--Krypton dosent explode, ""Love Connection"", Chick Hazard, ""Adobe Car Commercial: Made…
- Episode 5: Robin Williams/Paul Simon Nov 22, 1986 · 1h 7m Sketches include ""Reagen's Earpiece,"" ""Hamlet,"" ""Sweeney Sisters Retirement Home,"" ""Adieu,"" ""Robin Williams' Standup Act"", and ""Paul Simon remembers everyone but Garfunkel""…
- Episode 6: Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, & Martin Short/Randy Newman Dec 6, 1986 · 1h 7m Sketches include ""Stumblebums,"" ""I'm Me! (And You're Not...)"" (musical number), ""Ronald Reagan,"" ""Under the Couch Cushion,"" ""The Eggshell Family,"" ""The Pat Stevens Show,""…
- Episode 7: Steve Guttenberg/The Pretenders Dec 13, 1986 · 1h 7m 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…
- Episode 8: William Shatner/Lone Justice Dec 20, 1986 · 1h 7m 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…
- Episode 9: Walter Payton, Joe Montana/Debbie Harry Jan 24, 1987 · 1h 7m Sketches include: ""NFL Video Countdown,"" ""Leslie and Stu,"" ""Pathological Liar,"" ""Church Chat,"" ""The NFL Today,"" ""Michael Jackson Workout,"" ""Chick Hazard: Private…
- Episode 10: Paul Shaffer/Bruce Hornsby & the Range Jan 31, 1987 · 1h 7m 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…
- Episode 11: Bronson Pinchot/Paul Young Feb 14, 1987 · 1h 7m 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…
- Episode 12: Willie Nelson Feb 21, 1987 · 1h 7m ""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…
- Episode 13: Valerie Bertinelli/The Robert Cray Band Feb 28, 1987 · 1h 7m 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…
- Episode 14: Bill Murray/Percy Sledge Mar 21, 1987 · 1h 7m 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…
- Episode 15: Charlton Heston/Wynton Marsalis Mar 28, 1987 · 1h 7m 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…
- Episode 16: John Lithgow/Anita Baker Apr 11, 1987 · 1h 7m 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,"…
- Episode 17: John Larroquette/Timbuk 3 Apr 18, 1987 · 1h 7m 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…
- Episode 18: Mark Harmon/Suzanne Vega May 9, 1987 · 1h 7m ""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…
- Episode 19: Garry Shandling/Los Lobos May 16, 1987 · 1h 7m Sketches include ""Iran-Contra Hearings,"" ""Returning a Sweater,"" ""The Puppy,"" ""Stu's Support Group,"" ""Babette's Teeny Cafe,"" ""Trans-Ozark Airlines,"" ""Hollywood Mom"" (film)…
- Episode 20: Dennis Hopper/Roy Orbison May 23, 1987 · 1h 7m Sketches include ""Easy Rider,"" ""Church Chat,"" ""What's That Smell?,"" ""This Week with David Brinkley,"" ""Problem Drinkers from Outer Space,"" ""Cannibalism Interview,"" ""Last…