Saturday Night Live season 25
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2012) |
| Saturday Night Live (season 25) | |
|---|---|
| Season 25 | |
 The Saturday Night Live title card as seen in the opening credits of the 25th season. | |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | October 2, 1999 – May 20, 2000 |
| Season chronology | |
Saturday Night Live aired its twenty-fifth season during the 1999-2000 television season on NBC. The 25th season started on September 25, 1999 and ended on May 20, 2000 with 20 regular episodes plus a 25th Anniversary Special. The special looked back at the series' highlights during its first quarter-century.
The entire cast from last season returned for another year. Jimmy Fallon, Chris Parnell and Horatio Sanz were all promoted to repertory status, with the cast otherwise unchanged at the start of the season. As the season progressed, the show added two new cast members. Rachel Dratch, recruited from Chicago's The Second City,[citation needed] where she was head writer Tina Fey's comedy partner, joined the show in the episode hosted by Norm Macdonald. Towards the end of the season, Maya Rudolph of The Groundlings joined the show, starting with the episode hosted by John Goodman.[citation needed]
Cast
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bold denotes Weekend Update anchor
Contract for new cast members
SNL, they are the not-ready-for-prime-time players. These are people who are just starting out. I challenge you to name a network, much less a show, that has created this many stars, ever...All we’re asking is, somebody who comes in and is, basically, virtually unknown and young has an opportunity to be on a very, very powerful sketch-comedy show and to be able to launch a film career and be in sitcoms. I think that’s a pretty great opportunity.
— Scott Sassa, NBC's West Coast president, at the network's summer press presentation in Pasadena, California[1]
In July 1999, when executive producer Lorne Michaels held auditions for the season, NBC introduced a new contract for first-year cast members, replacing the five- or six-year deals they had used in the past.[1] The terms were established by NBC executives Scott Sassa and Garth Ancier. According to Peter Bogdanovich, the new contract came with the following terms:[1]
- NBC can take a Saturday Night Live cast member off the show any time after his or her second year on the program and put him or her in an NBC sitcom.
- A cast member has the option of saying no to the first two shows proposed by NBC, but must accept the third deal.
- NBC dictates the length of the sitcom contract, which can run as long as six years.
- SNL Films, co-owned by Paramount Pictures, NBC and Lorne Michaels, has a three-movie option that would pay the star a set $75,000 for the first film, $150,000 for the second and $300,000 for the third, rates that used to be negotiable.
- NBC has the option of paying those same amount to force a cast member to say no to a film deal offered to them by another studio.
The starting salary remained $5,000 per episode.[1]
Writers
Starting this season Tina Fey is credited as the writing supervisor.
Episodes
| No. | # | Host(s) | Musical guest(s) | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 466 | 1 | Jerry Seinfeld | David Bowie | October 2, 1999 |
| 467 | 2 | Heather Graham | Marc Anthony | October 16, 1999 |
| 468 | 3 | Norm Macdonald | Dr. Dre Snoop Dogg Eminem | October 23, 1999 |
| 469 | 4 | Dylan McDermott | Foo Fighters | November 6, 1999 |
| 470 | 5 | Garth Brooks | Garth Brooks as Chris Gaines | November 13, 1999 |
| 471 | 6 | Jennifer Aniston | Sting | November 20, 1999 |
| 472 | 7 | Christina Ricci | Beck | December 4, 1999 |
| 473 | 8 | Danny DeVito | R.E.M. | December 11, 1999 |
| 474 | 9 | Jamie Foxx | Blink-182 | January 8, 2000 |
| 475 | 10 | Freddie Prinze, Jr. | Macy Gray | January 15, 2000 |
| 476 | 11 | Alan Cumming | Jennifer Lopez | February 5, 2000 |
| 477 | 12 | Julianna Margulies | DMX | February 12, 2000 |
| 478 | 13 | Ben Affleck | Fiona Apple | February 19, 2000 |
| 479 | 14 | Joshua Jackson | 'N Sync | March 11, 2000 |
| 480 | 15 | The Rock | AC/DC | March 18, 2000 |
| 481 | 16 | Christopher Walken | Christina Aguilera | April 8, 2000 |
| 482 | 17 | Tobey Maguire | Sisqó | April 15, 2000 |
| 483 | 18 | John Goodman | Neil Young | May 6, 2000 |
| 484 | 19 | Britney Spears | Britney Spears | May 13, 2000 |
| 485 | 20 | Jackie Chan | Kid Rock | May 20, 2000 |
Specials
| # | Special | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "25th Anniversary Special" | September 26, 1999 |
| 2 | "Best of Game Show Parodies" | February 29, 2000 |
| 3 | "The Best of Tim Meadows" | September 9, 2000 |
Superstar film
A Superstar film, based on the Mary Katherine Gallagher sketches, was released on October 8, 1999. Cast members Will Ferrell, Mark McKinney and Molly Shannon appear in the film. The film did modestly well at the box office but was panned by critics.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c d Bogdanovich, Peter (August 11, 1999). "SNL's Killer Contract". The New York Observer. Retrieved 2011-09-10.