Saturday Night Live (season 3)

Saturday Night Live (season 3)
Show name	Saturday Night Live
Bgcolour	#8B0000
Country	United States
Num episodes	20
Network	NBC
First aired	October 11, 1977
Last aired	May 27, 1978

Saturday Night Live (season 3) was the third season of the American sketch comedy series created by Lorne Michaels and produced by Not Ready for Prime Time Players under NBC programs. Broadcast during the 1977–1978 television season, the season featured a cast that became influential in American comedy while hosting a roster of high-profile guest hosts and musical acts from rock music, jazz, and pop music. Episodes reflected cultural touchstones linked to figures such as Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and entertainment icons like Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones.

Cast

The main repertory cast included veteran performers and emerging stars: John Belushi returned after his breakthrough in season two alongside Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, and Harry Shearer. The season also featured repertory additions and future film and television luminaries including Eddie Murphy (joined later in SNL history), while guest performers and writers moved between ensembles featuring names such as Albert Brooks, Chevy Chase (alumni), Michael O'Donoghue, and Tom Davis. The writers and performers had connections across comedy institutions like The National Lampoon, Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade, and The Groundlings through collaborations with figures such as Anne Beatts, Lorne Michaels, Alan Zweibel, Al Franken, Tom Schiller, and Brian Doyle-Murray.

Episodes

Season three comprised twenty episodes broadcast on NBC from October 1977 to May 1978, with notable episodes headlined by guest hosts including Ricky Nelson, Elliott Gould, Richard Pryor, Peter Cook, Henry Fonda, and Elliott Gould (repeat appearances by major stars). Musical guests ranged from Bruce Springsteen to The Clash, intersecting with popular culture moments involving Saturday Night Live alumni crossover into films like Animal House and TV appearances on shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Muppet Show. Several episodes were marked by topical cold opens referencing political figures such as Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and cultural debates tied to Watergate aftermath and 1970s media coverage.

Notable sketches and characters

Memorable recurring sketches and characters from the season included impressions and parodies of public figures such as Richard Nixon (through archival references and imitators in earlier seasons), satirical takes on entertainment personalities like David Bowie, Cher, Bette Midler, Olivia Newton-John, and political caricatures of Henry Kissinger, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Ted Kennedy. Characters developed by repertory cast members—created or popularized during this season—seeded later careers connected to films and series featuring John Belushi in roles influenced by The Blues Brothers mythos, Dan Aykroyd's music-oriented characters, and Gilda Radner’s comic personae that influenced performers in Saturday Night Fever tie-ins and variety programming. Sketches often referenced writers' room collaborators who later produced work for institutions such as Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchors shifting toward mainstream film careers involving Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures.

Guest hosts and musical performances

Season three hosted a wide range of celebrities from film, music, and sports: film actors like Jack Nicholson, Jane Fonda, Marlon Brando, and Diane Keaton shared episodes with musicians such as Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Patti Smith, The Ramones, and Aretha Franklin. The interplay between hosts and the cast created crossover moments tying SNL to wider entertainment circuits including collaborations with Saturday Night Live musical guests who later charted on Billboard 200 and performed at venues like Madison Square Garden, The Roxy Theatre, and Carnegie Hall. These episodes strengthened bonds between television, record labels like Columbia Records and Atlantic Records, and film studios such as Warner Bros., further amplifying the profiles of both hosts and performers.

Production and crew

Production of season three took place at Studio 8H in the GE Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza under executive production by Lorne Michaels with series producers connected to NBC Productions. The writing staff included future showrunners and comedy auteurs from National Lampoon and The Second City: Anne Beatts, Michael O'Donoghue, Al Franken, Tom Davis, and Alan Zweibel. Directors and producers who worked that season went on to direct films and television for companies like Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and networks such as ABC and CBS. Production choices—costuming by designers with credits for Saturday Night Live and set design teams—drew on theatrical traditions from institutions like The Public Theater and commercial stages in Broadway.

Reception and legacy

Critical reception at the time cited the season's blend of satire and celebrity guests in reviews in publications like The New York Times, Time, Rolling Stone, and Variety. The season’s influence extended into careers at Academy Awards-nominated films and Emmy Awards recognition for performers who later won Golden Globe Awards and other honors. Alumni from season three shaped later comedy through ensembles in films distributed by Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures, television shows on ABC and CBS, and careers in stand-up circuits in venues including The Comedy Store and Carnegie Hall. Its legacy is visible in subsequent generations of sketch comedy at institutions like Monty Python, Key & Peele, and Chappelle's Show, as well as in cultural references across works by Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, and Wes Anderson.

Category:Saturday Night Live seasons