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Saturday Night Live (Season 23)
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Saturday Night Live aired its twenty-third season during the 1997-1998 television season on NBC. Few changes took place during the preceding summer hiatus, save for the departure of Mark McKinney and the promotion of Colin Quinn from featured player to full cast member.

In the middle of the season, Norm Macdonald was removed from the Weekend Update desk while Colin Quinn took over as anchor. Macdonald still performed in sketches, but this was short-lived, as he was fired mid-season.

Six weeks after coming back to host, Chris Farley became the next SNL cast member to die. Much like his idol, John Belushi, Farley died of a drug overdose consisting of heroin and cocaine. Another SNL castmember death came weeks after the show's season finale, this time involving Phil Hartman (who, prior to his death, was on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio and often appeared on the FOX animated sitcom The Simpsons as the voice of crooked lawyer Lionel Hutz or washed-up movie star Troy McClure), who was murdered at the hands of his wife, Brynn.

The twenty-third season started September 27, 1997 and ended on May 9, 1998.

Cast

Repertory players

Featured players

There were no featured cast members for Season 23.

Episode

Episode # Air Date Host(s) Musical Guest(s) Remarks
427 (23.1) September 27, 1997 Sylvester Stallone Jamiroquai

  • The initial 1996 Olympics bombing suspect Richard Jewell makes a guest appearance, where, in a highly publicized sketch, he punches Janet Reno (played by Will Ferrell) in the gut, with Reno responding, "Same time next week?". Jewell also appeared alongside Norm MacDonald on Weekend Update.

428 (23.2) October 4, 1997 Matthew Perry Oasis
429 (23.3) October 18, 1997 Brendan Fraser Björk

  • This episode marked the first appearance of Mango.
  • A Roxbury Guys sketch was cut after dress rehearsal(footage from the week's rehearsal was shown on Access Hollywood)

430 (23.4) October 25, 1997 Chris Farley The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

  • Chevy Chase and Chris Rock have cameo appearances in the cold opening and monologue. Chicago NewsAnchor and Reporter Bill Kurtis along with George Wendt and Mike Ditka appear in a pre-recorded Where Are They Now?-type sketch featuring "Bill Swerski's Super fans."
  • This would turn out to be Farley's last-ever appearance on the show.
  • The 60-minute syndicated version edits out the cold opening where Lorne Michaels doesn't want Chris Farley to host, but Tim Meadows and Chevy Chase convince him. Also cut is the monologue where Chris Rock and Tim Meadows stall for time when Farley fails to show up.
  • The cast and crew were unsure if Farley would be able to perform on Saturday. Chris Rock hung around all week and had prepared a monologue and a few sketches in case Farley was unable to go on.

431 (23.5) November 8, 1997 Jon Lovitz Jane's Addiction
432 (23.6) November 15, 1997 Claire Danes Mariah Carey
433 (23.7) November 22, 1997 Rudy Giuliani Sarah McLachlan

  • The 60-minute rerun version of this episode only shows a minute of the "Freakin' Giuliani" sketch where a cab driver (played by Rudolph Giuliani) complains about the changes in New York thanks to the mayor at the time (Giuliani). The sketch fades to black after the cab driver says, "Freakin' Giuliani!"

434 (23.8) December 6, 1997 Nathan Lane Metallica

  • Lane's The Lion King co-star, Ernie Sabella, makes a cameo appearance during the monologue, in which both sing a few bars of Hakuna Matata. In the 60-minute rerun of this episode, the monologue where Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, and Ana Gasteyer go around Studio 8H singing, Hakuna Matata, cuts off after Ernie Sabella's surprise appearance.

435 (23.9) December 13, 1997 Helen Hunt Hanson

  • Hunt's As Good As It Gets co-star Jack Nicholson makes a cameo appearance during the monologue and in a "Roxbury Guys" sketch.
  • Todd Hundley, Scott Rolen, Mark Wohlers, Marty Cordova, Jeff Fassero, Gregg Jefferies, Mark Grudzielanek, Rondell White, Todd Zeile, Russ Davis, Cliff Floyd, David Howard, Mike Sweeney and Gerald Williams make an appearance in one sketch.
  • This episode features Norm Macdonald's last appearance as Weekend Update anchor.

436 (23.10) January 10, 1998 Samuel L. Jackson Ben Folds Five

  • Colin Quinn takes over as Weekend Update anchor in this episode.

437 (23.11) January 17, 1998 Sarah Michelle Gellar Portishead

  • The Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Seinfeld sketch is not shown in the 60-minute rerun versions, due to issues with the owner of Buffy 20th Century Fox and the owner of Seinfeld Castle Rock. Portishead performs what is often considered their best live version of "Only You" to an audience that seems to think they are from another planet. After the final notes of the performance, a stagehand begins to applaud, sparking a delayed response from the audience.

438 (23.12) February 7, 1998 John Goodman Paula Cole

  • Dan Aykroyd cameos in this episode, reprising two of his popular recurring characters, Elwood Blues from The Blues Brothers (during the monologue) and Irwin Mainway from "Consumer Probe" (in the Judge Judy sketch), and impersonating Bob Dole in the cold opening.

439 (23.13) February 14, 1998 Roma Downey Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott

  • While not appearing in any sketches, soon-to-be-ousted cast member Norm MacDonald surprised Downey and others by rushing onstage to join the cast during the show's goodnights.
  • Newt Gingrich was scheduled to host this episode.

440 (23.14) February 28, 1998 Garth Brooks

  • Robert Duvall made a guest appearance in two sketches, one of which is the game show parody "Who's More Grizzled?" where he tells the game show host (played by Norm MacDonald) that he doesn't like him. In a bit of an in-joke, Norm replies, "Yeah, I get that a lot".

441 (23.15) March 7, 1998 Scott Wolf Natalie Imbruglia

  • This is Norm MacDonald's final episode as a castmember.

442 (23.16) March 14, 1998 Julianne Moore Backstreet Boys

  • All reruns on NBC, Comedy Central, and E! edit out the "Conspiracy Theory Rock" TV Funhouse cartoon.

443 (23.17) April 4, 1998 Steve Buscemi Third Eye Blind
444 (23.18) April 11, 1998 Greg Kinnear All Saints
445 (23.19) May 2, 1998 Matthew Broderick Natalie Merchant

  • Tenacious D appear as a special guest.

446 (23.20) May 9, 1998 David Duchovny Puff Daddy

  • Jim Breuer's final episode as a cast member.

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