| Saturday Night Live | |
|---|---|
| Season 20 | |
 | |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 24, 1994 – May 13, 1995 |
| Season chronology | |
The twentieth season of Saturday Night Live (also branded Saturday Night Live 20), an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 24, 1994, and May 13, 1995.
Much like the 1980–1981 season and the 1985–1986 season, NBC worried over SNL's decline in quality (and in the ratings) and initially decided that now would be the best time to pull the plug on the show once and for all. According to the prime time special Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation, Lorne Michaels credits this season as the closest he's ever been to being fired.[1] In the end, the cast member firings and crew turnover resulting from this season represented the biggest involvement into the show's affairs by NBC executives since the 1980–1981 season and the biggest cast overhaul since the 1985–1986 season.[2][3]
This season saw the deaths of two SNL alumni: season 11 cast member Danitra Vance (who died of breast cancer)[4] and "Not Ready for Primetime"-era writer and occasional performer Michael O'Donoghue (who died of a brain hemorrhage after years of suffering from migraine headaches). The Sarah Jessica Parker-hosted episode featured a special appearance by Bill Murray, who introduced a clip from season 3, "The Soiled Kimono", aired in O'Donoghue's memory.[5]
- ^ Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation (TV special). NBC. May 6, 2007. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Chris (March 13, 1995). "Comedy Isn't Funny: Saturday Night Live at twenty – how the show that transformed TV became a grim joke". New York Magazine.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (July 14, 2016). "Everything old is new again case file #65: the 1994-95 season of Saturday Night Live". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (August 23, 1994). "Danitra Vance, 35, an Actress; Worked at Shakespeare Festival". The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ^ Fennessey, Sean (October 13, 2010). "SNL and The Curse of the Transitional Season". Vulture. Retrieved May 24, 2024.