Saturday Night Live (season 41)

The forty-first season of the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on October 3, 2015, during the 2015–2016 television season.[1] The season premiered on October 3, 2015, with host & musical guest Miley Cyrus and concluded on May 21, 2016 with host Fred Armisen and musical guest Courtney Barnett.

Saturday Night Live
Season 41
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	21
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03) – May 21, 2016 (2016-05-21)
Season chronology

Kate McKinnon won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work in this season.

Cast

After two consecutive seasons with higher-than-average levels of cast turnover, no major changes occurred prior to this season; the entire cast of the 2014–2015 season returned.[2]

Prior the start of the season, comedian Jon Rudnitsky joined the cast as a featured player.[3][4] Beck Bennett, Colin Jost, Kyle Mooney and Sasheer Zamata were upgraded to repertory status, while Michael Che, Pete Davidson, and Leslie Jones remained as featured players. Announcer Darrell Hammond appeared in several episodes. He played Bill Clinton in three episodes and Donald Trump in most of the episodes of this season.

This would be the final season for Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah, both cast members since 2010, as well as the only season for Jon Rudnitsky.[5]

Cast roster

Repertory players Vanessa Bayer Beck Bennett Aidy Bryant Colin Jost Taran Killam Kate McKinnon Kyle Mooney Bobby Moynihan Jay Pharoah Cecily Strong Kenan Thompson Sasheer Zamata

Featured players Michael Che Pete Davidson Leslie Jones Jon Rudnitsky

bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor

Writers

Before the beginning of the season, six new writers joined the staff: Upright Citizens Brigade performers Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, and Will Stephen; former Late Show with David Letterman writers Paul Masella and Chris Belair; and stand-up comedian Dave Sirus.[6]

Colin Jost, a cast member on the show and anchor of Weekend Update, who served as a writer since 2005 (and as co-head writer in 2012), was relieved of his position as co-head writer, although he remains on the writing staff. Rob Klein and Bryan Tucker continue as co-head writers.[7]

Episodes

Main article: List of Saturday Night Live episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Host(s)	Musical guest(s)	Original air date	Ratings/ Share
788	1	Miley Cyrus	Miley Cyrus	October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03)	4.5/11[8]
Miley Cyrus performs "Karen Don't Be Sad" and "The Twinkle Song". Hillary Clinton appears in the Hillary Clinton Bar Talk sketch as Val. Darrell Hammond appears in the same sketch as Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton also introduces Cyrus's first musical performance. The Flaming Lips appears as Cyrus' backing band for her first performance. Jon Rudnitsky's first episode as a cast member.
789	2	Amy Schumer	The Weeknd	October 10, 2015 (2015-10-10)	3.9/10[9]
The Weeknd performs "The Hills" with Nicki Minaj and "Can't Feel My Face", and also appears on Weekend Update during a bit titled "The Weeknd Update".
790	3	Tracy Morgan	Demi Lovato	October 17, 2015 (2015-10-17)	4.2/11[10]
Demi Lovato performs a medley of "Cool for the Summer" and "Confident" for her first set and "Stone Cold" for her second, also appearing in the "Astronaut Jones" sketch. Alec Baldwin and Larry David appear in the cold open as Jim Webb and Bernie Sanders, respectively. Baldwin, Tina Fey, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, and Morgan all reprise their 30 Rock roles in the opening monologue. Fey also appeared on Weekend Update. Fey and Tim Herlihy received writing credits for this episode.[11]
791	4	Donald Trump	Sia	November 7, 2015 (2015-11-07)	6.6/16[12]
Sia performs "Alive" and "Bird Set Free". Larry David returns as Bernie Sanders in the cold open. David also appears as himself in the opening monologue. Darrell Hammond reprises his Trump impersonation in the opening monologue. Trump's daughter Ivanka appears in the "White House 2018" sketch. Martin Short appears as Ed Grimley in the "Hotline Bling" sketch. The choice of Trump was controversial and a number of Latino groups petitioned to have his invitation to host rescinded.[13] Unforeseen at the time, Trump would go on to win the presidency, one year and one day after hosting this episode.
792	5	Elizabeth Banks	Disclosure	November 14, 2015 (2015-11-14)	4.0/10[14]
Disclosure performs "Magnets" with Lorde and "Omen" with Sam Smith. Mike O'Brien appears in the pretaped sketch "Uber for Jen". Cecily Strong begins the show with a tribute to France in light of the November 2015 Paris attacks, speaking both English and French. In addition, the SNL logo in the bumpers is colored blue, white, and red, the colors of the French flag. The stage lights after Sam Smith's performance and before Lorde's are also in those same colors.
793	6	Matthew McConaughey	Adele	November 21, 2015 (2015-11-21)	4.6/12[15]
Adele performs "Hello" and "When We Were Young". J. J. Abrams, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Emma Stone, Michael Bublé, and Jon Hamm appear in a pre-recorded Star Wars Audition sketch.
794	7	Ryan Gosling	Leon Bridges	December 5, 2015 (2015-12-05)	4.1/10[16]
Leon Bridges performs "Smooth Sailin'" and "River". Mike Myers appears in the opening monologue. A photo is dedicated to SNL wardrobe person Jenna Krempel before the goodbyes.
795	8	Chris Hemsworth	Chance the Rapper	December 12, 2015 (2015-12-12)	3.8/10[17]
Chance the Rapper, backed by The Social Experiment, performs "Somewhere In Paradise" with Jeremih and "Sunday Candy" with Jamila Woods. Will Ferrell appears in the cold open as George W. Bush.
796	9	Tina Fey & Amy Poehler	Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band	December 19, 2015 (2015-12-19)	5.1/13[18]
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band perform "Meet Me in the City" and "The Ties That Bind" and are later joined by Paul McCartney and the cast for "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town". Darrell Hammond portrays Donald Trump in the cold open, replacing Taran Killam (who himself appears as Ted Cruz) and appears in the goodnights singing "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" with the cast. Maya Rudolph appears in the StarVista sketch and reprises her role as Jodi Deitz on Bronx Beat. Gayle King and Amy Schumer appear in the pre-recorded "Amy and Tina's Dope Squad" segment.
797	10	Adam Driver	Chris Stapleton	January 16, 2016 (2016-01-16)	3.0/15 in 18-49 (approximately 5.7 overall)[19][20]
Chris Stapleton performs "Parachute" and "Nobody to Blame". Darrell Hammond again plays Trump in the cold open. Fred Armisen appears to pay tribute to the late David Bowie who had died six days earlier. A clip of Bowie performing "The Man Who Sold the World" from season 5 is then shown. Liev Schreiber appears in a pre-recorded Golden Globes sketch. The show was delayed for viewers on the East Coast for 45 minutes due the NFC Divisional Playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals going into overtime.[21]
798	11	Ronda Rousey	Selena Gomez	January 23, 2016 (2016-01-23)	5.0/12[22]
Selena Gomez performs a medley of "Good for You" and "Same Old Love" for her first set and "Hands to Myself" for her second. She also appears in the opening monologue and the "Bland Man" sketch. Darrell Hammond and Tina Fey appear as Donald Trump and Sarah Palin, respectively, in the cold open.
799	12	Larry David	The 1975	February 6, 2016 (2016-02-06)	5.1/12[23]
The 1975 performs "The Sound" and "Love Me". Bernie Sanders appears as a passenger in the "Steam Ship" sketch and helps introduce The 1975's first song. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson appear as their characters, Derek Zoolander and Hansel McDonald from the movie Zoolander, respectively, on Weekend Update.
800	13	Melissa McCarthy	Kanye West	February 13, 2016 (2016-02-13)	4.4/11[24]
Kanye West performs "Highlights" (preceded by "Low Lights") with The-Dream, El DeBarge, Kelly Price, Young Thug, and ASAP Bari and "Ultralight Beam" with The-Dream, Kelly Price, Chance the Rapper, and Kirk Franklin. He, The-Dream, El DeBarge, Kelly Price, and Young Thug also appear in a pre-recorded Kyle Mooney film, "Kyle vs. Kanye". Darrell Hammond appears as Bill Clinton in the cold open. Von Miller appears as himself on Weekend Update. Natalie Morales, Dylan Dreyer, and Al Roker appear in the pre-recorded Kyle Mooney film, "Kyle vs. Kanye".
801	14	Jonah Hill	Future	March 5, 2016 (2016-03-05)	4.0/10[25]
Future performs "Low Life" with The Weeknd and "March Madness" and appears in the opening monologue and in a Weekend Update segment called "News from the Future". Darrell Hammond and Jason Sudeikis appear as Donald Trump and Mitt Romney, respectively, in the cold open.
802	15	Ariana Grande	Ariana Grande	March 12, 2016 (2016-03-12)	4.0/10[26]
Ariana Grande performs "Dangerous Woman" and "Be Alright". Darrell Hammond and Larry David appear as Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, respectively, in the cold open. David also introduces both of Grande's musical performances.
803	16	Peter Dinklage	Gwen Stefani	April 2, 2016 (2016-04-02)	4.0/10[27]
Gwen Stefani performs "Make Me Like You" and "Misery" and appears in the "Mafia Meeting" sketch. Darrell Hammond appears as Donald Trump in the cold open.
804	17	Russell Crowe	Margo Price	April 9, 2016 (2016-04-09)	4.0/10[28]
Margo Price performs "Hurtin' (On the Bottle)" and "Since You Put Me Down". Al Sharpton appears as an analyst in the PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton sketch. An image of Merle Haggard, who had died three days earlier, is shown in silence following Price's first performance; also, Price's guitar strap has "Margo" stitched in the same style as "Merle" was on some of his guitars. Mike O'Brien and Jason Sudeikis appear in the pre-recorded short film Oprah: A Life of Love.
805	18	Julia Louis-Dreyfus	Nick Jonas	April 16, 2016 (2016-04-16)	3.9/10[29]
Nick Jonas performs "Close" with Tove Lo and "Champagne Problems". Additionally, Jonas appears in the "Huge Jewelry" sketch and the pre-recorded "Pool Boy" short. Larry David appears in the cold open as Bernie Sanders, with Louis-Dreyfus reprising her Seinfeld role as Elaine Benes. Louis-Dreyfus' Veep co-star Tony Hale appears in the opening monologue.
806	19	Brie Larson	Alicia Keys	May 7, 2016 (2016-05-07)	4.1/10[30]
Alicia Keys performs "In Common" and "Hallelujah". Dana Carvey and Darrell Hammond appear in the Church Chat cold open, as the Church Lady and Donald Trump respectively. The mothers of Pete Davidson, Brie Larson, and Kate McKinnon appear during the monologue. Davidson's mother also appears during Weekend Update.
807	20	Drake	Drake	May 14, 2016 (2016-05-14)	3.9/10[31]
Drake performs "One Dance" and "Hype". Darrell Hammond appears as Donald Trump in the cold open. Chris Rock introduces Drake's first performance.
808	21	Fred Armisen	Courtney Barnett	May 21, 2016 (2016-05-21)	3.7/10[32]
Courtney Barnett performs "Nobody Really Cares If You Don't Go to the Party" and "Pedestrian at Best". Larry David and Darrell Hammond appear in the cold open, as Bernie Sanders and Bill Clinton respectively. Additionally, David appears in the "High School Theater Show" sketch and in the "Harkin Brothers" sketch. Andy Samberg appears as Conner4real in the SNL Digital Short and in the "Harkin Brothers" sketch. Jason Sudeikis appears in the "New Girlfriend" sketch and in the "Harkin Brothers" sketch. Maya Rudolph appears on Weekend Update as Dilma Rousseff and in the "Harkin Brothers" sketch. Armisen's Portlandia co-star Carrie Brownstein appears in the "Harkin Brothers" sketch. Taran Killam, Jay Pharoah and Jon Rudnitsky's final episode as cast members[33][34]

Specials

Title	Original air date	US viewers (millions)
"SNL Goodnight Sweet Prince"	April 23, 2016 (2016-04-23)	4.5/11[35]
A selection of Prince's performances on the show were shown in honor of his death earlier that week.[36] Included were his performances during the season 6 episode hosted by Charlene Tilton, the 15th Anniversary Special, the season 31 episode hosted by Steve Martin, and the season 40 episode hosted by Chris Rock, as well as a performance of "Let's Go Crazy" during the after-party for the 40th Anniversary Special, which has not been aired on television before. It also included replays of the recurring sketch "The Prince Show", where Fred Armisen played Prince and Maya Rudolph played Beyoncé. Included were sketches from the season 30 episodes hosted by Queen Latifah and Robert De Niro, the season 31 episode hosted by Steve Martin, and the season 32 episode hosted by Shia LaBeouf. The performances were introduced by Jimmy Fallon who hosted this special.

References

1. "Saturday Night Live Season 41 Episode 01". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
2. Wright, Megh (August 31, 2015). "The Entire 'SNL' Cast From Last Season Is Returning". Splitsider. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
3. Gajewski, Ryan (August 31, 2015). "'Saturday Night Live' Adds New Castmembers for Season 41". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
4. "Jon Rudnitsky joins Saturday Night Live as a featured player: See his best sketches, stand-up - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com.
5. Chuck, Elizabeth (August 9, 2016). "Jay Pharoah, Taran Killam, Jon Rudnitsky to Exit 'Saturday Night Live'". NBC News. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
6. "Meet 'Saturday Night Live's Six New Writers". Splitsider. splitsider.com. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
7. "Colin Jost Is No Longer a Head Writer at 'SNL'". Splitsider.
8. Dixon, Dani (October 4, 2015). "'Saturday Night Live' Season Premiere with Miley Cyrus Nearly Even with Last Season's Premiere". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
9. Porter, Rick (October 11, 2015). "'Saturday Night Live' with Amy Schumer dips slightly, still tops night". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
10. Porter, Rick (October 18, 2015). "Tracy Morgan's 'Saturday Night Live' return gets a ratings bump". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
11. "Saturday Night Live (TV Series) Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato (2015) Full Cast & Crew". IMDB. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
12. Kissell, Rick (November 8, 2015). "Donald Trump Lifts 'Saturday Night Live' Ratings to Near Four-Year High". Variety. Michelle Sobrino. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
13. Daniel González (October 22, 2015). "Campaign to dump Donald Trump from SNL gains steam". Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
14. Porter, Rick (November 15, 2015). "'Saturday Night Live' ratings fall back into line with season averages". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
15. Porter, Rick (November 22, 2015). "'Saturday Night Live' hits second-highest ratings of the season". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
16. Porter, Rick (December 6, 2015). "'Saturday Night Live' ratings dip but in line with season average". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
17. Porter, Rick (December 13, 2015). "'Saturday Night Live' with Chris Hemsworth dips to season low". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
18. Porter, Rick (December 20, 2015). "'Saturday Night Live' with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler ends 2015 on high note". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
19. Porter, Rick (January 17, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' hits 2-year high in adults 18-49 overnights". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
20. "SNL with Host Adam Driver Posts Highest Rating in Adults 18-49 in Two Years". Broadway World. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
21. http://splitsider.com/2016/01/adam-driver-hosted-the-delayed-first-snl-of-2016/
22. Porter, Rick (January 24, 2016). "'Saturday Night Live' with Ronda Rousey scores above average ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
23. ""Saturday Night Live" Ties for the #1 Telecast of the Night on the Big 4 Networks in 18-49". The Futon Critic. February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
24. ""Saturday Night Live" Was the #1 Non-News Telecast of the Night on the Big 4 Networks". The Futon Critic. February 14, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
25. ""Saturday Night Live" Is the #1 Telecast of the Night, Maintaining 100% of the Same Night Last Year". The Futon Critic. March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
26. ""Saturday Night Live," With Host and Musical Guest Ariana Grande, Is the #1 Telecast of the Night". The Futon Critic. March 13, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
27. ""Saturday Night Live" Is the #1 Telecast of the Night on the Big Four". The Futon Critic. April 3, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
28. ""SNL" Ranks #1 for the Night in the Metered Markets; "Dateline Mystery" Matches Its High Since January". The Futon Critic. April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
29. ""SNL" Ranks #1 for the Night in the Metered Markets". The Futon Critic. April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
30. ""SNL" Earns Its Top Metered-Market Household Rating, Excluding the 4/23 Prince Tribute, Since February". The Futon Critic. May 8, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
31. ""SNL" Ranks #1 for the Night in the Metered Markets; "Dateline Mystery" Wins in Total Viewers". The Futon Critic. May 15, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
32. Porter, Rick (May 22, 2016). "TV Ratings Saturday: 'Toy Story' and '20/20' give ABC a win". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
33. Auseillo, Michael (August 8, 2016). "SNL Vets Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah Not Returning for Season 42". TVLine. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
34. "Taran Killam, Jay Pharoah, and Jon Rudnitsky Won't Be in Saturday Night Live's Upcoming 42nd Season". Vulture.com. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
35. ""SNL" Tribute to Prince Ranks #1 for the Night in the Metered Markets; Stanley Cup Hockey Wins Primetime in 18-49". The Futon Critic. April 24, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
36. Snierson, Dan (2016-04-22). "Saturday Night Live to air Prince special". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2016-02-23.