The Not Ready for Prime Time Podcast: The Early Years of SNL

Madeline Kahn is BACK!!! The host of one of the best episodes of season 1 returns! Can she make this episode as wonderful as her last? Will she sing? Will she do anything other than sing? In many ways this episode is very hit or miss, except when it comes to Taj Mahal! His performance (sadly...only one) is ON POINT!!! Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Saturday Night Live is back!!! Is there a better way to kick of the new season than having Steve Martin as the host? We think not. Season 3 brings with it a larger budget which in turn means higher production value: better costumes, better sets, & extras in scenes NOT played by the writing staff. It's a whole new look for the show as it vaults into the mainstream consciousness. We see the debut of the Festrunk brothers, the Franken & Davis Show, a new look to Weekend Update, and some really solid performances by Jackson Browne! We're back, baby!! Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Do you think you have what it takes to host "The Not Ready for Prime Time Podcast?" Listen to find out how to enter for your chance to host an episode this upcoming season! Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Is there a better way to celebrate Mardi Gras than staging a live television special from a number of different locations throughout New Orleans after the sun goes down? We didn't think so either. And then we saw what can happen when you do just that. Chaos. Simply said...chaos. Maybe there is a reason this is the ONLY time SNL has gone live on location for an entire episode. With guest stars Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, Henry Winkler, Eric Idle, and musical guests Randy Newman, The New Leviathan Orchestra, and supposedly The Meters, the show looks to pack more into an hour and a half than anyone thought possible. Luckily, we have special guests of our own returning to the podcast as Dennis Perrin and Ian Fermaglich help weed through all of the details of the show and to find out what the true meaning of "Mardi Gras" is. Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Season 2 of Saturday Night Live has come to a close! There's a lot to discuss about this season as a whole, and Brad and Gary do their best to get to it all. Best Hosts, Best Characters, Best Musical Guests, and of course...Best Bits! Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

It's the end of the season, but the beginning of the tradition of having Buck Henry host the season finale of SNL! It is a monumental episode in the history of the show and we see many of our favorites return such as The Coneheads, Emily Litella, and (of course with Buck hosting) The Samurai! There's a lot to talk about, including a breakthrough sketch for Bill Murray! So, to make sure we cover it all, we are once again joined by the Buck Henry of The Not Ready for Prime Time Podcast - Jon Schneider from the Saturday Night Network. Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Who was this week's host of Saturday Night? a) supporting actress with bit part in latest Woody Allen movie b) yet another person from Robert Altman's "Nashville" c) Paul Simon's girlfriend d) all of the above If you answered "d" you would be correct! Shelley Duvall, who's popularity in the spring of 1977 we're still working out, does her best to match wits with the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Joan Armatrading does a fine job as the musical guest, even if Brad and Gary have a hard time pinpointing just what kind of an artist she is. There are hits, there are misses, and the show takes a BIG swing with the cold open. Lots to talk about with this one! Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Eric Idle uses his return to hosting Saturday Night to turn the show into a telethon to "Save Great Britain" (complete with the Queen herself). The episode is VERY Idle-influenced. There are no Coneheads or Samurai, but we do get a Sherry appearance, a lot of British-style comedy, and some interesting musical numbers from Neil Innes. Unfortunately, we also get a couple of performances from Alan Price. Thomas Sena from the SNL Hall of Fame and Pop Culture Five podcasts is back to help sort through it all! Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Elliott Gould is BACK! And it SHOULD be a great episode. The debut of Nick the Lounge Singer, an AMAZING piece of physical comedy from Gilda, and...wait for it...they DROP THE COW!! If that wasn't enough, Elliott (as he is want to do) kicks things off with a song and dance number. And yet...something is just not right. The two musical acts probably don't help. One is Elliott Gould's ex-wife's half sister. The other is comprised OF sisters. And, there's a pretty good chance (at least) one of them was sleeping with Elliott. If this sounds confusing wait until you hear us try to make sense of it all. What are you waiting for? Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Georgia State Senator Julian Bond hosts this episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live. If you're not familiar with Julian Bond don't worry - he uses the entirety of the monologue to fill you in. Bond is a decent host (especially for a politician) who isn't afraid to take part in everything this weird and wild episode asks of him. He meets Jimmy Carter AND the Farbers. And if that wasn't enough...Tom Waits offers up a jazz number, Brick brings it, and Gary Weis does a documentary on Patti Smith! Darin Patterson from The SNL Nerds Show joins us offer his perspective on this episode and just might help Brad and Gary come around to more sketches than they thought. Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

We're back!! The one and only, JACK BURNS (!) is hosting this episode of NBC's Saturday Night...LIVE. In addition to a name change, we are also treated to worlds colliding as The Farbers meet The Coneheads, a very meta sketch that the whole casts gets in on, and a couple of quality musical numbers from Santana! All of this after a monologue which made our guest on the podcast, the incomparable Kirstin Rajala, VERY uncomfortable. Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Hey everyone. Sometimes life gets in the way. That has happened to us. We need to take a week or two off. We explain it here. We'll be back at it as soon as we can. In the meantime, catch an old episode you may have skipped. We'll be back in a week or two. Sorry for the delay. If you can...go leave a rating and review. We'll try to live up to them. Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Broderick Crawford hosts this week's episode of Saturday Night...Live and the addition of the "LIVE" was so much for Crawford that he fulfills most of his hosting duties from a plush armchair. This is an interesting episode of SNL (that's right, we can call it SNL now) because while the host doesn't play a big role in the episode, you do kind of fall in love with him. Or at least join him for a drink (or three), which he apparently would have been happy to do. His charm lends itself brilliantly to one of the best Gary Weis films we've seen so far and there are some wild behind-the-scenes stories from filming the week of St. Patty's Day. We also have a lot of sketches (some WITH Crawford) that are worth talking about such as the famous Bill Murray "New Kid" plea, Baba Wawa interviewing Godzilla, and a wonderful piece of physical comedy from Gilda. Lastly, there are 3 musical numbers from two different bands. Yet, with all this in the episode, Brad and Gary still wonder if the juice was worth the squeeze. Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Sissy Spacek, obviously known for her comedic chops, is this week's host of NBC’s Saturday Night. While nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Carrie, Spacek hosts a very…interesting episode. Full of baton twirling (thanks, Gary Weis) and a next-level performance from Richard Baskin this episode is one to remember…we think, we can’t really remember. Luckily, Seth Abramovitch, of The Hollywood Reporter and "It Happened in Hollywood" podcast, joins us to discuss this one-of-a-kind episode. Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

The one and only Steve Martin is back for his second time (this season) hosting Saturday Night! Special guest Lily Tomlin drops by for two excellent segments (not that he needed the help) and British rockers, The Kinks perform a showstopping greatest hits medley. They are so good it might leave Brad to call them the Best Musical Guest in the show's brief history (condolences to The Band). It is another top notch performance from Steve and the cast as he once again fits seamlessly in with the group and delivers a stellar performance (with maybe just one exception). REMINDER: this week is your last chance to enter to win your copy of "Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live" autographed by the authors Doug Hill & Jeff Weingrad. Listen to our "mini-episode" for all the details on how to enter! You've got till Friday! Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

"I'm going to....8H!" Fresh off his most recent Super Bowl loss (his 3rd in last 4 seasons), Fran Tarkenton takes the stage as host of Saturday Night. The show doesn't let the former NFL-MVP stray too far with a running football gag throughout the episode and Fran playing...well just different versions of Fran Tarkenton all night. Leo Sayers sings two songs (sadly dancing through one of them) and Donny Harper & The Voices of Tomorrow also lend a song to the night's festivities. It seems like every episode this season provides at least one classic moment and this uneven outing is no exception. This week's entry is Jane Curtin's famous "Connie Chung" blast during Weekend Update. How great is Jane? Jamie Burwood, from TVShowGraphs.com, joins us to answer this and many more questions. Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Its Saturday Night! And nothing says "hip" and/or "edgy" in 1977 more than Ruth Gordon. And, if that wasn't enough, she brought her good friend Chuck Berry with her (all the way from the 1950s!). Ageism aside, this turns out to be a rather enjoyable episode with many familiar faces (including Mr. Bill & Mr. Mike) and even some new ones! To top things off, special guest Ricky Jay is in the studio to entertain everyone with some great slight of hand work. If we didn't have enough to say about this episode we brought in Jordan Runtagh from the amazing podcast "Too Much Information" to help give us all...well, too much information. We dive deep on Ruth, Chuck, and even get a few Beatles references (he couldn't help himself). Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

This is a very special episode of The Not Ready for Prime Time Podcast. We have the pleasure of being joined by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad, the authors of Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live. This book is a MUST READ for any fan of Saturday Night Live. They talk through not only the episode with us, but also give some great behind-the-scenes stories of SNL and the of writing the book! Ralph Nader is our host; George Benson the musical guest. BUT the real news here are the "firsts:" The first appearance of The Coneheads, Jim Downey's first show as a writer, the first time (most likely) Ralph Nader wore a rhinestone jacket. Oh yeah, and first episode with Bill Murray in the cast. Don't have Doug & Jeff's amazing book? What are you waiting for? Get your copy today!!. Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

It's Christmas time! So why not bring back Candice Bergen to NBC's Saturday Night to host her second holiday show in a row? This is a STELLAR episode loaded with a lot of really good sketches, including some all-time classics! This is all supported by Frank Zappa, who does three musical numbers - which are all also a lot of fun. So start your holiday season by listening to two guys rave about a classic episode. Consider it our present to you. Ho, Ho, Hooooo.... Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

Jodie Foster (who is only 14 at the time!) hosts a very... interesting episode of NBC's Saturday Night. Between her shaky nerves and some even shakier performances by Brian Wilson this episode is something to behold. To help us through this (and to bring light to one sketch in particular) Andy Hogland of SNL In Review returns to the podcast to join us through this episode. Subscribe today! And follow us on social media on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.