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Saturday Night Live
Season 37
No. of episodes	22
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 24, 2011 (2011-09-24) – May 19, 2012 (2012-05-19)
Season chronology
← Previous season 36 Next → season 38
List of episodes

The thirty-seventh season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 24, 2011, and May 19, 2012.

Cast

The season began with minimal changes to the cast, as everyone from the prior year returned. The only major change was Nasim Pedrad being upgraded to repertory status.

Featured player Paul Brittain exited abruptly halfway through the season, making his final appearance on January 14, 2012.

Kate McKinnon, previously a cast member on The Big Gay Sketch Show, joined the cast mid-season, as a featured player for the last five episodes of the season, making her debut on April 7, 2012, following a March 28, 2012, report of her being hired. McKinnon is SNL's first openly gay cast member hired since Terry Sweeney in 1985, and the show's first openly gay female cast member (Danitra Vance from the 1985–86 season was SNL's first lesbian cast member but Vance's sexuality was not public knowledge until her death in 1994).

This would be the final season for Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg, both cast members since 2005, as well as for Abby Elliott, who had been a cast member since 2008.

Cast roster

bold denotes Weekend Update anchor

Writers

This season saw several new writers. CollegeHumor writer Sarah Schneider was added to the writing staff, after serving as a guest writer for the last five episodes of season 36. Also added were Chris Kelly, who previously wrote for Funny or Die and The Onion News Network; Zach Kanin, who worked on the Harvard Lampoon; and Peter Schultz, a performer from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. This was also the last season for writer John Mulaney who had been there since 2008.

The season saw the deaths of three former SNL writers. Nelson Lyon died at the age of 73 due to liver cancer; Lyon wrote for the show during its seventh season. Mark O'Donnell, who also wrote during the show's seventh season, died of a heart attack at the age of 58 outside his apartment in New York. Tom Davis, who was one of the original SNL writers and appeared in multiple sketches over the years died after a three-year battle with throat and neck cancer.

Episodes

References

1. "Lorne Michaels: All 'SNL' Cast Members Will Return This Season". Huffington Post. August 2, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
2. ^ Stack, Tim (January 31, 2012). "'Saturday Night Live' scoop: Cast member Paul Brittain to leave immediately". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
3. Andreeva, Nellie (March 28, 2012). "'Saturday Night Live' To Add Female Player". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 27, 2015. ...UCB's McKinnon, will make her debut on SNL's next show next Saturday hosted by Sofia Vergara
4. April 7 - Sofía Vergara: S37 E18 04/06/12. Saturday Night Live. NBC. Event occurs at 06:42. Retrieved September 16, 2020. Featuring Vanessa Bayer, Taran Killam, Kate McKinnon, Jay Pharoah.
5. Gay, Verne (March 29, 2012). "Kate McKinnon joining 'SNL' cast". Newsday. New York City / Long Island. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
6. Woodtke, Jordyn (March 30, 2012). "'SNL' Casts First Openly Gay Female". Hollywood Life. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
7. Buchanan, Kyle (June 1, 2012). "Andy Samberg Is Now Officially Leaving Saturday Night Live". Vulture. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
8. Moore, Frazier (May 20, 2012). "Kristen Wiig Last 'SNL' Episode Ends With Emotional Sendoff". Huffington Post. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
9. Byrne, Fiona (October 12, 2012). "Exclusive: Abby Elliott on Her New Movie, a Role on 'How I Met Your Mother,' and Leaving 'SNL'". Elle. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
10. Andreeva, Nellie (March 28, 2012). "'Saturday Night Live' To Add Female Player". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
11. Frucci, Adam (August 10, 2011). "CollegeHumor's Sarah Schneider Hired as a Writer at SNL". Splitsider. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
12. Frucci, Adam (September 20, 2011). "SNL Rounds Out Its New Season Hires with Writers Zach Kanin and Peter Schultz". Splitsider. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
13. Frucci, Adam (September 15, 2011). "Funny or Die/Onion News Network's Chris Kelly Hired as a Writer at SNL". Splitsider. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
14. https://www.gq.com/story/the-gqa-john-mulaney-on-his-new-fox-sitcom-and-leaving-snl
15. Nelson, Valerie (July 20, 2012). "Nelson Lyon dies at 73; director of sex comedy 'The Telephone Book'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
16. Rao, Mallika (August 6, 2012). "Mark O'Donnell Dead: Tony Winning 'Hairspray' Writer, 58, Found Outside Apartment". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
17. Andreeva, Nellie (April 8, 2012). "'SNL' Ratings Up In Return From Hiatus". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. Retrieved April 8, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
18. Andreeva, Nellie (April 15, 2012). "'SNL' Ratings Down WIth Host Josh Brolin". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. Retrieved April 15, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
19. Andreeva, Nellie (May 6, 2012). "Eli Manning's 'Saturday Night Live' Ratings Strong But No Match For Lindsay Lohan's". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. Retrieved May 6, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

• Saturday Night Live seasons
• Saturday Night Live in the 2010s
• 2011 American television seasons
• 2012 American television seasons
• Television programs directed by Don Roy King