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Saturday Night Live Season 39
Season 39
The Saturday Night Live title card as seen in the opening credits of the 39th season.
No. of episodes	TBD
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 28, 2013 – May 17, 2014
Season chronology
← Previous 38 Next → 40
List of episodes

Saturday Night Live premiered its thirty-ninth season during the 2013–14 television season on NBC. The season officially began on September 28, 2013, with host Tina Fey and musical guest Arcade Fire, and will end on May 17, 2014 with host Andy Samberg and musical guest St. Vincent.

Cast

Prior to the start of the season, a large number of cast changes occurred. Long-time veteran cast members Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis all departed the show. In addition to them, first-year featured player Tim Robinson left the cast to focus on his new duties in the writing staff, becoming the first performer to join the writing staff after being a cast member without initially being hired as a writer.

In their places six new featured players were hired including SNL writer Mike O'Brien who was upgraded into the cast, as well as new hires Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney of the sketch comedy group Good Neighbor, John Milhiser of the sketch group Serious Lunch, comedienne Noël Wells (known for her viral videos and impressions featured on sites such as Cracked.com), and stand-up comedian Brooks Wheelan.

O'Brien has written for the show since the 2009–10 season and is the first writer to be upgraded into the cast since Jason Sudeikis in 2005. Mooney and Bennett's fellow Good Neighbor troupe member Dave McCary was also hired to direct Bennett and Mooney's digital shorts.

On May 13, 2013, NBC announced that Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers will be the new host of Late Night in 2014 succeeding Jimmy Fallon as Fallon will take over as the new host of The Tonight Show. Meyers remained Weekend Update anchor up until his departure from the show on February 1, 2014. Cecily Strong was brought up to co-anchor with Meyers. Colin Jost, a writer for the show (and head writer for season 38 and 39), joined the cast on March 1 as a featured player and as Meyers' successor on Weekend Update. This is third time a featured player was also a Weekend Update anchor. The first two were Tina Fey and Brian Doyle-Murray.

During the season, the show came under criticism from critics (as well as cast members Kenan Thompson and Jay Pharoah) for not including at least one black female cast member, a topic which was addressed on the November 2, 2013 show hosted by Kerry Washington. As a result, Lorne Michaels announced that the show would be holding auditions for a black female cast member, expected to join the show in January as a new featured player. UCB-NY performer Sasheer Zamata was announced as a new featured player on January 6, 2014. She made her first appearance on January 18, 2014.

The addition of eight new cast members is the greatest since the 1995–96 season, during which nine cast members were added, making it the largest cast overhaul in eighteen years.

Along with the other changes that occurred to the cast, Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong were all promoted to repertory status.

Note: bold denotes Weekend Update anchor(s)

Writers

For the first half of the season, Seth Meyers, Colin Jost and Rob Klein were co-head writers. As of March, Colin Jost and Rob Klein will continue as head writers.

Prior to the start of the season, three new writers were hired:

• Claire Mulaney, younger sister of former writer John Mulaney.
• Mikey Day, a member of The Groundlings and cast member on MTV's Wild 'N Out.
• Michael Che, a standup comic who had guest written for five episodes in season 38, was hired as a full-time writer.

Additionally, Tim Robinson was moved to the writing staff after one year as a featured player on the show.

In December, Chicago Second City alum Katie Rich joined the writing staff.

In January, comedians LaKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones were added to the writing staff. Both had auditioned in December to join the cast.

This was Seth Meyers' final season as writer.

Listings

• September 28, 2013 Tina Fey/Arcade Fire (39.1, live)
• October 5, 2013 Miley Cyrus (39.2, live)
• October 12, 2013 Bruce Willis/Katy Perry (39.3, live)
• October 19, 2013 Tina Fey/Arcade Fire (39.1, repeat)
• October 26, 2013 Edward Norton/Janelle Monáe (39.4, live)
• November 2, 2013 Kerry Washington/Eminem (39.5, live)
• November 9, 2013 Miley Cyrus (39.2, repeat)
• November 16, 2013 Lady Gaga (39.6, live)
• November 23, 2013 Josh Hutcherson/HAIM (39.7, live)
• November 30, 2013 Kerry Washington/Eminem (39.5, repeat)
• December 7, 2013 Paul Rudd/One Direction (39.8, live)
• December 14, 2013 John Goodman/Kings of Leon (39.9, live)
• December 21, 2013 Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake (39.10, live)
• December 28, 2013 Paul Rudd/One Direction (39.8, repeat)
• January 4, 2014 SNL Best of This Season (special, new)
• January 11, 2014 Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake (39.10, repeat)
• January 18, 2014 Drake (39.11, live)
• January 25, 2014 Jonah Hill/Bastille (39.12, live)
• February 1, 2014 Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons (39.13, live)
• February 8, 2014 pre-empted for Winter Olympics
• February 15, 2014 pre-empted for Winter Olympics
• February 22, 2014 pre-empted for Winter Olympics
• March 1, 2014 Jim Parsons/Beck (39.14, live)
• March 8, 2014 Lena Dunham/The National (39.15, live)
• March 15, 2014 Drake (39.11, repeat)
• March 22, 2014 Jonah Hill/Bastille (39.12, repeat)
• March 29, 2014 Louis C.K./Sam Smith (39.16, live)
• April 5, 2014 Anna Kendrick/Pharrell (39.17, live)
• April 12, 2014 Seth Rogen/Ed Sheeran (39.18, live)
• April 19, 2014 Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons (39.13, repeat)
• April 26, 2014 Louis C.K./Sam Smith (39.16, repeat)
• May 3, 2014 Andrew Garfield/Coldplay (39.19, live)
• May 10, 2014 Charlize Theron/The Black Keys (39.20, live)
• May 17, 2014 Andy Samberg/St. Vincent (39.21, live)

Primetime airings

• October 31, 2013: 8:00 Saturday Night Live Halloween (S.1, new)
• November 27, 2013: 9:00 Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving (S.2, new)
• December 4, 2013: 9:00 Saturday Night Live Christmas (S.3, new)
• December 19, 2013: 9:00 Saturday Night Live Christmas (S.3, repeat)
• December 26, 2013: 9:00 The Women of SNL (S.4, repeat)
• January 30, 2014: 9:00 SNL Presents: Sports All-Stars (S.5, new)
• April 24, 2014: 9:00 SNL Shorts (S.6, new)

Specials

Episodes

References

1. Busis, Hillary (May 16, 2013). "Seth Meyers will return to 'SNL' this fall, leave for 'Late Night' in 2014". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
2. http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/01/19/seth-meyers-late-night-snl-tca/
3. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (January 23, 2014). "'SNL' Names New 'Weekend Update' Co-Anchor". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
4. Evans, Bradford (October 2, 2013). "Jay Pharoah on 'SNL's Diversity Issue: "They Need to Pay Attention"". SplitSider. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
5. Evans, Bradford (December 12, 2013). "'SNL' Held an Audition of Exclusively Black Female Performers Last Week". SplitSider. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
6. http://tvline.com/2014/01/06/saturday-night-live-cast-adds-sasheer-zamata-season-39/
7. ^ Carter, Bill (September 15, 2013). "New Course for 'Update,' and All of 'SNL'". The New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
8. "Chicago comic Claire Mulaney picked for 'Saturday Night Live'". July 17, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
9. "'Wild N Out's Mikey Day Hired to Write for 'SNL'". Splitsider. 23 August 2013.
10. Evans, Bradford (2013-09-03). "Michael Che Is Writing for 'SNL' Full-Time This Season". Splitsider.
11. "Katie Rich headed to 'SNL'". Chicago Tribune. 26 November 2013.
12. Goldberg, Lesley (January 8, 2014). "'Saturday Night Live' Adds Two African-American Female Writers". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
13. Bibel, Sara (November 1, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Vampire Diaries', 'The Millers' & 'Elementary' Adjusted Up; 'Sean Saves the World' & 'Parenthood' Adjusted Down". Zap2it. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
14. Bibel, Sara (November 28, 2013). "TV Ratings Wednesday: 'Criminal Minds', 'Survivor', 'The X Factor' & 'CSI' Down on Soft Thanksgiving Eve". Zap2it. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
15. Kondolojy, Amanda (December 5, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Arrow' & 'Modern Family' Adjusted Up; 'The Tomorrow People' & 'Super Fun Night' Adjusted Down". Zap2it. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
16. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/02/02/saturday-night-live-with-hostmelissa-mccarthy-and-musical-guest-imagine-dragons-delivers-this-seasons-third-best-ratings/233753/
17. Kondolojy, Amanda (January 31, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory', 'American Idol', 'The Taste', 'Vampire Diaries', 'Parks & Recreation', 'Two and a Half Men' Adjusted Up; 'The Millers', 'Elementary', & 'Reign' Adjusted Down". Zap2it. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
18. http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/01/19/seth-meyers-late-night-snl-tca/
19. Beauchemin, Molly (March 2, 2014). "Watch Beck Perform "Blue Moon" and "Wave" on "Saturday Night Live"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
20. ^ "SNL Finishes Out the Season with Three Star-Studded Back to Back Shows". NBC Universal. Retrieved 23 April 2014.

• Saturday Night Live seasons
• 2013 television seasons
• 2014 television seasons