Saturday Night Live - Season 11
Description: Saturday Night Live aired its 11th season during the 1985-1986 television season on NBC. The season started on November 9, 1985 and ended on May 24, 1986, 18 episodes were produced.
Dick Ebersol left the show after the 1984-85 season, when the network refused his request to shut the program down entirely for six months and shift much of the material onto tape, not live broadcast. Once again, NBC briefly considered cancelling the show, but programming head Brandon Tartikoff decided to continue the show and re-hire erstwhile producer Lorne Michaels.
In some ways the job Michaels returned to was more challenging than the one he took on in 1975. For starters, Michaels' "golden boy" reputation was somewhat tarnished. His most recent effort, the previous season's The New Show confused critics and was ignored by audiences. Also, the 1984-1985 season had been a critical and ratings hit, generating memorable characters and stand-out performers. However, Michaels would not be the only member of the old guard to return: original writers Al Franken and Tom Davis would return as producers, and Jim Downey would be head writer. Fans and critics welcomed Michaels and many of the original producers and writers back, calling it a return to the show's roots.
Episodes
Madonna/Simple Minds
Aired: Nov 9, 1985
Sketches include: ""SNL Drug Tests,"" ""A Message From The Almighty,"" ""Nationa...
Chevy Chase/Sheila E.
Aired: Nov 16, 1985
Sketches include ""Smoky Hallway,"" ""Wacky Glue,"" ""Those Unlucky Andersons"",...
Pee Wee Herman/Queen Ida & The Bon Temps Zydeco Band
Aired: Nov 23, 1985
Sketches include ""Twin Towers Tightrope,"" ""Pee Wee Herman's Thanksgiving Spec...
John Lithgow/Mr. Mister
Aired: Dec 7, 1985
Sketches include--- Halley's Comet, Cliche Father, Master Thespian, Nancy Reagan...
Tom Hanks/Sade
Aired: Dec 14, 1985
Sketches include "Entertainment Tonight", "Trojans", "Tommy and His Mother", "Co...
Teri Garr/Dream Academy, The Cult
Aired: Dec 21, 1985
Sketches include ""The Wrapper Rapper,"" ""Critic,"" ""The Price of Eggs,"" ""Hi...
Harry Dean Stanton/The Replacements
Aired: Jan 18, 1986
Live from New York, it's... Dennis Miller! Sketches include "Herb's Press Conf...
Dudley Moore/Al Green
Aired: Jan 25, 1986
Sketches include ""Monks and Football,"" ""The Pat Stevens Show,"" ""Master Thes...
Ron Reagan/The Nelsons
Aired: Feb 8, 1986
Live From New York, it's...Ronald Reagon, Jr. Sketches include: White House Ris...
Jerry Hall/Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
Aired: Feb 15, 1986
Live from New York, it's... Mick Jagger! Sketches include "Tommy Flanagan," "Th...
Jay Leno/The Neville Brothers
Aired: Feb 22, 1986
Sketches include ""Backstage,"" ""Star Search,"" ""Dinner with Mike,"" ""Biff & ...
Griffin Dunne/Rosanne Cash
Aired: Mar 15, 1986
""Tommy Flanagan's Pathological Liars Anonymous"", ""Griffin Dunne's One-Handed ...
George Wendt/Philip Glass
Aired: Mar 22, 1986
Sketches include ""The Honeymooners: Lost Episodes,"" ""Camera Control,"" ""Two ...
Oprah Winfrey/Joe Jackson
Aired: Apr 12, 1986
Sketches include ""Beat Her!,"" ""John Mellencamp,"" ""The Pat Stevens Show,"" "...
Tony Danza/Laurie Anderson
Aired: Apr 19, 1986
Live from New York, it's... Randy Quaid, Robert Downey Jr., and Anthony Michael ...
Catherine Oxenberg & Paul Simon/Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Aired: May 10, 1986
Live from New York, it's... Paul Simon! Sketches include "Geraldo Rivera Opens T...
Jimmy Breslin & Marvin Hagler/Level 42, E.G. Daily
Aired: May 17, 1986
Sketches are ""Mike 'The Menace' Hall,"" ""Kill Kaddafi?"" ""Tornadoville,"" ""M...
Anjelica Huston & Billy Martin/George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic
Aired: May 24, 1986
Live from New York, it's...Randy Quaid Sketches include: Hands Across America, ...