'Wasn't That Special' Season 23 Clips Package

As always, for those who have signed up for the podcast at the Executive Producer level, we send out notable video and newspaper clips that aided us in preparing for the episode. Below are some of the Saturday Night Live sketches and media clips we reference throughout the episode, to enhance the listening process.

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Here are some of the materials we discuss throughout the Season Twenty-Three episode:

Terrence Maddox in Art Class

Howl-worthy.

Dysfunctional Family Dinner

Only Will Ferrell could pull this off.

Celebrity Jeopardy!

These are still finding their way, but settling into a groove and getting better each time. A rarity for recurring sketches, which are usually spent after one or two installments.

Shirtless Bible Salesmen

Pure silliness that works. The perfect 10-to-1 sketch. (The sketches that run ten minutes before 1:00 AM are usually more esoteric and take bigger swings.)

Tripp-Lewinsky Lunch

Midway through the season, here comes Monica Lewinsky to reinvigorate the writing staff.

Friends

An interesting twist with Matthew Perry hosting.

Bill, Saddam, and Monica Party Line

You see this one on “Best of SNL” compilations all the time. The perfect way to sum up how the show handled the Clinton-Lewinsky affair.

Matt Foley at the Gym

Performed less than two months before Farley died of a drug-induced heart attack. It is a sweaty mess, and you can’t help but feel you’re watching a beloved comedian die before your eyes.

Heavy Metal Guy

Interesting only for its provenance; it is effectively stolen from a bit Jay Mohr performed three seasons before, which is interesting because Jay Mohr himself admitted to plagiarizing material for use on the show. This is also a blatant attempt to duplicate Adam Sandler’s “Opera Man,” just with heavy metal lyrics.

Friggin’ Giuliani

Been a long way down for this guy.

Name That Dog!

Tim Meadows’ delight here is ebullient.

As Season 23 began, Rolling Stone ran a cover story on the cast, most of whom (Ferrell, Kattan, Oteri) were entering their third season on the show. (Molly Shannon was beginning her fourth.)

This season, SNL had a new competitor, as Fox started Mad TV. And for a short while, it appeared there was going to be a real fight for sketch comedy supremacy:

1997 also saw the debut of Mr. Show, co-hosted by former SNL writer Bob Odenkirk, and which received rave reviews:

As noted above, the show took a hit this season with the death of Chris Farley shortly after he had hosted:

On screen, the media began recognizing the skills of the cast’s female players:

And:

Of course, that doesn’t mean there weren’t the obligatory “time to kill the show” reviews: