As a big fan of SNL, I found this book to be spectacularly well-researched, fascinating, and a great deal of fun to read. I loved the backstage stories and all of the insights provided. A must-read for fans of the show, particularly the early years, where much of the focus is placed. The book only takes us through 1985. I would have loved for it to continue, but I suspect that these specific years were the most colorful and interesting look at how this particular batch of sausage was made.

B- really really well written. So fun to read with so much insight. A few editorial issues and missed mistakes were glaring but I really enjoyed this one.

I first read "Saturday Night" when it came out in the mid-1980s, and it still remains one of the best SNL-related books (Tom Shales' work is right there, too). The authors had a great deal of access to many of the major players, as well as the show itself, and it reads like the authoritative book that it is.

For a show that is about to turn 40, it's fascinating to see how in those early days, it was anything but a given that it would be renewed from season to season, especially after Lorne Michaels left in 1980.

A incredibly well researched/written behind-the-scenes look of the show's creation, rise and all of the tumult that surrounded it and its stars across it's first, formative - but always shaky - first decade. Brilliantly put together.

Finished Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live by Doug Hill, a work of nonfiction about the early years of SNL through the mid 80’s written in 1985. The best behind the scenes SNL book, impeccably sourced from nearly all the participants. It’s an interesting look at how truly radical the show was with brilliant writers and performers pushing the boundaries, the first show by children of the tv generation. I learned a lot about the business side of creating shows, budgets, design, syndication, affiliates which all contributed to the slow start. After losing prodigiously in the first two years SNL became an earrings juggernaut and gave NBS badly needed credibility while they slid to the #3 network. Ho shortage of gigantic ego’s but a fascinating journey.

* Updated 50th Anniversary edition, published in 2024 - although there is no evidence that a word was added after 2014. The main topic, however, is the show's first ten seasons, 1975 - 1985. I first read the original edition in 1986, but enjoyed the re-read more with the perspective of what Lorne Michaels has contributed in the subsequent 40 years.

De corte más profesional, sigue el detrás de bambalinas de los productores del programa y dinámicas de trabajo. Muy bien investigado pero que en ocasiones incurre en redundancias y se hace demasiado largo.

If you don’t want to know how the sausage is made, do not read this book. You become a “fly on the wall” through those beginning and growing years of SNL - the good, the bad, and the very ugly.
These authors did their homework and created a thorough and entertaining history of a show many of us still enjoy today.

I grew up on Playboy, Hustler, Mad Magazine, The Three Stooges, The Little Rascals, Buster Keaton, The Keystone Cops, Harold Lloyd, Laugh In, Hee Haw, Love American Style and The Monkees. I wasn't yet 10 when Saturday Night Live first showed on television and still i was watching it regularly every weekend. Since it was on Saturday my parents didn't have a problem with my sister and I watching it at Midnight. We still were forced to get up for church the next morning.
Reading about the actors, original and replacements gave m a better view of them as people and how they were at the time. As a child they were just adults acting silly for television, another show. To see them as young and fresh and excited to try something new presented them in a more well rounded way than I am used to seeing television actors. At the same time this book seemed to seriously polish the rough edges that were implied in the goings on at the 17th floor. This is no so bad except the repeated familiarism in calling the actors by nicknames was irritating to me. I didn't know if the actors actually preferred this treatment, if the authors were on a personal relationship basis with the actors or if the authors were trying to convey personality for different actors. John Belushi was never called "Johnny" but Danny (Akroyd) and Billy (Murray) were refered to as these nicknames throughout. It was a niggling annoyance and it made me wonder why this was done.
The book was originally publish in 1986 and reflects that in how much history is given on the actors who were there and moved on. You won't be getting any information on the current whereabouts and projects of the surviving members of studio 8H. The only person's death mentioned is Jim Belushi's and very little is expounded upon that pont which is probably for the better. This book is not sensationalistic (at least I thought it wasn't,) and it really helps to coney the many changes the show went through.
While reading I became irritated by what seemed to be extraneous background information on executives and people that the viewer normally doesn't see. If you feel this way too have patience, most of it sets up how the show and the people were under stress and the influences of the actions of key players behind the scenes. I had to keep reminding myself that this book is about the show, not only the actors. I am hoping to find biographies or autobiographies of the actors in the library.
As a child I'd forgotten many of the skits I'd seen live. It was a delight to be reminded of them and to see some background information on them as well. Being taken through the different stages that SNL went through jogged my memory of what I percieved of the show as well. I remembered the period of time that SNL was a "bad" show and back then I was aware that SNL had been abandoned and the disgust of the fans and the held breaths of the public when it went back on air. I remembered the different "Players" and some of their more memorable characters. This book helped to make a more cohesive entity of SNL and it and Lorne Michaels' struggles and growth to me and the great effort, time and expense it takes to put a show of this type on. And the book only covers the first 10 years of an almost 40 year old hit television show!
I think that another book addressing the following years and struggles may be in line. I'm sure it won't have the added strength of the show being groundbreaking anymore but maybe there'd be enough information with the influx and struggles of the key players to interest readers anyhow.

An interesting deep dive into the early history.of SNL, at times a little protracted and repetitive but hearing about Belushi, Ackroyd, Murray and Chase's early exploits is great

Having watched the first 5 seasons religiously and witnessing the Not Ready for Prime Time players blossom, I found this a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of this groundbreaking program.

Through extensive interviews, the authors amassed a trove of stories and information covering the show’s history. The downside of all this inside info, however, is that the reader quickly realizes just how petty, insecure and spoiled the cast members were. One can easily lose one’s respect or fondness for some (or all) of the cast.

I’ve enjoyed watching the early episodes with my son, introducing him to how it all began. And I still watch the current iteration of SNL, but after reading this book, I admit to doing so with a considerably more jaded eye.

Fascinating

This book has all the intrigue of a well-plotted novel. It's amazing that anything ever got on the air, much less a hit show like SNL. At times it looked like the end, but here we are, over 40 years later, still tuning in.