Season 1 had its fair share of growing pains. It tried to introduce an entirely new comedy format to audiences and it did so with a cast of relative newcomers.
I personally didn't like this season, as much as people say it's one of SNL's best. It felt like a mixed big with good and bad in every episode. It had some great sketches, but most of them just wasn't it for me.
Hopefully Season 2 would fix some problems I have never addressed.
It was a hit or miss. Nothing much to say, some of the jokes didn't really land and sketches seems a little simple (which is fine, simple sketches are alright for a quick laugh).
I feel like I won't see much progress until like, Season 5 or 6.
Favorite Sketches:
Wolverines
New Dad Insurance
Victims Of Shark Bite
Show Us Your Guns
Trojan Horse Home Security
Rating - 6/10
S1 Ep2 - Host: Paul Simon
October 18, 1975
The musical acts carried the whole episode. There's not a lot of sketches to say that I liked this episode, most of the whole show was the music, and the sketches weren't even that good to be honest. It was like a concert.
Favorite Sketches:
Paul Simon vs. Connie Hawkins
Rating - 4/10 (10/10 for music choice)
S1 Ep3 - Host: Rob Reiner
October 25, 1975
It's a meh. There's a lot of returning characters and gags such as the Bees, the Blaine Hotel headlines on Weekend Update and Dregs and Vestiges sketches.
Albert Brooks' became a reoccurring guest director for his sketch films to be on the program. As of now, his stuff is very slow. It's a lot more story-focused and the jokes are unnoticeable.
Favorite Sketches:
Surgery Free Healing
Dangerous But Inept
Weekend Update
Rating - 5/10
S1 Ep4 - Host: Candice Bergen
November 8, 1975
I honestly can't. This one is just boring. I couldn't finish this episode because I kept falling asleep from it. I finally finished it after 5 days, and it's just a waste of my time.
Favorite Sketches:
Jaws II
Crank Call to Airline Stewardess
Albert Brooks: TV Show Pitches
Obnoxious Journalist Interview
Weekend Update
Rating - 5/10
S1 Ep5 - Host: Robert Klein
November 8, 1975
I thought it was pretty good. Minute Mystery was stupidly funny.
Favorite Sketches:
Minute Mystery
Sam Peckinpah
Exterminators
Rating - 7/10
S1 Ep6 - Host: Lily Tomlin
November 22, 1975
This was a pretty good one, I enjoyed it. I'm starting to notice there's a lot of sketches that are replayed such as the Triopenin sketch or the Albert Brooks films, but other than that, these were some really solid sketches.
Favorite Sketches:
Beethoven Sings Part I, II, and III
Jaws III
Male Sexual Harassment
Speed
Rating - 8/10
S1 Ep7 - Host: Richard Pryor
December 13, 1975
What I'm starting to notice in the earlier shows is that the monologue sounds like it was all written by the host's themselves instead of help from the writers, probably because there's more comedians instead of celebrities.
I also noticed that comedians are funny, especially once they're an SNL host. There's a lot of racist jokes in this episode and I loved every single sketch.
This was also the first time I've seen Chevy Chase say the hard-r.
Favorite Sketches:
Garrett Takes The Fall
Richard's Monologue
Samurai Hotel
Look at Books
Word Association
Black Takeover
Suicide Pill
Police Line-Up III
The Exorcist II
Rating - 8/10
S1 Ep8 - Host: Candice Bergen
December 20, 1975
Ugh, this mf again.
Most of these sketches are a hit or miss, but it's alright.
Favorite Sketches:
Billy's Call Home
The Elf
Mel's Char Palace
Minute Mystery
Rating - 6/10
S1 Ep9 - Host: Elliot Gould
January 10, 1976
He seems funny.
This was fun to watch, nothing to say.
Lorne Michaels had his first on-screen appearance, and it showed Albert Brooks' last film (reportedly).
Favorite Sketches:
Interior Demolitionists
Godfather Group Therapy
Shimmer
The Killer Bees
Albert Brooks Film
Birthright
Rating - 7/10
S1 Ep10 - Host: Buck Henry
January 17, 1976
That was a short ass cold open.
This episode was alright. Host was boring, but enough to enjoy his performance. Sketches went on for too long, and then there would be REALLY short sketches. Regardless, it wasn't THAT bad... That Gary Weis film was terrible though.
Favorite Sketches:
Buck Henry Monologue
Operation: Stumblebum
Germasol Air Freshener
Why Drugs Are Called "Dope"
A Message from the American Constipation Society
Rating - 6/10
S1 Ep11 - Host: Peter Cook & Dudley Moore
January 24, 1976
Oh no... BRITISH PEOPLE!
I loved the hosts. They were very expressive. But the sketches... not so much.
Favorite Sketches:
Peter Cook & Dudley Moore's Monologue
Lifer Follies
Organ Harvesting
Rating - 6/10
S1 Ep12 - Host: Dick Cavett
January 31, 1976
Wait... Dick Cavett?
This is another snoozer. Cavett's infomercials doesn't really give me a laugh, but other than those, it's mostly a hit or miss.
Favorite Sketches:
Alcohol & Firearms Don't Mix
H & L Brock
Dick Cavett Lookalike Contest
Rating - 6/10
S1 Ep13 - Host: Peter Boyle
February 14, 1976
"I'm Chevy Chase, and you're nothing."
A lot of repeat sketches. The skits were slow, as always. Most of these sketches have a lot of sexual jokes, which is perfect since this episode came out on Valentine's Day. The concept of each sketch was mildly creative and they could've worked well, but it doesn't land sometimes, but when they do, it's great!
Favorite Sketches:
Samurai Divorce Court
All-Star Pro Wrestling: Bees vs. Wasps
Household Orgy
Garrett's Valentine
Rating - 6/10
S1 Ep14 - Host: Desi Arnaz
February 21, 1976
I Loathe Lucy.
A lot more sketches, just they're all just so mediocre. Not much I can say, not gonna lie.
Favorite Sketches:
Ford's Psychiatrist
National Express Card
Failed "I Love Lucy" Pilots
Cuban Acupuncture
Understanding Men
Rating - 5/10
S1 Ep15 - Host: Jill Clayburgh
February 28, 1976
"Just do the fall."
Don Pardo funny, black guy funny, audience's laughs funny, hand puppets funny, the incest wasn't.
Favorite Sketches:
Jill Clayburgh's Monologue
Greatest Moments in Herstory
White Guilt Relief Fund
Rating - 5/10
S1 Ep16 - Host: Anthony Perkins
March 13, 1976
"I NEED MY LUCKY PANTIES!"
Anthony is a funny guy. His sketches as a creepy guy actually works well. Every sketch gave me a little chuckle. That Weekend Update was great too.
Favorite Sketches:
Anthony Perkins Monologue
A Presidential View on Marijuana
Dominatrix Cleaning
Norman Bates School of Hotel Management
Weekend Update
Affair With Co-Worker
Post-Psycho Low-Budget Horror Movie Trailers
Rating - 5/10
S1 Ep17 - Host: Rob Nessen
April 17, 1976
"What he bumped into was..."
Getting a real White House Press Secretary is actually genius due to the show's constant mockery of Former President Ford's stupidity. The sketches were a little crazy and just plain stupid, and I like it.
Favorite Sketches:
Ron Nessen's Monologue
Lie Detector Test
Tomorrow
Singing in the Urinal
Supreme Court Spot Check
Rating - 6/10
S1 Ep18 - Host: Raquel Welch
April 24, 1976
"All I could say is relax and take your shirt off."
The episode was boring and only had like, 2 really good sketches.
Favorite Sketches:
The Decabet
The Claudine Longet Invitational
Rating - 5/10
S1 Ep19 - Host: Madeline Kahn
May 8, 1976
"Yeah but with adoption, you have to train to make them look like you"
This episode just keeps throwing you sketch after sketch like GOD DAMN! I think there was like, 6 sketches in a row. However, they're all mediocre.
Favorite Sketches:
Slumber Party
Super-Absorbent Dry Hose
Rating - 4/10
S1 Ep20 - Host: Dyan Cannon
May 15, 1976
This episode has a lot of good ones, that's all. They even had a sketch about bathwater from celebrities.
Favorite Sketches:
Chevy's Fall, Take Two (Cold Open)
Hearing Test
The Affair
Florida Orange Juice
Cresk Toothpaste
Rating - 6/10
S1 Ep21 - Host: Buck Henry
May 22, 1976
These sketches are pretty weak, especially the reoccurring ones. Not much to say, it's just bad.
Favorite Sketches:
Buck Henry's Monologue
Samuari Tailor
Talk Back
Rating - 3/10
S1 Ep22 - Host: Elliot Gould
May 29, 1976
This schedule seems like a pretty normal SNL episode compared to the recent seasons. Sketches are longer, but sometimes they can feel dragged, but I seem to like it a little bit.
Favorite Sketches:
Poker Game
Babs' Uvula
The Last Voyage Of The Starship Enterprise
Weekend Update
Vibramatic Personal Massager
Rating - 6/10
S1 Ep23 - Host: Louise Lasser
July 24, 1976
Gonna make this quick: monologue was dragged out, sketches were hard for me to understand, and got boring for a while.
Favorite Sketches:
Cathode Ray Tube
Weekend Update
Carter's Campaign
Rating - 4/10
S1 Ep24 - Host: Kris Kristofferson
July 31, 1976
I don't really know how I feel about this one to be honest. I'm pretty sure these last two episodes are supposed to be based on the 1976 Olympic Games because there's some jokes about it in Weekend Update.
.webp)
