It resembled much of what SNL still looks like today, as the second season garnered a much larger audience and introduced some of the show's most famous sketches, such as the Coneheads. A lot of the issues they had with the first season were fixed in this one.
John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd were probably my favorite duo in some sketches. Speaking of the cast, I never thought changing a member and still making it good was possible, even for the second season.
After doing some research, Season 3 is also considered one of THE BEST seasons of the show, so I might need to check that out.
Sketches were great, even if I didn't like it. They were more bold with their jokes.
Favorite Sketches:
Debate '76
Weekend Update
The Phone Company
Women In Literature
Rating - 7/10
S2 Ep2 - Host: Norman Lear
September 25, 1976
That was a creative cold open... oh no.
Sketches are funny, even without Chevy Chase.
Oh right, so Chevy Chase didn't actually return on this episode because he had an actual back injury from all of the Cold Opens.
Favorite Sketches:
Chevy's Telephone Fall (Cold Open)
Chevy's Girls
The Metric Leisure Week
The Violent Attorney
Rating - 6/10
S2 Ep3 - Host: Eric Idle
October 2, 1976
This episode doesn't miss.
Loved every sketch, not much to say.
Favorite Sketches:
Genetic Counselor
KLOG Radio
Epifix
The Rutles
Nazi Spies
Dragnet
Rating - 7/10
S2 Ep4 - Host: Karen Black
October 16, 1976
This one was alright, there's some reoccurring characters here and there. Some are just dragging it, but it's at least understandable why it was, like the A*M*I*S*H sketch.
Favorite Sketches:
Green Cross Cupcakes
A * M * I * S * H
Love, Russian Style
Lunch Counter Reunion
Rating - 5/10
S2 Ep5 - Host: Steve Martin
October 23, 1976
Ok, next up, Steve Mar- ... WHAT?!
This is a great episode. Steve has this goofy charm and it works so well with the show. Would make sense for him to host multiple times.
The episode has a more standard schedule (2 sketches, performance, weekend update, 2 other sketches, film, and 2 more sketches).
"Jeopardy! 1999" predicted a lot of stuff such as Chevy Chase's dying career, and 20th Century Fox's name change. "Plato's Cave" just has funny sounds and funny poetry. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" is goofy and realistic.
Favorite Sketches:
Steve Martin Monologue
Jeopardy! 1999
Plato's Cave
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Rating - 8/10
S2 Ep6 - Host: Buck Henry
October 30, 1976
Goodbye, Chevy Chase.
This always happens. Every time I like a really good episode, the next is just boring to me.
However, everyone was wearing band-aids because the host was stabbed in the forehead mid-sketch.
Favorite Sketches:
Samurai Stockbroker
Debate '76
Super Bat-O-Matic '77
Rating - 6/10
S2 Ep7 - Host: Dick Cavett
November 13, 1976
"Are you hung in proportion to your height?"
I hate Dick Cavett as a host. To have a host where most of my favorite sketches doesn't feature the host itself is actually sad.
Favorite Sketches:
Crossroads
Mobile Shrink
The Bee Heritage
Funny Word Survey
Rating - 4/10
S2 Ep8 - Host: Paul Simon
November 20, 1976
I'd never thought I'd see Paul Simon (almost) perform "Crazy After All These Years" in a turkey costume.
Barely any sketches, a lot of songs.
Favorite Sketches:
Paul Simon's Monologue
Quarry
The Twilite Zone
Weekend Update
Tomorrow
Rating - 4/10 (10/10 for music choice)
S2 Ep9 - Host: Jodie Foster
November 27, 1976
Damn, she young.
Yeah, it's alright, not much to say other than "DAMN, SHE'S YOUNG".
Favorite Sketches:
Believe In Bees
Rovco's Puberty Helper
Metal Detector
What Kinda Guy Watches Saturday Night?
I'm Not Black
Rating - 6/10
S2 Ep10 - Host: Candice Bergen
December 11, 1976
Next up is... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Y'know this one isn't even that bad, even for fucking Candice Bergen. Some sketches are wacky, some got people to break character, which in my opinion, helps makes the sketch funnier.
Favorite Sketches:
Santi-Wrap
Consumer Probe
Right To Extreme Stupidity League
The Killer Trees
Let's Kill Gary Gilmore For Christmas
Rating - 7/10
S2 Ep11 - Host: Ralph Nader
January 15, 1977
CONEHEADS!
That's all I got to say, CONEHEADS!!!
Favorite Sketches:
Ralph's New Image (Cold Open)
Televised Execution Rehearsal
Carter's Confederate Takeover
Inflatable Doll Testing
The Coneheads at Home
Rating - 7/10
S2 Ep12 - Host: Ruth Gordon
January 22, 1977
"If he doesn't get paid, I don't get paid. If I don't get paid, I have to take away his drugs."
This was alright. Some sketches felt like they were only made for that time period, such as the Barbra Streisand's "Me" sketch. Reoccurring characters have more creative plots, such as the "The Litella Sisters At Home", brings something more than just a single gag.
Favorite Sketches:
Injured John (Cold Open)
The Litella Sisters At Home
Tomorrow
Crazy Frank
Little Old Ladies Of The Night
Rating - 7/10
S2 Ep13 - Host: Fran Tarkenton
January 29, 1977
THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAA-
Favorite Sketches:
Team Saturday Night
Rovco's Swiss Army Gun
Amy Carter in School
Black Perspective
Sugar-Coated Anabolic Steroids
Hotel Sketch
Rating - 7/10
S2 Ep14 - Host: Steve Martin
February 26, 1977
THEY'RE BACK!!!!!! AND HE'S BACK!!!!!
Favorite Sketches:
Coneheads
Dr. Breadloaf's Quick-Loss Diet Book
Broadway Baby
Pull The Plug
Hollywood Bingo
Roots II
Rating - 7/10
S2 Ep15 - Host: Sissy Spacek
March 12, 1977
Eh, nothing much happened with this one.
Favorite Sketches:
Burger Master
Asking President Carter
How Your Children Grow
Rating - 5/10
S2 Ep16 - Host: Broderick Crawford
March 19, 1977
Gilda is pretty good at singing.
This was also alright, the host didn't even act in any of the sketches, blud deadass brought a chair to the stage and watched the whole thing.
Monologue tells a very interesting story. There was a lot of black and white sketches. Maybe the host wanted that, I guess.
Favorite Sketches:
Broderick Crawford Monologue
Samurai Hit Man
Mel's Hide Heaven
The Huston Plan
Rating - 5/10
S2 Ep17 - Host: Jack Burns
March 26, 1977
"NBC'S SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE!!!!" - Don Pardo
Yes, it finally happened. NBC changed the name of the show from "NBC's Saturday Night" to "Saturday Night Live".
Ok so, Coneheads made a comeback, marines are loud, indians exist, and uganda is pretty strict.
Favorite Sketches:
John's Demands (Cold Open)
The Farbers Meet The Coneheads
Marine Wedding
A Town Without Pity
Executive Suicide
Ask Big Daddy
Rating - 6/10
S2 Ep18 - Host: Julian Bond
April 9, 1977
Georgia State Senator Julian Bond???
A lot of Southern jokes, I don't mind.
Favorite Sketches:
H&L Brock
Dr. X, Family Counselor
Weekend Update
Great Moments In Motown
Creeley's Soup
Bad Cinema
Alabama Improvements
Rating - 6/10
S2 Ep19 - Host: Elliot Gould
April 16, 1977
DADDY GOULD IS BACK!
The Castration Walk was funny, Coneheads are back again, Men were still superior back then, and animals die of natural causes.
This episode wasn't that bad.
Favorite Sketches:
Brezhnev's NBC Deal
Elliot Gould's Monologue
The Coneheads at Home
Weekend Update
Great Moments In Motown
ATM Security Tests
Natural Causes Restaurant
Rating - 7/10
S2 Ep20 - Host: Eric Idle
April 23, 1977
"Ladies and Gentlemen, The Queen of England." AND THEN HE ACTUALLY BRINGS THE FUCKING QUEEN OF ENGLAND!!!
So this episode has: Irish people, British people, and a Nixon cameo???
This episode wasn't that bad either, the british accent was funny.
Favorite Sketches:
Irish Interrogation (Cold Open)
The Nixon Interviews
Body Language
Oxxon
Heavy Wit Championship
Plain Talk
Trans Eastern Flight
Rating - 7/10
S2 Ep21 - Host: Shelley Duvall
April 23, 1977
Not much to say, this was meh.
Favorite Sketches:
Programming Change (Cold Open)
Bank Robber Disguises
I Am Ricardo Montalban!
Brides
Night Of The Moonies
Rating - 5/10
S2 Ep22 - Host: Buck Henry
May 21, 1977
The season finale is... another one. Showers are funny, The Coneheads are back, and Michael O'Donoghue is real. Not really a bad episode, but it's not a good one either.
