Cast of 02/03. Back row from left to right: Richards, Edwards, Armisen, Kattan, Sanz, Fallon, Poehler, Forte and Dratch. Front row from left to right: Meyers, Morgan, Rudolph, Fey, Hammond and Parnell.
The twenty-eighth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 5, 2002 and May 17, 2003.
Cast
Prior to the start of this season, longtime cast members Will Ferrell, who had been of the show for seven seasons since 1995, and Ana Gasteyer, who was on for six seasons since 1996, both left the show. In Gasteyer's case, she was on maternity leave during the break and decided not to return. In the wake of their departures, two new featured players were added: comedian and musician Fred Armisen and Will Forte of The Groundlings.[1]
This season would be the last for longtime cast members Chris Kattan and Tracy Morgan, who had been on the show for seven seasons, respectively, since 1996.[2][3] Featured player Dean Edwards, who was hired to the cast the previous season, was let go following the end of this season.[4]
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band perform "Lonesome Day" with Soozie Tyrell for the first musical segment; Springsteen performs "You're Missing" alone on a piano in the second musical segment.
Earlier in the day, Springsteen rehearsed but ultimately did not play "My Hometown" alone on a piano.
Jim Cummings performed voiceover work in the "Smurfette Show" TV Funhouse sketch.
Phish performs "46 Days" and "Chalk Dust Torture", and appear in the "Jarret's Room" sketch. Animated versions of the band members appear in the "Peanuts Christmas" cartoon, which is partly soundtracked by their song "You Enjoy Myself".
Phish's performance was their first in over two years, ending the hiatus period they had embarked on in October 2000, the longest break from performing they had taken up to that point.[6]
Chris Kattan's father Kip King appears during the "Rialto Grande" sketch.
John Goodman appears during "The Falconer" sketch, the "Donatella Versace Backyard Barbeque" sketch, and the "La Cuisina Canina" sketch.
Aykroyd brought in Tom Davis, one of the show's original writers, to help write this episode.[7]
Aykroyd becomes the first SNL cast member to have a long gap between leaving the show as a cast member and returning to host at nearly 24 years (and, as of 2019, is the third and most recent cast member from the show's "Not Ready for Primetime" era [1975-1980] to come back and host).
Sketches include: "Alta Dena Mandatory Drug Assembly", "Cow Bell", "Dissin' Your Dog", "Spartan Cheerleaders", "The Coconuts Bangers Ball: It's A Rap!", "Celebrity Jeopardy", "Inside The Actors Studio", "Space, The Infinite Frontier with Harry Caray", "Luvahs at the Welshly Arm Motel", "Roxbury Guys", "The Replacement Nude Model", "Tension Dinner" and "Jacob Silj".
"SNL Christmas 2002"
December 17, 2002 (2002-12-17)
Holiday-themed sketches from past episodes are aired. Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey host.
