Looking for original SNL airings
/I've posted my SNL want list before, but figured this format would be much easier to read and navigate.
Shows marked as "missing shows" would be my first preference; anything marked with an asterisk (*) is highest priority. Shows marked as "upgrades welcome" are lower priority but would be nice to get for better quality transfers, more complete recordings, US airings if my recording is from Canada, or with commercials intact. Unless specified, I want original NBC airings only; specific repeat versions are listed, mainly to help track edits on my reviews.
If you have something on my list, send me an e-mail through the contact page or the e-mail icon in the corner of the screen.
Updated: December 12, 2022
Seasons 1-5:
Due to the unlikelihood of most recordings from this era surviving beyond official Broadway Video copies, anything not already circulating in the trading circuit would be welcome (for bumpers, alternate versions compared to what was circulated for Warner VHS, rebroadcasts on CN/Classic, DVD release, etc.).
Specific live broadcasts of interest:
12/20/75 Candice Bergen / The Stylistics, Martha Reeves
04/17/76 Ron Nessen / Patti Smith Group
04/24/76 Raquel Welch / Phoebe Snow, John Sebastian
05/08/76 Madeline Kahn / Carly Simon (bumpers)
05/22/76 Buck Henry / Gordon Lightfoot (Jane Curtin apparently does a promo for the Superstars special that Pardo announces during the closing)
05/29/76 Elliott Gould / Leon Redbone, Harlan Collins & Joyce Everson
10/16/76 Karen Black / John Prine
09/24/77 Steve Martin / Jackson Browne (DVD uses rerun but adds commercial parodies and live goodnights)
02/25/78 O.J Simpson / Ashford & Simpson (with unedited Mandingo II)
Upgrades welcome:
08/22/81: Desi Arnaz (better quality recording)
Specific rerun versions of interest:
04/10/76: Richard Pryor / Gil Scott-Heron (with Madeline Kahn tech strike intro)
05/31/80: Howard Hesseman / Randy Newman (has Schiller’s Reel “Search For Akasa”)
08/23/80: Madeline Kahn / Taj Mahal (has unaired "First Love" short film starring Gilda Radner)
Most NBC rebroadcasts w/o/c of any "original cast" show aired prior to fall 1981, with the following exceptions:
06/12/76 Robert Klein / ABBA, Loudon Wainwright III
07/30/77 Ralph Nader / George Benson
07/28/79 Richard Benjamin / Rickie Lee Jones
08/04/79 Rick Nelson / Judy Collins
08/25/79 Peter Cook & Dudley Moore / Neil Sedaka
06/07/80 Martin Sheen / David Bowie
09/29/80 Peter Cook & Dudley Moore / Neil Sedaka
11/08/80 George Carlin / Billy Preston, Janis Ian
03/28/81 Steve Martin / The Blues Brothers
04/04/81 Rick Nelson / Judy Collins
04/18/81 Sissy Spacek / Richard Baskin
04/25/81 Strother Martin / The Specials
05/16/81 Jill Clayburgh / Leon Redbone, The Singing Idlers
Season 6: 1980-81
missing original airings:
12/13/80 Jamie Lee Curtis / James Brown, Ellen Shipley
12/20/80 David Carradine / Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith, George Rose & the cast of "The Pirates of Penzance"
01/24/81 Robert Hays / Joe "King" Carrasco & the Crown
03/07/81 Bill Murray / Delbert McClinton
upgrades welcome:
02/21/81 Charlene Tilton / Todd Rudgren, Prince (copy starts partway through monologue)
repeat versions of interest:
01/03/81 Elliott Gould / Kid Creole & The Coconuts
01/31/81 Ellen Burstyn / Aretha Franklin, Keith Sykes
02/28/81 David Carradine / Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith, George Rose & the cast of "The Pirates of Penzance"
Season 7: 1981-82
missing original airings:
10/10/81 Susan Saint James / The Kinks
11/07/81 Lauren Hutton / Rick James & the Stone City Band
04/17/82 Johnny Cash / Elton John
upgrades welcome:
10/03/81 (no host) / Rod Stewart (missing cold opening)
10/17/81 George Kennedy / Miles Davis (copy starts partway through Spray On Laetril)
10/31/81 Donald Pleasance / Fear (looking for complete copy w/o/c)
04/10/82 Daniel J. Travanti / John Cougar (next week segment partially missing)
repeat versions of interest:
11/21/82 or 07/17/82 Susan Saint James / The Kinks
06/26/82 Blythe Danner / Rickie Lee Jones
08/28/82 Johnny Cash / Elton John
Season 8: 1982-83
missing original airings:
10/30/82 Michael Keaton / The New Joe Jackson Band
11/13/82 Robert Blake / Kenny Loggins*
02/26/83 Jeff & Beau Bridges / Randy Newman
upgrades welcome:
10/02/82 Louis Gossett Jr. / George Thorogood & The Destroyers (starts partway through opening)
repeat versions of interest:
12/18/82 or 08/13/83 Howard Hesseman / Men At Work
06/04/83 Howard Hesseman / Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Season 9: 1983-84
missing original airings:
01/14/84 Father Guido Sarducci / Huey Lewis & the News*
02/25/84 Edwin Newman / Kool & The Gang
03/17/84 Billy Crystal / Al Jarreau
03/24/84 The Best of Saturday Night Live
upgrades welcome:
04/07/84 Michael Douglas / Deniece Williams (starts partway through MTV News)
repeat versions of interest:
09/08/84 or 06/29/85 Billy Crystal / Al Jarreau
Season 10: 1984-85
missing original airings:
01/12/85: Kathleen Turner / John Waite
upgrades welcome:
03/02/85: SNL Film Festival (looking for copy w/o/c)
repeat versions of interest:
08/10/85: Christopher Reeve / Santana
Season 11: 1985-86
missing original airings:
12/21/85 Teri Garr / The Dream Academy, The Cult
01/18/86 Harry Dean Stanton / The Replacements
02/08/86 Ron Reagan / The Nelsons*
03/15/86 Griffin Dunne / Rosanne Cash
04/12/86 Oprah Winfrey / Joe Jackson
upgrades welcome
11/23/85 Pee-Wee Herman / Queen Ida (looking for copy w/o/c with music intact)
Season 12: 1986-87
missing original airings:
11/15/86 Sam Kinison / Lou Reed
upgrades welcome
10/18/86 Malcolm-Jamal Warner / Run-DMC (looking for copy w/o/c)
02/28/87 Valerie Bertinelli / Robert Cray Band (starts partway through opening)
04/18/87 John Larroquette / Timbuk 3 (looking for copy w/o/c)
05/09/87 Mark Harmon / Suzanne Vega (looking for copy w/o/c)
05/16/87 Garry Shandling / Los Lobos (looking for copy w/o/c)
Season 13: 1987-88
missing original airings:
04/16/88 Decision 88 (compilation assembled to air during Writers' Strike)
upgrades welcome:
10/31/87 Dabney Coleman / The Cars (looking for copy w/o/c)
11/21/87 Candice Bergen / Cher (looking for copy w/o/c - with all commercials intact)
01/30/88 Carl Weathers / Robbie Robertson* (looking for copy w/o/c with "The Garden" film intact)
Season 14: 1988-89
upgrades welcome:
11/12/88 Demi Moore / Johnny Clegg & Savuka (looking for clearer copy w/o/c)
Season 15: 1989-90
upgrades welcome:
10/21/89 Kathleen Turner / Billy Joel (looking for copy w/o/c and clearer audio)
Season 16: 1990-91
upgrades welcome:
02/23/91 Alec Baldwin (looking for complete copy w/o/c, mine has first 57 minutes only)
Season 17: 1991-92
upgrades welcome:
11/02/91 Kiefer Sutherland / Skid Row (looking for clearer copy w/o/c)
11/23/91 Macaulay Culkin / Tin Machine (looking for complete w/o/c)
03/14/92 John Goodman / Garth Brooks (looking for complete w/o/c with goodnights intact)
03/21/92 Mary Stuart Masterson / En Vogue (looking for complete w/o/c)
05/16/92 Woody Harrelson / Vanessa Williams (looking for w/o/c)
Season 18: 1992-93
missing original airings (w/o/c preferred):
01/16/93: Harvey Keitel / Madonna
upgrades welcome:
09/26/92 Nicolas Cage / Bobby Brown (looking for complete w/o/c)
10/10/92 Joe Pesci / Spin Doctors (looking for w/o/c)
10/24/92 Christopher Walken / Arrested Development (looking for complete w/o/c)
10/31/92 Catherine O'Hara / 10,000 Maniacs (looking for complete w/o/c)
12/05/92 Tom Arnold / Neil Young (looking for complete w/o/c)
12/12/92 Glenn Close / The Black Crowes (looking for w/o/c)
01/09/93 Danny DeVito / Bon Jovi (looking for complete w/o/c)
02/06/93 Luke Perry / Mick Jagger (looking for complete w/o/c)
02/20/93 Bill Murray / Sting (looking for w/o/c)
03/13/93 John Goodman / Mary J. Blige (looking for w/o/c)
03/20/93 Miranda Richardson / Soul Asylum (looking for w/o/c)
04/10/93 Jason Alexander / Peter Gabriel (looking for w/o/c)
04/17/93 Kirstie Alley / Lenny Kravitz (looking for w/o/c)
Season 19: 1993-94
missing original airings (w/o/c preferred):
09/25/93 Charles Barkley / Nirvana
10/02/93 Shannen Doherty / Cypress Hill
upgrades welcome:
10/09/93 Jeff Goldblum / Aerosmith (looking for 1st gen w/o/c)
11/20/93 Nicole Kidman / Stone Temple Pilots (looking for w/o/c)
12/04/93 Charlton Heston / Paul Westerberg (looking for w/o/c)
12/11/93 Sally Field / Tony! Toni! Tone! (looking for complete w/o/c)
01/08/94 Jason Patric / Blind Melon (looking for w/o/c)
01/15/94 Sara Gilbert / Counting Crows (looking for w/o/c)
02/12/94 Alec Baldwin & Kim Basinger / UB40 (looking for w/o/c)
05/14/94 Heather Locklear / Janet Jackson (looking for NBC airing w/o/c)
Season 20: 1994-95
upgrades welcome:
11/12/94 Sarah Jessica Parker / REM (looking for NBC airing w/o/c)
11/19/94 John Turturro / Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (looking for NBC airing w/o/c)
12/17/94 George Foreman / Hole (looking for w/o/c)
02/18/95 Deion Sanders / Bon Jovi (looking for w/o/c)
Season 21: 1995-96
upgrades welcome:
12/16/95 Madeline Kahn / Bush (looking for w/o/c)
03/16/96 John Goodman / Everclear (looking for w/o/c)
03/23/96 Phil Hartman / Gin Blossoms (looking for w/o/c)
04/20/96 Teri Hatcher / Dave Matthews Band (looking for w/o/c)
05/11/96 Christine Baranski (looking for w/o/c)
Season 22: 1996-97
upgrades welcome:
09/28/96 Tom Hanks / Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (looking for w/o/c)
10/05/96 Lisa Kudrow / Sheryl Crow (looking for w/o/c)
10/19/96 Bill Pullman / New Edition (looking for 1st gen w/o/c)
10/26/96 Dana Carvey / Dr. Dre (looking for w/o/c)
02/08/97 Neve Campbell / David Bowie (looking for 1st gen w/o/c)
03/22/97 Mike Myers / Aerosmith (looking for w/o/c)
04/19/97 Pamela Lee / Rollins Band (looking for w/o/c)
Season 23: 1997-98
upgrades welcome:
10/25/97 Chris Farley / Mighty Mighty Bosstones (looking for w/o/c)
11/08/97 Jon Lovitz / Jane's Addiction (looking for w/o/c)
12/06/97 Nathan Lane / Metallica (looking for w/o/c)
04/11/98 Greg Kinnear / All Saints (looking for w/o/c)
05/02/98 Matthew Broderick / Natalie Merchant (looking for w/o/c)
Season 28: 2002-03
repeat versions of interest
04/26/03 Queen Latifah / Ms. Dynamite
Season 32: 2006-07 (digital recordings only from this point forward)
upgrades welcome
01/20/07 Jeremy Piven / AFI (looking for East Coast w/o/c)
