The Worst Season of Saturday Night Live

In 1975, NBC launched an audacious late night comedy sketch show called Saturday Night Live, run by Lorne Michaels and starring the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. The show was a hit, indeed, and will be entering its 50th season this fall. But after five years, the entire cast left, and so did Lorne Michaels. The 1980-81 season, helmed by Jean Doumanian and featuring an entirely new cast, became known as the worst SNL season ever, with only one bright spot: Eddie Murphy. It took five years for the show to recover, a time during which it may as well have been called The Eddie Murphy Show. Things turned around when Lorne Michaels returned, which only makes us think about what will happen when Michaels, now 79, decides to retire. (via Digg)