For much of the 1980-1981 television year, SNL was in turmoil and many critics wrote the show off as a pale imitation of its former glory. Jean Doumanian took over the show for the 1980 season, hiring a completely new cast and new writers, but it was plagued by problems from the start, and was deemed a commercial disappointment by both critics and much of the viewing audience.
Lorne Michaels had originally wanted to make Al Franken (writer from 1...
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For much of the 1980-1981 television year, SNL was in turmoil and many critics wrote the show off as a pale imitation of its former glory. Jean Doumanian took over the show for the 1980 season, hiring a completely new cast and new writers, but it was plagued by problems from the start, and was deemed a commercial disappointment by both critics and much of the viewing audience.
Lorne Michaels had originally wanted to make Al Franken (writer from 1976 to 1980; cast member between 1979 and 1980 and 1986 to 1995) his successor as executive producer after he left, and all was in place to do such until the May 10, 1980, broadcast. During a Weekend Update segment, Franken delivered a harsh criticism of then-NBC President Fred Silverman. The commentary angered Silverman so much that any chance of Franken becoming an executive under Silverman's watch was all but gone.
Jean Doumanian was a talent scout for SNL in the early days and was one of the few members of the staff who remained after the...
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