Sketches include “Pumping Up With Hans & Franz”, “First Citywide Change Bank I”, “ABC Campaign 88”, “Mr. Short Term Memory”, “Girl Watchers”, “Jew, Not A Jew”, “Big” and “The Pat Stevens Show”. Keith Richards performs “Take It So Hard” and “Struggle”.

When the Writer’s Guild of America went on strike in March 1988, the Winter Olympics had just finished, both the Republican and Democratic primaries were underway, and Saturday Night Live was in the middle of its 13th season. Despite the anticlimactic finish to the year (Judge Reinhold / 10,000 Maniacs), the show was continuing its resurgence.

Sketches include “Pumping Up With Hans & Franz”, “Wilson Trap Doors”, “Church Chat”, “Airline”, “Jorge Garcia, Nice Guy Dictator”, “The Cop & The Prostitute”, “When Great Minds Meet” and “Pirates”. 10,000 Maniacs performs “Like The Weather” and “What’s The Matter Here”.

Sketches include “Calgary 1988”, “Giant Businessman”, “The Bean Cafe”, “The Pat Stevens Show”, “Girl Watchers”, “Computer Panic”, “Casey Kasem Sings The Beatles”, “Delivery Room”, “Stand-Ups III”, and “The Pawn Shop”. Randy Travis performs “Forever And Ever, Amen” and “What’ll You Do About Me”.

Sketches include “BushWhacked!”, “The NFL Today”, “Democratic Debate 88”, “Mother-In-Law II”, “Not An Actress”, “Master Thespian”, and “The Garden”. Robbie Robertson performs “Testimony” and “Somewhere Down The Crazy River” with Maria McKee and the BoDeans.

Sketches include “30th Birthday Party”, “Castaways”, “Master Thespian”, “Still Sweeneys”, “Subway”, “Pumping Up With Hans & Franz”, “Succinctly Speaking”, “Season’s Greetings”, “Texas Diner”, and “Speech To The Future”. Linda Ronstadt performs “Los Laureles” and “La Cigarra” with The Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, and “Under African Skies” with Paul Simon.

Sketches include “Translator”, “Stewardess”, “Donahue”, “Wedgie Fever!”, “Christmas Party”, “Police Women”, “The Assimilated Jew’s Hanukkah” and “Drunk Man”. Buster Poindexter performs “Hot Hot Hot” with The Banshees of Blue and the Uptown Horns. David Gilmour performs “Song For My Sara” with the SNL Band.

Sketches include “The Rolling Paper Chase”, “Compulsion”, “Death Be Not Deadly”, “The Mountain Man”, “Sweeney’s Comeback”, “Out Of Gas”, “Andre & Rex: Macho Hairstylists”, “BeautyBath”, and “Mysterious Old Man”. Simply Red performs “The Right Thing” and “Suffer”.

Sketches include “Fatal Attraction II”, “Wall Street Week”, “Church Chat”, “Pitman And Bullock”, “Teeny Cafe”, “After The Date”, “Discover”, “Joey Comes Home”, and “Cat Dentist”. LL Cool J performs “Go Cut Creator Go”. The Pull performs “This & That”.

Sketches include “White House Dinner”, “Gary Hart”, “Common Knowledge”, “The NFL Today”, “Slide Whistles”, “Bullets Aren’t Cheap”, “Free Speaking”, “Adventures In The Lost Realm”, and “Pumping Up with Hans & Franz”. Sting performs “We’ll Be Together” and “Little Wing”.

By the summer of 1987, Saturday Night Live had survived leadership changes, cast and writer turnover, and the threat of cancellation several times over; for the first time in years, the show was in a period of stability. New performers such as Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks and Phil Hartman quickly made their mark with characters such as the Church Lady and the Sweeney Sisters, and the writing had noticeably improved, with a renewed emphasis on political satire. It would make sense that the new season would look very similar to the last.

Sketches include “Easy Rider”, “Church Chat”, “Frank Booth’s ‘What’s That Smell?’”, “Problem Drinkers From Outer Space”, “This Week with David Brinkley”, “Cannibalism Interview”, “Last Chance”, and “Sweeney Sisters”. Roy Orbison performs “Crying”, “Oh, Pretty Woman”, and “In Dreams”.

Sketches include “Iran-Contra Hearings”, “Returning A Sweater”, “The Puppy”, “Support Group”, “Teeny Cafe”, “Redneck Airline”, “Hollywood Mom”, and “Happy Couple”. Los Lobos performs “Is This All There Is?” and “One Time, One Night”.

Sketches include “The New Charlie’s Angels”, “The Sexiest Man Alive 1986”, “Very Smart Theater”, “Iran-Contra Hearings”, “Einstein Express”, “Salmon Spawning”, “Dave’s Party”, “He’s The One”, “Pet Chicken Shop”, “Myowling Bible”, and “Portrait Artist”. Suzanne Vega performs “Luka” and “Marlene On The Wall”.

Sketches include “Pagan Easter Special”, “Sold Out Gold”, “Mother-In-Law”, “Collecting Evidence”, “Instant Coffee”, “Heaven”, “ICM” and “Enigma”. Timbuk 3 perform “Just Another Movie” and “Hairstyles and Attitudes”. The cast also presents a tribute to retiring cameraman Al Camoin.

Sketches include “U.S. Embassy”, “Laramie Vice”, “Reverend Dwight Henderson, World’s Meanest Methodist Minister”, “The Pat Stevens Show”, “Master Thespian”, “Discover”, “Cross Country” and “The Fighter”. Anita Baker performs “Sweet Love” and “Same Ole Love”

Sketches include “Oral Roberts University”, “The Fruiting”, “The New Paper Chase”, “The President Has Mustard On His Chin”, “Brookfield Zoo Banquet”, “The Hustler of Money”, “The Slave Drivers” and “UNLV”. Wynton Marsalis performs “J Mood” and “Juan (E. Mustaad)”.

Sketches include “Affair”, “Dinner at the Van Halen’s”, “Hard News Cafe”, “Discover”, “Pet Chicken Shop”, “Washington Center (two parts)”, “Let’s Go To The Movies”, “On Broadway” and “Opera Singer Doctor”. The Robert Cray Band performs “Smoking Gun” and “Right Next Door”. Eddie Van Halen performs “Stompin’ 8H” with G.E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band.

Sketches include “Afterlife Styles of the Rich and Famous”, “Great Moments in the History of White Trash (three segments)”, “Police Wire”, “Church Chat”. “Redneck Tanning Parlor”, “Bar”, “The Boyfriend Song”, and “Truck Stop Cafe”. Willie Nelson and the Family perform “Nightlife”, “Partners After All”, and “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”.

Sketches include “Heaven”, “Amerida”, “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue”, “Jingle”, “Valentine’s Day”, “The Life of Golda Meir”, “Sketch Artist”, “Hardware Store” and “Miss Connie’s Fable Nook”. Paul Young performs “War Games” and “in The Long Run”. Buster Poindexter performs “Heart of Gold”. Supermodel Paulina Porizkova also appears.