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The Best Episodes of Saturday Night Live Season 1

Every episode of Saturday Night Live Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Saturday Night Live Season 1!

A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed...
Genres:ComedyNews
Network:NBC

Season 1 Ratings Summary

"George Carlin with Janis Ian and Billy Preston" is the best rated episode of "Saturday Night Live" season 1. It scored 7.3/10 based on 627 votes. Directed by Dave Wilson and written by Anne Beatts, Lorne Michaels, Tom Schiller, Chevy Chase, Al Franken, Tom Davis, Rosie Shuster, Garrett Morris, Michael O'Donoghue, Herbert Sargent, Alan Zweibel, it aired on 10/11/1975. This episode is rated 1.1 points higher than the second-best, "Paul Simon with Randy Newman, Phoebe Snow, and Art Garfunkel".

  • George Carlin with Janis Ian and Billy Preston
    7.3/10627 votes

    #1 - George Carlin with Janis Ian and Billy Preston

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 10/11/1975

    Live from New York, It's...George Carlin! Sketches Include: Wolverines, New Dad Insurance, The Courtroom, Victims of Shark Bite, Jamitol, Triopenin, Jim Henson's Muppets, Bee Hospital, Academy of Better Careers, Show Us Your Guns, Trojan Horse Home Security, Triple-Trac

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: Anne Beatts, Lorne Michaels, Tom Schiller, Chevy Chase, Al Franken, Tom Davis, Rosie Shuster, Garrett Morris, Michael O'Donoghue, Herbert Sargent, Alan Zweibel

  • Paul Simon with Randy Newman, Phoebe Snow, and Art Garfunkel
    6.2/10391 votes

    #2 - Paul Simon with Randy Newman, Phoebe Snow, and Art Garfunkel

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 10/18/1975

    Live from New York, It's...Paul Simon! Sketches Include: The Berkeley Collection, Bees, Jim Henson's Muppets, Try-Hard 1-11

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Rob Reiner
    6.9/10337 votes

    #3 - Rob Reiner

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/25/1975

    Live from New York, it's...Rob Reiner! Sketches Include: National Pancreas Association, Fashion Don'ts, Golden Needles, Dangerous But Inept, Felina Cat Food, Middle American Van Lines, Musical Performance (Joe Cocker), Jim Henson's Muppets, Drooler's Anti-Defamation League, Square Dance, Mark Hampton and Denny Dillon, What Gilda Ate, Bees

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Candice Bergen with Esther Phillips
    7.0/10312 votes

    #4 - Candice Bergen with Esther Phillips

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 11/8/1975

    Live from New York, It's...Candice Bergen Sketches include: Ambassador Training Institute, CIA Department of Records, Jaws II, Long Distance, Chanel, Feminine Talk, Midnight Probe, Crank Call, Jim Henson's Muppets, Irk The Turk, Black Perspective, Pong

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Robert Klein with ABBA and Loudon Wainwright III
    6.5/10270 votes

    #5 - Robert Klein with ABBA and Loudon Wainwright III

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 11/15/1975

    Live from New York, It's...Robert Klein Sketches include: Pong, Minute Mystery, Bee Centennial Minute, Greg Allman How's Your Love Life?, Tough Director, Jamitol, Exterminators, Fireman, Jim Henson's Muppets, K-Put Price-Is-Rite Stamp Gun, Looks At Books, I Can't Stop My Leg

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Lily Tomlin
    6.9/10263 votes

    #6 - Lily Tomlin

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 11/22/1975

    Live from New York, it's...Lily Tomlin Sketches Include: Beethoven Part 1, Jaws III, Bell-Hop, Edith Ann Skates, Beethoven Part 2, Spud Beer, Patty, Jim Henson's Muppets, Beethoven Part 3, Hard Hats, Speed, Margo's Dance Palace

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Richard Pryor with Gil Scott-Heron
    8.3/10376 votes

    #7 - Richard Pryor with Gil Scott-Heron

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 12/13/1975

    Live From New York, it's...Richard Pryor! Sketches Include: Samurai Hotel, Looks At Books, Line-Up #1, Word Association, Pong, They're Taking Over, Line-Up #2, L-Pill, Jim Henson's Muppets, Line-Up #3, Exorcist II, Assassination

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Candice Bergen with Martha Reeves and The Stylistics
    6.9/10244 votes

    #8 - Candice Bergen with Martha Reeves and The Stylistics

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 12/20/1975

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include-- Fireside Chat with Gerald Ford, "Mel's Char Palace", "What Gilda Ate", Billy is guilty of murder, Teddy the Elf, "The Fritzie Kringle Show", "Minute Mystery", Candice and the cast perform 'Winter Wonderland', The Bees Christmas Party, Homeward Bound.

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Elliott Gould with Anne Murray
    7.0/10217 votes

    #9 - Elliott Gould with Anne Murray

    Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 1/10/1976

    Live from New York, it's... Chevy Chase Sketches include "The Dead String Quartet," "Interior Demolitionists," "Vito Corleone in Therapy," "The Killer Bees," "Birthright", "Gilda and Elliot," "New Shimmer," The Muppets, "Play Misty for Me" (film), "Jamitol," "Try-Hard 1-11," and "Powwow With the Press" (stand-up). Anne Murray performed "Long Distance Call" and "Boogie With You."

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Buck Henry with Bill Withers and Toni Basil
    7.5/10218 votes

    #10 - Buck Henry with Bill Withers and Toni Basil

    Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 1/17/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include--Suicide Prevention, "Samurai Deli", Operation Stumblebum, "Citizen Kane II", King Bee(the Blues Brothers), Auto mechanic tells bedtime story, "Presidential Foreplay", Chevy misuses a joint, The Constipated Man, The Muppets and the Japanese sex Device.

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Peter Cook & Dudley Moore with Neil Sedaka
    7.2/10210 votes

    #11 - Peter Cook & Dudley Moore with Neil Sedaka

    Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 1/24/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include-- Bomb Squad, Prisoner Auditions, "Don Pardo's Holiday on A Elevator", "Table Talk", "Backstage Banter", Sonny and Cher, The Baby Jesus, Chevy talks to Angola's roommate, The Muppets.

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Dick Cavett with Jimmy Cliff
    6.4/10194 votes

    #12 - Dick Cavett with Jimmy Cliff

    Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 1/31/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include--Voodoo on Chevy Chase, Alcohol and Firearms, Lowell Brock of H&R Brock, "Looks at Books", Dick Cavett's School of Hydroplane Operation, Dance To The Nation, "The Apple Follies", Our Town.

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Peter Boyle with Al Jarreau
    6.9/10193 votes

    #13 - Peter Boyle with Al Jarreau

    Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 2/14/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include "The Valentine's Day Massacre," "Samurai Divorce Court," "Jason and Sunshine," "The Corrida." "All Pro Wrestling," "Remembering of Things Past", "Dueling Brandos," "A Home Movie" (film), and "The Orgy." Al Jarreau performs "We'll Get By."

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Desi Arnaz with Desi Arnaz Jr.
    7.1/10203 votes

    #14 - Desi Arnaz with Desi Arnaz Jr.

    Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 2/21/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include-- Gerald Ford gives a word association, Literary Recital, Very White(Chevy Chase)sings unsoulful songs, "The Failed Pilots of I Love Lucy", Cuban accupunture, Lucille Ball talks about Desi's book, Bisexual Minute.

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Jill Clayburgh with Leon Redbone
    7.2/10181 votes

    #15 - Jill Clayburgh with Leon Redbone

    Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 2/28/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include-- No More Falls, "Great Moments in Herstory", White Guilt Relief Fund, Inquisitive Girlfriend, Grable and Lombard, Car Yummies, Paying the Milkman, Jill Carson Guidance Counselor!, Andy Kaufman sings "Old Macdonald", "The Mr. Bill Show".

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Anthony Perkins with Betty Carter
    7.2/10197 votes

    #16 - Anthony Perkins with Betty Carter

    Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 3/13/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include--'SNL is not ad-libbed' says Chevy Chase, A President's View on Marijuana, Dominatrix Cleaning Tips, "Norman Bates School of Hotel Management", Low-budget Movie Trailers, Sherry protest her B(ee), Policemen Dance Party, "Hello Dolly".

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Ron Nessen with the Patti Smith Group
    7.1/10187 votes

    #17 - Ron Nessen with the Patti Smith Group

    Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 4/17/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Gerald Ford Sketches include-- "The Dead String Quartet", Super Bass-O-Matic 76, An Oval Office, David Eisenhower is Anti-Nixon, Thomas Jefferson denies slavery, The New Stoner Volunteer Army, Catherine the Great, Disgusting Jam, Autumm Fizz--The Carbonated Douche, "Tomorrow With Tom Snyder".

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Raquel Welch with Phoebe Snow and John Sebastian
    6.8/10190 votes

    #18 - Raquel Welch with Phoebe Snow and John Sebastian

    Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 4/24/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include-- "Get to the fall Chevy!", Purina Rat Chow, Joseph Franklin's 10-letter Metric Alphabet, "The Claudine Longet Ski Invitational", "One Flew Over The Hornest Nest", Chevy tries to convince Raquel to take off her shirt, Baba Wawa, Bisexual Moment, The Muppets are finished on SNL.

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Madeline Kahn with Carly Simon
    7.7/10208 votes

    #19 - Madeline Kahn with Carly Simon

    Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 5/8/1976

    Live from New York, it's Chevy Chase! Sketches are "Ronald Reagan's Jam Session," Not for Ladies Only, Wilderness Comedian, "Slumber Party," Bride of Frankenstein, "Fondue Pots for Namibia," "The Muppets Can Reunite the Beatles," New York's My Home (film), "Super Absordent Dry Hose," and "The Final Days." Carly Simon performs You're So Vain.

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Dyan Cannon with Leon & Mary Russell
    6.5/10175 votes

    #20 - Dyan Cannon with Leon & Mary Russell

    Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 5/15/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include--Chevy has to do the fall again, "Hearing Test," "The Adulterer," "Vacationland Adventure", "Minister with Hiccups," "Dyan Cannon's Dream," "Orange Juice," "The Bathwater of The Stars", "Johnny Angel", "Cresk Toothpaste,"" and "The Hubcap Thief" (film). Leon Russell and Joe Cocker (Belushi) perform "Daylight".

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Buck Henry with Gordon Lightfoot
    7.2/10169 votes

    #21 - Buck Henry with Gordon Lightfoot

    Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 5/22/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include--Emmy winner Chevy tries to get Laraine todo the fall, Samurai Tailor, "Talk Back!", "Dell Stator's Toad Ranch Resturaunt", "Looks at Books", The Crowd Audition, Peter Lemon Moodring, "Not For Ladies Only", Lorne Micheals offer to the Beatles.

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Elliott Gould with Leon Redbone and Harlan Collins & Joyce Everson
    7.6/10169 votes

    #22 - Elliott Gould with Leon Redbone and Harlan Collins & Joyce Everson

    Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 5/29/1976

    Sketches include "Wax Museum," "Phone Operator Academy," "European Poker Player," "Babs's Uvula," "The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise," "The Bee Honeymooners," "Shirley Temple Black," "Vibramatic," "Uncle Charlie's School," and "Show Us Your Guns." Leon Redbone performed "Shine On Harvest Moon."

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Louise Lasser with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
    5.2/10173 votes

    #23 - Louise Lasser with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

    Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 7/24/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include--Belushi thinks Chevy has a big head, Louise Lasser locks herself dressing room, General "V.D" Amin, Sven and Inger, John Belushi tries to sell his clothes, Ode to Television, Louise apologizes to her dog, Jimmy Carter talks about the campagin.

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A

  • Kris Kristofferson with Rita Coolidge
    6.7/10168 votes

    #24 - Kris Kristofferson with Rita Coolidge

    Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 7/31/1976

    Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase Sketches include--Kristofferson signs "Help Me Make it Through The Night", new SNL employer Sherry, Samurai General Practitioner, the Great White Athelete, Gerald Ford dosent want to talk about local issues, "Talk Country", My Blind Date is My Gynocologist, Andrew Young is a Suckup, Police State, "Waiting For Don Pardo".

    Director: Dave Wilson

    Writer: N/A