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PODCAST

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL Retrospective

Two Pints Productions, Inc.

An in-depth journey into the legacy of one of television"s most iconic and influential shows - Saturday Night Live. Through deep dives into its most memorable eras, behind-the-scenes stories, and analysis of its evolution, we celebrate and debate all things SNL - the show that has become an institution, defining comedy for over 50 years.

tv & film tv reviews

All Episodes

69:42

VINTAGE NR4PTP: The Early Years of SNL: S2E6 Buck...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/10/28

Saturday Night Live has aired live on Halloween only FOUR times in its 50+ years. As a treat this week, we're releasing a VINTAGE episode of The Early Years of SNL looking back at the memorable Season 2 outing hosted by Buck Henry that came close—airing just one day before Halloween and marking the first time the show leaned into the holiday. The episode is filled with spooky sketches and scary characters, but it's perhaps better known for two reasons: the infamous moment when John Belushi ac...

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51:25

Deep Thoughts: Love Johnny Carson

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/10/23

Today marks what would have been the 100th birthday of The King of Late Night – Johnny Carson. To celebrate, we're joined by our old friend Mark Malkoff, whose new book Love Johnny Carson offers a captivating look back at the 30 years Johnny Carson spent behind the desk of The Tonight Show. Mark has an extensive history with Johnny Carson beginning with The Carson Podcast, which ran for over 8 years and featured conversations with more than 300 guests – including writers, crew members, musici...

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62:51

The Early Years of SNL: S05E06 Howard Hesseman/Randy...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/10/21

Johnny Fever himself, Howard Hesseman, takes the reins for his first time hosting SNL, along with the return of future 5-Timer Randy Newman as the musical guest. Hesseman has a long history of improv, and it shows here as he blends seamlessly into the cast and displays a wide range of characters throughout the episode. While the sketches themselves might not always land (and a few of them wouldn't fly today), the host manages to hold his own and is fun to watch whenever he's on screen. Rabid ...

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58:42

Deep Thoughts: This is Spinal Tap

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/10/16

With Sabrina Carpenter hosting this week's SNL in support of her new album—obviously a direct homage to the early '80s heavy metal classic Smell the Glove—we're looking back at the film that took us backstage with one of England's loudest bands. This is Spinal Tap is absolutely loaded with Saturday Night Live connections. The film is Rob Reiner's (S1 host) directorial debut, which he co-wrote with stars Christopher Guest (S10 cast), Michael McKean (S9 host, S19-20 cast), and Harry Shearer (S5...

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75:31

The Early Years of SNL: S05E05 Bea Arthur/The Roches...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/10/14

Season 5 of SNL might just be finding its groove as the one and only Bea Arthur takes the stage as host. Just over a year removed from the end of her Emmy-winning run on Maude, the veteran actress feels right at home with the cast and helps them shine. Cast members new and old take the spotlight as the audience gets their first real glimpse of what this season could be. Everyone gets a chance to contribute as the sketches are varied, the mood is joyous, and new voices start to emerge from the...

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68:08

The Early Years of SNL: S05E04 Buck Henry/Tom Petty &...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/10/07

What's one way to turn things around after a rocky start to Season 5? Bring in one of the greatest SNL hosts of all time to right the ship. That's right—Buck's back! Buck Henry returns for his ninth (and penultimate) hosting appearance, and this time he brings along a little-known rock 'n' roll band on the rise: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. For the first time this season, things seem to be okay. In the capable hands of one of the best hosts to ever do it, the cast and writers feel freed f...

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70:43

The Early Years of SNL: S05E03 Bill Russell/Chicago...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/09/30

The professional athlete well is tapped once again as Hall of Fame NBA player (and coach!) Bill Russell hosts this outing of SNL. Chicago, in all their funky glory, let it all hang out as the musical guest. And yet... The cast tries their best, but the host - who looks genuinely excited to be there - just doesn't have the range or chops to help lift this one up. We do get a couple of familiar elements (recurring characters, Garrett in drag), some pretty solid impressions (courtesy of Jane), a...

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55:00

The Early Years of SNL: S05E02 Eric Idle/Bob Dylan...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/09/23

SNL continues to roll out the heavy hitters for Season 5, bringing two absolute legends to Studio 8H as Eric Idle returns for his fourth (and sadly final) hosting stint joined by the unequaled Bob Dylan as musical guest. If that wasn’t enough, Andy Kaufman is back on the show as well! Can a lineup like this help Saturday Night Live get back on track? Well…Idle was very sick (true story), Dylan sings songs from his new Christian album (also true), and Kaufman wrestles a woman on live tel...

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57:59

The Early Years of SNL: S05E01 Steve Martin/Blondie...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/09/16

SNL returns with Steve Martin making history as the first host to kick off a second season premiere! Saturday Night Live holds nothing back as they kick off Season 5 with not only one of the biggest comedy stars on the planet but one of the hottest (and hippest) musical acts in Blondie. Despite being Martin's 7th time hosting, this episode struggles to find its footing. The show is finding it difficult to establish a new identity without the presence of two of its biggest stars and those cast...

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25:33

The Early Years of SNL: Season 5 Preview

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/09/09

Well, we finally made it—Season 5 of Saturday Night Live is here! Join us as we look ahead to the final season of The Early Years of SNL. The end of the original era is marked by seismic changes, both in front of the camera and behind it. Lorne Michaels faces the daunting task of replacing stars Dan Aykroyd AND John Belushi, while simultaneously breathing new life into an exhausted writing staff with fresh voices and perspectives. Worlds removed from its scrappy beginnings just a few yea...

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56:41

VINTAGE NR4PTP: The Early Years of SNL: S01E16...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/09/02

We're going back to Season 1 of SNL to revisit a sorely underrated outing with Anthony Perkins, of Psycho fame. But he is far more talented than many remember because in addition to his dual roles in Psycho, he was also one of the stars of a 1975 film Brad and Gary discuss and let's not forget that in the late 50's he was a teen idol! It's really fun to go back to this episode when the show was starting to gain its footing and really come into its own. And that's just Saturday Night Liv...

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71:34

My SNL Story: Don Roy King

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/08/26

Don Roy King stands as one of live television's most decorated directors, with a remarkable 45-year career that earned him 11 Prime Time Emmys and 8 Director's Guild of America Awards. In 2006, he became only the fourth director in Saturday Night Live's storied legacy, launching a fifteen-year tenure that would see him helm over 300 episodes—making him the second longest-serving director in the show's history. From navigating SNL's post-9/11 comeback to keeping the show going during the COVID...

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79:55

VINTAGE NR4PTP: The Early Years of SNL: S03E18 Steve...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/08/19

We're back with a re-release of Part 2 of our episode covering the legendary Season 3 Saturday Night Live outing hosted by Steve Martin with musical guests The Blues Brothers. We've got TWO special guests this time as we are joined by SNL writer Marilyn Suzanne Miller, who discusses her iconic sketch "Dancing in the Dark," and musician Lou "Blue Lou" Marini, a member of the original SNL house band (and The Blues Brothers) who played a pivotal role in the iconic "King Tut" performance. Please ...

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57:28

VINTAGE NR4PTP: The Early Years of SNL: S03E18 Steve...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/08/12

This week we re-release one of our biggest VINTAGE episodes of The Early Years of SNL. Steve Martin hosting alongside musical guests The Blues Brothers is considered by many to be one of the best episodes in Saturday Night Live history—a theory we cannot argue with. The episode is packed with all-time classic bits: The Festrunk Brothers, Theodoric of York, Dancing in the Dark, and the legendary King Tut performance. Plus, for the only time EVER in the show's history, two cast members served a...

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56:45

Deep Thoughts: Gilda Live

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/08/05

This week in 1979, Gilda Radner premiered her live show "Gilda Radner: Live From New York" on Broadway. The show would eventually be captured on film for release as a major motion picture, with a live album also released, completing a three-pronged attempt at capitalizing on Gilda's popularity and pushing her (and Saturday Night Live) even further into the public spotlight. The show, which ran for over 50 performances in the fall of 1979, was primarily made up of recurring characters and sket...

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85:23

VINTAGE NR4PTP: The Early Years of SNL: S01E23 Louise...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/07/29

One of our favorite aspects of revisiting The Early Years of SNL has been examining the so-called "trainwrecks" and legendary "banned" guests that have become part of the show's mythology. We got our first real taste of this at the end of Season 1 with the infamous summer episode hosted by Louise Lasser, featuring The Preservation Hall Jazz Band as musical guest. History has branded Lasser as one of the worst hosts in Saturday Night Live's 50-year run—a reputation largely cemented by Lorne Mi...

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95:50

Bill Swerski's Tournament Talk: Best SNL Talk Show...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/07/22

Throughout the 50-year history of Saturday Night Live, there have been a few things you could always count on: "Live From New York, It's Saturday Night!", Weekend Update, Paul Simon showing up whenever he pleases... and of course, the legendary talk show sketch! From celebrity chat shows gone wrong to morning programs spiraling into chaos, SNL has perfected the art of skewering television's most beloved format. Whether it's the cringe-worthy interviews, over-the-top hosts, or unexpected guest...

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74:35

VINTAGE NR4PTP: The Early Years of SNL: S02E03 Eric...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/07/15

Another VINTAGE episode of The Early Years of SNL this week as we take a look back at Eric Idle's first time hosting Saturday Night Live early in Season 2. With the help of musical guest Joe Cocker (and Stuff), the Monty Python legend's outing delivers one of the best shows of the original era. Top to bottom, this is a great episode. While it leans heavily on Idle and feels very reminiscent of all things Python, there are still plenty of classic SNL moments that stand out—including Baba Wawa,...

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121:15

Bill Swerski's Tournament Talk: Best Non-5 Timer SNL...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/07/08

It's one of the most illustrious groups in entertainment. Highly selective, only 26 SNL hosts have gained admittance to the show's legendary 5-Timers Club in its 50-year history. But what about those who haven't been able to find their way into Saturday Night Live's most exclusive fraternity? Just because they haven't hosted five times doesn't mean they're not among the best, does it? Bill Swerski is back with another all-star panel to look back at 50 years of SNL hosts and pick the very best...

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79:40

VINTAGE NR4PTP: The Early Years of SNL: S02E11 Ralph...

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL... ·

2025/07/01

This week we have a VINTAGE episode of The Early Years of SNL, looking back at one of the most pivotal moments in the show's original era - Season 2, Episode 11. Ralph Nader takes the hosting reins while George Benson provides the musical entertainment, and the legendary Andy Kaufman appears as special guest. But the real headline? Nearly three months after Chevy Chase's departure, viewers finally meet the newest Not Ready for Prime Time Player - Bill Murray. Doug Hill & Jeff Weingrad, co...

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