Season 3 poster
Saturday Night Live

Season 3

Saturday Night Live aired its third season during the 1977–1978 television season on NBC. The season began on September 24, 1977 and ended on May 20, 1978. The DVD for the entire season was released on May 13, 2008. The entire cast from the previous season returned for season three. The show also introduced the concept of the "featured player." Writers Tom Davis and Al Franken became cast members. The season is also notable for the contest, Anyone Can Host. During the start of the season the show advertised the contest for a non-celebrity to host the show. The winner was 80 year-old grandmother Miskel Spillman, the only non-celebrity to host an SNL episode. During Spillman's show the musical guest, Elvis Costello, halted his band, the Attractions, seven seconds into the song "Less Than Zero", launching into "Radio Radio", an as-yet unreleased song critical of mainstream broadcasting. The change angered Lorne Michaels, who banned future appearances on the show for a while. Chevy Chase's hosted during the season, making him the first cast member to host after leaving the show. Backstage during the show Chase and Bill Murray engaged in a physical altercation that was broken up by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Chase later accused Murray of trying to upstage him on set and for making explicit remarks about Chase's wife. Chase would host the show several times throughout the show's history, though he was unpopular with the cast and crew.

Air dateSep 24, 1977
Episodes20

Episodes

  1. 1. Steve Martin/Jackson Browne Sep 24, 1977 · 67 min · ★ 7.7
  2. 2. Madeline Kahn/Taj Mahal Oct 8, 1977 · 67 min · ★ 6.0
  3. 3. Hugh Hefner/Libby Titus Oct 15, 1977 · 67 min · ★ 5.0
  4. 4. Charles Grodin/Paul Simon and The Persuaders Oct 29, 1977 · 67 min · ★ 6.0
  5. 5. Ray Charles and the Raylettes Nov 12, 1977 · 67 min · ★ 6.0
  6. 6. Buck Henry/Leon Redbone Nov 19, 1977 · 67 min · ★ 6.0
  7. 7. Mary Kay Place/Willie Nelson Dec 10, 1977 · 67 min · ★ 6.5
  8. 8. Mrs. Miskel Spillman/Elvis Costello and the Attractions Dec 17, 1977 · 67 min · ★ 5.5
  9. 9. Steve Martin/The Nitty Gritty Dirty Band Jan 21, 1978 · 67 min · ★ 7.7
  10. 10. Robert Klein/Bonnie Raitt Jan 28, 1978 · 67 min · ★ 7.0
  11. 11. Chevy Chase/Billy Joel Feb 18, 1978 · 67 min · ★ 6.5
  12. 12. O.J. Simpson/Ashford and Simpson Feb 25, 1978 · 67 min · ★ 8.0
  13. 13. Art Garfunkel/Stephen Bishop Mar 11, 1978 · 67 min · ★ 7.5
  14. 14. Jill Clayburgh/Eddie Money Mar 18, 1978 · 67 min · ★ 5.5
  15. 15. Christopher Lee/Meat Loaf Mar 25, 1978 · 67 min · ★ 6.7
  16. 16. Michael Palin/Eugene Record Apr 8, 1978 · 67 min · ★ 7.0
  17. 17. Michael Sarrazin/Keith Jarrett Apr 15, 1978 · 67 min · ★ 5.5
  18. 18. Steve Martin/The Blues Brothers Apr 22, 1978 · 67 min · ★ 7.7
  19. 19. Richard Dreyfuss/Jimmy Buffett May 13, 1978 · 67 min · ★ 6.5
  20. 20. Buck Henry/Sun Ra May 20, 1978 · 67 min · ★ 6.0