Doug Hill

Impressively researched and well-written account of the beginnings of the groundbreaking TV show. If you're looking for humorous anecdotes you'd be better off elsewhere, but if you're interested in the show's larger-than-life personalities (including writers, producers, directors, and network executives) and their machinations, I doubt you can find a better book.

It's been thirty years since this book came out and Live From New York has supplanted it as the definitive resource on SNL, but this is still a worthwhile read. For one thing, this book is nearly as long as LfNY and focuses entirely on the first ten years of the show, which allows the authors to go into much greater detail. Oft-repeated anecdotes are expanded upon here: for example, I knew that Belushi insisted his favorite band, Fear, play on the show; I had no idea this happened during the show more Ebersol years when Belushi had already left the show. This also goes into more depth about both the process of making the show, and the personalities behind it. LfNY's oral history is the perfect format for SNL, but Saturday Night paints a more flawed portrait of its many characters, perhaps thanks to the anonymous nature of the information gathered. show less

Unlike the recent Tom Shales version, this is a more journalistic account of the classic show, and in some ways is a more engaging read for benefiting from the authors' interpretations and observations. It also has a far, far more detailed account than the Shales book of the disastrous Jean Doumanian year, which Shales finesses to the extent of devoting only around two cursory pages to it. For that reason as well as others, I think this book is superior to the Shales one, at least for an show more account of the show's early years. show less

Fascinating, though perhaps a little too in-depths at times: I think "And then more drama happened" could have replaced a hundred or so pages. If you want more ammunition to support the suggestion that highly creative types in groups are occasionally become out-of-control prima donnas, this book would provide it for you.