Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: Wasn't That Special: 50 Years of SNL Podcast
Episode: Season 45 (2019-20): Eddie Murphy Returns, Shane Gillis Gets the Boot, and COVID-19 Halts the Show
Description: Season 45 of Saturday Night Live was one of the most unusual and pivotal in the show’s long history, defined by both the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and lingering creative stagnation. In this episode, we each described the season with medically themed words—“viral” and “infected”—capturing its literal interruption by the coronavirus and the metaphorical symptoms of deeper artistic problems.The pandemic played a defining role in this season, with production halting in March 2020. The final three episodes, known as the “SNL at Home” shows, were filmed remotely, with cast members recording sketches in their kitchens and bedro...