Saturday Night Live season 11

The eleventh season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between November 9, 1985, and May 24, 1986.

The season marked Lorne Michaels' return to SNL as showrunner after a five-year hiatus. Michaels hired new cast members, but instead of his usual approach of recruiting from comedy clubs and improv groups, he cast established names such as Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall, Robert Downey Jr., and Joan Cusack. Due to their relative inexperience in comedy, the new cast failed to connect with audiences.

The show also featured a frustrated writing crew (including future Simpsons writers Jon Vitti, George Meyer, and John Swartzwelder), who didn't know how to write sketches for such an eclectic cast. The season was plagued by harsh criticism, low ratings, and rumors of a possible cancellation. NBC president Brandon Tartikoff planned to cancel SNL after its season finale in May 1986; Michaels, however, pleaded with Tartikoff to let the show go on. Most of the cast was let go for the following season, making it one of the more notable cast overhauls alongside season 6 and season 20.

Cast
With Dick Ebersol's cast and writers gone, Michaels hired Academy Award nominee Randy Quaid, best known for his work in The Last Detail and National Lampoon's Vacation; as well as Joan Cusack and Robert Downey Jr. Part of the reasoning that Michaels chose younger performers was due to SNL's original audience, which comprised baby boomers, now nearing middle age, meaning that producers and NBC executives needed to appeal to a younger audience.

Danitra Vance was added along with stand-up comedians Dennis Miller and Damon Wayans, and improv comedians Nora Dunn and Jon Lovitz. Terry Sweeney, who had been a writer on season 6 of SNL, was added to the cast, making him the first openly gay male cast member. Don Novello returned as his popular Father Guido Sarducci character. Writer A. Whitney Brown was also added to the cast midseason and Al Franken returned in the finale. Miller became the new anchor for Weekend Update. Despite the season's negative reception, Lovitz would gain popularity with characters like the Pathological Liar and Master Thespian.

According to a recent interview with short-term cast member Dan Vitale, actress Anjelica Huston was nearly hired as a cast member this season. Huston, a friend of Lorne's, was begged to join the show as a cast member; instead she co-hosted the season finale with Billy Martin.

Incidents
Notable moments of the season included when Chevy Chase hosted the show. Chase was not popular with the cast and crew and, according to the book Live From New York: The Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, Chase pitched an idea for a sketch that featured openly gay cast member Terry Sweeney as a person with AIDS who is weighed by a doctor to see how much weight he lost.

Cast roster
Repertory players
 * Joan Cusack
 * Robert Downey Jr.
 * Nora Dunn
 * Anthony Michael Hall
 * Jon Lovitz
 * Dennis Miller
 * Randy Quaid
 * Terry Sweeney
 * Danitra Vance

Featured players
 * A. Whitney Brown (first episode: February 22, 1986)
 * Al Franken (first episode: May 24, 1986)
 * Don Novello (first episode: November 23, 1985)
 * Dan Vitale (first episode: November 23, 1985 / final episode: February 8, 1986)
 * Damon Wayans (final episode: March 15, 1986)

bold denotes Weekend Update anchor

Writers
This season's writers were A. Whitney Brown, Tom Davis, Jim Downey, Al Franken, Jack Handey, Lanier Laney, Carol Leifer, George Meyer, Lorne Michaels, Don Novello, Michael O'Donoghue, R. D. Rosen, Herb Sargent, Suzy Schneider, Robert Smigel, John Swartzwelder, Terry Sweeney, Mark McKinney and Bruce McCulloch. The head writer was Jim Downey.