The New Show (1984)

In 1984 Lorne Michaels helmed a brand new sketch comedy show. Fortunately for those who celebrate his long run on SNL, it didn't last.

Jan 30, 2025

Amazingly, we are in the 50th season of Saturday Night Live. That is a long time to be on television and for much of the show’s run, it was helmed by the same person, Lorne Michaels. Michaels did step away from the show for a few years starting in 1980. Two people stepped in to fill his shoes, Jean Doumanian (1980–1981) and Dick Ebersol (1981–1985). It was an interesting time for the show, with exciting stars and mixed results. Michaels returned to the show in 1985 to help rebuild the show in his image, but before he did, he tried to launch another sketch comedy show, The New Show.

While it was a sketch comedy show, it wasn’t an attempt to duplicate SNL exactly. Yes, there would be sketches, but they would all be entirely pre-recorded, the show would only be 60 minutes in length and they would often have multiple guests on an episode.

For writers and cast, Michaels went with people he knew. This included many of the writers from his original time at SNL, with some writers from Late Night with David Letterman added. The cast was was stocked with SCTV alumni, and a few original SNL cast members and hosts made appearances including: Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner, Buck Henry and Steve Martin.

For its time, it might have been one the largest concentration of funny people on one television show. Unfortunately, it just didn’t gel. Airing opposite two solid shows, Matt Houston and Falcon Crest, it would be the lowest-rated of 94 programs that aired during the 1983–84 TV season.

When the show disappeared its 9 episodes didn’t have much of a second life. So memories of the show have faded Even though the show never got a home video release, several episodes have been posted in their entirety, and the entire series is currently on the Internet Archive.

The New Show has some funny moments, but America didn’t fall in love with it. Reviewers didn’t like it and viewer just didn’t tune in. While the cast and crew lost their jobs, many of them were able to get back to work quickly, including Michaels who would go on to run Saturday Night Live for the next four decades.

(If you have retro finds you would like for me to share, I want to hear them. What old useful website are still lurking on the web? Some old TV show streaming online? Old tech being brought back? Let me know.)

ONE COOL VIDEO

A few sketches from The New Show were particularly memorable. One that seemed to get a lot of replay over the years is this spoof of Michael Jacksons, Billie Jean music video, starring Steve Martin.

TEN THINGS RETRO

📺 Television - I was inspired to write about The New Show after watching the four episode documentary series SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night on Peacock. Its a little uneven, but its a joy to hear former cast members talk about how important the show was to them.

🛍️ Malls - Malls were important, but the world still doesn’t seem to have realized this. So we are are our losing vintage malls and their history at a rapid rate. Art Tavana has posted an oral history of one of the most famous celebrated and filmed malls, the Sherman Oaks Galleria.

🖥️ Computers - Do you still use a screen saver? Once sold in stores, these tech saving bits of software made staring at your screen fun. Sadly, the days of the fun screen saver seem to be behind us. Maybe that means its a good time to talk about Screen Saver History.

🦸‍♂️ Roleplaying - The Superhero Table Top Role Playing Game is not as popular as other genres, but in the eighties, my friends and I happily played in the worlds of Marvel and DC. Years earlier though, the first Superhero TTRPGs would hit shelves and gaming tables, Superhero 2044.

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📷 History - With our phones and their cameras constantly at the ready, its easy to take photography for granted. But in the 19th century, the technology was still new and didn’t seem accessible. So how does a company like Kodak convince the public that they should be taking photos of their own?

💿 Compact Discs - Streaming might dominate music, but the Compact Disc stubbornly holds on. For a generation it was the introduction to a quality of sound that seemed nearly impossibly clear. As you might guess, the history of the creation of CD is as interesting the music it helped sell to the world.

🎮 Gaming- Mark Discordia passed away recently. Mark was unfairly treated by the internet when he displayed his love for all things Nintendo (as an adult). It was snarky and cruel. He should be remembered for what he was, a precursor to the proud fans who have since found niche and accepting homes on the web. Mark deserved better.

🛹 Skateboarding - Do you remember your first skateboard? How long did it take you to learn your first trick? Many people gave up quickly after failing, but if you didn’t give up, the memories can stick with you for your entire life.

🖱️ Computer Games - Celebrities don’t often appear as themselves in video games. But if they do, how does that translate to an international audience who might not know the celebrity? In 2000, this is exactly what publisher Electronic Arts and developer Maxis had to deal with when they added comedian Drew Carey, to The Sims.

📱 Design - The Nokia Design Archive allows you to explore the behind-the-scenes design decisions of the legendary company.

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FEATURED RETRO COUPON

Another cereal coupon today. What can I say, breakfast cereal has always been important to me. GI Joe Action Stars were a decent cereal, but like many of the cereals from this era, what I really wanted was the box. In 1985, I probably went a few months eating this stuff every morning.

SUBSTACK RECOMMENDATION

In the 1980s, Mark Lesser was looking for a job in Los Angeles. The search wasn’t going well until he went and talked to the people at Hanna-Barbera. There, he was able to land a job that had a far-reaching impact on his life. Its a great story of creative gumption, just the type of stuff you want to read about in the entertainment industry.