Saturday Night Live aired its fifth season during the 1979–1980 television season on NBC, and also the final season with the original cast. This fifth season started on October 13, 1979 and ended on May 24, 1980. SNL’s fifth season was released on DVD on December 1, 2009.
John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd left the show at the end of the fourth season, leaving a void in the cast that most fans thought would be the beginning of the end of the late-night sketch show.
To keep the show going, Lorne Michaels upgraded many of the show’s writers to cast member status: Peter Aykroyd, Jim Downey, Brian Doyle-Murray, Don Novello, Tom Schiller and Alan Zweibel. Band leader Paul Shaffer also joined the cast, becoming the first person from the SNL band to become a cast member. Harry Shearer joined the show as a featured cast member and was promoted to repertory status during the season.
This would be the final season for everyone in the cast. Tom Davis and Downey would return to the show in future seasons as writers. Al Franken, Doyle-Murray, Novello, and Shearer would rejoin the cast in future seasons.
Episodes
5x1Steve Martin/BlondieOct 13, 1979
5x2Eric Idle/Bob DylanOct 20, 1979
5x3Bill Russell/ChicagoNov 03, 1979
5x4Buck Henry/Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersNov 10, 1979
5x5Bea Arthur/The RochesNov 17, 1979
5x6Howard Hesseman/Randy NewmanDec 08, 1979
5x7Martin Sheen/David BowieDec 15, 1979
5x8Ted Knight/Desmond Child and RougeDec 22, 1979
5x9Teri Garr/The B-52'sJan 26, 1980
5x10Chevy Chase/Marianne FaithfullFeb 09, 1980
5x11Elliott Gould/Gary NumanFeb 16, 1980
5x12Kirk Douglas/Sam and DaveFeb 23, 1980
5x13Rodney Dangerfield/J. Geils BandMar 08, 1980
5x14Paul Simon/James TaylorMar 15, 1980
5x15
5x16Burt Reynolds/Anne MurrayApr 12, 1980
5x17Strother Martin/The SpecialsApr 19, 1980
5x18
5x19Steve Martin/Paul and Linda McCartneyMay 17, 1980
5x20Buck Henry/Andrew GoldMay 24, 1980