The New Show is an NBC sketch comedy show produced by Lorne Michaels that ran for one season from January 6 to March 23, 1984. Apart from being 60 minutes in length and entirely pre-recorded, the show is similar in format to Michaels' own Saturday Night Live. It was the lowest-rated of 94 programs that aired during the 1983–84 television season, averaging a 7.81 household rating. It was scheduled opposite Matt Houston and Falcon Crest.

The show was Michaels' second network television show created after Saturday Night Live. Several former original cast members and hosts from SNLs 1970s era made appearances throughout the series' short run, including Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner, Steve Martin, and Buck Henry. After NBC cancelled The New Show, Michaels would return to SNL as executive producer in 1985.

Cast Valri Bromfield Buck Henry Dave Thomas

Writers Michaels brought a lot of the Saturday Night Live crew with him for The New Show, including many of the writers from the 1979–80 season. In addition to himself, Michaels hired former SNL writers Tom Davis, Al Franken, Tom Gammill, Sarah Paley, Max Pross, and Alan Zweibel, along with Jim Downey, who Michaels made head writer. Michaels took Gammill, Pross, Downey, and George Meyer away from the staff of Late Night with David Letterman, where Downey also served as head writer. Valri Bromfield, Buck Henry, and Dave Thomas all served as writers in addition to their duties as cast members. Bill Murray's younger brother, John Murray, was hired to the writing staff.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-04-16-ca-23451-story.html A lot of the New Show followed Michaels when he returned to take the reins of Saturday Night Live for the 1985 season, including Jack Handey, Meyer, Franken and Davis (who he made producers), and Downey (who he made head writer).

Head Writer: Jim Downey

Staff Writers:

Valri Bromfield Tom Davis Al Franken Tom Gammill Jack Handey Buck Henry George Meyer

Lorne Michaels John Murray Sarah Paley Max Pross Dave Thomas Alan Zweibel

American television ratings

Season Episodes Start date End date Nielsen rank Nielsen rating 1983–84 9 January 6, 1984 March 23, 1984 99 7.9

Episodes #Original airdateGuest starsMusical guestAlso appearingSketches1January 6, 1984Steve MartinJeff GoldblumCatherine O'HaraNew EditionMaggie JakobsonG.E. Smith"Billie Jean" music video takeoff (Martin, DT)Teacher's lounge and talent show tryouts (Goldblum, VB, DT, Smith, Jakobson)Statement of Principles for The New Show (Martin)Weekend Tonight (BH, DT, plus DT as Bob Hope)1984 takeoff (everyone)Joy Behar – Make Me Laugh Part I (film segment)I've...been...drugged (Martin, O'Hara, Goldblum)2January 13, 1984John CandyCarrie FisherPaul SimonMaggie JakobsonMaura MoynihanJames DowneyRuth Gordon and Orson Welles (VB, Candy)Why don't you check on the baby? (Fisher)Paul Simon performs "Hearts and Bones"Mountain Mike (DT, Simon, Candy)Time Truck (everyone)Andropov faking illness (everyone)Weekend Tonight (BH, DT, Candy as Luciano Pavarotti)Paul Simon debuts music video for "Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War"Roy's Food Repair (everyone)3January 20, 1984Kevin KlineGilda RadnerJohn CandyDavid JohansenMaggie JakobsonMaura MoynihanOpening with DT introducing cast (BH, VB)Gilda with her dog (also with DT)Introducing Kevin Kline and John CandyThe Hustler (Kline, Candy, DT, BH, other extras)Good mailman, bad mailman (Radner, DT, Candy, VB)Olympic moment (Kline and Radner as skaters without skates)The Hustler contdWeekend Tonight (BH, DT, Candy as John Madden, DT as Liberace, Candy as Big Boy)Buster Poindexter and the Banshees of Blues (Johansen)The Hustler contdDen of Revulsion (ewwwww!) (VB, Radner, BH, Kline, Candy, DT)The Muensters (primetime soap takeoff) (everyone)4February 3, 1984Raul JuliaPenny MarshallRandy NewmanMaggie JakobsonTom DavisRestaurant of Revulsion (ewwwww!) (VB, DT, Marshall, BH, Julia)Penny Marshall does breakdancing with The Dynamic BreakersWalter Cronkite's World of Bloopers (DT, Marshall)Randy Newman performsScarface takeoff (everyone)Weekend Tonight (BH, DT, Marshall, VB, plus DT as Olivier)Trivial Pursuit (Marshall, DT, VB, Newman)Maggie Jakobson does black cheerleadersRandy Newman music video: "I Love L.A."Zorka The Moth (Marshall, Julia)5February 10, 1984Randy QuaidDennis QuaidCatherine O'HaraJohn Cougar MellencampN/ABuck Henry's Bikini TheaterCommandos From Hell (Quaids)The Frightened Family (with DT, VB, O'Hara, BH)Mental Telepathy (with Dennis Quaid, O'Hara, DT, BH, VB)Weekend Tonight (with BH and DT, O'Hara as Wendy O. Williams)Sister and her pranking brothers (Quaids, O'Hara)The Naughty Lady (Quaids, VB, BH, O'Hara, DT)World of Nature (BH, O'Hara)Joy Behar – Make Me Laugh Part II (film segment)6February 17, 1984Steve MartinCatherine O'HaraCyndi LauperMaggie JakobsonTom DavisMaura MoynihanJim McKay at the Olympics (DT, VB)Steve Martin asks "What Kind of Guy Watches the New Show?"Couple seeing the doctor about "going unconscious" (DT, O'Hara, BH)Steve Martin as Italian gigolo (also with O'Hara)Cyndi Lauper performsNew York Daily Bugle (Martin, O'Hara, BH, DT)Weekend Tonight (BH, DT, O'Hara as Julie Andrews, DT as Boy George)Problem with extras (everyone)New employee (DT, BH, Moynihan)Cyndi Lauper performsFilm segment: "The Day Before"7March 9, 1984Candice BergenSteve GuttenbergRick JamesMaggie JakobsonTom DavisAl FrankenMaura MoynihanGoing to Work (VB)Let's Make a Deal for doing the show (BH, Bergen, Guttenberg)Campaign Trail of Blood (DT, Guttenberg, BH)Vacationers forgot their camera (Bergen, BH)Smooth-talking Jeb avoids a lynching (Guttenberg, Davis, Franken, BH, DT, Jakobson)Weekend Tonight (BH, DT, also DT as Ed Koch)Chip Masters: Organ Donor (Moynihan, BH, VB, Guttenberg, Davis, DT)Menudo mockumentaryRick James8March 16, 1984Laraine NewmanJohn CandyLaurie AndersonMaggie JakobsonTom DavisAl FrankenBuck insists it is a live audience (BH, Newman, Candy)Asian convenience store clerk (DT, Candy)Ping pong scene being filmed (Candy, BH, Davis, Franken)The Frightened Family (BH, DT, Candy, Newman, VB)Weekend Tonight (BH, DT, plus DT as Michael Caine, Candy as Tip O'Neill)Twilight Zonettes (everyone)Desiree Silver's Film Talk (Jakobson, Newman, Candy, VB)9March 23, 1984Teri GarrThe PretendersMaggie JakobsonMaura MoynihanTom DavisAl FrankenBuck speaks of cast as family (BH, Garr, Thomas)Union Scabs meeting (BH, Thomas, Franken, Davis, others)Floont Artney (BH, Thomas)Dave's evil brother Bill tangles with Buck, Teri, and audience (BH, Garr, Thomas) The PretendersMr. Grandmom (Thomas, Garr, Bromfield)Weekend Tonight (BH, Thomas, plus Davis and Garr)Terri Garr hands out samples in supermarket (everyone)The PretendersWhere's the beef? themed wedding (everyone) 1984 - s01e10 - Best Of (Special)

References

External links

The New Show on the SCTV website The New Show on Archive.org