| Season Number: | 32 |
| Bgcolour: |
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| Image Alt: | The title card for the thirty-second season of Saturday Night Live. |
| Num Episodes: | 20 |
| Network: | NBC |
| Prev Season: | season 31 |
| Next Season: | season 33 |
| Episode List: | List of Saturday Night Live episodes |
The thirty-second season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 30, 2006, and May 19, 2007.
As in the previous season, The Lonely Island created another popular SNL Digital Short that aired around Christmas time; this time, it was the R&B video spoof "Dick in a Box" (featuring host Justin Timberlake). The short won a Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Music and Lyrics.[1] [2]
SNL had a smaller cast in the 2006–2007 season due to "massive budget cuts" at NBC. Lorne Michaels said that cutting staff was chosen over reducing from 20 the number of original episodes produced.[3] These resulted in longtime cast members Chris Parnell and Horatio Sanz, who had both been on the show for eight seasons since 1998, being fired from the show, along with Finesse Mitchell, who had been a cast member for three seasons since 2003.[4] This was the second time Parnell had been fired from the show due to budget cuts, the first being after the 2000–01 season ended. In addition, longtime cast members Rachel Dratch (who had been on the show for seven seasons since 1999) and Tina Fey (who had been a staff writer since 1997, and a cast member for six seasons since 2000) left the show on their own terms, as both were to begin work on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. Dratch would end up being replaced on 30 Rock by Jane Krakowski.[5]
Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, and Kristen Wiig were all promoted to repertory status. This was the smallest cast in recent memory, with only 11 people.[6]
With Fey's departure, Seth Meyers became Amy Poehler's co-anchor on Weekend Update.[7] [8] Don Roy King was hired as director, replacing Beth McCarthy-Miller.
Repertory players
bold denotes Weekend Update anchor
With this season, Paula Pell (who had been a writer on the show since 1995) is named as a co-head writer, alongside Seth Meyers and Harper Steele.[9]
Future writing supervisors Marika Sawyer and John Solomon join the writing staff with this season.
Longtime writer Jim Downey also returns to the writing staff this season.
Lastly, this is the final season for longtime writer Matt Murray (who had been with the show since 2000), as he left the show after seven years.[10]
See main article: List of Saturday Night Live episodes.