SNL season 50 specials, including SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night Live and Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music.

This season has had many famous hosts and singers, including Martin Short, Ariana Grande, Timothee Chalamet, Chappell Roan, and Billie Eilish. As SNL prepares for its 50th-anniversary special on February 16th, more high-profile guests are expected to host and perform on Saturdays. One of the next hosts could be The Breakfast Club actor Anthony Michael Hall, who was a part of the show's 11th season, the "weird year." Hall's potential return can pay homage to his brief time on SNL and how that impacted the show's legacy.

Anthony Michael Hall Was A Cast Member During SNL's "Weird Year"

Season 11 Of SNL Had A Cast Of Young Film Actors And Newcomers

Anthony Michael Hall and several up-and-coming actors, including Robert Downey, Jr., Randy Quaid, and Joan Cusack, led the "Weird Year" of SNL from 1985 to 1986. This season was overshadowed because it followed up the hilarious Eddie Murphy years. Due to declining ratings after Murphy's departure, SNL creator Lorne Michaels returned after a five-year hiatus to save his show from cancellation. Michaels and then-NBC president Brandon Tartikoff introduced the new cast led by Hall and Downey, Jr. to attract a younger audience.

The new cast struggled to adapt to the SNL format, while the writers had a difficult time developing funny sketches for the young actors. The "Weird Year" ultimately became a one-season wonder for the cast (except for Jon Lovitz, Nora Dunn, and Dennis Miller). Lovitz impressed as compulsive liar Tommy Flanagan, while Dunn earned laughs as inappropriate talk show host Pat Stevens. Miller also had a decent run as a "Weekend Update" news anchor.

SNL 50 Should Bring Back Michael Anthony Hall As A Host

Hall Can Host SNL In Season 50 To Revive His Tenure As A Comedy Actor

Bringing Anthony Michael Hall to host SNL during its 50th season would be a nice homecoming for the actor to revisit his comedic chops. Despite being on the show for only one mostly unmemorable season, Hall is still a renowned actor recognized for his work in hilarious John Hughes teenage comedies, including The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Weird Science. Hall's potential opportunity to host SNL this season would be timely for him considering he will promote his starring role in the third season of Amazon Prime's Reacher.

Hall could revisit his characters and impressions from his time on SNL. These include his impersonations of singer Art Garfunkel, political figure Robert F. Kennedy, and soul musician Daryl Hall. Along with hosting, Hall can also reunite with his former co-stars, particularly Downey Jr., his good friend and frequent collaborator in the 1980s. Despite a brief and challenging run on SNL, Hall appreciated the learning experiences he took away from the sketch comedy and that he played a small part in the show's history.

Why Anthony Michael Hall Being A Cast Member In SNL Season 11 Was Quite Controversial

Anthony Michael Hall Had No Experience Doing Live Sketch Comedy

Anthony Michael Hall was, and remains, the youngest cast member in SNL history when he ed the show in 1985 at age 17. However, Hall's casting in season 11 was controversial because he wasn't a comedian compared to the number of distinguished comics who have starred on the show. Hall was also under a tremendous amount of pressure due to being very young and one of the show's leads that year. The actor was scared because, for him, sketch comedy on live TV is vastly different in contrast to working on comedic films.

The pressure on Hall was also added to the fact that season 11 marked Lorne's return to his show, which unfortunately ended in an overall disaster due to several sketches that didn't work and the inexperience of the young cast. The last sketch of the season jokingly summarized the show's unsuccessful year when the cast was in danger from a fire caused by former New York Yankees manager Billy Martin, and Lorne only saves Lovitz (partially implying that Lovitz would return to SNL and everyone else is fired).

As for Hall, he and his co-stars can look back and laugh at a conflicting season that served as a valuable learning experience for them.

Despite a controversial season, the "Weird Year" helped Lorne and the producers prepare for the future of Saturday Night Live by analyzing the sketches and cast that would help the show succeed while cutting everything that lowers the show's ratings. As for Hall, he and his co-stars can look back and laugh at a conflicting season that served as a valuable experience for them. They can also be grateful for being a part of one of the greatest shows in television history that helped inspire and launch several acting and artistic careers.

Source: NBC

Enjoy ScreenRant's primetime coverage? Click below to sign up for our weekly Network TV newsletter (make sure to check "Network TV" in your preferences) and get the inside scoop from actors and showrunners on your favorite series.

SIGN UP NOW

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 pm and SNL 50: The Anniversary Special will air on February 16th on NBC.