简介：SaturdayNightLiveaireditsthirty-firstseasoninthe2005-06televisionseasononNBC.TheseasonbeganonOctober1,2005,andendedonMay20,2006,with19episodesinall.Theseasonwascutoneepisodeshortduetothe2006WinterOlympicGames.A30thanniversaryspecialfortheshowwasplanned,buttheplanwasscrappedduetobudgetcuts. Beforethestartoftheseason,featuredplayerRobRigglewasletgofromtheshow.FinesseMitchellandKenanThompsonwerebothpromotedtorepertorystatuswhileJasonSudeikisremainedafeaturedplayer. Theshowthenaddedthreenewcastmemberstotheshow.Theyincluded:LosAngeles-basedsketchcomedianBillHader,AndySamberg(theshowalsohiredhistwofriendsAkivaSchafferandJormaTacconetothewritingstaff,allmembersoftheTheLonelyIslandsketchgroup)andKristenWiigofTheGroundlings.WiigdebutedontheshowinNovember,intheepisodehostedbyJasonLee.Samberg,SchafferandTacconewouldbeanotableforceforcreatingSNLDigitalShorts.Onesuchshortwas"LazySunday";afteritairedduringtheJackBlackepisodeitbecameanInternetphenomenon. TinaFeyandMayaRudolphmissedafewepisodesinthisseasonduetobothofthembeingpregnantandonmaternityleave.Fey'splaceonWeekendUpdatewasbrieflytakenoverbyHoratioSanzuntilherreturnintheepisodehostedbyCatherineZeta-Jones,makingSanzthefirst(andsofaronly)HispanicWeekendUpdateanchor.Feyreturnedtotheshowbeforehermaternityleavetimewasup.MayaRudolph,however,appearedonthefirstepisodeofthenewseason,andthenwentonmaternityleaveandreturnedinFebruary,intheepisodehostedbySteveMartin. Thisseasonisalsonotableforthepeoplewhohostedtheshow.JuliaLouis-Dreyfus,anSNLcastmemberfrom1982to1985underDickEbersol,becamethefirstformerfemalecastmembertocomebackandhosttheshow(andalsothethirdcastmemberfromSeinfeldtohost).ItisworthnotingthatGildaRadnerwasoriginallysupposedtohostin1988,butwasnotduetotheWriter'sGuildofAmericaStrikeandthenRadner'sdeaththefollowingyear.ThisseasonisalsoknownforthereturnofsuchfrequenthostsasAlecBaldwin(wholasthostedinseason29withmusicalguestMissyElliottin2003),TomHanks(wholasthostedthefirstepisodeofseason22withmusicalguestTomPettyandtheHeartbreakersin1996),andSteveMartin(wholasthostedthefirstepisodeofthe20thseasonwithmusicalguest,EricClaptonin1994). ThisseasonsawtheseventhdeathofaformercastmemberwhenCharlesRocketcommittedsuicidebyslashinghisthroatwithaboxcutter. Thisseasonalsobecamethefirsttobroadcasttheshowinhigh-definition,afterthirtyyearsofbroadcastinginanalog. ThiswouldalsobethefinalseasonforcastmembersRachelDratch,TinaFey,FinesseMitchell,ChrisParnellandHoratioSanz,aswellasthelastseasonforlongtimedirector,BethMcCarthy-Miller.DratchandFeybothlefttheshowtofocuson30RockandMcCarthy-Millerlefttheshowonherownterms.Parnell,Mitchell,andSanz,however,wereletgoafterLorneMichaelswasgiventhechoicetoeithercutbackonepisodeproductionorgetridoflong-standingand/orpoor-performingcastmembersduetoNBCbudgetcuts.…