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Las Vegas headliners Penn & Teller revisit infamous 'SNL' season

John Katsilometes, Las Vegas Review-Journal on

Published in Entertainment News

LAS VEGAS — The new “SNL” documentary is revisiting a seldom-examined slice of Penn and Teller’s career.

Pre-legend status, P&T appeared seven times during the 1985-’86 season. This was the nadir of the series, during which “SNL” faced near-cancellation for low ratings and withering reviews.

The season is dubbed “The Weird Year,” the fourth episode in the four-part documentary “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night,” which premiered Thursday on Peacock.

“The ‘Weird Year’ is the polite way to put it,” Penn Jillette says in an interview for the doc. “It was the bad year.”

Madonna hosted the season premiere, and Simple Minds (“Alive and Kicking”) was the musical guest.

Hosting during her “Into the Groove” heyday, Madonna introduced the guys with, “To all you moms and dads out there, if you’re planning a party for the kids, don’t hire these two guys.” P&T performed their water-escape, Teller in the tank and Jillette calling out the routine in voice an octave higher than it is today. Teller ends up “dying” underwater to enormous response.

Seems a solid start, but that season was so off-the-rails it nearly killed the show in its 11th year.

“SNL” creator Lorne Michaels had been lured back to the show after leaving in 1980, along with the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players. He enlisted a new cast, including Anthony Michael Hall, Randy Quaid, Robert Downey Jr., Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller. Despite some promising talent, the season was a mess. The show bounced back in the 12th season, when Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman joined the cast.

P&T did not appear again after Season 11, but as “SNL” marks No. 50, so does the act.

 

Penn & Teller have just finished an eight-show run at Sydney Opera House. Their tour of Australia continues in Melbourne and Brisbane through Feb. 7. They have a one-off scheduled for Radio City Music Hall on Aug. 21, followed by 11 shows at London Palladium in September.

Those dates are the duo’s first in that storied venue. Look for more 50th anniversary shows to be announced this week.

Jillette is also cast in “Marty Supreme,” co-produced and co-starring Timothée Chalamet (“”A Complete Inknown,” “Call Me By Your Name,” “Hot Summer Nights,” ‘Wonka”). Jillette filmed in New York last winter with co-star Gwyneth Paltrow. The film is a sports drama, with Chalamet portraying a young table-tennis pro.

According to Variety, the studio is marketing the film as a “fictional work set in the world of 1950s ping-pong culture.”

The project is produced and Josh Safdie, also co-starring Tyler, the Creator; Odessa A’zion; Kevin O’Leary; Abel Ferrara and Fran Drescher. No release date; look for it in at the end of ‘25.

Meanwhile, the long-running, magic-enlarging series “Fool Us” returns to The CW on Friday with a 50th anniversary episode. Piff the Magic Dragon is the special guest. Some 40 years after their ignominious run on “SNL,” P&T have shown that weird works.

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©2025 Las Vegas Review-Journal. Visit reviewjournal.com.. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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