A Very Gilly Christmas

Season of television series Saturday Night LiveSeason 35No. of episodes22ReleaseOriginal networkNBCOriginal releaseSeptember 26, 2009 (2009-09-26) –May 15, 2010 (2010-05-15)Season chronology← Previousseason 34 Next →season 36 List of episodes The thirty-fifth season of Saturday Night Live (also branded SNL 35), an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 26, 2009, and May 15, 2010. A total of 22 episodes were broadcast during the show's eight-month-long season, which included a two-week break in February due to the 2010 Winter Olympics. The season was accompanied by three prime-time episodes of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday and three prime-time SNL clip shows. This season introduced a new opening montage, which was shot using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon EOS 7D digital SLR cameras. Typical elements are recorded at thirty frames per second (fps), with slow-motion sequences shot at sixty fps, both in full 1080p high definition. A notable moment of the season was when an internet campaign was created to get actress Betty White to host an episode of the show. The campaign was started in early 2010 on Facebook and the group was called "Betty White to Host SNL (please?)!" The campaign was successful, and White became the oldest person ever to host the show. For White's episode, Lorne Michaels brought back former cast members Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Molly Shannon. The episode garnered the show's highest ratings in over a year. with a rating of 5.8 in the 18–49 rating, demographic and with 12.1 million viewers overall.

[edit] Prior to the start of the season, Darrell Hammond, who was the last cast member from the 1990s, left the show. At the time, Hammond became the longest-running cast member with a total of 14 seasons, though he would later be surpassed by Kenan Thompson in 2017. Following Hammond's departure, featured players Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson were both let go from the show after the finale of the previous season. Wilson had been on the show for two seasons, while Watkins had been on for only one. To account for the absences of Watkins and Wilson, the show brought in two new female featured players as replacements, comedian and writer Nasim Pedrad of The Groundlings and stand-up comic Jenny Slate. Abby Elliott and Bobby Moynihan remained as featured players. This would be the final season for longtime cast member Will Forte, who had been on the show for 8 seasons since 2002. This would also be the only season for Slate, who was let go at the end of the season.

Cast roster[edit]

Repertory players

Fred Armisen Will Forte Bill Hader Seth Meyers Andy Samberg Jason Sudeikis Kenan Thompson Kristen Wiig

Featured players

Abby Elliott Bobby Moynihan Nasim Pedrad Jenny Slate  

bold denotes Weekend Update anchor

[edit] Main article: List of Saturday Night Live writers § season 35 Second City theater performer Mike O'Brien joins the writing staff. He would join the cast for the show's thirty-ninth season. Additionally, starting with this season, writers Colin Jost (who has been writing for the show since 2005), Emily Spivey (who had been writing for the show since 2001), and John Mulaney (who was hired at the start of the previous season in 2008), were named as this season's writing supervisors, replacing Paula Pell (who took a brief leave of absence). Starting with the Tina-Fey hosted episode, Pell (who had been a writer on the show since 1995, and was gone for most of the season) returns to the writing staff. This episode would also be the last for longtime writer Spivey, as she left the show following this episode, after nine years as a writer. Also, starting with the following Ryan Phillipe-hosted episode, Bryan Tucker (a writer for the show since 2005) is named as the new co-writer supervisor, alongside Jost and Mulaney. Season 35 would also prove to be the final season for fellow longtime writer/Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone (who had been a writer since 2005), as he left the show after five years. He would make contributions to select future Lonely Island sketches. This was also the final season for another longtime writer, John Lutz (who had been with writing staff since 2004), as he left the show after 6½ years.

[edit] Main article: List of Saturday Night Live episodes No.overallNo. inseasonHostMusical guestOriginal release dateRatings/Share 6591Megan FoxU2September 26, 2009 (2009-09-26)4.6/11

U2 performs "Breathe", "Moment of Surrender" and "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)". A new opening sequence, which mentions SNL's 35 years on-air, debuts with this episode. During the "Biker Chick Chat" sketch, Slate accidentally says, "You stood up for yourself, and I fuckin' love you for that." Most of the sketch before and after consisted of everyone saying "Friggin'," "frickin'" or "freakin'". Slate quickly holds her breath after realizing her mistake. Brian Austin Green cameoed in the Transformers Digital Short. Nasim Pedrad and Jenny Slate's first episode as cast members.

6602Ryan ReynoldsLady GagaOctober 3, 2009 (2009-10-03)4.7/12

Lady Gaga performs "Paparazzi" and a medley of songs including "Bad Romance", "LoveGame" and "Poker Face". She appears with Madonna in Deep House Dish, and in another sketch after her second performance. Elijah Wood appears in the SNL Digital Short. Scarlett Johansson (Reynolds' then-wife) appears in the "Porcelain Fountains" ad portraying the same Lexi character she played during her two hosting appearances. Darrell Hammond appears as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger during Weekend Update.

6613Drew BarrymoreRegina SpektorOctober 10, 2009 (2009-10-10)4.6/11

Regina Spektor performs "Eet" and "The Calculation". Justin Long (Barrymore's then-partner) appears as Matthew McConaughey in a sketch called "Celebrity Ghost Stories". He summarized the plot of McConaughey's movie, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

6624Gerard ButlerShakiraOctober 17, 2009 (2009-10-17)4.8/11

Shakira performs "She Wolf" and "Did It Again". Dwayne Johnson made a cameo reprising his role as "The Rock" Obama in the cold opening. For the original airing, in lieu of the typical advertisements, outtakes from dress rehearsals from the 1990s and 2000s were shown, as Anheuser-Busch had bought the entire adspace run to promote their limited-run beer Bud Light Golden Wheat. James Franco appears as himself in the sketch "What Up with That?". Saoirse Ronan appears in the audience during the "What Up With That?" sketch.

6635Taylor SwiftTaylor SwiftNovember 7, 2009 (2009-11-07)5.0/12

[edit] TitleOriginal release date "Saturday Night Live Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas"December 17, 2009 (2009-12-17)

Holiday-themed sketches from past episodes are aired, including Adam Sandler's "The Hanukkah Song", Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg's "Dick In A Box" Digital Short, Delicious Dish and many more. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin make guest appearances.

Kristen Wiig hosts as her character Gilly, with Will Forte, Kenan Thompson, Bobby Moynihan and Abby Elliott reprising their roles as the sketch's supporting characters. "Saturday Night Live Presents: Sports All-Stars"January 31, 2010 (2010-01-31)

Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis host the show as Pete Twinkle and Greg Stink, their recurring ESPN Classic sports announcer characters.

Sketches featuring appearances by professional athletes including: Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Charles Barkley and others are shown (most of which previously appeared in last year's SNL clip show special about sports-related sketches). "Saturday Night Live in the 2000s: Time and Again"April 15, 2010 (2010-04-15)

The special featured insight on the show during the 2000s: topics discussed include Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey as the new Weekend Update anchors after the departure of Colin Quinn, how SNL became popular for its spoofs on the 2000 United States presidential election, how the show's humor survived the 9/11 attacks and the anthrax scare, Will Ferrell's departure at the end of season 27 and the search for a replacement cast member to play George W. Bush, SNL's shaky years between seasons 28 and 30 due to Jimmy Fallon's and Horatio Sanz's cracking up on camera, Jimmy Fallon's departure from the show, Amy Poehler teaming up with Tina Fey for Weekend Update, the hiring of Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Kristen Wiig, and SNL regaining its popularity with the Digital Shorts, its return from the WGA strike of 2007–2008, the introduction of new fan-favorite hosts like Justin Timberlake and Jon Hamm, and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election.

Fred Armisen, Alec Baldwin, Rachel Dratch, Abby Elliott, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Will Forte, Bill Hader, Darrell Hammond, Chris Kattan, Marci Klein, John McCain, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, Tracy Morgan, Bobby Moynihan, Chris Parnell, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg, Horatio Sanz, Akiva Schaffer, Molly Shannon, Michael Shoemaker, Jason Sudeikis, Jorma Taccone, Kenan Thompson, Justin Timberlake, Christopher Walken and Kristen Wiig gave insight in the special.

[edit] The first SNL film since 2000's The Ladies Man, MacGruber was released on May 21, 2010. The film, starring SNL cast members Will Forte and Kristen Wiig and former cast member Maya Rudolph, is based on the "MacGruber" sketches from the show. It received mixed reviews from critics and, in spite of a wide initial release, was a box office bomb. After a two-week opening commitment during which it was shown in 2,546 theaters, it was dropped from all but 177 theaters starting in its third week.

Even though "A Very Gilly Christmas" originated as a sketch within SNL’s 35th season, it has slipped onto many holiday watch‑lists because it captures the chaotic family‑gathering vibe that feels unmistakably British. The sketch’s blend of absurdity and familiar festive tropes – over‑cooked turkey, endless carols, and that one relative who always over‑shares – mirrors the lived experience of a Christmas dinner gone sideways. Over the years, repeat airings on the BBC’s "Best of Christmas" compilations have cemented it as a seasonal ritual, much like a classic carol. Its short, punchy format makes it perfect for slipping into a busy December evening, offering a quick laugh without the commitment of a full‑length film.

The sketch is most reliably found on the NBC streaming archive or as part of the "Saturday Night Live: The Complete Seasons" box set, which includes all 22 episodes from season 35. When selecting a physical collection, check that it includes the 1080p HD remaster – the 2009 upgrade to Canon EOS cameras means the visual gag timing is clearer than the original broadcast. For streaming, enable subtitles; the rapid-fire wordplay can be easy to miss in a noisy living‑room. If you’re compiling a Christmas binge, pair the sketch with other SNL holiday specials to maintain the same tonal rhythm and avoid genre clash.

Many people catalogue "A Very Gilly Christmas" as a standalone movie, but it’s technically a 10‑minute sketch embedded in a live‑talk‑show format. This distinction matters because the production values – live audience reactions, rapid costume changes, and a single‑take feel – are intentional, not budgetary shortcomings. Expect the laugh tracks and occasional on‑stage flubs; they’re part of the charm, not signs of poor editing. Misunderstanding this can lead to disappointment if you’re looking for a polished narrative arc. Embrace the sketch’s spontaneity, and you’ll appreciate how the writers riff on real‑time current events while still ringing in the festive spirit.