The Early Years of SNL: S05E08 Ted Knight/Desmond Child & Rouge (12/22/79) Artwork

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL Retrospective

An in-depth journey into the legacy of one of television's most iconic and influential shows - Saturday Night Live. Through deep dives into its most memorable eras, behind-the-scenes stories, and analysis of its evolution, we celebrate and debate all things SNL - the show that has become an institution, defining comedy for over 50 years.

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The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL Retrospective

The Early Years of SNL: S05E08 Ted Knight/Desmond Child & Rouge (12/22/79)

November 11, 2025 • Two Pints Productions, Inc.

Veteran actor Ted Knight hosts the S5 Christmas episode as SNL says goodbye to the 70s. As a present (to Gilda, we're guessing), Desmond Child and Rouge are the musical guest.

While The Mary Tyler Moore Show star brings the comedic chops and appears to have a lot of fun, this episode is known more for the myth and legend surrounding it than the material itself. Andy Kaufman wrestles a woman (again) in his final Saturday Night Live appearance of the original era and the Nerds sketch is known more for its battle with the censors than for its actual content ("You can't give noogies to the Virgin Mary!").

But, not all is lost! We do get a great Schiller's Reel and, did we mention the host was Ted Knight? You can't not like the guy.

Speaking of guys you can't not like, we're joined once again by Ian Fermaglich who talked to a few people associated with this episode on his podcast, Ian Talks Comedy and shares some first hand stories about the night.

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