The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts with Chevy Chase talking on the phone before he starts his introduction. It turns out that he is actually not in studio but addressing the audience via satellite explaining how he missed his flight. The monitor is on a stand that falls over in the tradition of Chevy's old opening routine which leads him to announce, "Live from Burbank..."

2. The broken monitor is still on the ground as Chevy throws to the first official sketch of the season.

3. We then go to an art gallery for the opening of Eddie Murphy's "Kill my landlord," character's new Harlem-themed art exhibit where the talks harshly to the white folks who love the immersive experience.

4. Joe Piscopo tells the tale of an extraordinary woman that he is now seeing, that woman being Rose Kennedy and we see home video footage of the two hanging out on the beach. He then proposes to her even though his friends are against him seeing a woman who is 93.

5. We then hear from John Hinckley who pitches his run to be president the President claiming to be the perfect wacko to be able to navigate America's wacky ways.

6. The Web is a fake commercial that I can't find anywhere on its own, but according to a site that I reference, it comes up as a repeat in a few episodes so I will wait until it comes up again later to share what it's about.

7. Mystery Theatre is a parody of the horror movie show hosted by the real Zacherley who throws to the latest Land Shark bit.

8. Chevy Chase starts an introduction from the monitor only to be interrupted by Danny DeVito Queen then takes the stage to perform Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

9. We then meet Alan: A Video Game Junkie who is obsessed with video games highlighting the growing epidemic in a short film that is still pretty relevant today. Meanwhile, the people who want to fix this problem are more interested in getting children to spend their money on material goods and use Pavlovian response electric training to cure the kids of their vice.

10. Popiel Galactic Prophylactic is a fake ad for the strongest condoms ever made that are so durable that they can become family heirlooms.

11. This week, new cast member Brad Hall gives us the newly named Saturday Night Live News where Piscopo gives us the sports. Brad Hall calls a corrupt politician at home and tells him off. Sweetchuck plays a Father who reviews The Readers Digest Bible, and Chevy checks in via satellite where he claims to be in Beirut even though he is clearly on the Tonight Show set.

12. We then get a sketch that makes fun of Late Night With David Letterman as he interviews Eddie as Gumby. Piscopo actually makes a pretty good Letterman when you keep in mind the Letterman from that time. Awe, they also parody Larry Bub Melman who was always my favorite of Dave's novelty guests.

13. PTC Club is a parody of a TV preacher show where Julia Louis-Dreyfus makes her SNL premiere as the host who is only interested in money.

14. Siskel And Ebert then break new grounds by reviewing the show while it's still in progress with genuinely interesting insights. Their biggest criticism is Chevy's phoned in appearance as he, in the monitor, makes faces behind their backs.

15. Queen then returns to the stage to perform Under Pressure.

16. Finally, Chevy Chase closes the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts with a song and dance to promote NBC's desperate attempt to titillate the audience into tuning in as Mary Gross strips down to a pair of boxers and a wife beater to fulfill the networks promise to show more skin. This ends on the perfect place for a "Live from New York..." but apparently they've yet to return to the traditional opening of the show, which they almost did last week with Chevy's, "Live from Burbank..." announcement.

2. I do like that we are back to getting an opening monolog. This week, Louis Gossett Jr. taps into his An Officer And A Gentleman character to get the cast in line in the traditional drill sergeant fashion.

3. We then go to a short film where Sweetchuck is out on the road hitchhiking. He gets picked up by a beautiful woman in a very expensive car who is wearing nothing but her bra and panties that the two eventually start to make out until the car drives off a cliff as this is actually a PSA that with the warning, "Don't Hitch Hike."

4. Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood then returns for another installment where this week he teaches us about music and goes on to play the drums that he stole from Smokey Robinson. He then goes on to beat out a tune that gets complaints from the neighbors which escalates until his new neighbor, the real Mr. T, bursts through the door to shut him up.

5. Next, we meet a couple in the middle of a sex therapy session. It turns out that this is a group session hosted by Gossett Jr. who's very into getting the couples into role-playing out their problems while acting like an excitable movie director. He gives Sweetchuck a gun to play out his scene, but the gun goes off before they can even start which finally leads to the big double entendre that this sketch has been building up to.

6. The real Mr. T returns for another sketch where Robin Duke plays his wife and the two pitch a product called Mr. And Mrs. T Bloody Mary Mix.

7. We then go outside for a man on the street segment where random people are asked, "What's the worst thing you've ever done?" and we get some fascinating real answers.

8. Next, we go to a crowded bathroom where Joe Piscopo enters a stall and starts to sing Under The Boardwalk until he gets to the hook where people from the other stalls start to sing along.

9. Joe Piscopo then takes to the stage to remind us all that Don Pardo is back. This leads to a segment called Don Pardo's Year Off where Don announces his miserable existence during the time away from SNL in a game show announcing tone complete with game show-like images of each experience.

10. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Brad Hall tries to sing his way through the worst of the news stories in an attempt to satisfy a complaint about his negative tone, I can't get over how much he looks like Denis Leary and Woody Harrelson's long lost baby, but he's continuing to grow on me. Sweetchuck also stops in as his doctor character who lists off a bunch of funny potential diseases. "Shelley Winters" also drops by to rebuke some of the claims about Marilyn Monroe in an upcoming book about her diaries, and Joe Piscopo stops by with sports where he interviews Eddie as a French Canadian football player because the NFL was apparently on strike.

11. Piscopo then plays Donahue as they parody his old talk show. Of course, the topic of the show was the ongoing troubles in the Middle East that are so omnipresent that it seems designed not to ever be solved to the point where he even mentions this in the sketch.

12. George Thorogood And The Destroyers then hit the stage to perform Bad To The Bone.

13. Mary Gross then addresses Jerry Lewis's claims that SNL made a joke in bad taste about Jerry's Kids. She goes on to defend the show noting that the joke in question was never said on the show then goes on to read a few jokes that target Jerry Lewis directly.

14. We then go back to what looks like the Mr. Robinson set where we get to watch the "Black Stereotype Sketch" that plays out like every black drama from the time. That is until Eddie and Gossett realize how lame it is and go on to point out all of the problems with the sketch and go on to bring out the white writer.

15. The Interesting Four is a parody of The Fantastic Four where this team of superheroes each has very lame skills. There's Seiko, a character that I apparently accidentally ripped off, who can only travel three seconds into the future. I guess my guy was different because he only traveled head by a second, making it actually real time. There's also The Human Stapler, who staples things at will, Weather Woman who can raise or lower the weather by nine degrees, and Mr. Wonderful, who is just a talented lounge performer. We then go to the Pentagon where The Incredible Four get called into action where they have to save the world from Dr. Inconvenience but then get fired because of how obnoxious they are and are replaced by a random dentist.

16. For the second day in a row, The Web has come up as a sketch that's supposed to be on this episode according to a site that I reference. Also once again, it didn't show up, and I still can't find it on the internet, but the note on the reference site say this shows up on multiple episodes, so I'll share what it is the moment it finally shows up.

17. George Thorogood And The Destroyers then return to the stage to perform Back In Wentzville.

18. Finally, Louis Gossett Jr. closes the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's episode starts with a message from The Bureau Of Weights And Measures that recommends viewers of SNL to watch the show with their TV on their laps and wait for further instructions.

2. Then Ron Howard opens the show with a monolog about how he is excited to escape the safety of prime time where he can show more of his mature side. He then goes on to list a bunch of words that may be titillating to a child but are far from the point of reaching adult material status. He finishes the monolog by drinking a real beer which makes the crowd go nuts, I guess because they are still so used to seeing him as an innocent little kid.

3. We then go to Mayberry for an update on the small town after Andy Griffith passes away. It turns out that after he died this innocent small town turned into a vice peddling slum filled with dirtbags. First, we check in with Floyd, played by Eddie Murphy, who is now cutting hair at the back of an adult bookshop. Otis then enters, and he's gone from a drunk to a junkie. Aunt Bee then enters and reveals that she's the madam of the local whore house. Finally, we find out that this is actually a fake trailer for Opie's Back where Ron Howard returns to fight crime in a Charles Bronson way.

4. Velvet Jones then returns after last season's claim that he was being retired. He no longer selling his pimp school material. Instead, he's now pitching his new line of Harlequin Romance Novels.

5. The Whiners then return for another installment. This time, they are at a fertility clinic where they whine about not being able to get pregnant even though their tests show that they are perfectly fine and it's just their attitude that is keeping them barren.

6. Harry Anderson then returns to the show for another one of his comedy/magic routines. This is the routine that taught me the true meaning of what a geek actually is.

7. We then get a parody of In Search Of... where Piscopo plays Leonard Nimoy, who is on a quest to find Francis The Talking Mule while also trying to determine if he was real in the first place.

8. Focus On Film returns with Eddie Murphy's movie reveal character interviewing Opie Cunningham about his career and is blown away by the fact that he directed the movie Night Shift which is about pimps and yet there isn't a "brotha" in the entire movie. He's also blown away that Opie had sex after learning he had a child.

9. Once again Brad Hall gives us the news. Now that he has his glasses on, I'm entirely sold on him as this season's news guy. This week, Mary Gross gets a segment where she talks about unemployment listing the people who should be unemployed due to what they've contributed to pop culture, and "Andy Rooney" also drops by for a segment where he bashes the Middle East while questioning why this turmoil has been going on so long,

10. The Clash then takes to the stage to perform Straight To Hell.

11. This was followed by an interview with President Carter where we flashback to see their interaction just before inauguration day where we look through Reagan's eyes as he explores his soon to be workspace only to get caught by Carter as he is digging through the desk. Carter then tries to relay his strategy in case Reagan wants to run with any of the policies that he's started only Reagan is too distracted by his surrounding to pay any attention, especially after finding the button to release all of the bombs.

12. Once again, we get another repeat of last season's America Is Turning Gay song and dance.

13. Sylvester School Of Speech Therapy is a sketch where the speech therapist speaks like Sylvester, the cat who trains everyone that he works with to talk with the same over the top cartoony lisp.

14. We then went to a motel room where Ron Howard attempts to make a deal with his very first hooker then goes on to interview her about her past in an attempt to make the whole experience less awkward, and he ends up talking to everyone in the establishment as they all try to work through their issues.

15. The Clash then returns to the stage to perform Should I Stay Or Should I Go.

16. Nukes Are For Kooks is kind of a Twilight Zone sketch where everyone in the town carries a nuclear warhead to make sure the town stays safe. Piscopo attempts to rob the town story and get threatened with nuclear annihilation only to walk away scot-free when he calls everyone in the store's bluff after pointing out that they'd just blow up as well.

17. Finally, Ron Howard closes the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts backstage with random interesting characters wandering around while Robin Duke informs us that the news is running late due to election coverage which is also leading them to use two smaller studios on separate floors instead of the one large studio that they are used to. She also lets us know that the host is running late as she checks in with the rest of the cast. We eventually learn the Howard Hesseman is running late because he's drunk as he shows up wasted on the back of a Harley and he brings back, "Live from New York..."!!!

2. Howard Hesseman then officially opens the show by continuing to play drunk. He then straightens up to do his monolog about his excitement to be invited back to the show. He also shared how he's the first crossover host between the original cast and this group of Not Ready For Prime Time Players and how everyone is calling him a sellout whore for not being loyal to the original cast. He goes on to defend trying new things especially when it comes to comedy while at the same time calling out this new cast and crew to stop being too friendly and polite and step up to play a more edgy game in a Belushi-like rant.

3. We then get a fake ad for an upcoming Playboy edition featuring The Girls Of Saturday Night Live.

4. We then go to the home of the man who designed the DeLorean who is now selling cocaine to make up for his failure of a car line. I don't know if he was part of a real scandal similar to this, but the audience seems to be entertained by this otherwise boring sketch, that is unless these people were just at a time and age where one might get excited just by the reference of cocaine?

5. This is followed by a parody of Good Morning America. I don't remember the collection of GMA hosts from that time, and since they were mainly making fun of their personalities, I didn't really get the references, and the mocking wasn't funny enough on its own.

6. Men At Work then hit the stage to perform Who Can It Be Now.

7. Gary Kroeger then returns home from college for the holidays where he comes out of the closest that he's straight which breaks his father's heart.

8. Next, we go to the Caribbean where Sweetchuck and Mary Gross are on vacation and seemed to have stumbled into a not so friendly local bar. Eddie Murphy asks for their passports then accuses Sweetchuck of being The Iguana as it turns out this nerd had a serious history with a local drug lord and that he's living a double life where he is actually a powerful badass.

9. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, the first news story answers my question about the DeLorean sketch. Sweetchuck gets a segment where he bashes The New York Post. Julia Louis-Dreyfus gets a segment where she announces a contest where they ask the viewers to solve the issues in the Middle East in exchange for a chance to win a prize, and Piscopo gives us the sports.

10. We then go to a funeral where the body in the casket is butt naked which shocks everyone that views the body in hilarious ways but then never fully explain why he made the decision to be buried naked in the first place.

11. Bill Irwin then takes to the stage for a prop comedy routine where he dances like a weirdo for half of it, then disappears into a box.

12. Uncle Teddy's Little Theatre is a kid's show hosted by Piscopo as the janitor who throws to a story called Grandpa's Watch about a verbally abusive family who gets a pleasant moment alone with his grandfather who seems like he's going to hand him down a watch. It seems like this grandfather is the nice guy of the bunch until he tries to talk the kid into suicide to the point where he gives him a gun which the kid uses to rob the grandpa of his watch and whatever money was on him.

13. Men At Work then return to the stage to perform Down Under.

14. The Amazing Ronco Answer Book is a fake ad for a book that answers the questions about all of the weird questions asked in the wackier of the TV commercials.

15. Finally, Howard Hesseman closes the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts out in the makeup room where Michael Keaton is practicing his monolog. Eddie Murphy then enters the room and Keaton asks him for advice. Eddie says he'll do perfectly fine as long as he remembers the lines because the audience doesn't like when the host read off of the cue cards. This is when the director enters the room to inform everyone that the cue card guy was sent to the hospital and took the cue cards with him. This gets Keaton to really freak out, and the fact that everyone else is calm doesn't help especially when the Gary Kroeger enters the scene and shares that there have been many changes to the script which sends Keaton out of the room in a panic leaving Eddie alone to announce, "Live from New York..."

2. Michael Keaton then officially opens the show with a monolog where he admits that he would rather be out trick-or-treating and then goes into a bit of a stand-up routine and makes for a pretty decent comedian.

3. The Interesting Four then return for another segment where they drop by Mary Gross's house on Halloween. At first, she thinks that they are just trick-or-treaters that leads to a repeat of their entire introduction, which alone is about the length of an average sketch. We then go back to the scene where we learn that The Interesting Four have dropped by because of reports that someone has been handing out coffee to the children as Halloween treats after we've just seen that she is the guilty party. Mary tries her hardest to deny that it's her but in true villain form she has to openly admit her plan only The Interesting Four are too inept to believe her and she easily gets away. Seiko uses his powers to go back in time three seconds which only puts them all in an endless loop, well, at least for a little while.

4. A Sense Of Fear is a show hosted by Michael Palin who is playing a Vincent Price-type character who introduces a scary story. He then goes on to tell a story that turns out to be a narration of what is happening within the room while he seems unaware until he gets in too deep.

5. Thank You, Ron Reagan is a fake commercial that shows trickle-down economics in perspective by highlighting the extreme difference between the upper and lower class.

6. Julia Louis-Dreyfus then brings Sweetchuck home after what seems to be the first date. At first, it's awkward as he tries to figure out a way to stay over only to get ten times more awkward when she introduces him to her Teddy Bear and expects him to carry on a conversation with her comforting toy but he's so desperate for sex that he reluctantly plays along.

7. Joe Jackson then takes to the stage to perform Steppin' Out.

8. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week they cover a lot of the midterm elections when up until his point they seemed to only focus on elections during the presidential race. Mary Gross also delivers smile filled, fear mongering, report on the election where she recommends that we cut everything because she finds the entire system to be worthless. Eddie Murphy returns as his movie review character to talk about the rumors that Liberace was gay while trying to share obvious evidence that he is while vehemently claiming that he isn't.

9. We then go to "Bill Smith's" political campaign where he thanks the attendees humbly before we go behind the scenes to show how he acts in real life where he's actually a doubt filled politician who is being controlled by his handlers. We then go back to the stage where The Love Brothers perform Moving On Up as this episode seems to be falling into the convoluted long winded sketch trap that at best leads to mediocre results as we go back to the room once again to see that "Bill Smith's" wife is having an affair.

10. Topol The Idiot is a sketch/story told/performed by Michael Palin and the cast with the premise that the story was originally written in another language leading to interesting misinterpretations of slang.

11. The Nutty President is a parody of the Nutty Professor where Ronald Reagan transforms into the nerdy professor in the process of giving a speech about the economy.

12. Joe Jackson then returns to the stage to perform Another World.

13. We then get a repeat of the Halloween-themed short film where they carve into a pumpkin that is filled with blood and guts that ends up looking like a traditional Jack-O-Lantern.

14. Finally, Michael Keaton closes the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts with a parody of the Merv Griffin Show, featuring the real Merv Griffin who begins with a monolog of his own. He then goes on to interview Robert Blake as himself, highlighting how much on a maniac he is. Piscopo and Julia watch from backstage and don't seem all that impressed. Meanwhile, Robert Blake is building in rage back in the world of the sketch. He storms out of the sketch only to catch Piscopo and Julia talking trash which sends him into maniac mode leading him to punch Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the gut rather than get physical with Piscopo. He then goes on to talk against battering women, which is kind of weird considering the fact that he killed his wife, but this was decades before that happened, so the sketch simply ends with Merv announcing, "Live from New York..."

2. Robert Blake then officially opens the show with a monolog about being happy to be back on stage and share the fact that he was part of The Little Rascals. The monolog then shifts to be more of a sketch as he has a reunion with his childhood friends with the standouts being Mary Gross as Alfalfa, Piscopo as Froggy and Eddie Murphy as Buckwheat.

3. We then go inside the space shuttle where the group of four astronauts sign off from ground control to go to sleep. As soon as two of the astronauts leave, Eddie announces that he's in love with Joe Piscopo which freaks him out to the point where he wants to abandon the mission. The other astronauts return causing Eddie to jump back into the closet which causes Piscopo to look crazy when he tries to share his concerns. This sketch was kind of interesting because it came off more that Piscopo was uncomfortable with the fact that Eddie was coming onto him while not really being homophobic even though I'm sure many viewers from the time saw it more like a horror scene.

4. Next was a PBS Promo showing what one of their ads would look like if it were done by a major network.

5. This was followed by a Talent Show with cheesy acts from a small town that is until Eddie Murphy shows up with his reggae band who perform the song Kill The White People (But Buy My Record First.) This gets the entire audience to leave.

6. According to one of my references, The Best Little Whore House On The Prairie is a sketch that is damn near impossible to find anywhere but based on how much padding there is to the repeat airing this sketch must have run very long.

7. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Joe Piscopo gives us the sports, Mary Gross carries on the sports discussion about the retirement of Sugar Ray Leonard by pointing out other sports figures who should retire, and Sweetchuck's doctor character gets a segment on orgasms with a list of funny names.

8. Kenny Loggins then takes to the stage to perform Heart To Heart.

9. Masterful Theatre returns and this week, Sweetchuck presents a performance called Airheads Revisited where we go to a stuffy British party where Eddie Murphy and Piscopo play brother and Eddie realizes he may just be adopted. Robert Blake wonders around as the butler who keeps asking the man of the house about the laundry with no idea what he is talking about. It's an interesting sketch, but it's too weird and random to clearly explain why.

10. Eddie Murphy then takes the stage and reads a letter from a young fan whose favorite Eddie material is the stuff that talks about his hatred or whites. Eddie then goes on to explain that he actually loves white people and then goes on to share a few funny examples of the white people he is rather fond of.

11. No More Andy Kaufman is another segment that I wasn't able to find. In the prior show that was hosted by Michael Keaton, they announce Kaufman as a special guest, but he never ended up on the air. I don't know if he was a no-show, or kicked off, but I'm guessing this has to do with the announcement that according to my reference was given by Dick Ebersol.

12. Kenny Loggins then returns to the stage to perform I Gotta Try.

13. DTV is an MTV parody channel where the D stands for Death.

14. Finally, Robert Blake closes the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts in Drew Barrymore's dressing room that is set up to look exactly like a little kids room. The cast is jealous of the special treatment and a bit upset that they'll have to work with such a young kid but then Drew enters. She’s turned out to be just as frustrated by a bulk of Dick Ebersol's decisions and asks for a hard drink which is sad in retrospect but instantly wins everyone over as she announces, "Live from New York..."

2. Drew Barrymore then officially opens the show with a little help from Sweetchuck as he helps her answer questions from the audience in place of a monolog. This question and answer session seems legit instead of something scripted like they've done in the past. The monolog ends with Sweetchuck introducing Drew to his monkey son from the I Married A Monkey sketch

3. For the third time, I've been promised the short film/fake ad The Web and this time I finally get to see it, and it turns out that The Web is a home security device that traps potential burglars in their own homes before they can even attempt to commit the crime.

4. This was followed by a parody of E.T. where in this version Gertie kills E.T. just because felt like it and has zero remorse as her two older brothers try to explain why she was wrong. Eventual, Eddie Murphy as Mr. T bursts through the door to track down his son "E" with the last name "T" who was in the freezer in the families attempt to bring him back to life just like the alien Spewey from Get A Life.

5. Gary Kroeger then takes the stage to announce the Andy Kaufman Phone-In Contest referencing Dick Ebersol's banishment announcement from last week that I couldn't find anywhere on the internet. The contest in question is another call-in stunt (which I love) where the audience gets to vote on Andy's future with the show and whether or not he'll be banned.

6. We then get another installment of The Whiners where this week the pouty couple attempts to adopt a child. Drew Barrymore plays a troubled child that doesn't want to go home with anyone because she hates everything. The other option is a perfect child that seems to be the obvious choice but considering it's the Whiners, it turns out that Drew is actually a perfect fit.

7. Squeeze then hits the stage to perform Annie Get Your Gun.

8. We then get an update on the Andy Kaufman Phone-In Contest where Eddie Murphy takes to the street to get the public's opinion, and there seems to be a 50/50 split. The first votes are Keep Andy: 38,945 Dump Andy: 48,838 proving that America has always been horrible at voting.

9. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Sweetchuck gets a segment where he criticizes Rupert Murdoch for his horrible approach toward "journalism," and Joe Piscopo gives us the sports where he discusses football alternative to turn to because of the strike that apparently was going down that year.

10. Sweetchuck and Julia are out on a blind date. Julia keeps complaining that she was expecting more excitement until Sweetchuck randomly throws her in to assist him with an emergency brain surgery where she so flummoxed that she can barely keep up with the demands which eventually leads the patient's death.

11. We then got another update on the Andy Kaufman Phone-In Contest where we see the votes are Keep Andy: 105,316 and Dump Andy: 134,691 which is followed by a recap of his show history.

12. This was followed by the final rehearsal at the community theater where Mr. Blunt returns to direct a rag-tag group of actors for their upcoming performance of Oklahoma.

13. We then got another real quick update on the Andy Kaufman Phone-In Contest where Piscopo just gives out the numbers needed to vote.

14. Sweetchuck then babysits Drew, and she dressed him like E.T. when he was disguised as a woman which leads to a reenactment of Mommy Dearest in a sketch that felt like it was shortened for time.

15. This is followed by a classroom scene where Gary Kroeger gets busted for passing notes which makes him feel like a complete loser until he hears the voice of Zeus who takes him on as a friend and sends a lightning bolt through the teacher for embarrassing him in front of the class. Zeus also helps with a bully and acts as a Cyrano De Bergerac type as he helps Gary to get the girl, only she's totally turned off by all the God talk which gets her the lightning bolt as well.

16. Squeeze then returns to the stage to perform Pulling Muscles From A Shell.

17. Robin Duke then has a talk with Drew Barrymore about her biological clock and how she regrets choosing her career over having a child. Until Drew speaks with that youthful honesty gets Robin to change her mind.

18. Andy Kaufman Phone-In Contest Results, Keep Andy: 169,186, Dump Andy: 195,544 meaning that he was then officially banned from the show.

19. Finally, Drew Barrymore closes the show by thanking the audience and saying her goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts with a parody of The Tonight Show where Tommy Smothers looks the part of Johnny Carson even though his impersonation is a little off. I can't tell who's playing Ed because whoever it is, wears a bizarre looking fat mask. The first guest is Eddie as Bill Cosby who rambles on about something. Then they bring out Dick Smothers who breaks the bit when "Johnny" is only interested in discussing Dick's famous brother who is actually himself. The sketch ends with a brotherly bickering fight before they both announce, "Live from New York..."

2. The Smothers Brothers then officially open the show by skipping the monolog to sing the Man Of La Mancha theme song complete with The Smothers Brother brand of comedic banter strategically placed throughout the performance.

3. We then got a repeat of the Thank You, Ronald Reagan ad where we see trickle-down economics at work.

4. Eddie Murphy then plays a man on the ledge of a building who is threatening to jump while Mary Gross plays his wife who is trying to talk him down. Where it turns out he is going to jump because of her racist behavior which the guilt causes her to jump instead. His boss is the next to try to talk Eddie out of jumping which ends with white guilt causing him to take his life as well. Tommy Smother them comes around the corner, but it turns out he's just a fellow jump and quickly leaves to find his own ledge. This is followed by a priest who also ends up jumping due to his guilt which causes Eddie to realize with all of these stressors now out of his life, the future is looking okay.

5. We then get a Safe Sex PSA that advises viewers to use condoms after seeing Tommy Smothers struggle to keep up with the rules of a children's See-And-Say type of toy.

6. We then go to a man on the street interview segment where the question is asked, "If you were a homosexual, who would you find attractive?" For such a traditionally homophobic time it's funny how quickly these people come up with answers.

7. Next is a sketch that takes place at a truck stop diner where we get a song and dance devoted to the Truck Driving Woman which is also the name of the song.

8. We then went to a group of friends watching TV when all of a sudden they lose the picture which causes everyone in the room to see the world as it really is minus the distractions caused by technology. Once the novelty of reality wears out, they instantly start to jump down each other's throats and then fall back into a trans the second the TV returns. Replace TV with the internet, and this totally could be from today.

9. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, "Ted Kennedy" checks in to explain why he doesn't plan to run for president. The CEO of PBS also drops by to rebut the sketch from a couple episodes again where they joked that the channel wasn't stuffy anymore because he wants to reassure the audience that PBS hasn't changed and is still as stuffy as ever. Robin Duke plays a cop who advises tourist on how to avoid New York scams, and Sweetchuck drops in as Gandhi's former best friend to share his line of Guru style ramblings.

10. Laura Branigan then takes to the stage to perform Gloria.

11. Solomon And Pudge then return for another visit where they pretty much do the same routine as every other visit, but I still like this combo of characters.

12. Dick Smothers then does a "Magic Act" he turns a handkerchief into an origami bow that also could look like a bra which "offends" Tommy Smothers who starts to apologize on behalf of his brother who easily distracts him with a song.

13. The Inside Story is a show that shares the insights of a woman who made a lot of money by selling the story rights of her serial killer boyfriend.

14. Handsome Men With Big Noses is a talk show where Brad Hall and Gary Kroeger complement one another on their big noses which leads the two to point out every single flaw on each other's face ending on the compliment that when put together these flaws make them look wonderful which barely relieves the passive-aggressive tension.

15. Laura Branigan then returned to the stage to perform Living A Lie.

16. Finally, The Smothers Brothers close out the show but thanking the audience and saying their goodnights, which is then followed by everyone jumping off the ledge from the Eddie Murphy suicide sketch.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts in the dressing room where Eddie Murphy announces that he will be taking over, costar from 48hrs, Nick Nolte's hosting duties because he's fallen ill. He finishes the intro by also announcing, "Live from New York, it's The Eddie Murphy Show."

2. Eddie Murphy then opens the show with a monolog where he acts like he's not part of the cast as he parodies an average host's intro before performing a bit of his stand-up routine where he tells a joke that eventually becomes a sketch and finishes with his impersonation of Stevie Wonder.

3. Rubik's Grenade is a fake ad for the next in the line of Rubik's puzzles where you have to align the colors to stop the Rubik's Grenade from going off.

4. Merry Christmas, Dammit! is a Christmas special hosted by Gumby where we get drop-in from "Donnie and Marie" who make out at the end of their song, Gumby tells the children a grumpy Christmas tale, a trio of "Don Kings" sing us a tune and "Frank Sinatra" does his thing as he sings cartoon theme songs.

5. Harry Anderson returns to the show to perform another one of his comedic magic routines.

6. We then get some old school '80s racism that I'm actually surprised that there's not more of from this time. In the sketch, Lee Iacocca announces his pride in his car companies made in America stance despite being in a room full of Asians reminding him that all of his products are made in Japan. If it wasn't for the logo at the end that reads Clysler-Prymouth this sketch was actually more about pointing out the hypocrisy of corporate America. So, at least when it comes to Asians, the show reverted back to the old ways where the innocent are hit with shrapnel while trying to make a point.

7. We then go to a recital filled with what seems to be horrible dancing until we find out that we are actually at the Kensington Dance Theatre For The Blind. It turns out that the dancers are not actually blind, but they are dancers that perform for the blind which is why they can keep performing while being so bad.

8. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Sweetchuck drops in as his scientist character to explore funny Christmas themed words, Robin Duke plays an old lady who drops in with advice for lonely geriatric during the holiday season which mainly involving drinking and celebrating on your own, and Mary Gross drops in to complain about Christmas as her aggravated ranting character that I love.

9. Lionel Richie then takes to the stage to perform You Are.

10. Hairem Scarem is a panel talk show where guests discuss the hair salon nightmares and Eddie Murphy plays a hair stylist who provides advice on how to fix their horrible doos.

11. We then meet The Herpes Family where the father just got promoted to herpes simplex two and the family lives like a bunch of terrorists defending their way of life despite their host attempts to get rid of them.

12. Lionel Richie then returns to the stage to perform Truly.

13. We then get a repeat of The Meaning Of Christmas which is a sketch from season seven where Mary Gross interviews children on the street about Christmas, and all of their answers have to do with how capitalist the season has grown to be.

14. Julia Louis-Dreyfus then returns as her televangelist character to give us A Special Christmas Message where she tells the traditional Christmas story of the birth of Christ in a very modern and snobby way.

15. Finally, Eddie Murphy closes the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights only to be interrupted by Steven Martin who rushed over to ask why he wasn't called in as a fill-in host.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts in Eddie Murphy's dressing room with his entourage now that he's a big star, coming off of the success of 48hrs and last week's "Eddie Murphy Show." Lily Tomlin enters the room and warns Eddie about the destructive path that she sees an outsider that comes with a quick success which ends with her excitedly announcing, "Live from New York, It's the Lily Tomlin Show..."

2. Lily Tomlin then opens the show with a monolog where she discusses her nerves when it comes to hosting a live show and then goes on to list a whole bunch of other things that cause her both rational and irrational worries.

3. We then get a Public Survival Announcement which is shot on film and follows one of Lily Tomlin's characters as she "frugally" navigates a grocery store giving pointers on how to survive on a budget which mainly involves eating as you go and not paying for it.

4. Lily Tomlin's Ma Bell Saleswoman character returns, this time she's not a commercial pitch person but is out in the field to confiscate a family's non-regulation phone and leave them with a reminder that the phone company is listening to every call to force them to buy the company branded phone.

5. Speaking As A Woman is a talk show where Sweetchuck interview "Dustin Hoffman" as Tootsie and "Joan Rivers" as "herself" but both are being played by men. I think the joke of the sketch is that Dustin is the more feminine of the two because "Joan" is extra loud and obnoxious which wasn't as acceptable at that time.

6. We then get a Public Service Announcement that takes us back to the store from the Public Survival Announcement where another Lily Tomlin character warns us to stock up on plastics before they all run out.

7. Edith Ann's Storytime is a sketch where Lily Tomlin and Julia Louis-Dreyfus play little girls by sitting in a giant rocking chair and the two battle to tell a story in a way that only children can.

8. Solomon and Pudge return for another segment. Once again, it's the same routine that I love only this time Solomon got a new suit that was splashed by a passing car with is the jump-off point for their conversation. Lily Tomlin drops by the bar, looking for an old colored fellow because she wants to pay the cleaning costs because she drove the car that splashed him. She then joins in on their celebration.

9. Lily Tomlin's Bag Lady Tess character then pushes her way through the audience to get to her seat then does a bit of improv to entertain the surrounding crowd with her crazy alien conspiracy theories.

10. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, we see a commercial that Andy Kaufman was personally paying for in small markets in an attempt to get back on the show, Piscopo gives us the sports, and Sweetchuck's Gandhi looking guru character gives some more advice on life with more new age double talk.

11. Purvis Hawkins then takes the stage to sing We Care, only Purvis Hawkins turns out to be a male black R&B singer that is played by Lily Tomlin. Though the look is on point, the voice makes the performance very bizarre.

12. Fantasy is a daytime show parody where audience members are given opportunities to live out their dreams in very ironic ways. For example, Sweetchuck plays a one-armed man who wins the chance to collect money in one of those wind tunnel machines.

13. The Irish Radio Hour is an old-timey radio show where the cast gets to practice their Irish stereotypes

14. Coffees Of The World is a fake ad for a brand of coffee that is flavored to share the more questionable favorite flavors from around the world. For example, the Swedish coffee is flavored with Herring and so on and so on...

15. We then get yet another repeat of the fake ad for the Jogger Motel which is a parody of the Roach Motel only it kills joggers in Central Park.

16. Finally, Lily Tomlin closes the show by thanking the audience and saying her goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts with Dave Thomas as Bob Hope who is hosting a Super Bowl party. Rick Moranis plays Woodie Allen and shows up as the first guest, followed by Piscopo as Frank Sinatra. It turns out this party is a ploy to get Woody Allen to trick the liberals into voting for Reagan to keep him in the office for another four years and we find out the Sinatra is also fixing the big game just to show Woody his power. Woody shamefully gives in before announcing, "Live from New York..."

2. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas then officially opened the show with a monolog as Bob and Doug McKenzie where the two just McKenzie it up for a couple moments in a very amusing way.

3. We then went down to the street where Bob and Doug explored the streets of New York as they visit landmarks and talk to the man on the street and continue to McKenzie it up.

4. The Whiners then get caught up in a hostage situation during a bank robbery where Piscopo ends up getting shot because he is so annoying.

5. I'll Be The Judge Of That is a PBS style game show hosted by "Dick Cavett" where he asks contestants questions and then judges their answer based on his personal opinion which seems impossible to figure out, however, Eddie's "Kill My Landlord," poet character gets every question right partially due to intimidation but sometimes he's just correct.

6. The Bus Boys then took to the stage to perform The Boys Are Back In Town.

7. We then get a black and white sketch where we are at some sort of hotel. It seems a bit like the Watergate break-in with a Hitchcock feel to it. The person doing the break-in drops some blood on one of the documents. We then go to a dentist who is furious with the thief as it turns out the blood came from his gums, and this was actually a PSA about dental hygiene.

8. Guy Talk is a talk show hosted by Piscopo where he interviews "Liberace" and "Michael Jackson" about manly stuff and gets manly answers in very effeminate tones.

9. Gerry Todd's Porta-Dish is an infomercial of a sketch to promote the portable satellite dish that is actually made out of fine China, and we get to see all of the bizarre channels that are available.

10. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Joe Piscopo gives us the sports and focuses on the next day's Super Bowl. We see footage of Barbie the Nazi, "Dr. Ruth" drops in for a segment to discuss sexual dysfunction, Eddie discussed the issues with Reagan denying a holiday for Martin Luther King Jr, and "Walter Cronkite" drops in to judge Brad Hall's sign off.

11. Hell Bent For Glory is another black and white sketch that takes place during one of the World Wars. In it, a soldier's been shot and is about to die when a blind French local arrives and aids the medics to help him. When the soldiers hear that the injury is worse than the medic is putting on, Eddie gets more concerned than the actual injured soldier. He knows as the only black guy that he's the next in line to die and the captain confirms these fears as if he knows the future which he does because he's actually read the script.

12. We then went to a house party where Gary Kroeger tries to tell a joke, but it completely bombs. The sketch then turned into a fake ad for Ed McMahon For Rent where he'll laugh at every dumb joke to help make you the star of the party.

13. Five Minutes To Reflect is a religious show hosted by Rick Moranis as a rabbi who shares some of the missing books from the Old Testament but gets cut off before he can get into the details and complains the entire time the camera pans out.

14. Ronco Biological Watch is a fake ad for the literal watch version of the biological clock to remind you when you're acting on parental urges.

15. The Bus Boys then returned to the stage to perform New Shoes.

16. We then got a repeat of the Don't Hitch-Hike PSA where Sweetchuck gets picked up by a beautiful woman who makes out with him as they drive over a cliff.

17. Finally, Rick and Dave close the show by thanking the audience and saying their goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts with the cast trying to figure out a way to prove that the show is really live and have nothing but bad ideas until Sid Caesar enters the scene and talks about how there is no such thing as the present being that "now" is a constantly fleeting concept. This week there was also no announcement of, "Live from New York..." as the discussion kind of just trails off.

2. Sid Caesar then officially opens the show with a monolog/routine where he talks about his frame of mind while touching on his career.

3. Funeral In A Cab is a fake ad for just that, a funeral in a cab for those who don't have the time or money for proper body disposal.

4. We then get a follow up from the last visit from The Whiners where Piscopo was shot as a hostage, and he annoys the hell out of Sid who is his hospital room neighbor, to the point where he tries to strangle the couple with hospital equipment.

5. Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warens then took to the stage to perform Up Where We Belong.

6. We then went to a man on the street segment where New Yorkers were asked "Who Do You Hate?" and they give some pretty funny answers.

7. Sid Caesar and Mary Gross then find themselves in a hotel together with connecting rooms for a business trip. In one room, Mary is the aggressor and wants to start an affair, but the moment that Sid passes through the connecting door he's transplanted to a world that is black and white. It’s as if it's the past and he's the one that's up for shenanigans as if he's stuck in some sort of bizarro time warp.

8. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Julia Louis-Dreyfus gets a segment where she discusses her mother's denial that she is sexually active when all she wants is birth control, Mary Gross rants, and raves about the latest national budget while listing agencies that should be cut, and Sweetchuck drops buy as his doctor character with a list of funny new words for suicide. It's fun but it goes on forever, and my modern mind doesn't really have the patience for such a long silent film in less I am in the mood and have actively sought it out because I do actually like the silent genre when I actually am in the right mood. (Clip 2)

9. Harry Anderson then returns to the show to perform another of his comedy/magic act.

10. Crime And Self-Punishment is a silent film parody of Crime and Punishment where Sid really gets to shine with his very expressive acting.

11. We then got another installment of A Few Moments With Andy Rooney that parodies the real Andy Rooney's famous 60 Minutes segment from the time.

12. We then get a News Extra where Sid Caesar's hobo professor character gives us a lecture about how America may be losing ground when it comes to manufacturing jobs, but we still make the world's best soap operas.

13. Joe Cocker then takes to the stage alone to sing Seven Days.

14. Finally, Sid Caesar closes the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts with a note to the viewer to have their cameras ready to take pictures during the monolog because this is going to be a historical one.

2. We then go backstage where Howard Hesseman gets warned by the entire cast to not talk against Reagan, or it would be career suicide. He doesn't feel all that concerned and just wants to provide a voice for the people of America who agree with him, and he confidently announces, "Live from New York..."

3. Howard Hesseman then officially opens the show with his historical monolog where he rambles for a while to kill time while the home viewer is getting their cameras. He then makes the announcement that he is going to moon the current US president and invites the home audience to moon an image of Ronald Reagan, take a photo and send it in.

4. Sleepy Boy 2000 is a fake ad for an anti-car-alarm system that blows up cars that go off in the middle of the night so that you can get a solid night's sleep.

5. We then went to an auto shop where Eddie Murphy gets hit by a car which for some reason turn him into the reincarnation of Elvis Presley. He sings a medley of Elvis tunes as if it were just another day but then freaks out when he turns to the mirror and finds that he's now a black man.

6. Mad Magazine Theatre is a show hosted by Piscopo as Alfred E. Neuman. He pitches to a parody film called The Windbags Of War that is making for of a recent mini-series called The Winds Of War. The parody was pretty interesting because it was more comic book-like in style and written with much more randomness that doesn't really add to the story. Also, visually it was shot to look like the panels in a comic book which was also an interesting touch.

7. West Heaven was a music video/tribute to the late John Belushi.

8. We then got a fake ad for The A-Team where "Mr. T" promotes the show while Rex Reed interrupts to give an on the spot critical evaluation.

9. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Sweetchuck's guru character gets a segment where he gets to do his line of new age jokes, Sweetchuck also gets a segment as a historian to share the truth about George Washington's lies.

10. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers then took to the stage to perform Change Of Heart.

11. We then went to a Holiday Inn were Sweetchuck, and Mary Gross got a free room because of an issue with their flight, so they decide to splurge and order room service. Mary orders The Fiesta Cheese Platter that turns out to be a very involved Mexican-themed ordeal that gets Mary and Sweetchuck excited. His order, however, was the Bavarian Pork Surprise which turns out to be served with a Nazi-theme which brings the entire room.

12. We then went to a woman's salon to get caught up with Eddie Murphy's gay stylist character named Dion who gossips it up with the girls.

13. Howard Hesseman then played the pitchman for The Laughing Buddha which is a prank shop that sells tricks to play on your enlightened friends.

14. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers then returns to the stage to perform The Waiting.

15. Howard Hesseman then closes the show by thanking the audience and say his goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts with what seems to be the opening monolog as Beau and Jeff let us know that this is the first time that they've worked together unless you count the family plays that they used to put on when they were children. This leads to two to bring up childhood issues from back in those days until Lloyd Bridges calls in and advises them to box it out like they used to do when they were kids.

2. Beau and Jeff Bridges then officially open the show with the boxing match that was built up in the opening sketch where we see through a thought bubble that Lloyd Bridges is equally encouraging to both boys but also knows both of their weaknesses to the point where they realize that he's actually the one to blame.

3. We then got a fake ad for Texxon Oil where they first promote all of the positive things that they are doing for the community then use these examples as a threat of what they will take away if you vote for any form of regulation.

4. Next was a sketch that took place at a family's house on the night of Julia Louis-Dreyfus's prom, and it turns out that she has a pimple and is too embarrassed to leave her room. She finally comes down, and the pimple is huge which causes everyone to openly freak out while not easing any of the embarrassment. Magically, the Bridges brothers show up and leave her feeling more confident until it was revealed that they too were actually freaked out.

5. We then went to Rick's Cafe which is a parody of Casablanca if it were to take place in an Aspen ski resort with Eddie as the Bogart character. Unfortunately, I'm not up on Casablanca which might be required to find this sketch to be all that funny because it feels a little dry minus enough knowledge of the reference material.

6. Randy Newman then took to the stage to perform I Love LA.

7. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Sweetchuck gets another segment where he rips on The New York Post which is one of my favorite recurring news bit. Howard Hesseman also drops in for an update on his call for photos from the home audience who mooned their TVs while he showed a picture of Reagan during his last visit and is a bit amazed that he got a pretty negative response. He also shared how he's disappointed that he doesn't have a picture to share. "Dr. Ruth" drops in to talk about the rise in teenagers having sex, and Piscopo drops in with the sports where he interviews "Herschel Walker."

8. Cheap Hunt is a parody of Sea Hunt which was a show starring Lloyd Bridges, so the boys get a chance to take a few shots at their dad but once again, I am not familiar enough with the reference content, and it wasn't all that funny on its own

9. We then went to a suburban household where the husband comes home late and is greeted with a beating from an extremely aggressive Mary Gross. During the aftermath when the cops arrive the battered husband just gets laughed out for taking this abuse from his wife which I'm sure wouldn't go over as comedy today because it felt on the verge of being a genuine PSA.

10. Next, we went to Sandra's House Of Massage where Beau gets surprised to find that Jeff is a Swedish guy named Sandra, which leads to some homophobic second thoughts while not being anti-gay because this Sandra character also has a bit of an erotic technique which includes both men getting oiled up.

11. Randy Newman then returned to the stage to perform Real Emotional Girl.

12. This was followed by a sketch where Jeff Bridges addresses the National Organization of Woman which sends Robin Duke into fantasy mode where she sings a show tune style song called Guy Crazy while ignoring what he actually has to say.

13. Beau and Jeff then close the show by thanking the audience and saying their goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts with Gary Kroeger drunk in a camel costume complaining to Julia Louis-Dreyfus about how little air time. It takes her a moment to even realize that he is talking before she informs him the one sketch that he was written in as a character turned out to be cut from the show. Sweetchuck then enters the scene and piles on to Gary's misery by letting him know that his family is in town and didn't tell him. This leads him to put a gun to his head and announce, "Live from New York..." and when he pulls the trigger, a flag pops out that reads, "It's Saturday Night."

2. Bruce Dern then officially opens the show with a monolog where he talks about what he wants to do during this visit to make this show better than his last hosting duty after explaining he's tired of being famous as a bad guy. This is interesting since my problem with his previous spot was that he came across as a real deal jerk. I like how he then goes on to blame the audience for encouraging such bad behavior.

3. Buckwheat Jeans is a parody of an old Jordache Jeans ad from the time only with Buckwheat as the spokesmodel who claims that the pants are "Otay."

4. The Donny and Marie's St. Patrick's Day Special was a parody of a traditional network holiday celebrity special filled with guests from the day and horrible music.

5. We then got a newsbreak that interrupts the St. Patrick's Day Special sketch. It's a Special Report where "Ted Koppel" announces, "Buckwheat has been shot." We then got to the see the footage followed by an interview from Alfalfa which is just an excuse to reshow the assassination attempt which they do again and again and again until they announce he is dead which gives them a reason to replay the shooting even more before we get a mini-tribute to his childhood career.

6. We then get a heads up that this is going to be a sketch where Bruce Dern does not go psycho. The sketch is called The Home For Disgusting Practices which is introduced like a soap opera of a sketch that takes place in more of a mental institute than a home for disgusting practices. Bruce Dern plays the counselor whose job is to rein in these space cadets. I could see this being pretty fun at the time because of how over the top the acting was but through modern eyes can't help but see it as a sketch that would be considered insensitive. Especially when Bruce says that he wishes they are dead as he breaks the non-psychopath disclaimer which broke the scene before I got too hung up with these modern thoughts.

7. Leon Redbone then took to the stage to perform Sweet Sue.

8. We then got a real quick "commercial spot" for the upcoming TV special, The Buckwheat Story where the announcer informs us that Buckwheat will be played by Byron Allen.

9. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, we start with more Buckwheat coverage. Sweetchuck drops in as his scientist character to share funny words for venereal diseases. Mary Gross gets a segment where she discusses the St. Patrick's Day parade that was getting protested that year for mob-related reasons but she suggests the Irish double down on their drinking to keep it a special day.

10. Bruce Dern then came out as Gumby to tell a leprechaun story to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, only to get called out by Eddie as the "Real Gumby" who harshly puts him in his place.

11. Eddie and Piscopo then start a string of racist ads beginning with this one for Old Negro Beer

12. The songwriting duo Schleimer and Laub return to the show to come up with songs for Bruce Dern's plan for a musical about the depression and the two do their best to pull it off. Despite how dark the lyrics are, the tone is very old-timey and uplifting.

13. Old Jew Beer was a follow up to the Old Negro Beer sketch.

14. We then went to a house where Bruce and Mary nerd out as they finish off a crossword puzzle. A stranger drops by who is also a nerd dressed exactly like Dern and claims to be looking for his father. It turns out that the couple did lose their kid in a grocery store, but despite all the obvious signs they still fail but put it together that this is their son as he continues on with his quest.

15. Old Chinaman Beer rounds out the trilogy of these racist beer ads that is offensive but in a way reminds me of Paul Newman's line of ethnic foods.

16. Jerry Lewis School Of Manners is a class hosted by Eddie Murphy as a Nutty Professor-style teacher who teaches a class on manners and a very Jerry Lewis way. One of the students isn't pleased with the course and demands her money back which requires means that she needs to speak with the principal who is played by Piscopo who is portraying serious interview Jerry who puts her in her place with his brand of misogyny that often comes out when he's not acting on the screen.

17. Leon Redbone then returned to the stage to perform When You Wish Upon A Star, and I Ain't Got Nobody back to back.

18. Finally, Bruce Dern closes the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts with "Ted Koppel" recapping last week's "news story" about Buckwheat's assassination. We then get a profile of the assassin, who is also played by Eddie Murphy and is your typical hard working loner who everyone thought would snap one day because he openly discussed killing Buckwheat as his dream. The sketch ends with the assassin also getting shot to death followed by an endless news loop of the event.

2. Robert Guillaume then officially opens the show with a monolog about why he thinks he was chosen to host and has determined that it's because he's a moderate black who is fed up with both sides in politics and demands a moderate revolt.

3. We then got a repeat of the racist titled Clysler-Prymouth ad that's more of an attack on corporate lies than actually making fun of any one of a particular race.

4. The next sketch took place in the slave days where Robert Guillaume plays a house servant who is happy with his role while Eddie plays a slave from the field who wants to escape and head north to start a music career to sing modern Motown songs that he acts like he's making up on the spot.

5. Heil Hits is a fake ad for a musical album filled with the best pop hits from the Nazi reign with Nazi-themed lyrics to otherwise poppy songs.

6. The Mr. T Birthday Special is a sketch where Robin Duke is dressed like Mr. T and plays his wife as she hosts the "star-studded" tribute for Mr. T's birthday. Like most of these sketches that parody "sketches" there were a lot of impressions of contemporary "celebrities" with a lot of cheesy song and dance. Eddie, as Mr. T eventually does show up with the T kids as a special surprise.

7. We then got another installment of I Married A Monkey where the monkey wife plays a Jane Doe in the hospital suffering from amnesia until Sweetchuck tracks her down and tries to trigger some memories of the family.

8. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Sweetchuck drops by to discuss the best-selling books from the time which was mainly dominated by Garfield and celebrity books with nothing that could be considered as literature, Juliet Louis-Dreyfus drops in to talk like a teen as she picks apart Gone With The Wind, and Brad pitches the SNL News Play Set.

9. Duran Duran then take to the stage to perform Hungry Like The Wolf.

10. Oil Is Us is a fake ad for oil where several "Middle Eastern Rules" play pitchmen who fight amongst one another as they each claim to have the lowest prices while making jabs at each other's countries geopolitical issues from the past.

11. We then got another installment of Solomon and Pudge where it's pretty much the same ramblings between two characters that I love only this time Robert Guillaume plays Solomon's nephew who is also a gynecologist and wants Solomon to move in with the family instead of an old folk's home.

12. Duran Duran then return to the stage to perform Girls On Film.

13. Brad Hall then picks up a pay phone and dials and breaks up with Julia Louis-Dreyfus the moment she picks up the phone. The two instantly start to fight, but we eventually found out that it was a wrong number when Julia asks about returning the engagement ring and Brad has no idea what she's talking about.

14. Finally, Robert Guillaume closes the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts with the Whiners showing up late, and they have to whine their way into getting seats to watch the taping because their seats had been taken. They have to watch from the overflow area but are so loud that they keep getting told to shut up because they are on the air. When they realize that they are being taped the couple looks to the camera and announces, "Live from New York..." for the first time in several weeks.

2. Joan Rivers then officially opens the show with a monolog/stand-up routine about missing New York City after moving to Beverly Hills and points out the differences which lead to a routine about being an ugly child as well as her miserable upbringing.

3. We then got a visit from the real David Susskind, whoever that is, for a parody of The David Susskind Show where he interviews Buckwheat's bodyguard who is promoting a book called Buckwheat Was A Sleazeball and we see backstage footage of Buckwheat being a jerk.

4. The David Susskind Show then threw to a commercial where we got a fake ad for The Enquire where they highlight a bunch of crazy upcoming stories about the tabloid’s haunted celebrities from the day.

5. The David Susskind show then returned, and David moved on to interview a group of Buckwheat impersonators which might be why I liked the real Buckwheat so much since the show built him up as the next Elvis and my young imagination played along.

6. Dueling Joans was a sketch where the real Joan Rivers and a Joan Rivers off against Piscopo's portrayal of her.

7. We then went to the Academy Awards Ceremony where we overhear a conversation had by the Oscar Statuettes where their social status is based on the category that they are handed out for, and Best Picture is the most arrogant of the bunch.

8. Calvin Klein Industrial Strength Jeans was a sketch that would never fly today because 100% of the humor comes from them making fun of Liz Taylor's weight gain which is why the jeans have to be so sturdy.

9. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Mary Gross stops by as her outraged characters to complain about the lack of Oscar-worthy content for women. Sweetchuck drops by as his Guru character drops in to talk about his new age observations, and "The Secretary of the Interior" drops in to discuss his love of rock music which must have had something to do with recent news.

10. Celebrities in 2040 took us to the retirement home that Joan will be living staying at in the future where she reminisces with an elderly Eddie Murphy about their peers from back in the day.

11. Musical Youth then take to the stage to perform Pass The Dutchie.

12. Club Doolittle is a fake ad for a club owned by Eddie Murphy as an interestingly weird character. This character threw me off because it has absolutely nothing to do with Dr. Doolittle but is a pretty funny sketch, especially as it gets to a point where everyone but Eddie breaks character to mess around to try and get him to break character as well which he does and spends the rest of the sketch trying to recover.

13. Joan Rivers then gave us a bit of her stand-up.

14. We then went down to the Caribbean where we met Eddie Murphy as a Caribbean Gynecologist who is very laid back in an island way when it comes to his profession.

15. Musical Youth then return to the stage to perform Never Going To Give You Up.

16. Finally, Joan Rivers closes the show by thanking the audience and saying her goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's episode starts with Velvet Jones in a fake ad for his latest workout video called The Exercises Of Love that's kind of like a practice in sexual yoga.

2. Susan Saint James then officially opens the show with a monolog where she talks about her life changes since she last hosted the show which includes the fact that she's now married to the producer of the show and then goes on to talk about their sex life which led to her latest kid.

3. Sit On It is a game show where the cast played themselves and had to try and identify famous statues with their butts by sitting on scale models while the contestant had to pick who could figure it out.

4. Tootsie Cosmetics is a line of cosmetics pitch by Gary Kroeger who plays Tootsie from the famous film and tries to showcase the product by applying it to a very reluctant Eddie Murphy who changes his tune the moment he finds out how much the movie Tootsie made.

5. We then got a repeat of the Texxon commercial that first highlights all that they have contributed to society then threatens to take it away if people were to vote for oil regulations.

6. The Hidden Paradise was a sketch where Piscopo and Sweetchuck play men out on a double date who get abandoned by their girlfriends when they go to the bathroom as a pair. This led to a couple cliche jokes about what women do in the bathroom, so the two men disguise themselves as women to see just what goes on in the women's restroom and find a magical world which is even fancier than the restaurant. The men eventually get caught and are sentenced to death for disrespecting some sanctuary law.

7. Michael McDonald then took to the stage to perform If That's What It Takes.

8. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Sweetchuck gets another segment where he bashes the New York Post, "Dr. Ruth" drops by for a segment about old people having sex, and Eddie Murphy drops in to talk about the election of Chicago's first black mayor.

9. Gary Kroeger then played a slacker who has no interest in anything like he's an adult version of a mopey teen or just a run of the mill depressed person who can't be bothered with life. He can't even be bothered to sign a piece of paper that will give him a million bucks. It turns out that the only thing that he's interested in is going to his room to beat off or diddle his fiddle as he says.

10. Steven Wright then dropped by for a segment of stand-up comedy of which, I am still a huge fan.

11. Takin' Care Of Business is another fake ad hosted by "The Secretary Of The Interior" from the time. The ad is for an album filled with pop covers of hit songs from the time only with pro-industry themes.

12. We then got another sketch that mainly makes fun of Asian accents that takes place in the Oval Office and has Reagan having to deal with a Chinese leader while their interpreter excuses himself to go to the bathroom. Not only is the accent humor cringe-worthy, but the sketch also goes on extra-long.

13. Eddie Murphy then kills some time for a minute because the show it's a live show and they needed to come up with some filler. He starts by plugging his movies then does a quick impersonation of Stevie Wonder as he announces Michael McDonald.

14. Michael McDonald then returned to the stage to perform I Can't Let Go Now.

15. Magic Fish Negotiations was a bedtime story being acted out while Susan Saint James reads her child to sleep. In the story, Eddie Murphy gets sent to catch fish for dinner and catches a magical fish played by Mary Gross. She offers Eddie three wishes which leads him to think it's some sort of trap, so he runs off to grab his lawyer to make sure that there of no Monkey's Paw type shenanigans going on, which turned out to be the fish's sinister plan.

16. Finally, Susan Saint James closes the show by thanking the audience and saying her goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show starts with a parody of the V miniseries called VD where I'll give you one guess who the invasion in the parody refers to.

2. Stevie Wonder then officially opened the show by singing a playful song called Fingertips, in place of an opening monolog.

3. This was followed by the classic fake ad for the Kannon AE-1 a camera so advanced, a Stevie Wonder could use it. In the ad, Stevie works the camera to photograph a tennis match, and we get to see the shots he managed to capture.

4. We then go to a sketch where Eddie Murphy is trying to book a singer for The Miss Black Teen America Pageant. He’s having hard luck when Piscopo comes in with the solution which turns out to be Alan: The Stevie Wonder Experience. This leads to a routine where Stevie does a horrible impersonation of himself. Eddie Murphy then does his impersonation to show him how it's done which leads to Stevie doing a real deal performance only to still get turned down.

5. The Hitler Diaries is a sketch where we to hear Hitler's high school girl sounding diary entries (kind of like my Daily Breaker posts) about his days leading up to the start of WWII, complete with funny flashbacks.

6. Stevie Wonder then takes to the stage to perform Overjoyed.

7. Right after the performance, Stevie started to talk about his life. This led to a flashback where we got to see The Story Of Stevie Wonder which is a funny telling of Stevie's life story. Only in this version, he just wanted to “pay tribute” to white music, the same way Elvis was “influenced” by black artists from his time. When we returned from the flashback Stevie singing a Spike Jones inspired version of Very Superstitious before he goes on to admit that he was actually adopted and raised to be British as he starts to sing You Are My Sunshine.

8. We then return to the woman's hair salon to get caught up with Dion. This time he and Piscopo had the opportunity to braid Stevie's hair, but they are both too excited to be able to function well enough to pull it off. This leads Stevie to opt to wear a hat because he doesn't have enough time for these two hairdressers to chill out enough to do their work but he is happy to hear that their fans.

9. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Sweetchuck drops by as his doctor character with various names for different types of impotence. Julia Louis-Dreyfus gets a segment where she makes fun of a model who was recently in the real news for posing nude with a giant boa constrictor. Stevie Wonder was another guest as a British music critic to discuss how he loves that music has grown to be more funky and fun than bogged down with deeper meaning like music of the '60s and '70s.

10. Michael Davis then returned to the show to perform another one of his comedic/juggling acts.

11. We then went to a theme park called Cotton Land where white people can go to work through their white guilt by living the slave life in the controlled environment of a tourist destination.

12. We then went to a fancy restaurant where Sweetchuck and Julia Louis-Dreyfus are and a date and being helped by a Hunchback Busboy who more like Frankenstein in a China shop while just trying to do his job and this ruins the couple's night.

13. Stevie Wonder then returned to the stage to perform Go Home.

14. Stevie Wonder then closed the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights.

The Wicker Breakdown:

1. This week's show skipped the opening sketch to go straight into Ed Koch's opening monolog where he jokes about why he is hosting the show when he just the mayor. He then went on to explain a new FCC rule that lifted the restrictions for editorializing on the TV which allowed him to speak openly about his feelings about Ronald Reagan and goes on to call the president a wacko then complains about Reagan's special treatment when he comes to New York while he is stuck riding the bus.

2. We then went down for some man on the street interviews where a bunch of New Yorkers were asked, "What's the most disgusting thing that you've seen in New York?" which gets some pretty funny answers.

3. Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood finally returned to teach the children what it takes to be an "Ontapanure" aka entrepreneur aka a fencer who sells stolen goods until the police arrive and we learn what a fire escape is as he bails out with his "merchandise."

4. We then went back to the ledge that Eddie Murphy was going to jump off earlier in the season only this time he demands to talk to the mayor and doesn't seem all that impressed when Koch arrives and goes as far as to blame him for being the reason he wants to jump. The audience chants, "Don't jump" until Koch says he is there to save the day, to which, the crowd starts to yell, "Jump." Koch tries to talk Eddie into living by sharing everything that is great about New York which leads to a representative of the example to show up only to fall off the ledge. "Sinatra" eventually steps in to save the day.

5. Dexy's Midnight Runners then took to the stage to perform Come On, Eileen.

6. This was followed by a repeat of the fake Enquire ad that was the commercial break for "The Susskind Show" that discussed the aftermath of Buckwheat being assassinated.

7. Bald No More is a fake ad for a hair stimulant that promises to take your hair from looking like Ed Koch's shiny head to the crazy crown hairstyle of Don King who actually shows up in the sketch.

8. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Julie Louis-Dreyfus shows up as her annoying teen character to complain about her date to the prom,

9. We then got another visit from the Whiners where Robin Duke finds Piscopo's war medals. This sends us on a flashback to his whiney days in Vietnam as a P.O.W. who was forced to play Russian Roulette with Eddie Murphy only to be released because he was so obnoxious.

10. Once again, Brad Hall gives us the news. This week, Sweetchuck's guru character drops in to talk about the habits of stupid people. Marry Gross got a segment as her agro character where she ranted about the cancellation of her favorite shows, and Piscopo gave us the sports where he cuts Don King's hair to promote an upcoming fight, and I have to admit, I was pretty surprised that the stunt was real.

11. Harry Anderson then dropped by to do another one of his comedic magic acts where he and his wife race to see who could be the first to escape from their restraints.

12. This was followed by a parody of Late Night with David Letterman where Piscopo as Letterman starts the show off with a conversation with Paul Schaffer. He then does a stunt where he interviews the real Marv Albert in the men's room. He has another interview with Gumby, complete with a claymation blooper real of his special where they merely added new Eddie Murphy dialog to an old Gumby show.

13. Dexy's Midnight Runners then took to the stage to perform The Celtic Soul Brothers.

14. We then went to the Women's Auxiliary Meeting where Sweetchuck interrupts when he shows up as a strippergram performer there to entertain. At first, they try to send him away but then he gives them a sad story about stripping his way through medical school which gets the girls to insist that he dance and dance he does, down to his heart print boxers and those sock garter belts that I wonder if they still make these days? It turns out he's an escape exhibitionist from the mental ward.

15. Finally, Ed Koch closes the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights.