This was when there was only three major networks and they were all closely watched by the FCC. This was before anyone had ever heard of a streaming service. This was before HBO started producing their own shows. This may not seem like a big deal today but this happened in 1981. I wish I knew who the fuck did it.” It can be difficult to hear him in the video above but you can tell from the reactions of the cast that everyone immediately knew what Rocket had said. “Oh, man.” Rocket said, “I’ve never been shot before. With the rest of the cast surrounding him, Tilton asked him how he was feeling. During the traditional goodbyes, Rocket appeared sitting in a wheelchair and smoking a cigarette. Finally, towards the end of the episode, Rocket was shot. Saturday Night Live decided to do its own tak on the phenomenon by asking, “Who shot Charles Rocket?” Over the course of the show, Rocket was shown having a conflict with every member of the cast.
Everyone in the country was debating who had shot J.R. The night’s episode was hosted by Charlene Tilton, a cast member of what was then the most popular show in prime time, Dallas. On February 21st, 1981, those tensions went from being backstage to being on thousands of televisions. As ratings plunged, there were even rumors that the show might not be renewed. It didn’t take long until Season 6 was better known for its backstage tension than for it comedy. No one was happy with the way Doumanian was running the show. Reportedly, a few of the cast members resented Murphy and Piscopo’s success. What no one expected was that the reviews would never get better and that, instead of Charles Rocket, it would be Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo who would emerge as the new fan favorites. Everyone knew it would be difficult, at first, to win over the critics who were used to Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Belushi, Aykroyd, and Lorne Michaels. To no one’s surprise, the initial reviews of the new Saturday Night Live were brutal. When Barnett skipped his second audition, she then considered hiring Robert Townsend before she finally settled on a 19 year-old stand-up comedian named Eddie Murphy. (Among those who auditioned but were not selected: Jim Carrey, John Goodman and Paul Reubens.) Seeking a black comedian who could take over the roles that were previously played by Garrett Morris, Doumanian tried to recruit a performer named Charlie Barnett. In order to prop up Rocket, she surrounded him with a cast that included Gilbert Gottfried, Denny Dillon, and Joe Piscopo. Doumanian felt that her biggest star would be a former news anchorman-turned-comedian named Charles Rocket. The new producer, Jean Doumanian, had hired an entirely new group of writers and performers. Lorne Michaels had left the program and he had taken what was left of the original cast with him. In 1981, Saturday Night Live was in its 6th season and things weren’t going so well. On this day, 41 years ago, Saturday Night Live was nearly canceled.
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