SaturdayNightLivepremiereditsfortiethseasonduringthe2014–15televisionseasononNBC.TheseasonpremieredonSeptember27,2014,withhostChrisPrattandmusicalguestArianaGrande,andformercastmemberDarrellHammondastheshow'snewannouncer,replacingDonPardo,whohaddiedinAugust.ThepremiereincludedaninterstitialphotographofPardo.PardohadbeentheannouncerforSNLsinceitpremieredin1975,withtheexceptionofseasonsevenandseason21,episode14,whereHammondtookhisplace.ThisseasonalsosawthedeathofformercastmemberJanHooks,whodiedfromcancertwoweeksintotheseason.