Finally, the final episode of the documentary series focuses on a season that is widely considered one of the worst and most infamous. In "Season 11: The Weird Year," we take a retrospective look back at Lorne Michaels' first season back on "SNL" after leaving the show in 1980. After being away for five years, Michaels returned in an attempt to bring "SNL" back from the brink of cancellation. If Michaels hadn't returned to the show he created, the show might have ended right then and there, but the producer took it upon himself to reinvent the series.

Michaels cleaned house by not bringing back any cast members from the previous season, opting for an all-new cast that included Vacation franchise star Randy Quaid, future comedy superstar Damon Wayans, character actress Joan Cusack, comedian Jon Lovitz, Brother Pack staple Anthony Michael Hall, fellow high school movie favorite Robert Downey Jr. Jr., satirist Dennis Miller, newcomer Norah Dunn, Off-Broadway star Danitra Vance, and the show's first openly gay cast member, Terry Sweeney.

Despite having a fantastic talent pool, Michaels had trouble gathering any momentum upon his return. The sketches just didn't work and the cast had a hard time falling into a groove. But this episode of the docu-series illustrates that even in what many consider to be one of the worst seasons, there are still fascinating highlights and bold creative decisions. Jon Lovitz's recurring pathologically lying character would spark one of the decade's more famous catchphrases: “Yeah, that's the ticket!” Terry Sweeney inspired a generation of gay comedians. Damon Wayans took offense and got fired himself. Even Francis Ford Coppola directed an entire meta episode of the show, and nothing like it will ever happen again.

And therein lies the real secret to "SNL's" endurance: The show is always evolving, not because it wants to, but because it has to, and they never let failure stop them from trying again next week. If the show had died after or even before Season 11, think of all the funny moments we'd be denied. How many of his breakout stars might have gone undiscovered? The show adapts to the times and potential of the cast members it puts in the spotlight. There's nothing else like it on television, and there probably never will be.

If you've been enjoying all this "SNL" waxing, you should listen to our episode of The /Film Daily Podcast with "SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night" executive producer Morgan Neville talking about making the docuseries:

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