Unlike many here, I do not consider the 1975-1980 period the "golden era" of SNL. It was by and large an uneven show with some really cringe-worthy skits. For example the skit about the mall store that sold scotch tape only. Or the land-shark skit with Lorraine Newman. But some really great skits as well.
After a few forgettable years in the early 1980s when Lorne briefly left the show, SNL started really hitting its stride and had its best era (in my opinion) from roughly the 1985-1995 period. During those years we had really great cast members like Jon Lovitz, Victoria Jackson, Dennis Miller, Phil Hartman, Chris Farley and Mike Myers just to name a few. Eddie Murphy, I never really cared for. Didn't find him funny at all. Not even in the movies he did.
SNL stopped being entertaining when it decided to take a knee to the politically correct "woke" movement over the past 15-20 years.
Just cinch it!
-PJ