Bill Swerski's Superfans

Bill Swerski's Superfans was a recurring sketch on the American sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live. The sketch first appeared on January 12, 1991 starring Joe Mantegna as Bill Swerski along with Chris Farley as Todd O'Connor, Mike Myers as Pat Arnold and Robert Smigel as Carl Wollarski. Subsequent sketches starred George Wendt as Bob Swerski with occasional appearances by Beth Cahill as his daughter, Denise Swerski. The inspiration for the characters were Chicago radio hosts during the 1970s and 1980s.

Related Topics:
American - Sketch comedy - Program - Saturday Night Live - January 12 - 1991 - Joe Mantegna - Chris Farley - Mike Myers - Robert Smigel - George Wendt - Beth Cahill - Chicago

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The characters were typically shown in a sports bar, drinking large amounts of beer and gorging themselves on ribs, sausages, and similar foods. All of the characters wore dark sunglasses and thick mustaches to resemble Mike Ditka, the popular coach of the Chicago Bears at the time. Ditka was the idol of all the Superfans, so much so that Chris Farley's character would have a heart attack in every sketch because Ditka had suffered one himself. The group would discuss upcoming sporting events and inevitably predict a victory for the local team using an exaggerated Chicago accent, normally culminating in a uniform toast to "Da Bearss", "Da Bullss", or "Da Cubss". Their predictions were likewise exaggerated and their topics of conversation often ludicrous. Typical debates concerned Mike Ditka versus a hurricane (in this particular debate, the Superfans believed that Ditka could defeat the hurricane, until it was revealed that the name of the hurricane was Hurricane Ditka) or how many points Michael Jordan could score if he played an entire game by himself while sitting in a recliner. One episode featured a Jeopardy!-like game show starring Bill Swerski as host and the other Superfans as contestants. All the questions dealt with the Chicago Bears, Chicago, or Mike Ditka. The show apparently was the reason why the O.J. Simpson trial coverage was preempted.

Related Topics:
Mike Ditka - Chicago Bears - Bullss - Cubss - Hurricane - Michael Jordan - Jeopardy! - Game show - Chicago - O.J. Simpson

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The characters appeared in nine episodes in two years. With Ditka's departure from the Bears in 1993 and significant cast changes on SNL, the sketch and characters all but disappeared. The final appearance of the Superfans was on October 25, 1997 in an episode hosted by Farley. This sketch featured the first (and only) appearance by their idol Mike Ditka, although he was at the time coaching the New Orleans Saints, much to the chagrin of the Superfans. Farley's death two months later ended the possibility of future Superfan sketches, although Bob Swerski made a solo appearance on a Weekend Update segment in 2003.

Related Topics:
1993 - October 25 - 1997 - New Orleans Saints - Weekend Update - 2003

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