Now, Let's Put Together A Writing Staff

 With the upcoming season on the horizon, producer Jean Doumanian had to assemble a new cast---and a new writing staff.

Bill Murray's older brother, Brian Doyle-Murray, was the only holdover from the season 5 staff.  He, like brother Billy, knew Jean.  

Brian was one of several "featured performers" on that fifth season, made up almost entirely of staff writers (Al Franken, Tom Davis, Jim Downey, Don (Father Guido Sarducci) Novelo, Harry Shearer (before he was promoted to the full-pledged cast at midseason) among others; and exception was musician Paul Shaffer).

Among others Jean hired were the team of David Hurwitz and Larry Arnstein, who previously worked on the Chicken Little Hour; Pam Norris, who previously worked at The Harvard Lampoon; Sean Kelly, from the National Lampoon, Mitchell Kriegman (who was a filmmaker and who would appear as an occasional performer), and Mason ("Classical Gas")Williams, songwriter/guitarist/comedian and a former writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and its' spinoff, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour who would eventually be named the head writer just in time for the start of the 1980-81 season, having replaced Jean's original head writer, novelist, journalist, and stand-up comic Peter Tauber, who had one too many disagreements with the producer..

Two other new writers were former Mike Douglas Show associate producer Barry Blaustein and a former ad man from Mississippi, David Sheffield.