The thirty-ninth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC from September 28, 2013, with host Tina Fey and musical guest Arcade Fire and concluded on May 17, 2014, with host Andy Samberg and musical guest St. Vincent with 21 episodes.

At the end of the previous season, longtime cast members Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Jason Sudeikis all left the show after eleven, eight, and nine seasons, respectively. Soon after their departures, featured player Tim Robinson, who had been a cast member the previous season, decided to instead join the show's writing staff before this season began. Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, and Cecily Strong were all promoted to repertory status.

Following Armisen, Sudeikis, Hader, and Robinson's departures from the cast, the show hired six new featured players, including SNL staff writer Mike O'Brien, who was promoted into the cast while also continuing as a writer. Besides O'Brien, the other new hires at the start of the season were Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney of the sketch comedy group Good Neighbor, John Milhiser of the sketch group Serious Lunch, comedian and impressionist Noël Wells (known for her viral videos and impressions featured on sites such as Cracked.com), and stand-up comedian Brooks Wheelan. Midway through the season, the show also added a seventh featured player: Upright Citizens Brigade performer Sasheer Zamata. Zamata became the first black female cast member on the show since biracial Maya Rudolph's departure from the show in 2007. She made her first appearance on January 18, 2014, with host and musical guest Drake.

On May 12, 2013, NBC announced that Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers would be the new host of Late Night in 2014, succeeding SNL alum Jimmy Fallon, as Fallon was taking over as the new host of The Tonight Show. Meyers remained Weekend Update anchor up until his departure from the show on February 1, 2014. Cecily Strong was brought up to co-anchor with Meyers, who had been on the show for thirteen seasons since 2001 (first doing sketches, then being head writer and "Weekend Update" anchor since 2006). After Meyers' departure, Colin Jost, a staff writer for the show since 2005 (and head writer for seasons 38 and 39), joined the cast on March 1, 2014, as the eighth featured player that season, and as Meyers' successor on Weekend Update, co-anchoring with Strong.

The addition of eight new cast members is the greatest since the 1995–96 season, during which nine cast members were added, making it the largest cast overhaul in eighteen years. The total of 18 cast members was an SNL record at the time, and some critics argued that the large cast contributed to how uneven the season was overall.

This would be the final season for longtime cast member Nasim Pedrad, who had been on the show for five seasons since 2009. Pedrad announced her departure from the show in June 2014 in order to work on the Lorne Michaels-produced sitcom Mulaney. Additionally, featured players Milhiser, Wells, and Wheelan were all let go after one season, and O'Brien returned to the writers' room for the next season, which would be his last overall after spending six seasons on the show since 2009.

This would also be the final season for longtime announcer Don Pardo, who died on August 18, 2014, at the age of 96. He had been the announcer for the show since its inception in 1975, missing only the 1981–82 season.

bold denotes Weekend Update anchors