| Saturday Night Live | |
|---|---|
 Logo used as of September 28, 2024 | |
| Also known as |
|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Lorne Michaels |
| Written by | List ofSaturday Night Live writers |
| Directed by |
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| Starring | List ofSaturday Night Live cast members |
| Announcer | |
| Theme music composer | Howard Shore (except for season 6) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 51 |
| No. of episodes | 994(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Lorne Michaels (1975–1980; 1985–present) Jean Doumanian (1980–1981) Dick Ebersol (1981–1985) |
| Production locations | Studio 8H,NBC Studios, New York City |
| Running time | 60–70 minutes (without commercials) |
| Production company |
Other studios:
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | October 11, 1975 (1975-10-11) – present |
| Related | |
Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an Americanlate-nightlivesketch comedyvariety show created byLorne Michaels and developed by Michaels andDick Ebersol that airs onNBC. The show's premiere was hosted byGeorge Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original titleNBC's Saturday Night. The show's comedy sketches, which often parody popular culture and politics, are performed by alarge and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest andbroadcast live with a studio audience. The host usually delivers amonologue toward the start of the show and then performs in sketches with the cast, and introduces featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with acold open sketch that is usually based on current political events and ends with someonebreaking character and proclaiming, "Live from New York, it'sSaturday Night!", before moving to credits and introduction of the guest host.
In 1980, Michaels left the show to explore other opportunities. He was replaced byJean Doumanian, who was then replaced by Ebersol after a season of bad reviews. Ebersol ran the show until 1985, when Michaels returned. Since then, Michaels has served asshowrunner. ManySNL cast members have found national stardom while appearing on the show, and achieved success in film and television, both in front of and behind the camera. Others associated with the show, such as writers, have gone on to successful careers creating, writing, and starring in television and film.
SNL is broadcast from Studio 8H at NBC's headquarters in30 Rockefeller Plaza inNew York. As of the start of season 51 in October 2025,SNL had aired 994 episodes since its debut. It is one of thelongest-running network television programs in the United States. The show format has been developed and recreated in several countries, meeting with different levels of success. Successful sketches have seen life outside the show as feature films, includingThe Blues Brothers (1980),Wayne's World (1992) andA Night at the Roxbury (1998). The show has been marketed in other ways, includinghome media releases of "best of" and whole seasons, and books and documentaries about behind-the-scenes activities of running and developing the show.
Throughout five decades on air,Saturday Night Live has received a vast number of awards, including 84Primetime Emmy Awards, 6Writers Guild of America Awards, and 3Peabody Awards. In 2000, it was inducted into theNational Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. It was ranked tenth inTV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" list, and in 2007 it was listed as one ofTime's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME." As of 2022, the show had received more than 305 PrimetimeEmmy Award nominations, the most received by any television program.[2] The live aspect of the show has resulted in several controversies and acts of censorship, with mistakes and intentional acts of sabotage by performers and guests.
Beginning in 1965,NBCnetwork affiliates broadcast reruns ofThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on Saturday or Sunday nights. In 1974,Johnny Carson petitioned to NBC executives for the weekend shows to be pulled and saved so they could be aired during weeknights, allowing him to take time off.[3][4] In response, NBC presidentHerbert Schlosser approached the vice president of late-night programming,Dick Ebersol, and asked him to create a show to fill the Saturday night time slot.[5] Schlosser and Ebersol then approachedLorne Michaels. Over the next three weeks, Ebersol and Michaels developed the latter's idea for a variety show featuringhigh-concept comedy sketches, political satire, and music performances that would attract 18- to 34-year-old viewers.[6][7] NBC decided to base the new show at their studios in30 Rockefeller Center. Michaels was givenStudio 8H, a converted radio studio that was home to NBC's election andApollo moon landing coverage. It was revamped for the premiere at a cost of $250,000.[8]
By 1975, Michaels had assembled the show's initial cast, includingDan Aykroyd,John Belushi,Chevy Chase,Jane Curtin,Garrett Morris,Laraine Newman,Gilda Radner, andGeorge Coe.[9] The cast was nicknamed the "Not Ready for Prime-Time Players",[10][11][12] a term coined by show writerHerb Sargent.[13] Much of the talent pool involved in the inaugural season was recruited fromThe National Lampoon Radio Hour,[14][15] including the original head writer,Michael O'Donoghue.[16]
NBC's Saturday Night debuted on October 11, 1975,[7] with an episode featuring Carlin as host.[17] The original title was used because theSaturday Night Live title was in use bySaturday Night Live with Howard Cosell on rival networkABC. After the cancellation of Cosell's show in 1976, NBC purchased the rights to the name and officially changed the show's title toSaturday Night Live at the start of the1977–1978 season, its third.[4][18][19] The cast was initially paid $750 per episode, and essentially lived at the offices, according to Michaels.[20][18] The show found its footing by the fourth episode, hosted byCandice Bergen, which featured the cast in most segments.[21] The show developed acult following,[22][7] and its humor was seen as refreshing and daring, in comparison to previous sketch and variety shows that would rarely deal with controversial topics and issues.[23] Iconic characters during the show's first five seasons included Belushi'ssamurai, theConeheads (Aykroyd, Curtin, Newman), and Radner'sRoseanne Roseannadanna.[24] Chase, the show's first breakout star, left in the middle of its second season to pursue a movie career — the first of many cast members to do so — and was replaced byBill Murray.
Drugs were a major problem during the show's first five years, which exacerbated existing tensions. Cocaine had become an "integral part of the working process" onSNL by the1978–1979 season, according to Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad.[25] Aykroyd and Belushi left the show after the 1978–1979 season to makeThe Blues Brothers,[26] and as the fifth season ended in 1980, Michaels asked executives to place the show on hiatus for a year in order to allow him time to pursue other projects.[27] Michaels suggested writersAl Franken,Tom Davis, andJim Downey as his replacements; NBC presidentFred Silverman disliked Franken and was infuriated by his Update routine in May 1980, called "A Limo for a Lame-O", that had critiqued Silverman's job performance.[28] Unable to secure the deal that he wanted, Michaels chose to leave NBC, andJean Doumanian was given his position.[29] Almost every writer and cast member, including Michaels, left the show after the May 24, 1980, season finale.[30]
Doumanian's rapidly-assembled new cast faced immediate comparisons to the previous cast, and was not received favorably by critics or audiences.[31] In a February 1981 episode, cast memberCharles Rocket used the profanity "fuck" during a sketch.[32] Rocket later said he was trying to kill time before the show's close and had not meant to utter the word.[33][34] Following this episode, Doumanian was dismissed after only ten months on the job.[35][36]
Although some executives suggestedSNL be cancelled, the show received a reprieve, andDick Ebersol was hired as producer. He worked quickly to revamp the show, eventually removing all of the new cast members aside fromEddie Murphy andJoe Piscopo.[37] Ebersol's sketches leaned towards more accessible, broad comedy, which alienated some long-time fans, writers, and cast members.[38][39] His distaste for political humor led the show to largely avoid jokes about PresidentRonald Reagan during his time as showrunner.[40] Under Ebersol's leadership, Murphy, who had been underused during Doumanian's tenure, rose to prominence with popular characters such asMister Robinson's Neighborhood andGumby.[41] His success was a major factor in the show's resurgence,[42] though it created tensions within the cast.[43][a]
In a break with tradition, producers hired established comedians such asBilly Crystal andMartin Short for the1984–1985 season.[45] Though this season was considered one of the series' funniest, it diverged significantly from Michaels' innovative approach.[46][47] Like Michaels before him, Ebersol informed NBC that he would only return if the show took a hiatus to recast and rebuild, and diverge significantly from the established live format.[48][49] NBC rejected these requests and instead decided to approach Michaels to return as producer.[48]
Michaels returned for the1985–1986 season; the show was again recast, with Michaels borrowing Ebersol's idea to seek out established actors.[27] Writers struggled with the cast,[50] and Michaels cleaned house again for the1986–1987 season, seeking unknown talent such asDana Carvey andPhil Hartman instead of known names.[51] This new cast was successful at reviving the show's popularity in the eyes of critics and audiences.[52]
In the early 1990s, much of this core cast began to leave the show, and younger performers such asChris Farley andAdam Sandler began to be promoted to repertory status.[53] Some of these cast members, such as Sandler, Farley,Rob Schneider,David Spade andChris Rock, would come to be known as the "Bad Boys ofSNL" for their outrageous comedy style.[54][55] Afraid of cast members leaving for film careers, Michaels had overcrowded the cast, causing a divide between the veteran members and the new, younger talent. This led to increased competition for the show's limited screen time, and an increasing reliance on "younger", less subtle humor.[56]
The show lost Carvey and Hartman, two of its biggest stars, between 1992 and 1994. Wanting to increaseSNL's ratings and profitability, NBC West Coast presidentDon Ohlmeyer and other executives began to actively interfere in the show, recommending that new stars such as Chris Farley and Adam Sandler be fired and critiquing the costly nature of performing the show live.[57] Criticism of the show's writing increased during this period, which reached its peak by the1994–1995 season, which is considered one of the series' worst. A widely publicized profile of the show inNew York during this period was highly critical of the show's humor, cast, and backstage dysfunction.[58][59]
The show's cast was largely overhauled for the1995–1996 season with names such asWill Ferrell andCheri Oteri,[60] which was successful at revitalizing the show.[61] The show faced new competition during this period in the form ofFox's sketch comedy showMad TV, which aired a half hour earlier thanSNL[62] and featured a more diverse cast.[63]
The2000–2001 season was notable for its well-received spoofing of that year'spresidential campaign betweenAl Gore andGeorge W. Bush.[64] The show'sNew York City cast and crew were highly affected by theSeptember 11 attacks in 2001, and returned on September 29 with an acclaimed appearance byRudy Giuliani. Political humor was reduced for the following seasons.[65]
The show switched tohigh-definition broadcasting for the2005–2006 season.[66] Before the start of the2006–2007 season, the show suffered budget cuts that led to a smaller cast.[67] Thefollowing season was also cut short by the2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, which led to several cancelled episodes.[68]
Tina Fey, who was a cast member and head writer from 1997 to 2006, later returned to the show during the2008 presidential election for several critically acclaimed guest appearances as vice presidential candidateSarah Palin.[69] WriterRobert Smigel later said it was the show's "biggest moment since the 70s", and Michaels observed that it made Fey a "huge star" and that "you could see perception changing completely".[70] Armisen playedBarack Obama from 2008 to 2012, following which cast memberJay Pharoah assumed the impression.[71]
The show began to rely more on pre-recorded material and videos more than it ever had before during this period,[72] to the extent that some commentators said it had sometimes outshined live material on the show.[73][74][75] Taped material significantly increased in the mid-2000s withSNL Digital Shorts byThe Lonely Island, and continued into the following years with videos by Good Neighbor andPlease Don't Destroy.[76][77][78]
The cast continued to evolve significantly into the 2010s as several longtime cast members such asBill Hader andKristen Wiig left the series. The2013–2014 season saw the hiring of seven new cast members in a significant overhaul, includingBeck Bennett,Kyle Mooney, andSasheer Zamata.[79] Longtime head writer and cast memberSeth Meyers also exited midway through that season, and was replaced by fellow writerColin Jost in theWeekend Update segment.[80]
The showfrequently parodiedDonald Trump in and around hisfirst presidency; an ongoing impression by actorAlec Baldwin led to a significant increase in ratings and a "shot of relevance" for the show, according toVanity Fair.[81][82] Trump disliked Baldwin's impression,tweeting in 2019 that theFederal Election Commission or theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) should look into stoppingSNL from "knocking the same person (me), over & over, without so much of a mention of 'the other side.'" In 2021, sources close to the Trump White House toldThe Daily Beast that in 2019, Trump repeatedly asked his advisers and lawyers to stop negative portrayals of him onSNL and other shows, such asJimmy Kimmel Live!, through the interference of the FCC or theDepartment of Justice.[83][84] In 2021,James Austin Johnson assumed the Trump impression from Baldwin.[85]
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,SNL's2019–2020 season was indefinitely halted on March 16, 2020.[86] The season was later resumed in April with three remotely produced episodes labelledSaturday Night Live at Home,[87] and the show returned to Studio 8H in October 2020.[88] After the2021–2022 season, many longtime cast members left the show in a major cast overhaul, includingAidy Bryant,Kate McKinnon, andPete Davidson;[79] Michaels said that the pandemic had led to some cast members staying with the show for longer than they may have otherwise.[89]
In January 2024,Variety said that "speculation [had] been rampant for years" that Michaels would retire from the series after itsfiftieth season, premiering in 2024.[90] Michaels toldEntertainment Tonight that month that former head writer and cast memberTina Fey could "easily" be his successor, were he to step down, but said he had not made a decision yet at that point. Michaels has worked with Fey several times since herSNL tenure ended, including on30 Rock.[91] Michaels earlier said in 2021 that the show's fiftieth anniversary would be "a really good time to leave".[92]Kenan Thompson, the show's longest-serving cast member, speculated in 2022 thatSNL may come to an end altogether after its fiftieth season, saying that it could make financial sense for NBC.[93] However, in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter in September 2024, Michaels denied that he was retiring at the end of the season.[94]
A three-hour prime-time live broadcast to celebrate the series' fiftieth anniversary was aired on February 16, 2025. The writers included prior cast members Tina Fey,Jim Downey,Paula Pell,Seth Meyers, andJohn Mulaney. The show started with a musical cold open byPaul Simon andSabrina Carpenter and the SNL Monologue bySteve Martin.[95][96]
Those selected to join the cast ofSNL are normally already accomplished performers, recruited from improvisational comedy groups such asThe Groundlings (Newman, Hartman,[97]Will Ferrell,Jon Lovitz,Kristen Wiig[98]) andThe Second City (Aykroyd, Farley,Tina Fey,[99]Tim Meadows), or established stand-up comedians (Carvey, Sandler, Macdonald,Chris Rock), who already possess the training or experience necessary forSNL.[100] The cast is divided into two tiers: the more established group of repertory players; and newer, unproven cast members known as featured players, who may eventually be promoted to the repertory stable.[101] Of the many roles available in the show, one of the longest-running and most coveted is being the host ofWeekend Update, a segment featuring one or two hosts, who get substantial screen time performing as themselves. Many of theWeekend Update hosts have gone on to find greater success outside the show, includingDennis Miller,[102]Seth Meyers,[102]Norm Macdonald,[102]Colin Quinn,[102] andJimmy Fallon.
As of Season 51,SNL has featured 172 cast members including, besides the above-mentioned players,Rachel Dratch,Amy Poehler, Chris Rock,David Spade,Will Forte,Julia Louis-Dreyfus,Tracy Morgan,Chris Parnell,Maya Rudolph,Andy Samberg,Molly Shannon, and many others.[103]Kenan Thompson is the show's longest-serving cast member.[104] Currently, the cast consists of 17 members, with 10 repertory players and 7 featured players:
| 2025–26 season cast[105] | |
|---|---|
| Repertory players | Featured players |
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| ‡ denotesWeekend Update anchor | |
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(October 2024) |
The cast were often contracted from anywhere between five and six years to the show,[106][107] but starting with the 1999–2000 season, new hires were tied to a rewritten contract that allowed NBC to take a cast member in at least their second year and put them in an NBC sitcom. Cast members are given the option of rejecting the first two sitcom offers but must accept the third offer, with the sitcom contract length dictated by NBC and potentially lasting up to six years.[107] The move drew criticism from talent agents and managers who believed a cast member could be locked into a contract with NBC for twelve years—six onSNL and then six on a sitcom. The contract also optioned the cast member for three feature films produced by SNL Films, a company owned by NBC,Paramount Pictures, and Michaels. The new contracts were reportedly developed after many previously unknown cast members, such asMike Myers andAdam Sandler, gained fame onSNL only to leave and make money for other studios.[107] In a 2010 interview, Wiig was reported to be contracted toSNL for a total of seven years.[108] The contracts also contain a network option that allows NBC to remove a cast member at any time.[109] In the first season of the show the cast was paid $750 per episode, rising to $2,000 by season two, and $4,000 by season four.[110] By the late 1990s, new cast members received a salary between $5,000[107] and $5,500 per episode, increasing to $6,000 in the second year and up to $12,500 for a cast member in their fifth year. Performers could earn an additional $1,500 per episode for writing a sketch that made it to air.[109] In 2001, Ferrell became the highest-paid cast member, being paid $350,000 per season (approximately $17,500 per episode).[111] According to cast memberPete Davidson, his starting salary in 2014 was approximately $3,000 per episode.[112]
As of the2022–23 season, Kent Sublette,Alison Gates, andStreeter Seidell are the show's co-head writers.[113]
Seth Meyers became a co-head writer in the2005–06 season, became the single head writer from2008 to2012, and then left in2014. CurrentUpdate anchorColin Jost has himself been a writer since 2005 and was one of the head writers from2012 to2015 before being renamed head writer, from2017 until2022. Current Update co-anchorMichael Che has been a writer since2013. He temporarily left the show in the summer of 2014, but came back that fall to anchor Update and reclaimed his status as a writer, then serving as a co-head writer alongside Jost for five years.[114][115] The Weekend Update segment has its own dedicated team of writers led by head writer Pete Schultz (who has been writing for the segment since2011; and has been the segment's head writer since 2014)[116][117]
The segment's previous head writer was Alex Baze (who wrote for the segment from2004 to2014, and was the head writer of the segment starting with the 2011–12 season, until his aforementioned 2014 departure).[118][119][120] Scenes on Weekend Update that involve members of the cast acting in-character alongside the host are often written by staff writers outside the dedicated Weekend Update team, who know those characters better.[120]
SNL writers are often also performers or experienced in writing and improvisational comedy. Many are hired from similar backgrounds such as The Groundlings, Second City,Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, andImprovOlympic.[121] ComedianJim Downey was head writer for 10 years, from 1985 to 1995.[122][123] Downey (who previously joined the show's writing staff in the show'ssecond season in 1977) is not only the show's longest-tenured head writer, but he is also overall the show's longest-tenured writer in the show's history. As he wrote for the show on-and-off for 30 years, formally retiring from the show in2013.[124]
Experienced writers with backgrounds in television shows are also sometimes brought into theSNL writing room. Like theSNL cast who appear on camera, many of the writers have been able to find their own success outside the show, such asConan O'Brien, who was brought intoSNL from The Groundlings in 1988, went on to write forThe Simpsons, and eventually began hosting his ownshow.[125] Former head writerAdam McKay, along with performer Ferrell, founded the successful comedy websiteFunny or Die.[126] In 1999, Tina Fey (a year before joining the cast and becoming aWeekend Update anchor) became the first womanSNL head writer[127][128] and successfully made the transition to starring on the show,[129] as well as writing and starring in feature films,[130][131][132] ultimately creating and starring in her own show30 Rock, which was partly based on herSNL experiences.[133] In 2005 Fey was paid $1.5 million per season for her dual role as head writer and performer.[134] WriterJohn Mulaney has also found success outside ofSNL through well-received stand-up specials, hisBroadway actThe Oh, Hello Show, and the specialJohn Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch.
The show employs a studio director, who directs all of the live sketches, as well as segment directors, who direct the commercial parodies and short films.
The show's studio directors have been:
The show's current in-house segment directors are:
Don Pardo served as the announcer for the series when it began and continued in the role for all but season seven, between 1981 and 1982, when Michaels had left andMel Brandt andBill Hanrahan filled the announcing role. In 2004 Pardo announced that he would step down from his position, but then continued in the role until 2009 when he again announced his retirement, but then continued into the 2009–10 season.[135]
In 2010, the 92-year-old Pardo was reported to be again considering his retirement, but continued to serve as announcer until his death at age 96 on August 18, 2014, following the 39th season. Apart from a brief period in 2006 in which Pardo pre-recorded his announcements at his home in Arizona, he flew to New York City to perform his announcing duties live, until 2010 when he began recording permanently from Arizona.[135][136][137] Former cast members Joe Piscopo[138] and Darrell Hammond have also impersonated Pardo and fulfilled his announcing duties during times Pardo was unavailable.[139] Hammond took over as full-time announcer starting withseason 40.[140]
A typical episode ofSNL will feature a single host chosen for their popularity or novelty, or because they have a film, album, or other work being released near the time of their appearance on the show.[141] The host delivers the opening monologue and goodnights, introduces the musical guest, and performs in sketches with the cast. Traditionally, the host of the show ends the opening monologue by mentioning the musical guest for the night and saying, "We got a great show for you tonight, (musical guest) is/are here/I'm here (if the host is also the musical guest). So stick around, we'll be right back." ComedianGeorge Carlin was the first to hostSNL in the debut October 1975 episode;[142] three episodes later,Candice Bergen became the first woman to host and subsequently the first host to return. Guests who have hosted five or more times are sometimes referred to as belonging to theFive-Timers Club, a term that originated on a sketch performed onTom Hanks's fifth episode.[143] As of February 11, 2017, actorAlec Baldwin holds the record for most times hosting, having performed the duty on seventeen different occasions since 1990; Baldwin took the record from actorSteve Martin who has hosted fifteen times since 1976.[144] Occasionally, former SNL cast members also host.
According to previous hostsJustin Timberlake andShane Gillis, hosts were paid $5,000 between 2009 and 2024.[145]
Each episode also features a musical guest, a solo act, or a band, who performs two or three musical numbers. Occasionally, the musical guest simultaneously serves as the host, and may also appear in comedy sketches. As of October 11, 2020,Dave Grohl is the most frequent musical guest, performing on fourteen shows since 1992.[146]
Michaels does not allow musical guests to perform usinglip-synching tracks,[147] believing it diminishes the live aspect of the show. Exceptions are made only when the musical act is focused on intense dance routines instead of vocals, in acknowledgment of the difficulty in being both heavily physically active and singing.[148] A 1975 performance by pop groupABBA was the first and only act to feature lip-synching,[147] untilthe controversial 2004 performance of Ashlee Simpson.
The December 18, 2021, episode (hosted byPaul Rudd) became the first episode to not feature any musical performances since the first episode ofseason 12, as well as the third episode in the show's duration to not have a musical guest, due to the rise of theOmicron variant in New York City during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[149]Charli XCX was planned as the musical guest, but her performance was cancelled due to the new restrictions as the show had a "limited cast and crew" and no audience.[150]
Miskel Spillman (September 8, 1897 – March 30, 1992) was the winner of the only "Anyone Can Host" contest onSaturday Night Live, and hosted the December 17, 1977, broadcast. An 80-year-oldGerman immigrant and grandmother fromNew Orleans,[151] Spillman held the record as the oldest host inSNL's history (two weeks older thanRuth Gordon when she hosted on January 22, 1977) for thirty-two years, until it was broken on May 8, 2010, by 88-year-oldBetty White. Spillman remains the only non-celebrity to host the program. Entrants toSaturday Night Live's "Anyone Can Host" contest were asked to write, in 25 words or less, why they should be selected to host the program.[151] Spillman's winning entry read: "I'm 80 years old. I need one more cheap thrill, since my doctor told me I only have another 25 years left."[152] After hosting, Spillman remained a fan of the program and stayed up to watch it in her later years, proclaiming herself to particularly enjoyDana Carvey and especially his character,The Church Lady.[151]
The Saturday Night Live Band (also known as "The Live Band") is thehouse band forSNL. Academy Award-winning composerHoward Shore served as the first musical director, from 1975 to 1980, appearing in many musical sketches, including Howard Shore and His All-Nurse Band and (backing aU.S. Coast Guard chorus) Howard Shore and the Shore Patrol. Over the years, the band has featured several New York studio musicians includingPaul Shaffer (1975–1980),Lou Marini (1975–1983),Buddy Williams (1975–1985),Marcus Miller (1979–1981),David Sanborn (1975),Michael Brecker (the early 1980s),Ray Chew (1980–1983),Alan Rubin (1975–1983),Georg Wadenius (1979–1985),Steve Ferrone (1985),David Johansen (performing as Buster Poindexter),Tom Malone (who took over as musical director from 1981 to 1985), andG. E. Smith (musical director from 1985 to 1995). As of 2017, the band is under the leadership ofTower of Power alumnusLenny Pickett, keyboardistLeon Pendarvis, and Eli Brueggemann, who does not play in the band on the live show. The band plays instrumentals leading in and out of station breaks; affiliates who run no advertising during these interludes hear the band play complete songs behind aSaturday Night Live bumper graphic until the program resumes.[153] The band plays "Closing Theme (Waltz in A)", written by Shore, at the end of the show.[154][155]
Since the show's inception,SNL has aired from Studio 8H, located on floors eight and nine of the Comcast Building (formerly theRCA Building andGE Building, now30 Rockefeller Plaza or "30 Rock"). Three of the shows of the 1976–77 season were shot at the formerNBC Studios in Brooklyn, due toNBC News using Studio 8H forpresidential election coverage.[156]
During the summer 2005 shooting hiatus, crews began renovations on Studio 8H. With its thirty-first-season premiere in October 2005, the show began broadcasting inhigh-definition television, appearingletterboxed on conventional television screens. The offices ofSNL writers, producers, and other staff can be found on the 17th floor of "30 Rock".[157]
Production on anSNL episode will normally start on a Monday with a free-form pitch meeting[158][157][159] between the cast, writers, producers, including Michaels and the guest host in Michaels's office over two hours. The host is invited to pitch ideas during this meeting. Although some sketchwriting may occur on the day, the bulk of the work revolves around pitching ideas. Tuesday is the only day dedicated purely to writing the scripts,[160] a process that usually extends through the night into the following morning. Writing may not begin until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday.[158] At 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, the sketches are read by the cast during a round-table meeting in the writers' room,[159] attended by the writers and producers present during the pitch meeting, technical experts such as make-up artists, who may be required to realize certain sketch ideas such as those using prosthetics, and other producers, resulting in attendance of approximately fifty people. At this point, there may be at least forty sketch ideas that are read-through in turn, lasting upwards of three hours.[161]
After completion of the read-through, Michaels, the head writer, the guest host, and some of the show producers will move to Michaels' office to decide the layout of the show and decide which of the sketches will be developed for air. Once complete, the writers and cast are allowed into Michaels's office to view the show breakdown and learn whether or not their sketch has survived.[162] Sketches may be rewritten starting the same day, but will certainly commence on Thursday. Work focuses on developing and rewriting the remaining sketches[158] and possibly rehearsals.[159] If a sketch is still scheduled beyond Thursday, it is rehearsed on Friday or Saturday before moving to a rehearsal before a live audience at 8:00 p.m., again on Saturday, before the live show.[158][159] After the rehearsal, Michaels will review the show lineup to ensure it meets a 90-minute length, and sketches that have made it as far as the live rehearsal may be removed.[163] This often results in less than two days of rehearsal for the eight to twelve sketches that have made it to the stage that then may appear on the live broadcast.[158] The opening monologue, spoken by the guest host, is given low priority and can be written as late as Saturday afternoon.[164]
According to an interview withTina Fey in 2004, the three- to four-member dedicated Weekend Update writing team will write jokes throughout the week. The host(s) of Weekend Update will normally not work with or read the scripts from the team until Thursday evening after the main show sketches have been finalized. The host(s) will then work on contributing to the script where necessary.[165][166]
With onsite facilities housed on floors eight and seventeen of Rockefeller Plaza, post-production duties on live broadcasts ofSaturday Night Live include the mixing of audio and video elements by the Senior Audio Mixer, coupled with additional audio feeds consisting of music, sound effects, music scoring, and pre-recorded voiceovers. All sources are stored digitally, with shows captured and segregated into individual elements to reorganize for future repeats and syndication. The production tracking system was migrated from primarilyanalog todigital in 1998, with live shows typically requiring 1.5 terabytes of storage, consisting of audio elements and five cameras' worth of visual elements.[167] Elements ofSaturday Night Live that are pre-recorded, such as certain commercial parodies,SNL Digital Shorts, and show graphics are processed off-site in the post-production facilities ofBroadway Video.[168]
Studio 8H production facilities are maintained by NBC Production Services. As of 2018, the show uses five Sony HDC-1500 cameras, primarily mounted onVintenpedestals, although one is mounted on a Chapman-Leonard Electra crane.[169][170][171]
As of 2014, aGrass Valley GVG 4000-3 digital component production switcher and GVG 7000 digital component routing switcher are used to route visual feeds to the control room, with multiple digital and analog video recorders used to store footage. Graphics are provided by aChyron Lyric Pro character generator and anAvid Deko character generator. Audio facilities consist of a Calrec T Series digitally controlled analog mixing console, and aYamahadigital mixing console used for tape playback support and utility audio work.[172] While exact budgets for other seasons are not known, the 39th season (2013–14) had a budget of over $70 million, for which it received a subsidy from New York State in the amount of $12.3 million.[173]
Edie Baskin was the originalSNL photographer. She was hired after Michaels saw her photographs ofLas Vegas and other work. Baskin helped create the opening title sequence for the show by taking photos of New York City at night.[174] The first episode used publicity photos of host George Carlin as transitionalbumpers between the show and commercial breaks, the second episode used photos Baskin had already taken of hostPaul Simon. It was then that Michaels suggested that Baskin photograph the hosts for the bumpers instead of using publicity photos, beginning a tradition that continues today.[175] For the first five seasons, Baskin's bumper photos, which were always in black and white, had a hand drawn feel to them, with her drawing directly on the photos with neon or pastel colors over that week's host or on the background.
Since 1999,Mary Ellen Matthews has been the official photographer ofSNL, responsible for devising distinctive photo layouts and aesthetics for still imagery used on the show. Matthews creates photo portraits of the hosts and musical guests of each episode which are used as commercial bumpers. The limited time frame between the host's involvement in the production process and the Live show requires Matthews to create makeshift photo studios on-site at 30 Rock, with Matthews attempting to shoot the host on Tuesday and the musical guest on Thursday, although the availability of either can mean the photoshoot for both occurs as late as Thursday.[176] Matthews employs flattering portrait lighting withhard lights to achieve a Hollywood style. On the lighting, Matthews commented: "I think it just helps the image pop off the screen ... If you use soft or flat lighting, it becomes not as dimensional ... The [classic Hollywood lighting] gives a little more contrast, and if I use edge lights and then light the background, it goes farther and farther back. I try to achieve that depth as much as I can."[177] Matthews is also responsible for taking cast photos, behind-the-scenes images, documenting rehearsals, and promotional photos. As of 2010, she has also been involved in directing videos, including the show title sequence.[177]
The show begins at 11:29:30 p.m.Eastern Time, and is scheduled for a 93-minute timeslot ending at 1:02 a.m.[178]
For most ofSNL's history, it aired live only to NBC stations in the Eastern andCentral Time Zones, with all others receiving a recorded broadcast at the normal start time of late-night network programming (11:30 p.m.Pacific and 10:30 p.m. in other time zones). Since 2017, the show is broadcast live across the contiguous United States. Because the show airs outside of thesafe harbor outside of Eastern and Central Time, a briefbroadcast delay is installed to meetFederal Communications Commission regulations of primetime programming.[179]
Outside of the contiguous United States, the show also airs live on the three NBC stations inAlaska at 7:30 p.m. local. Two NBC stations still broadcastSNL on tape delay:KHNL inHonolulu delays it one hour (two hours during Easterndaylight-saving time) to 7:30 p.m. local, andKUAM-TV inGuam, where the live broadcast is fourteen hours ahead at 1:30 p.m.on Sunday afternoon, delays it to 11:00 p.m. that night.
Since the first opening in 1975 with Michael O'Donoghue, Chevy Chase, and John Belushi, the show has normally begun with acold open sketch which ends with one or more cast membersbreaking character and proclaiming "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", followed by the opening credits.[180]
In February 2013, NBC began airing shortened hour-long repeats on select Saturday evenings at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time during the regular season (these may be preempted due to the live airing happening in primetime on the West Coast); the episodes scheduled were sometimes rebroadcasts of the previous week's episode if it was a first-run broadcast.[181] Beginning with the 2014–15 season, the show's 40th anniversary, the prime time rebroadcasts were a selection of episodes from throughout the show's run under the titleSNL Vintage (a title used only within television listings, never appearing on-air). The network dropped the vintage titling and changed to very recent rebroadcasts beginning in the 2023–2024 season.[182]
NBC and Broadway Video both hold the underlying rights to the show, while the copyright to every episode lies either with NBC orUniversal Television. From 1990 until 2004, and again since 2015,Comedy Central and its predecessorHa! aired reruns of the series, after whichE! signed a deal to carry reruns.[183] Abbreviated thirty- and sixty-minute versions of the first five seasons aired asThe Best of Saturday Night Live in syndication (fromOrion Television; at the time, the FCC'sfin-syn rules prevented NBC from directly distributing reruns of the show) beginning in the 1980s, and later onNick at Nite in 1988. In September 2010, reruns of most episodes made from 1998 onward began airing onVH1.[184] Starting in February 2016, VH1 and Comedy Central's sister channelLogo began airing reruns of 2006-onward episodes on Sunday nights, launching its broadcast as counterprogramming forSuper Bowl 50 and branding it the "Live From New York, It's Satur-Gay Night!" marathon. Though the show would slowly phase out the cable syndication in favor of streaming through NBC.com, the now-defunct namesake show app, and NBC app, select seasons onNetflix until the mid-2010s, then the NBC-associated streaming servicesSeeso andHulu at various points in the late 2010s,Yahoo! Screen in a one-year deal exclusively for clips only, then thePeacock streaming service upon its launch in 2020, a majority of the show's "best of" specials would still run on the E! network in that span. The show would finally return to syndication in September 2024, as free-to-air network TBD (nowROAR as of April 28, 2025) would pick up the series, airing the hour-long edits, as part of a refocus of the network towards traditional 30 and 60 minute sketch and improv comedy.[185]
On March 16, 2017, NBC announced it would air the final four episodes of the42nd season live in all mainland U.S. time zones for the first time, creating a communal experience across the states. NBC executiveRobert Greenblatt explained the show's significant viewership had made it part of the "national conversation", and thus, they felt it would be appropriate for the entire country to be "in on the joke at the same time".[186] NBC announced on September 19, 2017, that all subsequent episodes would air live coast-to-coast in the U.S.[187]
Beginning in the2021–2022 season, the show has been simultaneously broadcast live on Peacock.[188] The show has also experimented with live broadcasts onYouTube, beginning with a 2021Elon Musk-hosted episode.[189]
The episode scheduled for October 25, 1986, hosted byRosanna Arquette, was not aired until November 8 due toNBC broadcasting game 6 of the1986 World Series between theNew York Mets andBoston Red Sox; the game enteredextra innings and ended at 12:32 a.m. Eastern, causing that night's broadcast ofSNL to be canceled. The show was recorded for the studio audience starting at 1:30 a.m. and broadcast two weeks later, with Mets pitcherRon Darling delivering a jocular "apology" as the cold open.[190]
The episode scheduled for February 10, 2001, hosted byJennifer Lopez, aired 45 minutes late due to anXFL game. Lopez and the cast were not told they were airing on a delay. Michaels was so upset by the delay the episode was rerun a mere three weeks later. The fledgling football league ended up changing their rules in order to speed up play, and a deal was reached where the feed to future games would be cut off whenSNL started, so that no such incident would happen again.[191]
The November 7, 2020 episode, hosted byDave Chappelle, began at 12:10 a.m. Eastern after aClemson-Notre Damecollege football game went into double overtime.[192]
The October 12, 2024 episode, hosted byAriana Grande, began at 11:35 p.m. Eastern due to a primetime college football overrun.[193] It was the first overrun under a new rights deal with theBig Ten Conference in which games air regularly in the Saturday prime time slot on NBC.
The October 18, 2025 episode, hosted bySabrina Carpenter, began at 11:42 p.m. Eastern after aUSC-Notre Damecollege football game ran long.[194]
BecauseSNL has been a huge success in the United States, channels in other countries have created their own versions of the show, including Brazil, Germany, Egypt, Spain, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Canada, Finland, France, Italy, and Poland.[195][196][clarification needed]
In the mid-late 1980sChannel 4, in association withLondon Weekend Television, created a show for British audiences calledSaturday Live andFriday Night Live, the repeat version was entitled "Saturday Almost Live". It was based on theSNL format but had no direct connection to the American program.
A German version ofSNL namedRTL Samstag Nacht aired between 1993 and 1998 onRTL Television. Most episodes were hosted by German celebrities, however, some shows were hosted by American personalities who never hosted the American version, includingMel Brooks andMichael Winslow. Due to language barriers, they appeared only in opening monologues and in a limited number of sketches.[197]
SNL in its original American version has aired inIsrael since the early 2000s and is broadcast by satellite provideryes. An SNL inspired Israeli show,Eretz Nehederet (A Wonderful Country), debuted in 2003 and continues to garner high ratings.
SNL also airs in the Middle East and North Africa,OSN First HD every Saturday night, one week after it airs in the U.S.[198]
In India and Sri Lanka,Saturday Night Live! airs an hour-long version onComedy Central one week after the U.S. broadcast.[199]
Spain's version of the show was short-lived, lasting a few episodes which aired on Thursdays and not Saturdays as the title suggested. This version copied heavily from the American version, as they did their own versions of sketches already done on the original series.[195]
Italy'sSaturday Night Live From Milan aired for four seasons and used original material.[195][200]
On December 3, 2011, South Korea'sSNL Korea premiered on cable channeltvN.[201][202][203][204] As of November 11, 2017, has completed nine seasons with 205 episodes. On September 4, 2021, it was rebooted and broadcast throughCoupang Play, a South Korean OTT service. Only the broadcasting stations are different, but the members are similar or reinforced.
The Japanese versionSaturday Night Live Japan, which ran for six months in 2011, was created in part with sponsorCoca-Cola and Lorne Michaels's production company, Broadway Video, and broadcast onFuji TV networks. The show followed the same format with a few minor differences, being only 45 minutes long and hosted by a permanent host. The cast was made up of seasoned comedians who take center stage and newcomers who play the background roles. It was broadcast once a month, and ended after six episodes, as planned from the start.[205][206][207]
In 2013, the Russian channelNTV aired theSNL adaptation entitledСуббота. Вечер. Шоу (Saturday. Evening. Show) and produced byEndemol's Weit Media. Unlike other international versions, it was not broadcast live.[208] Due to low ratings and negative reviews, the third episode was pulled from the schedule.[209][210] The remaining six episodes eventually aired in January 2014, but without any announcements and under a different title:Сегодня. Вечер. Шоу (Today. Evening. Show). Reruns of the adaptation were aired at night on NTV throughout the first half of 2015.
In 2014, two ninety-minute specials were broadcast in French onTélé-Québec in the Canadian province ofQuebec under the titleSNL Québec; the specials were broadcast on February 8 and March 22, 2014. Hosted byLouis-José Houde andStéphane Rousseau, it is the same format and length as the originalSNL series.[211] Certain sketches from the original program, such asDebbie Downer andSchweddy Balls, were adapted into French, while other sketches were original material written directly for the Quebec series. On May 13, 2014,SNL Quebec was renewed for another eight episodes to be broadcast monthly over the 2014–15 season ending with a "Best of" compilation.[212] Télé-Québec announced in May 2015 the series would not be renewed due to funding cutbacks,[213] andIci Radio-Canada Télé subsequently signed the show's production team and cast to produce a new series,Le nouveau show, for that network.[214]
The French channelM6 launched the pilot episode of itsSNL adaptation,Le Saturday Night Live, in January 2017.
The Polish division ofShowmax video-on-demand streaming service launched the first season of itsSNL adaptation,SNL Polska on December 2, 2017. The show received mixed reviews,[215][216][217] however improving by the end of the series.[218] Following the first series, a stand-alone "Weekend Update" was introduced in autumn 2018.[219] In December 2018, Showmax announced the closure of its Polish branch, effectively cancelling the show.[220]
On December 10, 2021, Deadline reported thatSky One was working on aBritish version ofSaturday Night Live.[221] After the shutdown of Sky One, it was announced that the UK version is official and it will premiere onSky Max and the streaming serviceNOW, which will be executive produced by the U.S. version creatorLorne Michaels. It is set to debut sometime in 2026.[222]
| Country | Name | Station | Broadcast | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Brazil | Saturday Night Live | RedeTV! | May 27, 2012 – October 20, 2012 | Portuguese |
 Canada | SNL Québec | Télé-Québec | February 8, 2014 – March 21, 2015 | French |
 China | 周六夜现场 | Youku | June 23, 2018 – September 8, 2018 | Mandarin Chinese |
 France | Le Saturday Night Live | M6 | January 5, 2017 (single episode) | French |
 Germany | RTL Samstag Nacht | RTL Television | November 6, 1993 – May 23, 1998 | German |
 Italy | Saturday Night Live from Milano Saturday Night Live | Italia 1 TV8 | 2006 – 2011 April 7, 2018 – May 12, 2018 | Italian |
 Japan | サタデーナイトライブ JPN Saturday Night Live JPN | Fuji TV | October 27, 2012 – November 17, 2012 | Japanese |
 Poland | SNL Polska | Showmax | December 2, 2017 – March 17, 2018 | Polish |
 Russia | Суббота. Вечер. Шоу Сегодня. Вечер. Шоу | NTV | September 13, 2013 – January 11, 2014 | Russian |
 South Korea | SNL 코리아 Saturday Night Live Korea | tvN | December 3, 2011 – November 18, 2017 | Korean |
| SNL 코리아 Saturday Night Live Korea | Coupang Play | September 4, 2021 – present | Korean | |
 Spain | Saturday Night Live | Cuatro | February 5, 2009 – May 13, 2009 | Spanish |
 Finland | Saturday Night Live Suomi | MTV3 | February 6, 2016 – April 23, 2016 | Finnish |
 Egypt | ساترداي نايت لايف بالعربي Saturday Night Live Arabic | OSN | February 20, 2016 – January 6, 2018 | Arabic |
 United Kingdom | Saturday Night Live UK | Sky Max,Now | 2026 (upcoming) | English |
The show's ratings increased steadily for several years after its debut, reaching their highest point in the fifth season. Ratings entered into a period of decline after that, never again reaching those heights, but had rebounded enough by the early 1990s to make the 1992–93 season the fifth-highest rated in the show's history. Since then, ratings have trended steadily lower. As of 2018, thirteen of the show's lowest-rated seasons occurred in the 2000s. The show's ratings have often experienced temporary spikes during U.S. presidential election years.[223]
| Season | Episodes | Start date | End date | Viewers (Mil.) | Overall rating[224] | 18–49 rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–76 | 24 | October 11, 1975 | July 31, 1976 | N/A | 6.4 | N/A |
| 1976–77 | 22 | September 18, 1976 | May 21, 1977 | 7.9 | ||
| 1977–78 | 20 | September 24, 1977 | May 20, 1978 | 9.8 | ||
| 1978–79 | October 7, 1978 | May 26, 1979 | 13.1 | |||
| 1979–80 | October 13, 1979 | May 24, 1980 | 13.5 | |||
| 1980–81 | 13 | November 15, 1980 | April 11, 1981 | 9.5 | ||
| 1981–82 | 20 | October 3, 1981 | May 22, 1982 | 8.0 | ||
| 1982–83 | September 25, 1982 | May 14, 1983 | 7.4 | |||
| 1983–84 | 19 | October 8, 1983 | May 12, 1984 | |||
| 1984–85 | 17 | October 6, 1984 | April 13, 1985 | 7.5 | ||
| 1985–86 | 18 | November 9, 1985 | May 24, 1986 | 7.1 | ||
| 1986–87 | 20 | October 11, 1986 | May 23, 1987 | 7.6 | ||
| 1987–88 | 13 | October 17, 1987 | February 27, 1988 | 11.77 | 8.4 | 6.4 |
| 1988–89 | 20 | October 8, 1988 | May 20, 1989 | 10.73 | 7.9 | 5.5 |
| 1989–90 | September 30, 1989 | May 19, 1990 | 11.09 | 8.1 | 5.8 | |
| 1990–91 | September 29, 1990 | May 18, 1991 | 10.55 | 7.5 | 5.7 | |
| 1991–92 | September 28, 1991 | May 16, 1992 | 12.37 | 8.8 | 6.8 | |
| 1992–93 | September 26, 1992 | May 15, 1993 | 12.67 | 9.2 | 7.1 | |
| 1993–94 | September 25, 1993 | May 14, 1994 | 11.32 | 8.2 | 6.3 | |
| 1994–95 | September 24, 1994 | May 13, 1995 | 9.87 | 7.2 | 5.4 | |
| 1995–96 | September 30, 1995 | May 18, 1996 | 7.40 | 5.6 | 3.8 | |
| 1996–97 | September 28, 1996 | May 17, 1997 | 9.08 | 6.7 | 4.8 | |
| 1997–98 | September 27, 1997 | May 9, 1998 | 9.18 | 6.6 | 5.0 | |
| 1998–99 | 19 | September 26, 1998 | May 15, 1999 | 8.44 | 6.1 | 4.5 |
| 1999–00 | 20 | October 2, 1999 | May 20, 2000 | 8.32 | 6.0 | 4.4 |
| 2000–01 | October 7, 2000 | May 19, 2001 | 8.88 | 6.2 | 4.6 | |
| 2001–02 | September 29, 2001 | May 18, 2002 | 8.78 | 5.8 | 4.4 | |
| 2002–03 | October 5, 2002 | May 17, 2003 | 8.34 | 5.5 | 4.1 | |
| 2003–04 | October 4, 2003 | May 15, 2004 | 8.09 | 3.8 | ||
| 2004–05 | October 2, 2004 | May 21, 2005 | 7.47 | 5.1 | 3.6 | |
| 2005–06 | 19 | October 1, 2005 | May 20, 2006 | 6.96 | 4.7 | 3.2 |
| 2006–07 | 20 | September 30, 2006 | May 19, 2007 | 6.90 | 4.6 | 3.0 |
| 2007–08 | 12 | September 29, 2007 | May 17, 2008 | 6.87 | 4.5 | |
| 2008–09 | 22 | September 13, 2008 | May 16, 2009 | 9.17 | 5.8 | 3.9 |
| 2009–10 | September 26, 2009 | May 15, 2010 | 8.41 | 5.2 | 3.5 | |
| 2010–11 | September 25, 2010 | May 21, 2011 | 8.46 | 3.4 | ||
| 2011–12 | September 24, 2011 | May 19, 2012 | 8.38 | 5.4 | 3.3 | |
| 2012–13 | 21 | September 15, 2012 | May 18, 2013 | 8.31 | 3.4 | |
| 2013–14 | September 28, 2013 | May 17, 2014 | 8.37 | 5.2 | 3.3 | |
| 2014–15 | September 27, 2014 | May 16, 2015 | 7.42 | 4.6 | 2.7 | |
| 2015–16 | October 3, 2015 | May 21, 2016 | 8.70 | 4.9 | 2.9 | |
| 2016–17 | October 1, 2016 | May 20, 2017 | 11.00 | 5.6 | 3.5 | |
| 2017–18 | September 29, 2017 | May 19, 2018 | 7.55 | N/A | N/A | |
| 2018–19 | September 29, 2018 | May 18, 2019 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| 2019–20 | 18 | September 28, 2019 | May 9, 2020 | N/A | N/A | 1.5 |
| 2020–21 | 20 | October 3, 2020 | May 22, 2021 | |||
| 2021–22 | 21 | October 2, 2021 | May 21, 2022 | |||
| 2022–23 | 18 | October 1, 2022 | April 15, 2023 | |||
| 2023–24 | 20 | October 14, 2023 | May 18, 2024 |
In 2002SNL was ranked tenth onTV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time,[225] while in 2007 it was honored with inclusion onTime magazine's list of "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME".[226]
In June 2013 the show was placed at number 25 on the list of the 101 best written shows of all time by theWriters Guild of America, assessing series from the previous seventy years.[227] In December 2013,TV Guide ranked it #18 on their list of the 60 Greatest Shows of All Time.[228] A 2015The Hollywood Reporter survey of 2,800 actors, producers, directors, and other industry people namedSNL as their #7 favorite show.[229] It is currently the longest running sketch comedy show on television.[230]
In 2016 aNew York Times study of the fifty television shows with the mostFacebook likes found thatSNL "is very much an urban show. It is most popular in cities throughout the country, and college towns.Amherst, Mass.;Madison, Wis.; andIthaca, N.Y. are all among the top 10."[231]
Some critics have cautioned that the show is too dependent upon visiting guest actors and formerSNL cast members – particularly for its impersonations of prominent politicians in the2020 U.S. Presidential Election races – and is beginning to have difficulty producing relevant, truly funny content.[232][233][234][235][236]
In 2023,Variety rankedSaturday Night Live #15 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.[237]
Saturday Night Live has won numerous awards since its debut, including 113Primetime Emmy Awards,[238][239] sixWriters Guild of America Awards,[240] and threePeabody Awards.[241] In 2009 it received a total of thirteen Emmy nominations for a lifetime total of 126, breaking the record for the most award-nominated show in Primetime Emmy Award history, previously set with 124 by hospital dramaER.[242][243] As of September 2022, it has received a record total of 305 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. In 2025, the show broke its own record by winning 11 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, bringing the total number of Emmy Awards to 113.[244]
Twenty-five cast members have received individual Primetime Emmy Award nominations in the show's history. These nominations were mostly in the category ofIndividual Performance in a Variety or Music Program before that award was discontinued; since then, nominations have been in theSupporting Actor andSupporting Actress categories for comedy series. Of the 54 total nominations for these twenty-five performers, four have won:Chevy Chase (1976),Gilda Radner (1978),Dana Carvey (1993), andKate McKinnon (2016, 2017). In addition,Alec Baldwin received two Emmy nominations, winning once in 2017, for his recurring guest role asDonald Trump.[245]
SNL has affected American elections, most commonly presidential elections. Voters have reported that political sketches shown on the program influenced them in the voting booth. The so-called "SNL Effect" was observed during the2008 presidential campaign, according to Mike Dabadie. Two-thirds of voters who responded to a poll said they had seen a broadcast of politically charged content onSNL, with ten percent saying it had made a difference in their decision.Barack Obama was the beneficiary of the political content, with 59 percent saying they did in fact cast a vote for theDemocratic then-nominee.[246] Chevy Chase's bumbling impression of then-presidentGerald Ford during the 1976 presidential election was cited as an influence on the election, and a quote commonly attributed to 2008 vice-presidential candidateSarah Palin stating "I can see Russia from my house" was actually spoken bySNL cast member Tina Fey while portraying Palin.[247] The political content was abandoned briefly following theSeptember 11, 2001, terrorist attack in New York, with Amy Poehler saying the writers did not want to produce politicized material.[248]
Several politicians have appeared onSNL, including President Gerald Ford (in 1976, during the show's first season), then-Senator Barack Obama (2007), SenatorJohn McCain (2002 and 2008), Secretary Hillary Clinton (2008 and 2015), and Governor Sarah Palin (2008), who appeared alongside Fey's Palin impression, resulting in the show's largest audience in fourteen years with fourteen million viewers.[249][248] Senator Obama's appearance occurred in part because Hillary Clinton abandoned her scheduled appearance.[248]Donald Trump hosted the show in 2015,[250] which was met with controversy.[251]Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party's nominee for the2024 United States presidential election, made a guest appearance on November 2, 2024.[252]
Due to itslive broadcast, the show has been the subject of numerous controversies and incidents since its inception, involving controversial performers and content, technical problems, profanities (both intentional and accidental), and joke plagiarism accusations.[253][254][255][256]
One incident that garnered widespread media coverage was a 1992 appearance by singerSinéad O'Connor, in which sheripped up a photo ofPope John Paul II during her performance in an effort to protest theCatholic Church.[253][257] This led to hundreds of complaints from viewers and widespread criticism at the time,[258] although retrospective opinion of her action has been more positive since the Church'scover-up of abuse became public many years later.[259]
Technical issues have also led to major controversies, such as in a widely publicized incident involving singerAshlee Simpson in 2004 where she appeared tolip sync during her second performance, appearing flustered when the wrong song was played.[260] Simpson was the only musical performer in the show's history to unexpectedly leave the stage mid-performance, later apologizing for the incident and explaining that she had lost her voice earlier in the week.[254]
Over the years,SNL has been criticized for stereotypical and sparse representation of racial and gender groups. A 2016 study ofSNL episodes from 1975 to 2016 (826 total) revealed over 90% of episodes had white hosts, while 6.8% were black, 1.2% were Hispanic, and 1.1% were of another racial minority.[261]
Chris Rock indicated he grew frustrated with being limited to sketches where he played stereotypical roles such as a rapper or Black political activist, and left the show to perform onIn Living Color, which featured a mostly Black cast and would offer Rock more creative freedom.[262] He would later host the show 4 times in 1996, 2014, 2020 and 2024, respectively. When longtime cast memberKenan Thompson suggested in 2013 that female African-American representation was low because producers were not finding such comedians who were "ready", media outlets countered it wasSNL that was not ready, and the racial disparity "is symptomatic of problems deeply rooted in comedy and the entertainment industry at large".[263][264][265] Thompson also refused to play any more black women on the show and demandedSNL hire black women instead.[266][267]
SNL has had "little representation from Asian actors, as cast members or hosts", in its run.[268][269] UntilBowen Yang's 2019 promotion from writer to on-air performer, there had been only three people of Asian descent in the cast:Fred Armisen (2002–2013) had a Korean grandfather;Rob Schneider (1988–1994) had aFilipina grandmother; andNasim Pedrad (2009–2014) was born inTehran,Iran.[269][270] In the first forty-seven seasons, the show had seven hosts who were of Asian descent.[261][268][269][271]
Denny Dillon was the first gay cast member in the 1980–81 season, but wasin the closet at the time. So was Danitra Vance, who was the first Black lesbian cast member in the 11th season.[272]Terry Sweeney wasSNL's firstopenly gay male cast member, appearing in the 1985–1986 season. Sweeney was also the first openly gay series regular on network television.[273][274] Bowen Yang is the sixth LGBTQ cast member, hired in 2019. Numerous news outlets noted the disconnect of Michaels hiring Yang, an out gay Chinese-American cast member, at the same time asShane Gillis, who was found to have aired what was perceived as homophobic andanti-Asian jokes and slurs on his podcast.[275][276] Within days, a spokesperson for Michaels announced Gillis was fired due to the controversy.[276] Later, Gillis went on to hostSNL in 2024 during the 49th season,[277] and again in 2025 during the 50th season.[278]Molly Kearney became the first openlynon-binary cast member in 2022.[279]
Melissa Villaseñor joined as a featured player on the October 1, 2016, episode ofSNL.[280] Villaseñor was the second Latina cast member afterNoël Wells, who is a quarter Mexican,[281] and the first Latina to be promoted to repertory status.[282]
Universal Studios Home Entertainment andLions Gate Entertainment hold video rights to the series. Universal has issued complete season DVD sets of the first few seasons, while Lionsgate's share of the rights is a result of prior contracts with NBC signed before theNBC Universal merger. A majority of Lionsgate's SNL DVDs are "Best Of ..." compilations.[citation needed]
Saturday Night Live, the first authorized book about the series, was published byAvon Books in 1977 and edited byAnne Beatts and John Head, with photography by Edie Baskin;[283] all three worked forSNL at the time the book was published. The oversized illustrated paperback included the scripts for several sketches by the 1975–80 cast.[284] In 1986 Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad authoredSaturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live, a behind-the-scenes look at the first ten seasons.[285]Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years, by Michael Cader, was released in 1994 and presented information about the cast, characters, and other memorable moments seen on the show from 1975 to 1994.[286][287]
Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, as Told By Its Stars, Writers and Guests was released in 2002. The book, written byTom Shales and James Andrew Miller, consists of interviews with people who have worked on the show. The interviews reveal personal experiences from what happened backstage and the difficulty of getting the show on air each week.[288] In 2004 former cast memberJay Mohr released his memoirGasping for Airtime: Two Years in the Trenches of Saturday Night Live[289] about his struggles during his two seasons on the show between 1993 and 1995, dealing with getting sketches on-air and the intense work schedule. Former cast memberBobby Moynihan described the book as "a handbook on what NOT to do atSNL".[290]
SNL has made several efforts to develop some of the more popular sketches into feature-length films, with varying degrees of commercial and critical success. The first foray into film came with the successful Aykroyd and Belushi vehicle,The Blues Brothers (1980), which earned over $115 million on a $27 million budget.[291]
In 1990 Michaels oversaw the writing of a sketch anthology feature film titledThe Saturday Night Live Movie with many of the show's then-current writing staff, includingAl Franken,Tom Davis,Greg Daniels,Jim Downey,Conan O'Brien,Robert Smigel, andGeorge Meyer, contributing. The screenplay only got as far as a Revised First Draft dated July 26, 1990, before being abandoned.[292]
The success ofWayne's World (1992) encouraged Michaels to produce more film spin-offs, based on several popular sketch characters. Michaels revived 1970s characters forConeheads (1993), followed byIt's Pat (1994);Stuart Saves His Family (1995);A Night at the Roxbury (1998),Superstar (1999), andThe Ladies Man (2000). Some did moderately well, though others did not – notably,It's Pat, which did so badly at the box office that the studio that made the film,Touchstone Pictures (owned by theWalt Disney Company, which also owns NBC's rivalABC), pulled it only one week after releasing it,[293] andStuart Saves His Family, which lost $14 million. Many of these films were produced byParamount Pictures. The films based onThe Blues Brothers were produced byUniversal Studios, which merged with NBC in 2004 to formNBC Universal (Universal also has ajoint venture with Paramount for international distribution of the two studios' films).
| Film | Release date (United States) | Budget (estimated) | Box office revenue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Elsewhere | Worldwide | |||
| The Blues Brothers | June 20, 1980 | $27 million | $57,229,890 | $58,000,000 | $115,229,890 |
| Wayne's World | February 14, 1992 | $20 million | $121,697,323 | $61,400,000 | $183,097,323 |
| Coneheads | July 23, 1993 | $33 million | $21,274,717 | — | $21,274,717 |
| Wayne's World 2 | December 10, 1993 | $40 million | $48,197,805 | — | $48,197,805 |
| It's Pat | August 26, 1994 | $8 million[294] | $60,822 | — | $60,822 |
| Stuart Saves His Family | April 14, 1995 | $15 million | $912,082 | $912,082 | |
| Blues Brothers 2000 | February 6, 1998 | $28 million | $14,051,384 | — | $14,051,384 |
| A Night at the Roxbury | October 2, 1998 | $17 million | $30,331,165 | — | $30,331,165 |
| Superstar | October 8, 1999 | $14 million | $30,636,478 | — | $30,636,478 |
| The Ladies Man | October 13, 2000 | $24 million | $13,616,610 | $126,602 | $13,743,212 |
| MacGruber | May 21, 2010 | $10 million | $8,525,600 | $797,295 | $9,259,314 |
The character Bob Roberts from theTim Robbinsfilm of the same title (1992) first appeared onSNL in a short film about the conservative folk singer.
In addition, the 1999 comedy filmOffice Space originated from a series of animated short films byMike Judge that aired onSNL in 1993.[295]
The fictitious American folk music trioThe Folksmen first appeared onSNL, performing the song "Old Joe's Place" before later appearing in the filmA Mighty Wind (2002). The three members of the Folksmen were the same three comedians:Harry Shearer,Michael McKean, andChristopher Guest, who also appeared on the same episode as the rock groupSpinal Tap. At the time of the appearance (the 1984–85 season), Shearer and Guest were cast members.
Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures is based on theMr. Bill sketches from early seasons ofSNL.[296]
In 2024, the filmSaturday Night was released, about the production of the firstSNL episode to air on October 11, 1975, withGabriel LaBelle as Michaels.
Over the years popular characters from the show have appeared in ad campaigns for an assortment of products.
| Sketch referenced | Product | Returning actors | Release date | Additional notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Swerski's Superfans | State Farm | Robert Smigel,George Wendt | 09/2013[297] | |
| Coneheads | State Farm | Dan Aykroyd,Jane Curtin | 05/2015[298] | Two separate Coneheads commercials in this campaign |
| Coneheads | Subway | N/A | 1993 | |
| I Wish It Was Christmas Today | Acura | N/A | 11/2014[299] | Cover byJulian Casablancas |
| Land Shark | BMW | N/A | 2003 | |
| MacGruber | Pepsi | Will Forte,Kristen Wiig | 02/1/2009[300] | Premiered during Super Bowl XLIII, three commercials total |
| Mango | T by Alexander Wang | Chris Kattan | 06/2014[301] | |
| Mr. Bill | Subway | Walter Williams | ||
| Mr. Bill | MasterCard | Walter Williams | 06/2008[302] | |
| Mr. Bill | Ramada Inn | Walter Williams | 2001[303] | |
| Mr. Bill | Anti-Drug PSA | Walter Williams | 1980's | |
| Mr. Bill | Burger King | Walter Williams | 1985 | |
| Mr. Bill | America's Wetland campaign | Walter Williams | 2004–2005[304] | Ads pulled over Mr. Williams' concern Shell Oil Co. exploited them for positive PR[305] |
| Pumping Up with Hans & Franz | State Farm | Dana Carvey,Kevin Nealon | 09/04/2014[306] | |
| The Richmeister | State Farm | Rob Schneider | 09/2014[307] | Commercial pulled in response to Mr. Schneider's statements on vaccines[308] |
| The Roxbury Guys | Diet Pepsi Max | Chris Kattan | 02/3/2008 | Premiered during Super Bowl XLII |
| Wayne's World | Uber Eats | Dana Carvey,Mike Myers | 02/2021[309] | Campaign debuted in lead-up to Super Bowl LV and ran again during the big game |
A cast album was released in 1976 on the Arista label including the song "Chevy's Girls" and comedy bits from the show (Weekend Update, "Emily Litella", "Gun Control");[310] it was later re-issued on CD and MP3 download.
In 2005, the comedy troupeThe Lonely Island—consisting ofSNL membersAndy Samberg,Akiva Schaffer, andJorma Taccone—gained national exposure after joining the show and debuting their comedic music video "Lazy Sunday", written with fellow cast memberChris Parnell. The song became a surprise hit.[311][312] It was posted on YouTube without permission from NBC; "Lazy Sunday" popularized the website, which had launched five months earlier. Schaffer said that for years after the video was released, "You couldn’t kind of write a story about YouTube without mentioning us."[313][314][315]
Further successes with songs including "Like a Boss", "Jizz in My Pants", "I'm on a Boat", "We Like Sportz", "Boombox", and "Dick in a Box" – the latter of which won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2007[316] – saw The Lonely Island go on to release two albums,Incredibad (2009)[317] andTurtleneck & Chain (2011), containingSNL-developed songs and original works. The albums were released byUniversal Republic Records, which was provided with a license to theSNL songs by NBC and Broadway Video.
On January 16, 2025, the four episode documentary seriesSNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, featuring rare footage and interviews with more than 60 contributors—including cast members, writers, and execs—became available to stream onPeacock. A sequel, feature-length documentaryLadies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music, which discusses SNL's music performances and musical-comedy sketches, will then be available to stream on Peacock on January 27, 2025.[318]
Several programs have documented the behind-the-scenes events of the show. A60 Minutes report taped in October 2004 depicted the intense writing frenzy that goes on during the week leading up to a show, with crowded meetings and long hours. The report particularly noted the involvement of the guest host(s) in developing and selecting the sketches in which they will appear. Similarly, there has been anA&E episode ofBiography which covered the production process, as well as an episode ofTV Tales in 2002 onE!. In 2010,Saturday Night, a 94-minute documentary by actorJames Franco in his directorial debut, was released; it follows the production process of the December 6, 2008, episode hosted byJohn Malkovich, from the concept stage to the episode actually airing live. Although it originated as a five-minute short film for Franco'sNew York University film class, Michaels granted Franco access to the process, allowing the project to be expanded.[159] On February 15, 2015, NBC aired a3+1⁄2-hour special onSaturday Night Live's 40th anniversary. The program included a mix of clips, new performances of classic characters from previous cast members, and special guest appearances from previous hosts.[319]
In September 2011 ice cream companyBen & Jerry's released a limited-edition ice cream called "Schweddy Balls", inspired by a 1998 sketch of the same name starring Alec Baldwin,Ana Gasteyer, andMolly Shannon.[320][321] According to the company, the ice cream became their fastest-selling limited-edition flavor.[322][failed verification] The ice cream was also subject to criticism and boycotts byOne Million Moms, a project of theAmerican Family Association, over the "vulgar" name.[320][323] Some retail chains chose not to sell the flavor, but declined to say if the decision was at their own discretion or based on the One Million Moms boycotts.[323][324] In June 2014 two new flavors inspired by SNL sketches were introduced:Lazy Sunday, based on a sketch of the same name featuring Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell, andGilly's Catastrophic Crunch based on the recurringGilly sketches featuring Kristen Wiig.[325]Two Wild and Crazy Pies, based on the catchphrase of the recurringFestrunk Brothers, was introduced in September 2014,[326] followed byWayne'Swirled, which was inspired by the eponymousWayne's World in February 2015.[327]
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