Saturday Night Live (Cybotron)

''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and streams on Peacock. Michaels currently serves as the program's showrunner. The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title ''NBC's Saturday Night''. The show's comedy sketches, which often parody contemporary American culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that was usually based on political events and ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, " Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", properly beginning the show.

In 1980, Michaels left the show to explore other opportunities. He was replaced by Jean 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 held the job of showrunner. Many ''SNL'' 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.

Broadcast from Studio 8H at NBC's headquarters in the Comcast Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, ''SNL'' has aired episodes since its debut and began its 49th season on October 14, 2023, making it one of the longest-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, including '' The Blues Brothers'' (1980) and '' Wayne's World'' (1992). The show has been marketed in other ways, including home 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 84 Primetime Emmy Awards, six Writers Guild of America Awards, and three Peabody Awards. In 2000, it was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. It was ranked tenth in '' TV Guide''s " 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" list, and in 2007 it was listed as one of '' Time''s "100 Best TV Shows of All-''TIME.''" As of 2022, the show had received over 305 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, the most received by any television program. The live aspect of the show has resulted in several controversies and acts of censorship, with mistakes and intentional acts of sabotage by performers as well as guests.

Development

From 1965 until 1975, NBC affiliates broadcast '' The Best of Carson'' reruns of ''The Tonight Show'', originally known as ''The Saturday/Sunday Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', on Saturday or Sunday nights. In 1974 Johnny Carson announced that he wanted the weekend shows pulled and saved so they could be aired during weeknights, allowing him to take time off.

In 1974, NBC president Herbert Schlosser approached his vice president of late-night programming, Dick Ebersol, and asked him to create a show to fill the Saturday night time slot. At the suggestion of Paramount Pictures executive Barry Diller, Schlosser and Ebersol then approached Lorne Michaels. Over the next three weeks, Ebersol and Michaels developed the latter's idea for a variety show featuring high-concept comedy sketches, political satire, and music performances that would attract 18- to 34-year-old viewers. By 1975, Michaels had assembled a talented cast, including Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O'Donoghue, Gilda Radner, and George Coe.

Belushi, Chase, Radner, and O'Donoghue were all alumni of the comedy productions '' National Lampoon: Lemmings'', '' The National Lampoon Radio Hour'', and '' The National Lampoon Show'', which had achieved notoriety in 1973–1975. Other '' National Lampoon'' veterans, like Bill Murray and Brian Doyle-Murray, later became ''SNL'' regulars. In fact, ''National Lampoon'' publisher Matty Simmons had earlier been approached by NBC "to work on its planned Saturday night comedy show," and turned them down. "This, of course, became ''Saturday Night Live.''"

The show was originally called ''NBC's Saturday Night'' because ''Saturday Night Live'' was in use by '' Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell'' on the rival network ABC. After the cancellation of Cosell's show, NBC purchased the rights to the name in 1976 and officially adopted the new title as of the 17th episode of the second seasonthe episode hosted by Jack Burns on March 26, 1977. However, the name change was not finalized until the premiere episode of the show's third season. The show was originally conceived with three rotating permanent hosts: Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor, and George Carlin. According to Ebersol, consideration was given to Steve Martin and singer Linda Ronstadt also being included as a duo. When Pryor dropped out because his brand of comedy was not censor-friendly, the concept was dropped.

Debuting on October 11, 1975, the show quickly developed a cult following, eventually becoming a mainstream hit and spawning (in 1978) "Best of ''Saturday Night Live''" compilations that reached viewers who could not stay awake for the live broadcasts. But during the first season in 1975 and 1976, some NBC executives were not satisfied with the show's Nielsen ratings and shares. Lorne Michaels pointed out to them that Nielsen's measurement of demographics indicated that baby boomers constituted a large majority of the viewers who did commit to watching the show, and many of them watched little else on television. In 1975 and 1976 they were the most desirable demographic for television advertisers, even though Generation X was the right age for commercials for toys and other children's products. Baby boomers far outnumbered GenerationX in reality but not in television viewership with the exception of Michaels's new show and major league sports, and advertisers had long been concerned about baby boomers' distaste for the powerful medium. NBC executives eventually understood Michaels's explanation of the desirable demographics and decided to keep the show on the air despite many angry letters and phone calls the network received from viewers who were offended by certain sketches.

They included a Weekend Update segment on April 24, 1976, that ridiculed Colorado murder suspect Claudine Longet, and warranted an on-air apology by announcer Don Pardo during the following episode. Herminio Traviesas, a censor who was vice president of the network's Standards and Practices department, objected to cast member Laraine Newman's use of the term "pissed off" in the March 13, 1976, episode with host Anthony Perkins; he was in the process of placing the show on a permanent delay of several seconds, instead of live, but he changed his mind after Newman personally apologized to him. In December 1977, British singer-songwriter Elvis Costello appeared as a last-minute replacement after Sex Pistols canceled. Within seconds of starting to play the agreed song " Less than Zero", Costello stopped his band and launched into "Radio Radio", a song about corporate-controlled broadcasting. Off camera, an enraged Michaels reportedly showed Costello his middle finger throughout the song, and Costello was banned from ''SNL'' for 12 years.

Chase left the show in November of the second season and was replaced a few months later by the relatively unknown comic actor Bill Murray. Aykroyd and Belushi left the show in 1979 after the end of season four. In May 1980 (after season five) Michaels, emotionally and physically exhausted, requested to place the show on hiatus for a year to allow him time to pursue other projects. Concerned that the show would be canceled without him, Michaels suggested writers Al Franken, Tom Davis, and Jim Downey as his replacements. NBC president Fred Silverman disliked Franken and was infuriated by Franken's Weekend Update routine on May 10, 1980, called "A Limo for a Lame-O", a scathing critique of Silverman's job performance and his insistence on traveling by limousine at the network's expense. Silverman blamed Michaels for approving this Weekend Update segment. Unable to secure the deal that he wanted, Michaels chose to leave NBC for Paramount Pictures, intending to bring associate producer Jean Doumanian along with him. Michaels later learned that Doumanian had been given his position at ''SNL'' after being recommended by her friend, NBC Vice President Barbara Gallagher. Michaels's departure prompted most of the cast and writing staff to leave the show.

The reputation of the show as a springboard to fame meant that many aspiring stars were eager to join the new series. Jean Doumanian was tasked with hiring a full cast and writing staff in less than three months, and NBC immediately cut the show's budget from the previous $1million per episode down to just $350,000. Doumanian faced resentment and sabotage from the remaining Michaels staff. The 1980 season was a disaster; ratings plummeted, and audiences failed to connect to the original cast's replacements, such as Charles Rocket and Ann Risley. Doumanian's fate was sealed when, during a sketch, Rocket said "fuck" on live television. After only ten months, Doumanian was dismissed. Although executives suggested ''SNL'' be left to die, Brandon Tartikoff, who succeeded Silverman as network chief in mid-1981, wanted to keep the show on the air, believing the concept was more important to the network than money. Tartikoff turned to Ebersol as his choice for the new producer. Ebersol previously had been fired by Silverman. Ebersol gained Michaels's approval in an attempt to avoid the same staff sabotage that had blighted Doumanian's tenure.

Ebersol's tenure saw commercial success but was considered lackluster compared to the Michaels era, except for the breakout of new cast member Eddie Murphy during the 1980–81 sixth season. Murphy, the main draw of the cast, left in 1984 to pursue his already-successful film career, and Ebersol decided to again rebuild the cast. He broke with history by hiring established comedians such as Billy Crystal and Martin Short who could bring their already successful material to the show. Ebersol's final year with this new cast is considered one of the series' funniest, but had strayed far from the precedent-shattering show Michaels had created. After that season, Ebersol wanted a more significant revamp, including departing from the show's established "live" format. Following unsuccessful forays into film and television, in need of money, and eager not to see Tartikoff cancel the show, Michaels finally returned in 1985 after Ebersol opted out. The show was again recast, with Michaels borrowing Ebersol's idea to seek out established actors such as Joan Cusack and Robert Downey Jr. The cast and writers struggled creatively and, in April 1986, Tartikoff made the decision to cancel the show, until he was convinced by producer Bernie Brillstein to give it one more year. The show was renewed, but, for the first time in its history, for only thirteen episodes instead of the usual twenty-two. Michaels again fired most of the cast and, learning his lesson from the previous seasons, sought out unknown talent such as Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman instead of known names.

The show ran successfully again until it lost Carvey and Hartman, two of its biggest stars, between 1992 and 1994. Wanting to increase ''SNL''s ratings and profitability, then NBC West Coast president Don Ohlmeyer and other executives began to actively interfere in the show, recommending that new stars such as Chris Farley and Adam Sandler be fired (because Ohlmeyer did not "get" them) and critiquing the costly nature of performing the show live. The show faced increasing criticism from the press and cast, in part encouraged by the NBC executives hoping to weaken Michaels's position. Michaels received a lucrative offer to develop a Saturday night project for CBS during this time, but remained loyal to ''SNL''. In the mid-90s, the show focused on performers, and writers were forced to supply material for the cast's existing characters before they could write original sketches. By 1997, Ohlmeyer renewed his focus on limiting Michaels's independence, forcing the removal of writer Jim Downey and cast member Norm Macdonald.

In 2021, Lorne Michaels speculated that season 50 of ''SNL'' may be his last, while Kenan Thompson speculated in 2022 that ''Saturday Night Live'' may come to an end altogether after its 50th season in 2025. Michaels said in an interview on '' CBS Mornings'' that he is "committed to doing the show until its 50th anniversary... I'd like to see that through, and I have a feeling that would be a really good time to leave." Thompson has stated that it would "make sense financially" for NBC to end the show after Michaels's retirement. In an interview with Charlamagne tha God, Thompson said, " BCmight slash the budget, and then at that point, you can't really do the same kind of show. So that's unfair to watch it just really go down kind of in flames for real because of those restrictions... Capping it at 50 might not be a bad idea." Despite these speculations, no official announcement has been made regarding the future of ''SNL''.

Due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, the 49th season was delayed until October 14, 2023.

Cast and crew

Cast

Those selected to join the cast of ''SNL'' are normally already accomplished performers, recruited from improvisational comedy groups such as The Groundlings (Newman, Hartman, Will Ferrell, Jon Lovitz, Kristen Wiig) and The Second City (Aykroyd, Farley, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows), or established stand-up comedians (Carvey, Sandler, Macdonald, Chris Rock), who already possess the training or experience necessary for ''SNL''. 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. Of the many roles available in the show, one of the longest-running and most coveted is being the host of Weekend Update, a segment featuring one or two hosts, who get substantial screen time performing as themselves. Many of the Weekend Update hosts have gone on to find greater success outside the show, including Chase, Curtin, Murray, Fey, Macdonald, Dennis Miller, Jimmy Fallon, and Amy Poehler.

The original 1975 cast of ''SNL'', titled "The Not Ready For Prime-Time Players", a term coined by the writer Herb Sargent, included Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase. Radner was the first person hired after Michaels himself. Although Chase became a performer, he was hired on a one-year writer contract and refused to sign the performer contract that was repeatedly given to him, allowing him to leave the show after the first season in 1976. Newman was brought aboard after having a prior working relationship with Michaels. Morris was initially brought in as a writer, but attempts to have him fired by another writer led Michaels to have Morris audition for the cast, where he turned in a successful performance. Curtin and Belushi were the last two cast members hired. Belushi had a disdain for television and had repeatedly turned down offers to appear on other shows, but decided to work with the show because of the involvement of Radner and writers Anne Beatts and Michael O'Donoghue. Michaels was still reluctant to hire Belushi, believing he would be a source of trouble for the show, but Beatts, O'Donoghue, and Ebersol successfully argued for his inclusion.

After Chase left the show, he was replaced by Bill Murray, whom Michaels had intended to hire for the first-season cast but was unable to because of budget restrictions. When Chase returned to host the episode that aired live on the night of February 18–19, 1978, he found the remaining cast, particularly Belushi, resentful of his 1976 departure and his having been cast as the male lead in ''Foul Play''. Murray, goaded by other cast members, had a physical altercation with Chase while musical guest Billy Joel was performing during the live telecast, according to testimony by Laraine Newman and testimony by Lorne Michaels in an oral history of the series published in 2002.

Chase's departure for film made Michaels possessive of his talent; he threatened to fire Aykroyd if he accepted the role of D-Day in the 1978 comedy '' Animal House'', and later refused to allow ''SNL'' musician Paul Shaffer to participate in '' The Blues Brothers'' (1980) with Aykroyd and Belushi after they left in 1979 to pursue film careers. ''Animal House'' was already a major box office success when Michaels and the cast returned for the fourth season in October 1978. Michaels began to struggle to hold the remaining cast together while everyone knew about the independent success of Belushi, still with the series. hough Chase did not return to the show at all during the fourth season, his episodes from the first season and early second season were repeated on Saturday nights when the live show was on hiatus. The reruns were seen by Generation X viewers who had missed them when they had aired live. Generation X viewers were familiar with Chase from the movie ''Foul Play'' whose PG rating allowed children and teens to watch it without permission from parents. (''Animal House'' had an R rating.) Chase's ongoing visibility in ''SNL'' reruns and cinemas contributed to Michaels’ concern that other cast members and their Generation X fans considered ''SNL'' a launching pad for movies and popular music. Aykroyd already had made his movie debut as a leading man in ''Love at First Sight'' (1977 Canadian film), and though the movie had not been widely seen in the United States, Lorne Michaels became concerned that Aykroyd's major success as a musical artist, as one of the Blues Brothers, could compromise his commitment to performing and writing for their TV series. Michaels’ burden became heavier in 1979 when Gilda Radner had a successful one-woman Broadway show, produced by Michaels himself. During the Broadway run of her show, cinemas screened the popular comedy ''Meatballs'', which launched Murray's movie career. The PG rating allowed kids of all ages to watch it. This resulted in new ''SNL'' viewers who were not familiar with what writers Anne Beatts and Michael O’Donoghue considered to be the unorthodox style of the first two seasons. The rapidly changing viewer demographics caused Michaels to become even more concerned about the possible departures of cast members and writers. In 1980, he chose to leave the series to pursue other interests and was replaced by Jean Doumanian, who wanted to give the show a fresh start with a new cast and writing staff. Michaels was followed out the door by the remaining original cast, Curtin, Newman, Radner, Morris, Murray, and additional cast members.

The Doumanian-era cast faced immediate comparisons to the beloved former cast and was not received favorably. Ebersol fired the majority of her hires, except for two unknown comedians: Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo. Talent coordinator Neil Levy claimed Murphy contacted and pleaded with him for a role on the show and, after seeing him audition, Levy fought with Doumanian to cast him instead of Robert Townsend. Doumanian wanted only one black cast member and favored Townsend, but Levy convinced her to choose Murphy. Doumanian also claimed credit for discovering Murphy and fighting with NBC executives to bring him onto the show. Even so, Murphy would languish as a background character until Ebersol took charge, after which Murphy was credited with much of that era's success. Murphy's star exploded, and he quickly appeared in films such as ''48 Hrs.'' and '' Trading Places'', before leaving for his film career in early 1984.

Much of the Ebersol cast departed after the 1983–84 season and were replaced with established comedians who could supply their own material, but at an inflated cost; Billy Crystal and Martin Short were paid $25,000 and $20,000 per episode, respectively, far more than earlier salaries. Michaels's return in 1985 saw a cast reset that featured talent such as Robert Downey Jr., Jon Lovitz, and Dennis Miller. The season was poorly received, and another reset followed in 1986. Michaels kept Lovitz, Miller, and Nora Dunn, and brought in new, untested talent such as Conan O'Brien, Robert Smigel, Greg Daniels, Bob Odenkirk, Kevin Nealon, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, and Jan Hooks, who together would define a new era on the show into the early 1990s.

In 1989 and 1990, new talent such as Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, and Chris Farley were added. 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, increasing competition for limited screen time. By 1995, Carvey and Hartman had left, taking with them a large number of characters; Myers quit for his movie career, and increasing network pressure forced Michaels to fire Sandler and Farley. The show saw its next major overhaul, bringing in a largely new cast including Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, Cheri Oteri, and Darrell Hammond. Within a few years Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey also joined the cast.

Kenan Thompson is the show's longest-serving cast member. Thompson first joined the series in 2003 and has been on the show for twenty years.Kenan Thompson biography
NBC The show saw a big transition of cast members in 2013, with the addition of six cast members to compensate for the departure of several longtime cast members like Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, and Fred Armisen. In 2014, Sasheer Zamata was added as a cast member mid-season, after criticism of the show's lack of an African-American woman. From 2008, Seth Meyers was the solo host of Weekend Update, before being partnered with Cecily Strong in 2013. After Meyers left for ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' in February 2014, Strong was paired with head writer Colin Jost. However, later that year, she was replaced by writer Michael Che. The next biggest transition happened in 2022, when the show hired four new cast members, in the wake of the departures of 8 cast members, including Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, and Aidy Bryant.

As of Season 49, ''SNL'' has featured 164 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, Kristen Wiig, and many others. Currently, the cast consists of 17 members, with 12 repertory players and 5 featured players:

The cast were often contracted from anywhere between five and six years to the show, 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. 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 on ''SNL'' 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, such as Mike Myers and Adam Sandler, gained fame on ''SNL'' only to leave and make money for other studios. In a 2010 interview, Wiig was reported to be contracted to ''SNL'' for a total of seven years. The contracts also contain a network option that allows NBC to remove a cast member at any time. 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. By the late 1990s, new cast members received a salary between $5,000 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. In 2001, Ferrell became the highest-paid cast member, being paid $350,000 per season (approximately $17,500 per episode).

Writers

As of the 2022–23 season, Kent Sublette, Alison Gates, and Streeter Seidell are the show's co-head writers.

Seth Meyers became a co-head writer in 2005, became the single head writer from 2008 to 2012, and then left in 2014. The Weekend Update segment has its own dedicated team of writers led by head writer and producer Alex Baze as of the 2011–12 season. 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.

Colin Jost has been a writer since 2005 and was one of the head writers from 2012 to 2015 before being renamed head writer, from 2017 until 2022. Michael Che has been a writer since 2013. 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.

''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, and ImprovOlympic. Comedian Jim Downey was head writer for nine years beginning in 1985. Experienced writers with backgrounds in television shows are also sometimes brought into the ''SNL'' writing room. Like the ''SNL'' cast who appear on camera, many of the writers have been able to find their own success outside the show, such as Conan O'Brien, who was brought into ''SNL'' from The Groundlings in 1988, went on to write for '' The Simpsons'', and eventually began hosting his own show. Former head writer Adam McKay, along with performer Ferrell, founded the successful comedy website Funny or Die. In 2000 Tina Fey became the first woman ''SNL'' head writer and successfully made the transition to starring on the show, as well as writing and starring in feature films, ultimately creating and starring in her own show '' 30 Rock'', which was partly based on her ''SNL'' experiences. In 2005 Fey was paid $1.5million per season for her dual role as head writer and performer. Writer John Mulaney has also found success outside of SNL through well-received stand-up specials, his Broadway act '' The Oh, Hello Show'', and the special '' John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch''.

Announcers

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 and Mel Brandt and Bill 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.

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. Cast members Joe Piscopo and Darrell Hammond also periodically impersonated Pardo and fulfilled his announcing duties when Pardo was unavailable. Hammond took over as full-time announcer starting with season 40.

Hosts and musical guests

A typical episode of ''SNL'' 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. 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. So stick around, we'll be right back." Comedian George Carlin was the first to host ''SNL'' in the debut October 1975 episode; 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 the Five-Timers Club, a term that originated on a sketch performed on Tom Hanks's fifth episode. As of February 11, 2017, actor Alec Baldwin holds the record for most times hosting, having performed the duty on seventeen different occasions since 1990; Baldwin took the record from actor Steve Martin who has hosted fifteen times since 1976. Occasionally, former SNL cast members also host.

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. Michaels strongly opposes the use of pre-recorded vocals during musical performances.

Michaels does not allow musical guests to perform using lip-synching tracks, 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, where it is difficult to be both heavily physically active and sing. A 1975 performance by pop group ABBA was the first and only act to feature lip-synching, until the controversial 2004 performance of Ashlee Simpson.

The December 18, 2021, episode (hosted by Paul Rudd) became the first episode to not feature any musical performances since the first episode of season 12, as well as the third episode in the show's duration to not have a musical guest, due to the rise of the Omicron variant in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. She was due to perform "Good Ones" and " New Shapes" on this episode, with Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek scheduled to guest on the latter performance. XCX's only appearance in the episode, however, was in the pre-recorded music video spoof called "The Christmas Socks", where she played a parrot named T.J. Rocks. To make up for time and the lack of cast members, classic Christmas sketches are shown, with some sketches introduced by Tina Fey, Tom Hanks, and Kenan Thompson.

The Band

The Saturday Night Live Band (also known as "The Live Band") is the house band for ''SNL''. Academy Award-winning composer Howard 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 a U.S. Coast Guard chorus) Howard Shore and the Shore Patrol. Over the years, the band has featured several New York studio musicians including Paul Shaffer (1975–1980), Lou Marini (1975–1983), 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), and G. E. Smith (musical director from 1985 to 1995). As of 2017, the band is under the leadership of Tower of Power alumnus Lenny Pickett, keyboardist Leon 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 a ''Saturday Night Live'' bumper graphic until the program resumes. The band plays "Closing Theme (Waltz in A)", written by Shore, at the end of the show.

Production

The studio

Since the show's inception, ''SNL'' has aired from Studio 8H, located on floors eight and nine of the Comcast Building (formerly the RCA Building and GE Building, now 30 Rockefeller Plaza or "30Rock"). The studio had originally been used as a radio soundstage for Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Michaels was dumbfounded when he originally inspected Studio 8H in 1975, and found it technically limited, outdated, in need of repair, and lacking the capacity to host a live show. Michaels demanded that NBC executives rebuild the studio and improve the acoustics to accommodate the intended musical acts, at a cost of approximately $300,000. Three of the shows of the 1976–77 season were shot at the former NBC Studios in Brooklyn, due to NBC News using Studio 8H for presidential election coverage.

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 in high-definition television, appearing letterboxed on conventional television screens. The offices of ''SNL'' writers, producers, and other staff can be found on the 17th floor of "30Rock".

Creating an episode

Production on an ''SNL'' episode will normally start on a Monday with a free-form pitch meeting 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, a process that usually extends through the night into the following morning. Writing may not begin until 8:00p.m. on Tuesday. At 5:00p.m. on Wednesday, the sketches are read by the cast during a round-table meeting in the writers' room, 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.

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. Sketches may be rewritten starting the same day, but will certainly commence on Thursday. Work focuses on developing and rewriting the remaining sketches and possibly rehearsals. 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 8:00p.m., again on Saturday, before the live show. 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. 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. The opening monologue, spoken by the guest host, is given low priority and can be written as late as Saturday afternoon.

According to an interview with Tina 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. As of late 2017, Weekend Update now has its own separate writing staff dedicated to writing news jokes.

Post-production

With onsite facilities housed on floors eight and seventeen of Rockefeller Plaza, post-production duties on live broadcasts of ''Saturday 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 primarily analog to digital in 1998, with live shows typically requiring 1.5 terabytes of storage, consisting of audio elements and five cameras' worth of visual elements. Elements of ''Saturday 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 of Broadway Video.

Filming and photography

Studio 8H production facilities are maintained by NBC Production Services. As of 2018, the show uses five Sony HDC-1500 cameras, primarily mounted on Vinten pedestals, although one is mounted on a Chapman-Leonard Electra crane.

As of 2014, a Grass 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 a Chyron Lyric Pro character generator and an Avid Deko character generator. Audio facilities consist of a Calrec T Series digitally controlled analog mixing console, and a Yamaha digital mixing console used for tape playback support and utility audio work. While exact budgets for other seasons are not known, the 39th season (2013–14) had a budget of over $70million, for which it received a subsidy from New York State in the amount of $12.3million.

As of 2009, the opening title sequence and opening montage are shot using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon EOS 7D digital SLR cameras. Typical elements are recorded at thirty frames per second (fps), with slow-motion sequences shot at sixty fps, both in full 1080p high definition.

Edie Baskin was the original ''SNL'' photographer. She was hired after Michaels saw her photographs of Las Vegas and other work. Baskin helped create the opening title sequence for the show by taking photos of New York City at night. The first episode used publicity photos of host George Carlin as transitional bumpers between the show and commercial breaks, the second episode used photos Baskin had already taken of host Paul 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.

Since 1999 Mary Ellen Matthews has been the official photographer of ''SNL'', 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 30Rock, 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. Matthews employs flattering portrait lighting with hard 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 lassic Hollywood lightinggives 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." 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.

Broadcast

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.

For most of ''SNLs history, it aired live only to NBC stations in the Eastern and Central Time Zones, with all others receiving a recorded broadcast at the normal start time of late-night network programming (11:30p.m. Pacific and 10:30p.m. in other time zones). Since 2017, the show is broadcast live across the contiguous United States. Because the show airs outside of the safe harbor outside of Eastern and Central Time, a brief broadcast delay is installed to meet Federal Communications Commission regulations of primetime programming.

Outside of the contiguous United States, the show also airs live on the three NBC stations in Alaska at 7:30 p.m. local. Two NBC stations still broadcast ''SNL'' on tape delay: KHNL in Honolulu delays it one hour to 7:30 p.m., and KUAM-TV in Guam, where the live broadcast occurs at 1:30p.m. on Sunday, delays it to 11:00p.m.

Since the first opening in 1975 with Michael O'Donoghue, Chevy Chase, and John Belushi, the show has normally begun with a cold open sketch which ends with one or more cast members breaking character and proclaiming " Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", followed by the opening credits. From May 1985 to April 1991, ''SNL'' was occasionally preempted for '' Saturday Night's Main Event''.

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. 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 title ''SNL Vintage''. The network dropped the vintage titling and changed to very recent rebroadcasts beginning in the 2023–2024 season.

NBC and Broadway Video both hold the underlying rights to the show, while the copyright to every episode lies either with NBC or Universal Television. From 1990 until 2004, and again since 2015, Comedy Central and its predecessor Ha! aired reruns of the series, after which E! signed a deal to carry reruns. Abbreviated thirty- and sixty-minute versions of the first five seasons aired as ''The Best of Saturday Night Live'' in syndication (from Orion Television; at the time, the FCC's fin-syn rules prevented NBC from directly distributing reruns of the show) beginning in the 1980s, and later on Nick at Nite in 1988. In September 2010, reruns of most episodes made from 1998 onward began airing on VH1. Starting in February 2016, VH1 and Comedy Central's sister channel Logo began airing reruns of 2006-onward episodes on Sunday nights, launching its broadcast as counterprogramming for Super Bowl 50 and branding it the "Live From New York, It's Satur-Gay Night!" marathon.

On March 16, 2017, NBC announced it would air the final four episodes of the 42nd season live in all mainland U.S. time zones for the first time, creating a communal experience across the states. NBC executive Robert 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". NBC announced on September 19, 2017, that all subsequent episodes would air live coast-to-coast in the U.S.
NBC announced that the May 8, 2021, episode hosted by Elon Musk would be livestreamed on YouTube worldwide for the first time.

Delays

The episode scheduled for October 25, 1986, hosted by Rosanna Arquette, was not aired until November 8 due to NBC broadcasting game 6 of the 1986 World Series between the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox; the four-hour game entered extra innings, causing that night's broadcast of ''SNL'' to be canceled. The show was recorded for the studio audience starting at 1:30 a.m. Eastern Time and broadcast two weeks later with a jocular "apology" by Mets pitcher Ron Darling.

The episode scheduled for February 10, 2001, hosted by Jennifer Lopez, aired 45 minutes late due to an XFL 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 when ''SNL'' started, so that no such incident would happen again.

The November 7, 2020 episode, hosted by Dave Chappelle, began at 12:10 a.m. Eastern after a Clemson-Notre Dame college football game went into double overtime.

International versions

Because ''SNL'' has been a huge success in the United States, channels in other countries have created their own versions of the show, including Germany, Egypt, Spain, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Canada, Finland, France, Italy, and Poland.

In the mid-late 1980s Channel Four, in association with London Weekend Television, created a show for British audiences called '' Saturday Live'' and ''Friday Night Live'', the repeat version was entitled "Saturday Almost Live". It was based on the ''SNL'' format but had no direct connection to the US program.

A German version of ''SNL'' named ''RTL Samstag Nacht'' aired between 1993 and 1998 on RTL Television. Most episodes were hosted by German celebrities, however, some shows were hosted by American personalities who never hosted the American version, including Mel Brooks and Michael Winslow. Due to language barriers, they appeared only in opening monologues and in a limited number of sketches.

''SNL'' in its original American version has aired in Israel since the early 2000s and is broadcast by satellite provider yes. There was a local SNL-based show named ''Am Israel Hai'' (People of Israel Live) back in 2002 but it was canceled after one season. Another SNL-esque 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.

In India and Sri Lanka, ''Saturday Night Live!'' airs an hour-long version on Comedy Central one week after the U.S. broadcast.

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. Italy's ''Saturday Night Live From Milan'' aired for four seasons and used original material.

On December 3, 2011, South Korea's '' SNL Korea'' premiered on cable channel tvN. As of November 11, 2017, has completed nine seasons with 205 episodes. On September 4, 2021, it was rebooted and broadcast through Coupang Play, a South Korean OTT service. Only the broadcasting stations are different, but the members are similar or reinforced.

The Japanese version ''Saturday Night Live JPN'', which ran for six months in 2011, was created in part with sponsor Coca-Cola and Lorne Michaels's production company, Broadway Video, and broadcast on Fuji 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.

In 2013, the Russian channel NTV aired the ''SNL'' adaptation entitled ''Суббота. Вечер. Шоу'' (''Saturday. Evening. Show'') and produced by Endemol's Weit Media. Unlike other international versions, it was not broadcast live. Due to low ratings and negative reviews, the third episode was pulled from the schedule. 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 on Télé-Québec in the Canadian province of Quebec under the title ''SNL Québec

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