:Saturday Night Live

Beginning in 1965, NBC network affiliates broadcast reruns of The 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.{{Sfn|Hill|Weingrad|1986|p=7}}{{Sfn|Henry|Henry|2013|p=167}} In response, NBC president Herbert 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.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|pp=19–20}} 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.{{Cite news |last=Wilson Hunt |first=Stacy |date=April 22, 2011 |title=A Rare Glimpse Inside the Empire of 'SNL's' Lorne Michaels |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/how-snls-lorne-michaels-became-179894/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124143349/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/how-snls-lorne-michaels-became-179894/ |archive-date=January 24, 2022}}{{Sfn|Hammill|2004|p=2008}} NBC decided to base the new show at their studios in 30 Rockefeller Center. Michaels was given Studio 8H, a converted radio studio that was home to NBC's election and Apollo moon landing coverage. It was revamped for the premiere at a cost of $250,000.{{cite web |last1=Greenfield |first1=Jeff |title=New York Magazine's Original 1975 Review of Saturday Night Live |url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/02/New-york-magazine-original-review-saturday-night-live.html |website=Vulture |access-date=August 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223043654/https://www.vulture.com/2015/02/New-york-magazine-original-review-saturday-night-live.html |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |date=February 11, 2015 |url-status=live}}File:Lorne Michaels David Shankbone 2010.jpg in 2010]]

By 1975, Michaels had assembled the show's initial cast, including Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner, and George Coe.{{cite web |last1=Shaw |first1=Gabbi |last2=Olito |first2=Frank |title=WHERE ARE THEY NOW: All 162 cast members in 'Saturday Night Live' history |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/where-are-they-now-snl-cast-members-2019-7 |website=Business Insider |access-date=August 21, 2024 |date=December 20, 2022}} The cast was nicknamed the "Not Ready for Prime-Time Players",{{Sfn|Marx|Sienkiewicz|Becker|2013|p=6}}{{cite web|first=Todd S. |last=Purdum |title='Saturday Night Live' mocks politics with bipartisan gusto |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2011/04/snl-skewering-pols-for-35-years-053754 |website=Politico |date=April 4, 2011 |access-date=January 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105053717/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53754.html |archive-date=January 5, 2012 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Atwater |first1=Carleton |title=Looking Back at the First Five Years of SNL |url=https://www.vulture.com/2010/12/looking-back-at-the-first-five-years-of-snl.html |website=Vulture |access-date=August 21, 2024 |date=December 7, 2010 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035008/https://www.vulture.com/2010/12/looking-back-at-the-first-five-years-of-snl.html |url-status=live }} a term coined by show writer Herb Sargent.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=59}} Much of the talent pool involved in the inaugural season was recruited from The National Lampoon Radio Hour,{{cite web|title=The Lowest Form of Humor: How the National Lampoon Shaped the Way We Laugh Now|first=Teddy|last=Wayne|author-link=Teddy Wayne|date=October 29, 2013|work=The Millions|url=https://themillions.com/2013/10/the-lowest-form-of-humor-how-the-national-lampoon-shaped-the-way-we-laugh-now.html|access-date=August 21, 2024|archive-date=September 19, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035009/https://themillions.com/2013/10/the-lowest-form-of-humor-how-the-national-lampoon-shaped-the-way-we-laugh-now.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/03/arts/03tapp.html|title=National Lampoon Grows Up By Dumbing Down|author-link=Jake Tapper|first=Jake|last=Tapper|work=The New York Times|date=July 3, 2005|access-date=August 21, 2024|archive-date=September 19, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035016/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/03/arts/national-lampoon-grows-up-by-dumbing-down.html|url-status=live}} including the original head writer, Michael O'Donoghue.{{cite web |last1=Wright |first1=Megh |title=Saturday Night's Children: Michael O'Donoghue (1975) |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/11/saturday-nights-children-michael-odonoghue-1975.html |website=Vulture |access-date=August 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319100938/https://www.vulture.com/2014/11/saturday-nights-children-michael-odonoghue-1975.html |archive-date=March 19, 2023 |date=November 4, 2014 |url-status=live}}

NBC's Saturday Night debuted on October 11, 1975,{{Sfn|Hammill|2004|p=2008}} with an episode featuring Carlin as host.{{cite web |title=Remembering Carlin on the "SNL" Premiere |url=https://variety.com/2008/tv/news/remembering-car-27929/ |website=Variety |access-date=August 21, 2024 |date=June 23, 2008 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035138/https://variety.com/2008/tv/news/remembering-car-27929/ |url-status=live }} The original title was used because the Saturday Night Live title was in use by Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell on rival network ABC. After the cancellation of Cosell's show in 1976, NBC purchased the rights to the name and officially changed the show's title to Saturday Night Live at the start of the 1977–1978 season, its third.{{Sfn|Henry|Henry|2013|p=167}}{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Abby |last2=Clair |first2=Fiona |title=22 things you probably never knew about 'Saturday Night Live' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/saturday-night-live-fun-facts-2018-9 |website=Business Insider |access-date=August 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414123516/https://www.businessinsider.com/saturday-night-live-fun-facts-2018-9 |archive-date=April 14, 2024 |date=October 2, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |last1=Rothman |first1=Lily |title=The Surprising Story Behind Saturday Night Live's Most Famous Line |url=https://time.com/3426553/saturday-night-live-history/ |magazine=TIME |access-date=August 19, 2024 |date=September 26, 2014 |archive-date=August 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812123013/https://time.com/3426553/saturday-night-live-history/ |url-status=live }} The cast was initially paid $750 per episode, and essentially lived at the offices, according to Michaels.{{cite news |last1=Sheff-Cahan |first1=Vicki |last2=Schindehette |first2=Susan |last3=Park |first3=Jeannie |title='Saturday Night Live' ! |url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-saturday-night-live-vol-32-no-13/ |access-date=August 22, 2024 |work=People |date=September 25, 1989 |archive-date=August 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821173003/https://people.com/archive/cover-story-saturday-night-live-vol-32-no-13/ |url-status=live }} The show found its footing by the fourth episode, hosted by Candice Bergen, which featured the cast in most segments.{{sfn|Hill|Weingrad|1986|pp=96–97}} The show developed a cult following,{{sfn|Hill|Weingrad|1986|pages=103,104,193}}{{sfn|Hammill|2004|p=2008}} 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.{{Sfn|Kaplan|2014|pp=6–7}} Iconic characters during the show's first five seasons included Belushi's samurai, the Coneheads (Aykroyd, Curtin, Newman), and Radner's Roseanne Roseannadanna.{{Sfn|Kaplan|2014|p=10}} 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 by Bill 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" on SNL by the 1978–1979 season, according to Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad.{{sfn|Hill|Weingrad|1986|p=322}} Aykroyd and Belushi left the show after the 1978–1979 season to make The Blues Brothers,{{sfn|Hill|Weingrad|1986|pp=342–343}} 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.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=288}} Michaels suggested writers Al Franken, Tom Davis, and Jim Downey as his replacements; NBC president Fred 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.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|pp=178–182}} Unable to secure the deal that he wanted, Michaels chose to leave NBC, and Jean Doumanian was given his position.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|pp=183–184}} Almost every writer and cast member, including Michaels, left the show after the May 24, 1980, season finale.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|pp=185–186}}

Doumanian's rapidly-assembled new cast faced immediate comparisons to the previous cast, and was not received favorably by critics or audiences.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|pp=192–193}} In a February 1981 episode, cast member Charles Rocket used the profanity "fuck" during a sketch.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=175}} Rocket later said he was trying to kill time before the show's close and had not meant to utter the word.{{Sfn|Hill|Weingrad|1986|pp=431–433}}{{cite magazine |last1=DeSantis |first1=Rachel |title=Saturday Night Live: A history of F-bombs |url=https://ew.com/tv/2017/02/06/saturday-night-live-f-word/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=July 31, 2024 |date=February 6, 2017 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035012/https://ew.com/tv/2017/02/06/saturday-night-live-f-word/ |url-status=live }} Following this episode, Doumanian was dismissed after only ten months on the job.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=202}}{{cite web |last1=Rabin |first1=Nathan |title=How Bad Can It Be? Case File #23: Saturday Night Live{{'}}s aborted 1980-81 season |url=https://www.avclub.com/how-bad-can-it-be-case-file-23-saturday-night-live-s-1798233191 |website=The A.V. Club |access-date=August 23, 2024 |date=September 5, 2012 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627152157/https://www.avclub.com/how-bad-can-it-be-case-file-23-saturday-night-live-s-1798233191 |url-status=live }}

Although some executives suggested SNL be cancelled, the show received a reprieve, and Dick Ebersol was hired as producer. He worked quickly to revamp the show, eventually removing all of the new cast members aside from Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|pp=204–205}} Ebersol's sketches leaned towards more accessible, broad comedy, which alienated some long-time fans, writers, and cast members.{{sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|pp=222-225}}{{sfn|Hill|Weingrad|1986|p=452}} His distaste for political humor led the show to largely avoid jokes about President Ronald Reagan during his time as showrunner.{{sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=270}} Under Ebersol's leadership, Murphy, who had been underused during Doumanian's tenure, rose to prominence with popular characters such as Mister Robinson's Neighborhood and Gumby.{{Sfn|Kaplan|2014|p=12}} His success was a major factor in the show's resurgence,{{cite magazine |last=Meaney |first=Jake |date=October 14, 2010 |title='Saturday Night Live: The Best of Eddie Murphy' Brings on Bursts of Genius |url=https://www.popmatters.com/132111-saturday-night-live-the-best-of-eddie-murphy-2496126149.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105130821/http://www.popmatters.com/review/132111-saturday-night-live-the-best-of-eddie-murphy |archive-date=November 5, 2013 |access-date=January 8, 2022 |magazine=PopMatters}} though it created tensions within the cast.{{sfn|Hill|Weingrad|1986|pp=465–467}}{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Nolte was booked to host the show, but had cancelled just four days before showtime. Ebersol offered Murphy the chance to host, a move that Piscopo would perceive as a major slight. Piscopo would later claim that Ebersol used Murphy's success to divide the two erstwhile friends and play them against one another.{{sfn|Hill|Weingrad|1986|pp=465–467}} Murphy's star had exploded, and he left SNL to concentrate on his film career in early 1984.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=236}}}}

In a break with tradition, producers hired established comedians such as Billy Crystal and Martin Short for the 1984–1985 season.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=255}} Though this season was considered one of the series' funniest, it diverged significantly from Michaels' innovative approach.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=286}}{{sfn|Hill|Weingrad|1986|p=474}} 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.{{cite AV media |date=November 13, 2005 |title=Saturday Night Live in the '80s: Lost and Found |type=Documentary |url=https://kaltura.uga.edu/media/t/1_j0lidhjh/31261611 |access-date=August 25, 2024 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035107/https://kaltura.uga.edu/media/t/1_j0lidhjh/31261611 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Atwater |first1=Carleton |title=Looking Back at Saturday Night Live, 1980-1985 |url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/01/looking-back-at-saturday-night-live-1980-1985.html |website=Vulture |access-date=August 20, 2024 |date=January 6, 2011 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035139/https://www.vulture.com/2011/01/looking-back-at-saturday-night-live-1980-1985.html |url-status=live }} NBC rejected these requests and instead decided to approach Michaels to return as producer.

Michaels returned for the 1985–1986 season; the show was again recast, with Michaels borrowing Ebersol's idea to seek out established actors.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=288}} Writers struggled with the cast,{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|pp=293–294}} and Michaels cleaned house again for the 1986–1987 season, seeking unknown talent such as Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman instead of known names.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|pp=308–313}} This new cast was successful at reviving the show's popularity in the eyes of critics and audiences.{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Bradford |title=The 8 Biggest Transitional Seasons in 'SNL' History |url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/09/the-8-biggest-transitional-seasons-in-snl-history.html |website=Vulture |access-date=August 24, 2024 |date=September 27, 2013 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035013/https://www.vulture.com/2013/09/the-8-biggest-transitional-seasons-in-snl-history.html |url-status=live }}

In the early 1990s, much of this core cast began to leave the show, and younger performers such as Chris Farley and Adam Sandler began to be promoted to repertory status.{{Sfn|Kaplan|2014|p=14}} Some of these cast members, such as Sandler, Farley, Rob Schneider, Spade, and Chris Rock, would come to be known as the "Bad Boys of SNL" for their outrageous comedy style.{{Cite web |last=Siegel |first=Alan |date=September 11, 2019 |title=Comedy in the '90s, Part 3: The Bad Boys of 'Saturday Night Live' |url=https://www.theringer.com/tv/2019/9/11/20857609/adam-sandler-chris-farley-90s-comedies-billy-madison-tommy-boy-snl |access-date=April 30, 2024 |website=The Ringer |archive-date=September 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913202903/https://www.theringer.com/tv/2019/9/11/20857609/adam-sandler-chris-farley-90s-comedies-billy-madison-tommy-boy-snl |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Fallon |first=Kevin |date=June 14, 2015 |title=The Secrets of 'Saturday Night Live': Where Comedy Legends Are Born |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-secrets-of-saturday-night-live-where-comedy-legends-are-born |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605074040/https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-secrets-of-saturday-night-live-where-comedy-legends-are-born |archive-date=June 5, 2017 |access-date=May 8, 2024 |work=The Daily Beast}} 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.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=360}}

The show lost Carvey and Hartman, two of its biggest stars, between 1992 and 1994. Wanting to increase SNL{{'}}s ratings and profitability, 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 and critiquing the costly nature of performing the show live.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|pp=415–416}} Criticism of the show's writing increased during this period, which reached its peak by the 1994–1995 season, which is considered one of the series' worst. A widely publicized profile of the show in New York during this period was highly critical of the show's humor, cast, and backstage dysfunction.{{cite magazine |last1=Crouch |first1=Ian |title=The Nine Lives of "Saturday Night Live" |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/nine-lives-saturday-night-live |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=August 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426154054/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/nine-lives-saturday-night-live |archive-date=April 26, 2024 |date=October 21, 2014 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Chris |title=How 'Saturday Night Live' Became a Grim Joke |url=https://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/47548/ |website=New York |access-date=August 26, 2024 |date=March 13, 1995}}

The show's cast was largely overhauled for the 1995–1996 season with names such as Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri,{{Cite news |date=September 27, 1995 |title=SNL new and improved |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o4AnAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-Y4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5660%2C4570944 |access-date=May 28, 2024 |work=Ellensburg Daily Record |agency=The Associated Press |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035654/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o4AnAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-Y4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5660%2C4570944 |url-status=live }} which was successful at revitalizing the show.{{cite AV media |date=2007 |title=Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation |type=Television production}} The show faced new competition during this period in the form of Fox{{'}}s sketch comedy show Mad TV, which aired a half hour earlier than SNL{{Cite news |last=Boedeker |first=Hal |date=October 14, 1995 |title='Mad TV' Clobbers 'SNL' |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1995/10/14/mad-tv-clobbers-snl/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007182146/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1995-10-14/lifestyle/9510130058_1_mad-hbo-pulp-fiction |archive-date=October 7, 2015 |access-date=June 7, 2024 |work=Orlando Sentinel}} and featured a more diverse cast.{{Cite news |last=Funk |first=Tim |date=July 21, 1995 |title='Saturday Night Dead' to be renovated |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wNFPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ywcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4500%2C2391905 |access-date=June 7, 2024 |work=Ocala Star-Banner |agency=Knight-Ridder Newspapers |archive-date=June 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240607040124/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wNFPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ywcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4500,2391905 |url-status=live }}

The 2000–2001 season was notable for its well-received spoofing of that year's presidential campaign between Al Gore and George W. Bush.{{cite news |last1=de Moraes |first1=Lisa |title=Taped From New York, It's the Candidates on 'Saturday Night' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/11/03/taped-from-new-york-its-the-candidates-on-saturday-night/ec1e6d52-306b-4ae2-9ebe-fe0c528f606d/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 2, 2000 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240529012547/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/11/03/taped-from-new-york-its-the-candidates-on-saturday-night/ec1e6d52-306b-4ae2-9ebe-fe0c528f606d/ |archive-date=May 29, 2024 |url-status=live}} The show's New York City cast and crew were highly affected by the September 11 attacks in 2001, and returned on September 29 with an acclaimed appearance by Rudy Giuliani. Political humor was reduced for the following seasons.{{cite magazine |last1=Dickson |first1=EJ |last2=Greene |first2=Andy |title='In Bad Times, People Turn to the Show': Inside the 9/11 Episode of 'SNL' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/saturday-night-live-9-11-oral-history-1221336/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=August 20, 2024 |date=September 8, 2021 |archive-date=September 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220911164232/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/saturday-night-live-9-11-oral-history-1221336/ |url-status=live }}

The show switched to high-definition broadcasting for the 2005–2006 season.{{cite web |last1=Kaplan |first1=Don |title='SNL' Goes High-Def |url=https://nypost.com/2005/04/27/snl-goes-high-def/ |website=New York Post |access-date=August 27, 2024 |date=April 27, 2005 |archive-date=February 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217000519/http://nypost.com/2005/04/27/snl-goes-high-def/ |url-status=live }} Before the start of the 2006–2007 season, the show suffered budget cuts that led to a smaller cast.{{cite news|last1=Carter|first1=Bill|title=Bowing to Budget Cuts at NBC, 'Saturday Night Live' Pares Five Performers|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/arts/television/21snl.html|access-date=April 19, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=September 21, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419120741/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/arts/television/21snl.html|archive-date=April 19, 2015|url-status=live}} The following season was also cut short by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, which led to several cancelled episodes.{{Cite news |last=Ryzik |first=Melena |date=November 19, 2007 |title=Strike or No Strike, for a Select Few, Saturday Night Was Live |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/arts/television/19snl.html |access-date=May 14, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 4, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230404132839/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/arts/television/19snl.html |url-status=live}}File:Lorne Michaels and the cast of Saturday Night Live at the 68th Annual Peabody Awards for Political Satire 2008.jpg for Political Satire in 2008. From left to right: Fred Armisen, Amy Poehler, Michaels, Seth Meyers, and Jason Sudeikis.]]

Tina Fey, who was a cast member and head writer from 1997 to 2006, later returned to the show during the 2008 presidential election for several critically acclaimed guest appearances as vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.{{cite magazine |url=https://entertainment.time.com/2008/09/14/tina_fey_arrives_on_her_dog_sl/ |title=Fey's Palin? Not Failin' |access-date=August 21, 2024 |last1=Poniewozik |first1=James |date=September 14, 2008 |magazine=TIME |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809080338/https://entertainment.time.com/2008/09/14/tina_fey_arrives_on_her_dog_sl/ |url-status=live }} Writer Robert 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".{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|pp=586–589}} Armisen played Barack Obama from 2008 to 2012, following which cast member Jay Pharoah assumed the impression.{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Joanna |title=Eight Years Later, S.N.L. Still Has an Obama Problem |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/08/saturday-night-live-jay-pharoah-barack-obama |website=Vanity Fair |access-date=August 24, 2024 |date=August 9, 2016 |archive-date=August 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824124757/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/08/saturday-night-live-jay-pharoah-barack-obama |url-status=live }}

The show began to rely more on pre-recorded material and videos more than it ever had before during this period,{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=667}} to the extent that some commentators said it had sometimes outshined live material on the show.{{cite web |last1=Parton |first1=Brad |title=The Evolution of 'SNL's Pretaped Sketches and Digital Shorts |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/01/the-evolution-of-snls-pretaped-sketches-and-digital-shorts.html |website=Vulture |access-date=August 24, 2024 |date=January 23, 2014}}{{cite web |last1=Wicks |first1=Amanda |title=SNL Is Excelling in One Particular Way |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/01/snl-michael-b-jordan-host/672890/ |website=The Atlantic |access-date=24 August 2024 |date=January 29, 2023 |archive-date=August 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824124758/https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/01/snl-michael-b-jordan-host/672890/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Boyle |first1=Michael |title=Why Please Don't Destroy's Warp-Speed Absurdity Is the Future of Saturday Night Live |url=https://slate.com/culture/2022/01/saturday-night-live-please-dont-destroy-lorne-michaels.html |website=Slate |access-date=August 24, 2024 |date=January 22, 2022 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035523/https://slate.com/culture/2022/01/saturday-night-live-please-dont-destroy-lorne-michaels.html |url-status=live }} Taped material significantly increased in the mid-2000s with SNL Digital Shorts by The Lonely Island, and continued into the following years with videos by Good Neighbor and Please Don't Destroy.{{cite web |title=The Influentials: TV and Radio |url=https://nymag.com/news/features/influentials/16907/ |website=New York |access-date=August 22, 2024 |date=May 3, 2006 |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907055835/https://nymag.com/news/features/influentials/16907/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Bradford |title=A Video Guide to Good Neighbor's Pre-'SNL' Years |url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/08/good-neighbor-videolist.html |website=Vulture |access-date=August 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108175005/https://www.vulture.com/2013/08/good-neighbor-videolist.html |archive-date=January 8, 2024 |date=August 26, 2013 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Abramovitch |first=Seth |date=2022-05-19 |title=How 'Saturday Night Live' Breakout Please Don't Destroy Became Show's Viral Weapon |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/saturday-night-live-please-dont-destory-sketches-1235146725/ |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512052214/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/saturday-night-live-please-dont-destory-sketches-1235146725/ |url-status=live }}

The cast continued to evolve significantly into the 2010s as several longtime cast members such as Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig left the series. The 2013–2014 season saw the hiring of seven new cast members in a significant overhaul, including Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, and Sasheer Zamata.{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Rick |date=2022-09-30 |title=Breaking Down 'SNL's' Biggest Cast Overhaul in a Generation |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/snl-cast-overhaul-numbers-1235230880/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} Longtime head writer and cast member Seth Meyers also exited midway through that season, and was replaced by fellow writer Colin Jost in the Weekend Update segment.{{cite magazine |last1=Snetiker |first1=Marc |title='SNL': Colin Jost to replace Seth Meyers as 'Weekend Update' co-anchor |url=https://ew.com/article/2014/01/23/snl-weekend-update-anchor-colin-jost/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=November 27, 2024 |date=August 4, 2017}}

The show frequently parodied Donald Trump in and around his first presidency; an ongoing impression by actor Alec Baldwin led to a significant increase in ratings and a "shot of relevance" for the show, according to Vanity Fair.{{cite web |last1=Konerman |first1=Jennifer |title=Alec Baldwin Debuts as 'SNL's' Trump: "I Have the Best Judgment" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/snl-watch-alec-baldwin-make-933651/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=August 24, 2024 |date=October 1, 2016 |archive-date=August 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824151903/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/snl-watch-alec-baldwin-make-933651/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Joanna |title=With Trump Done, Is Saturday Night Live Actually Funny Again? |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/11/saturday-night-live-after-trump-future-of-comedy |website=Vanity Fair |access-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607035753/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/11/saturday-night-live-after-trump-future-of-comedy |archive-date=June 7, 2023 |date=November 9, 2020 |url-status=live}} Trump disliked Baldwin's impression, tweeting in 2019 that the Federal Election Commission or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should look into stopping SNL 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 told The Daily Beast that in 2019, Trump repeatedly asked his advisers and lawyers to stop negative portrayals of him on SNL and other shows, such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, through the interference of the FCC or the Department of Justice.{{Cite magazine |last=Levin |first=Bess |date=2021-06-22 |title=Of Course Trump Tried to Get the Justice Department to Stop SNL From Making Fun of Him |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/donald-trump-snl-doj |access-date=2024-11-14 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=2021-06-22 |title=Donald Trump Reportedly Wanted Justice Department, FCC to Make 'SNL' Stop Mocking Him |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/donald-trump-asked-doj-fcc-snl-mocking-him-1234646161/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}} In 2021, James Austin Johnson assumed the Trump impression from Baldwin.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-20 |title=Alec Baldwin returns to "Saturday Night Live" for first time since "Rust" case dismissal - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alec-baldwin-return-saturday-night-live/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SNL{{'}}s 2019–2020 season was indefinitely halted on March 16, 2020.{{Cite web |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/snl-postponed-coronavirus.html |last=Wright |first=Megh |title=SNL to Suspend Production Due to the Coronavirus |work=Vulture |date=March 16, 2020 |access-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240827100724/https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/snl-postponed-coronavirus.html |url-status=live }} The season was later resumed in April with three remotely produced episodes labelled Saturday Night Live at Home,{{cite web |last1=Steinberg |first1=Brian |title='Saturday Night Live' Charts Return Amid Coronavirus Pandemic |url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/saturday-night-live-return-coronavirus-1234576054/ |website=Variety |access-date=August 27, 2024 |date=April 9, 2020 |archive-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240827100724/https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/saturday-night-live-return-coronavirus-1234576054/ |url-status=live }} and the show returned to Studio 8H in October 2020.{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Peter |title='Saturday Night Live' To Return To Studio 8H In October |url=https://deadline.com/2020/09/saturday-night-live-to-return-to-studio-8h-in-october-1234574549/ |website=Deadline |access-date=August 29, 2024 |date=September 10, 2020 |archive-date=September 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200911163841/https://deadline.com/2020/09/saturday-night-live-to-return-to-studio-8h-in-october-1234574549/ |url-status=live }} After the 2021–2022 season, many longtime cast members left the show in a major cast overhaul, including Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, and Pete Davidson; Michaels said that the pandemic had led to some cast members staying with the show for longer than they may have otherwise.{{cite web |last=White |first=Peter |date=2022-09-12 |title='SNL': Lorne Michaels Addresses Season 48 Cast Changes, Reveals There Will Be At Least Four New Castmembers |url=https://deadline.com/2022/09/snl-lorne-michaels-cast-changes-at-least-4-new-stars-1235116596/ |accessdate=2022-09-13 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}

In January 2024, Variety said that "speculation [had] been rampant for years" that Michaels would retire from the series after its fiftieth season, premiering in 2024.{{cite web |last1=Goldberg |first1=Lesley |title='SNL' Without Lorne Michaels? "It Could Easily be Tina Fey," Creator Says |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/saturday-night-live-lorne-michaels-tina-fey-1235790798/ |website=Variety |access-date=August 21, 2024 |date=January 17, 2024 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035530/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/saturday-night-live-lorne-michaels-tina-fey-1235790798/ |url-status=live }} Michaels told Entertainment Tonight that month that former head writer and cast member Tina 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 her SNL tenure ended, including on 30 Rock.{{cite web |last1=Sloop |first1=Hope |title=Why Adam Sandler Does Not Think Lorne Michaels Is Retiring From 'Saturday Night Live' Yet (Exclusive) |url=https://www.etonline.com/why-adam-sandler-does-not-think-lorne-michaels-is-retiring-from-saturday-night-live-yet-exclusive |website=Entertainment Tonight |access-date=August 21, 2024 |date=February 27, 2024}} Michaels earlier said in 2021 that the show's fiftieth anniversary would be "a really good time to leave".{{cite magazine |last1=Brathwaite |first1=Lester |title=Lorne Michaels eyeing retirement from SNL at show's 50th anniversary — in 3 years |url=https://ew.com/tv/lorne-michaels-retiring-from-snl/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=August 21, 2024 |date=December 20, 2021 |archive-date=August 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818050626/https://ew.com/tv/lorne-michaels-retiring-from-snl/ |url-status=live }} Kenan Thompson, the show's longest-serving cast member, speculated in 2022 that SNL may come to an end altogether after its fiftieth season, saying that it could make financial sense for NBC.{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Chris |title=Kenan Thompson Thinks Ending SNL at 50 "Might Not Be a Bad Idea" |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/kenan-thompson-thinks-ending-snl-at-50-might-not-be-a-bad-idea |website=Vanity Fair |access-date=August 21, 2024 |date=August 1, 2022 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035614/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/kenan-thompson-thinks-ending-snl-at-50-might-not-be-a-bad-idea |url-status=live }} However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in September 2024, Michaels denied that he was retiring at the end of the season.{{Cite web |last=Rose |first=Lacey |date=2024-09-19 |title='SNL' Turns 50. Now What? Lorne Michaels, Colin Jost and Michael Che on Election Insanity, Succession Plans and Trying to Make America Funny Again |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/snl-interview-trump-jokes-2024-election-lorne-michaels-future-1236005680/ |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

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, and John Mulaney. The show started with a musical cold open by Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter and the SNL Monologue by Steve Martin.{{cite web |last1=Goldberg |first1=Lesley |date=May 10, 2024 |title='SNL' to Mark 50th Anniversary With a Live Primetime Special (on a Sunday) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/snl-50th-anniversary-special-date-1235895917/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910032454/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/snl-50th-anniversary-special-date-1235895917/ |archive-date=September 10, 2024 |access-date=August 25, 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}{{Cite web |last=Berkowitz |first=Joe |date=2025-02-17 |title=SNL50 Recap: This One's For the Millennials |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/snl50-recap-saturday-night-live-anniversary-special-review-best-sketches.html |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=Vulture |language=en}}

{{Main|List of Saturday Night Live cast members|l1=List of Saturday Night Live cast members}}Those selected to join the cast of SNL are normally already accomplished performers, recruited from improvisational comedy groups such as The Groundlings (Newman, Hartman,{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=325}} Will Ferrell, Jon Lovitz, Kristen Wiig{{cite news |last=Sneider |first=Jeff |date=February 28, 2012 |title='Descendants' scribes sell pitch to Indian Paintbrush |url=https://variety.com/2012/film/news/descendants-scribes-sell-pitch-to-paintbrush-1118050850/ |access-date=January 2, 2022 |work=Variety |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035531/https://variety.com/2012/film/news/descendants-scribes-sell-pitch-to-paintbrush-1118050850/ |url-status=live }}) and The Second City (Aykroyd, Farley, Tina Fey,{{cite news |last=Dunn |first=Jancee |date=April 2008 |title=Tina Fey: Funny Girl |url=http://www.rd.com/family/tina-fey-interview/2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518162326/http://www.rd.com/family/tina-fey-interview/2/ |archive-date=May 18, 2012 |access-date=January 7, 2012 |work=Reader's Digest |publisher=The Reader's Digest Association}} Tim Meadows), or established stand-up comedians (Carvey, Sandler, Macdonald, Chris Rock), who already possess the training or experience necessary for SNL.{{cite web |title=SNL FAQ |url=http://www.broadwayvideo.com/snl-faq/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516182146/http://www.broadwayvideo.com/snl-faq/ |archive-date=May 16, 2012 |access-date=January 1, 2012 |publisher=Broadway Video}} 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.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-19 |title=When 'Saturday Night Live' briefly had three cast groups |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/saturday-night-live-three-cast-groups/ |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US |archive-date=June 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603070245/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/saturday-night-live-three-cast-groups/ |url-status=live }} 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 Dennis Miller,{{cite web |last1=Bort |first1=Ryan |title=Why SNL{{'}}s Weekend Update Anchor Change Is Brilliant |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a23798/michael-che-weekend-update-snl/ |website=Esquire |access-date=August 29, 2024 |date=September 12, 2014}} Seth Meyers, Norm Macdonald, Colin Quinn, and Jimmy Fallon.

File:SNL Original Cast.jpg, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase]]

As of Season 50, SNL has featured 167 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.[http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/credits/repertory-player/kenan-thompson Kenan Thompson biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035533/https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/credits/repertory-player/kenan-thompson |date=September 19, 2024 }} NBC Kenan Thompson is the show's longest-serving cast member.{{cite web |last1=Kang |first1=Esther |last2=Tagen-Dye |first2=Carly |title=Kenan Thompson Nearly Quit Saturday Night Live After Receiving 'Zero Air Time' for His 'Rookie Mistakes' |url=https://people.com/kenan-thompson-nearly-quit-saturday-night-live-zero-air-time-rookie-mistakes-8410659 |website=People |access-date=August 19, 2024 |date=December 5, 2023}} Currently, the cast consists of 17 members, with 14 repertory players and 3 featured players:

{{center|Number of cast members by season}}

{{center|

{{Graph:Chart|width=800|height=100|xAxisTitle=Season|type=stackedrect|legend=Cast Members

|yGrid=

|colors=black,darkgrey,#0067FD

|x=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48

|y3Title=Repertory

|y3=9,8,7,7,6,10,7,8,9,10,9,7,8,8,9,7,8,8,12,13,11,11,11,9,12,9,12,10,11,10,12,11,11,10,8,9,10,10,10,8,12,13,10,13,14,15,16,11

|y2Title=Middle

|y2=0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,4,6,5,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0

|y1Title=Featured

|y1=0,0,2,2,9,5,1,0,0,0,5,2,1,4,2,5,4,2,4,4,3,2,0,3,2,4,3,5,3,4,4,0,1,4,4,5,5,4,8,7,4,3,6,3,3,5,5,6

}}

}}

{{update section|date=October 2024}}

The cast were often contracted from anywhere between five and six years to the show,{{cite news| first=Philiana| last=Ng| title=Jimmy Fallon Reveals Secrets Behind the Best 'Late Night' Sketches| url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jimmy-fallon-reveals-secrets-best-167001| work=The Hollywood Reporter| date=March 12, 2010| access-date=January 24, 2012| archive-date=March 15, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315190835/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jimmy-fallon-reveals-secrets-best-167001| url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Peter |last=Bogdanovich |author-link=Peter Bogdanovich |title=SNL's Killer Contract |work=New York Observer |url=http://www.observer.com/1999/snl-s-killer-contract |date=August 16, 1999 |access-date=January 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119043618/http://www.observer.com/1999/snl-s-killer-contract |archive-date=January 19, 2012 |url-status=dead }} 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 members, 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.{{cite news | first=Olivia | last=Barker | title=Kristen Wiig of 'SNL' helps save the day in 'MacGruber' | url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2010-05-21-kristenwiig21_ST_N.htm | work=USA Today | date=May 21, 2010 | access-date=January 24, 2012 | archive-date=February 1, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201144630/http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2010-05-21-kristenwiig21_ST_N.htm | url-status=live }} The contracts also contain a network option that allows NBC to remove a cast member at any time.{{Sfn|Mohr|2004|p=81}} 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.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=118}} 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.{{Sfn|Mohr|2004|p=81}} In 2001, Ferrell became the highest-paid cast member, being paid $350,000 per season (approximately $17,500 per episode).{{cite web|url=http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/celebrity/package.jsp?name=celebrity/content/bsf_carreyvsfarrell |title=War of the Funnymen |publisher=Netscape |access-date=September 11, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101003054217/http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/celebrity/package.jsp?name=celebrity%2Fcontent%2Fbsf_carreyvsfarrell |archive-date=October 3, 2010 }}

{{Main|List of Saturday Night Live writers|l1=List of Saturday Night Live writers}}As of the 2022–23 season, Kent Sublette, Alison Gates, and Streeter Seidell are the show's co-head writers.{{cite episode|title=Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar|series=Saturday Night Live|season=48|number=1|network=NBC|date=October 1, 2022|time=Closing credits}}

Seth Meyers became a co-head writer in the 2005-06 season, became the single head writer from 2008 to 2012, and then left in 2014. Current Update anchor Colin Jost has himself 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. Current Update co-anchor 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.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/snl-michael-che-colin-jost-co-head-writers-1202638276/|title=' SNL' Names Michael Che, Colin Jost Co-Head Writers|first=Joe|last=Otterson|date=December 12, 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/snl-adds-3-new-writers-for-season-47.html|title=SNL Adds 3 New Writers for Season 47|work=Vulture|first=Megh|last=Wright|accessdate=February 27, 2022|date=February 27, 2022}} The Weekend Update segment has its own dedicated team of writers led by head writer Pete Schultz (who has been writing for the segment since 2011; and has been the segment's head writer since 2014){{cite web|last1=Frucci|first1=Adam|title=SNL Rounds Out Its New Season Hires with Writers Zach Kanin and Peter Schultz|url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/09/snl-rounds-out-its-new-season-hires-with-writers-zach-kanin-and-peter-schultz.html|website=Vulture|access-date=January 10, 2022|date=September 20, 2011}}{{cite episode|title=Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande|series=Saturday Night Live|season=40|number=1|network=NBC|date=September 27, 2014|time=Closing credits}}

The segment's previous head writer was Alex Baze (who wrote for the segment from 2004 to 2014, and was the head writer of the segment starting with the 2011–12 season, until his aforementioned 2014 departure).{{cite news|first=Seth|last=Abramovitch | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/snl-announces-hire-6-new-629845 |title='SNL' Announces Hire of 6 New Castmembers| work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=September 16, 2013 |access-date=May 8, 2016| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130919073446/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/snl-announces-hire-6-new-629845 |archive-date=September 19, 2013 | url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/backstage/ |title=SNL Backstage |publisher=NBC |website=Saturday Night Live |date=December 17, 2011 |access-date=December 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211044114/http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/backstage/ |archive-date=December 11, 2011 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|first=Megh |last=Wright |title=Behind SNL's Weekend Update: Interview with Writer/Producer Doug Abeles |url=http://gawker.com/5632852/behind-snls-weekend-update-interview-with-writerproducer-doug-abeles?tag=television |work=Gawker |date=September 8, 2010 |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426003945/http://gawker.com/5632852/behind-snls-weekend-update-interview-with-writerproducer-doug-abeles?tag=television |url-status=live |archive-date=April 26, 2013}} 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.

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.{{cite web|first=Richard |last=Keller |title=The Not Ready for Prime-Time Players who made it to the big time: 1975–1985 |url=http://www.aoltv.com/2008/04/17/the-not-ready-for-prime-time-players-who-made-it-to-the-big-time/ |publisher=AOL |date=April 17, 2008 |access-date=January 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120803073635/http://www.aoltv.com/2008/04/17/the-not-ready-for-prime-time-players-who-made-it-to-the-big-time/ |archive-date=August 3, 2012 |url-status=live }} Comedian Jim Downey was head writer for 10 years, from 1985 to 1995.{{cite web |url=https://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/47548/index4.html |title=Comedy Isn't Funny |website=New York Magazine |date=March 13, 1995 |access-date=June 20, 2015 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035533/https://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/47548/index4.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=June 12, 1995 |title=Saturday Night's Alright for Firing |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=juMCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17 |access-date=April 29, 2024 |work=New York |page=17}} Downey (who previously joined the show's writing staff in the show's second 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 in 2013.{{cite interview|last=Miller |first=Dennis |interviewer=Dennis Miller |title=The Dennis Miller Show |last2=Downey |first2=Jim |url=http://www.dennismillerradio.com/b/Up-To-a-Point/-869739034683769013.html |date=2013-05-30 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826232153/http://dennismillerradio.com/b/Up-To-a-Point/-869739034683769013.html |archive-date=2013-08-26 }}

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.{{cite web|access-date=May 11, 2008|url=http://www.greatertalent.com/speakers/speakers.php?speakerid=235|title=Host of Late Night with Conan O'Brien|publisher=Greater Talent Network |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080418032637/http://www.greatertalent.com/speakers/speakers.php?speakerid=235 |archive-date = April 18, 2008}} Former head writer Adam McKay, along with performer Ferrell, founded the successful comedy website Funny or Die.{{cite news|title=Top 10 Post-SNL Careers| url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1902936_1902935,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416020222/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1902936_1902935_1902881,00.html| archive-date=April 16, 2010 | magazine=Time |date=June 5, 2009|url-status=live| access-date=January 8, 2022}} In 1999, Tina Fey (a year before joining the cast and becoming a Weekend Update anchor) became the first woman SNL head writer{{cite journal|first=Gary|last=Levin|title=Fey makes way in funnyman's world|date=February 8, 2001|journal=USA Today|page=04.D}}{{cite news|url=https://observer.com/2001/03/meet-foureyed-new-sex-symbol-weekend-update-anchor-tina-fey/|title=Meet Four-Eyed New Sex Symbol, 'Weekend Update' Anchor Tina Fey|last=Gay|first=Jason|date=March 4, 2001|work=New York Observer|access-date=July 1, 2009|archive-date=January 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115192638/https://observer.com/2001/03/meet-foureyed-new-sex-symbol-weekend-update-anchor-tina-fey/|url-status=live}} and successfully made the transition to starring on the show,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/25/style/counterintelligence-update-anchor-the-brains-behind-herself.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|title=Counterintelligence; 'Update' Anchor: The Brains Behind Herself|last=Witchel|first=Alex|date=November 25, 2001|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 1, 2009}} as well as writing and starring in feature films,{{cite web|first=Jeff|last=Otto|url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/508/508797p1.html|title=IGN Interviews Tina Fey|access-date=August 10, 2010|date=April 23, 2004|website=IGN|page=1|archive-date=July 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718145846/http://movies.ign.com/articles/508/508797p1.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Roger|last=Ebert|author-link=Roger Ebert|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/megamind-2010|title=Megamind|access-date=January 2, 2022|date=November 3, 2010|work=RogerEbert.com|archive-date=December 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225114439/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/megamind-2010|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-10-en-feyqa10-story.html|title=Face it; Tina Fey rocks|last=Grosz|first=Christy|date=June 10, 2009|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=January 2, 2022|archive-date=May 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503221903/http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/10/news/en-feyqa10|url-status=live}} ultimately creating and starring in her own show 30 Rock, which was partly based on her SNL experiences.{{cite news|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1535853,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061125034418/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1535853,00.html|archive-date=November 25, 2006|title=Do Not Adjust Your Set|last=Poniewozik|first=James|date=September 18, 2006|magazine=Time|url-status=live|access-date=January 8, 2022}} In 2005 Fey was paid $1.5{{spaces}}million per season for her dual role as head writer and performer.{{cite news|first=Sophia| last=Banay| title=Fey Day | url=http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/culture-inc/arts/2008/09/26/Whats-Tina-Fey-Worth/ | work=Portfolio|date=September 26, 2008| access-date=August 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120410084502/http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/culture-inc/arts/2008/09/26/Whats-Tina-Fey-Worth/ |archive-date=April 10, 2012 |url-status=dead }} 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.

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.{{cite news| title='SNL' retirement for announcing legend Don Pardo?| url=https://variety.com/2010/tv/news/legendary-announcer-don-pardo-may-finally-have-his-saturday-nights-back-its-believed-that-pardo-is-looking-at-stepping-d-13341/| work=Variety| publisher=Reed Business Information| date=September 17, 2010| first=Michael| last=Schneider| access-date=January 2, 2022| archive-date=January 2, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102083443/https://variety.com/2010/tv/news/legendary-announcer-don-pardo-may-finally-have-his-saturday-nights-back-its-believed-that-pardo-is-looking-at-stepping-d-13341/| url-status=live}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2014/08/don-pardo-dead-saturday-night-live-821449/|title=R.I.P. 'Saturday Night Live' Announcer Don Pardo |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=August 18, 2014 |access-date=August 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820063150/http://deadline.com/2014/08/don-pardo-dead-saturday-night-live-821449/ |archive-date=August 20, 2014 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://tucson.com/entertainment/movies/pardo-to-voice-snl-from-tucson/article_d60d3256-5961-55a4-b0c5-b5a9491610d2.html|title=Pardo to voice 'SNL' from Tucson|first=Coley|last=Ward|date=September 9, 2010|access-date=January 8, 2022|archive-date=January 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102201413/https://tucson.com/entertainment/movies/pardo-to-voice-snl-from-tucson/article_d60d3256-5961-55a4-b0c5-b5a9491610d2.html|url-status=live}} Former cast members Joe Piscopo{{cite episode |title=Jamie Lee Curtis/The Fixx |series=Saturday Night Live |network=NBC |airdate=February 18, 1984}} and Darrell Hammond have also impersonated Pardo and fulfilled his announcing duties during times Pardo was unavailable.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=444}} Hammond took over as full-time announcer starting with season 40.{{cite web|last1=Ausiello|first1=Michael|title=SNL Taps Darrell Hammond to Succeed Don Pardo as Announcer|url=http://tvline.com/2014/09/18/darrell-hammond-saturday-night-live-announcer-replacing-don-pardo-snl/|access-date=September 18, 2014|date=September 18, 2014|website=TVLine|archive-date=September 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920170009/http://tvline.com/2014/09/18/darrell-hammond-saturday-night-live-announcer-replacing-don-pardo-snl/|url-status=live}}

{{Main|List of Saturday Night Live guests|l1=List of Saturday Night Live 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.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=400}} 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;{{cite news|first=Rachel |last=Sklar |title=George Carlin's SNL Monologue |url= https://www.huffpost.com/entry/george-carlins-snl-monolo_n_108838 |work=HuffPost |date=February 7, 2008 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131108024444/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/24/george-carlins-snl-monolo_n_108838.html |archive-date=November 8, 2013 |url-status=live }} 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.{{cite news|first=Carol |last=Hartsell |title=Justin Timberlake Joins The Five-Timers Club During 'SNL' Monologue |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/justin-timberlake-five-timers-club-snl_n_2846558|website=HuffPost |date=March 10, 2013 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313114054/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/10/justin-timberlake-five-timers-club-snl_n_2846558.html |archive-date=March 13, 2013 |url-status=live }} 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.{{cite magazine|first=Aly |last=Semigran |title='Saturday Night Live' recap: The return of the king (a.k.a. Alec Baldwin) |url=https://ew.com/article/2011/09/25/saturday-night-live-recap/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=September 25, 2011 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105091906/http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/09/25/saturday-night-live-recap/ |archive-date=January 5, 2012 |url-status=live }} 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.{{Cite web |last=Darus |first=Alex |date=2022-04-26 |title=The Musical Guest With The Most SNL Appearances |url=https://www.looper.com/843539/the-musical-guest-with-the-most-snl-appearances/ |access-date=2022-08-14 |website=Looper.com |language=en-US |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919035533/https://www.looper.com/843539/the-musical-guest-with-the-most-snl-appearances/ |url-status=live }}

Michaels does not allow musical guests to perform using lip-synching tracks,{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=68}} 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.{{cite news|first=Rebecca|last=Leung|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michaels-lip-sync-an-snl-no-no/|title=Michaels: Lip-Sync An 'SNL' No-No|publisher=CBS|work=60 Minutes|date=February 11, 2009|access-date=January 2, 2022|archive-date=March 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306013154/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michaels-lip-sync-an-snl-no-no/|url-status=live}} A 1975 performance by pop group ABBA was the first and only act to feature lip-synching,{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=68}} 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.{{cite web |title=New York sets record for positive COVID cases in one day |url=https://nypost.com/2021/12/17/new-york-sets-record-for-positive-covid-19-cases-in-one-day/ |website=New York Post |date=December 18, 2021 |access-date=20 December 2021 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919040041/https://nypost.com/2021/12/17/new-york-sets-record-for-positive-covid-19-cases-in-one-day/ |url-status=live }} 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.{{cite web |title='SNL' Drops Live Audience and Musical Guest Charli XCX Due to COVID Spike |url=https://www.nbcboston.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/snl-year-end-episode-drops-live-audience-some-cast-and-crew-due-to-covid-19/2594176/ |website=NBC Boston |date=December 18, 2021 |access-date=20 December 2021 |archive-date=December 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218225055/https://www.nbcboston.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/snl-year-end-episode-drops-live-audience-some-cast-and-crew-due-to-covid-19/2594176/ |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Saturday Night Live 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), 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), 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/about/band.shtml|title=SNL Band from NBC|access-date=May 5, 2014|archive-date=January 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119043536/http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/about/band.shtml|url-status=live}} The band plays "Closing Theme (Waltz in A)", written by Shore, at the end of the show.{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kCEy9eIsrujGHv9nqEwWnEIIPw6rgAN|title=On the Record: 'Tapestry,' SNL songs close, but not the same|last=Darr|first=Deanna|work=Rapid City Journal|date=May 16, 2013|access-date=May 4, 2017|archive-date=January 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121181900/https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4kCEy9eIsrujGHv9nqEwWnEIIPw6rgAN|url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Zuanich |first=Barbara |date=1980-01-10 |title=Saturday Night's Live Band |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bonners-ferry-herald-saturday-nights-li/171529957/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |work=Bonners Ferry Herald |pages=64}}

{{Main|List of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches|l1=List of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches}}

File:29 - New York - Octobre 2008.jpg (30 Rockefeller Plaza, or "30{{spaces}}Rock") from which the show is broadcast]]

{{Main|Studio 8H}}

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 "30{{spaces}}Rock"). 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/about/history.shtml|title=SNL's Studio from NBC|access-date=February 14, 2010|archive-date=April 24, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100424215225/http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/about/history.shtml|url-status=live}}

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 "30{{spaces}}Rock".{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=52}}

Production on an SNL episode will normally start on a Monday with a free-form pitch meeting{{Sfn|Mohr|2004|p=27}}{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=52}}{{cite news|first=Daniel |last=Carlson |title=Saturday Night – Film Review |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/saturday-night-film-review-29403/ |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=October 14, 2010 |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104225135/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/saturday-night-film-review-29403 |archive-date=November 4, 2013 |url-status=live }} 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,{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=113}} a process that usually extends through the night into the following morning. Writing may not begin until 8:00{{spaces}}p.m. on Tuesday.{{Sfn|Mohr|2004|p=27}} At 5:00{{spaces}}p.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.{{Sfn|Mohr|2004|p=28}}

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.{{Sfn|Mohr|2004|pp=28–29}} Sketches may be rewritten starting the same day, but will certainly commence on Thursday. Work focuses on developing and rewriting the remaining sketches{{Sfn|Mohr|2004|p=27}} 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 8:00{{spaces}}p.m., again on Saturday, before the live show.{{Sfn|Mohr|2004|p=27}} 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.{{Sfn|Mohr|2004|p=30}} 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.{{Sfn|Mohr|2004|p=27}} The opening monologue, spoken by the guest host, is given low priority and can be written as late as Saturday afternoon.{{Sfn|Mohr|2004|p=23}}

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.{{cite web| url= https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1854950| title= Writer and Actress Tina Fey (Time 15:30)| website= Fresh Air| publisher= NPR| format= Audio| date= April 28, 2004| access-date= March 3, 2008| archive-date= September 19, 2024| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240919040042/https://www.npr.org/2004/04/28/1854950/writer-and-actress-tina-fey| url-status= live}}{{cite journal| journal= Writer's Digest|date=August 2000

|title= SNL{{'s}} Tina Fey| first= Julianne| last= Hill| pages= 40}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.qlogic.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Education_and_Resource/case_studies/SNL_v3.pdf |title=Case study. Saturday Night Live: Live from New York through a fibre channel SAN |year=2005 |access-date=November 16, 2009 |publisher=QLogic |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5nbtzSuqX?url=http://www.qlogic.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Education_and_Resource/case_studies/SNL_v3.pdf |archive-date=February 17, 2010 }} 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.{{cite web|url=http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1488/43|title=Broadway Video's reinvention by design|date=May 1, 2009|access-date=February 16, 2015|publisher=Post|archive-date=February 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216195323/http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1488/43|url-status=live}}

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.{{cite web |title=Studio 8H and the Chapman crane |url=http://eyesofageneration.com/teletales/studio-8h-and-the-chapman-crane/ |website=Eyes Of A Generation ... Television's Living History |access-date=19 January 2019 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919040044/http://eyesofageneration.com/tv-history/studio-8h-and-the-chapman-crane/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Creating Saturday Night Live: Crane Camera - SNL |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0BF98r1GXE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/S0BF98r1GXE |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=SNL YouTube | date=January 9, 2019 |access-date=19 January 2019}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web |title=Electra II / Nike |url=http://www.chapman-leonard.com/product/635 |website=www.chapman-leonard.com |access-date=19 January 2019 |archive-date=January 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120093606/http://www.chapman-leonard.com/product/635 |url-status=dead }}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcproductionservices.com/studio8H.stm |title=NBC Production Services |publisher=NBC Production Services |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302221721/http://www.nbcproductionservices.com/studio8H.stm |access-date=April 12, 2010 |archive-date=2014-03-02}} While exact budgets for other seasons are not known, the 39th season (2013–14) had a budget of over $70{{spaces}}million, for which it received a subsidy from New York State in the amount of $12.3{{spaces}}million.[http://www.esd.ny.gov/Reports/2015_2016/FTCP_4Q2015_Report.pdf 1FILM TAX CREDIT –QUARTERLY REPORTCALENDAR YEAR 2015:FOURTH QUARTER DECEMBER 31,2015] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530124558/http://www.esd.ny.gov/Reports/2015_2016/FTCP_4Q2015_Report.pdf |date=May 30, 2016 }} Empire State Development

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.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=60}} 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.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=62–63}} For the first five seasons, Baskin's bumper photos had a hand drawn feel to them, with her drawing directly on the photos with neon or pastel colors over that week's host and/or on the background.

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 30{{spaces}}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.{{cite news|title=Mary Ellen Matthews: It's Saturday Night!|url=http://www.digitalphotopro.com/profiles/mary-ellen-matthews-its-saturday-night.html|access-date=April 19, 2011|work=Digital Photo Pro|first1=William|last1=Sawalich|date=February 23, 2010|archive-date=January 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111195416/http://www.digitalphotopro.com/profiles/mary-ellen-matthews-its-saturday-night.html|url-status=dead}} 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{{spaces}}... If you use soft or flat lighting, it becomes not as dimensional{{spaces}}... 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."{{cite news|title=Mary Ellen Matthews: It's Saturday Night!|url=http://www.digitalphotopro.com/profiles/mary-ellen-matthews-its-saturday-night.html?start=2|access-date=April 19, 2011|work=Digital Photo Pro|first1=William|last1=Sawalich|date=February 23, 2010|archive-date=January 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111220339/http://www.digitalphotopro.com/profiles/mary-ellen-matthews-its-saturday-night.html?start=2|url-status=dead}} 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.

{{See also|Lists of Saturday Night Live episodes|l1=List of Saturday Night Live episodes}}

File:SNL stage.jpg

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/|title=NBC New York}}

For most of SNL{{'s}} 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 (11:30{{spaces}}p.m. Pacific and 10:30{{spaces}}p.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.{{cite news|url = https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/sam-rockwell-drops-f-bomb-snl-1202664138/|title = Sam Rockwell Drops Surprise 'F-Bomb' on 'SNL'|last = Steinberg|first = Brian|work = Variety|date = January 13, 2018|access-date = February 23, 2019|archive-date = September 19, 2024|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240919040044/https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/sam-rockwell-drops-f-bomb-snl-1202664138/|url-status = live}}

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 (two hours during Eastern daylight-saving time) to 7:30 p.m. local, and KUAM-TV in Guam, where the live broadcast is fourteen hours ahead at 1:30{{spaces}}p.m. on Sunday afternoon, delays it to 11:00{{spaces}}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 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.{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Shales |author-link=Tom Shales |title=Live From New York |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/10/books/chapters/live-from-new-york.html |work=The New York Times |date=November 10, 2002 |access-date=November 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426002914/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/10/books/chapters/1110-1st-shales.html?pagewanted=15 |archive-date=April 26, 2013 |url-status=live }}

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.{{cite web|last=Schneider|first=Michael|title=NBC Brings Saturday Night Live to Saturday Primetime|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/saturday-night-live-primetime-1062086/|website=TV Guide|access-date=January 2, 2022|archive-date=January 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124150206/https://www.tvguide.com/news/saturday-night-live-primetime-1062086/|url-status=live}} 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 (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.{{Cite web |last=Steinberg |first=Brian |date=2024-03-07 |title=NBC Veers From 'Vintage' Repeats of 'SNL' |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/nbc-snl-vintage-repeats-saturday-night-live-1235934307/ |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=March 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240310060604/https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/nbc-snl-vintage-repeats-saturday-night-live-1235934307/ |url-status=live }}

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.{{cite news

| last= Romano

| first= Allison

| url= https://www.nexttv.com/news/comedy-central-goes-mad-94309

| title= Comedy Central Goes Mad

| work= Broadcasting & Cable

| date= October 25, 2002

| access-date= January 2, 2022

| archive-date= September 19, 2024

| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240919040045/https://www.nexttv.com/news/comedy-central-goes-mad-94309

| url-status= live

}} 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.{{cite web |title=Classic Saturday Night Live Episodes Now Airing on VH1 |url=http://blog.vh1.com/?p=145034 |date=September 27, 2010 |access-date=April 30, 2011 |website=VH1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120231539/http://blog.vh1.com/?p=145034 |archive-date=November 20, 2011}} 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. 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 on Netflix until the mid-2010s, then the NBC-associated streaming services Seeso and Hulu at various points in the late 2010s, Yahoo! Screen in a one-year deal exclusively for clips only, then the Peacock 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 (now ROAR 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.{{Cite web |last=Riccardo |first=Nick |date=2024-09-05 |title=Vintage 'Saturday Night Live' Seasons Head to Sinclair's TBD Network |url=https://latenighter.com/news/vintage-snl-episodes-head-to-sinclairs-tbd-network/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=LateNighter |language=en-US}}

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".{{cite web |last=Wilstein |first=Matt |date=March 16, 2017 |title=SNL to Air Live in All Time Zones for First Time Ever |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2017/03/16/snl-to-air-live-in-all-time-zones-for-first-time-ever.html |access-date=March 16, 2017 |website=The Daily Beast}} NBC announced on September 19, 2017, that all subsequent episodes would air live coast-to-coast in the U.S.{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=2017-09-19 |title='Saturday Night Live' To Continue Airing Live Coast To Coast |url=https://deadline.com/2017/09/saturday-night-live-continue-airing-live-coast-to-coast-1202173131/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=December 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230020326/https://deadline.com/2017/09/saturday-night-live-continue-airing-live-coast-to-coast-1202173131/ |url-status=live }}

Beginning in the 2021–2022 season, the show has been simultaneously broadcast live on Peacock.{{Cite web |last=Lambert |first=Harper |date=2021-10-02 |title=How to Watch the 'SNL' Season Premiere: Where It's Streaming and When |url=https://www.thewrap.com/how-to-watch-snl-premiere-live-streaming-online/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}} The show has also experimented with live broadcasts on YouTube, beginning with a 2021 Elon Musk-hosted episode.{{cite web |title=Elon Musk's 'SNL' Debut Will Get Global YouTube Live Stream |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/snl-elon-musk-live-stream-youtube-1234969306/ |website=Variety |access-date=8 May 2021 |author=Steinberg, Brian |date=May 8, 2021 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919040046/https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/snl-elon-musk-live-stream-youtube-1234969306/ |url-status=live }}

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 game entered extra innings and ended at 12:32 a.m. Eastern, causing that night's broadcast of SNL to be canceled. The show was recorded for the studio audience starting at 1:30 a.m. and broadcast two weeks later, with Mets pitcher Ron Darling delivering a jocular "apology" as the cold open.{{cite news |last1=McCarron |first1=Anthony |title=Ron Darling recalls his public apology after the '86 Mets pre-empted 'Saturday Night Live' |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2016/05/24/ron-darling-recalls-his-public-apology-after-the-86-mets-pre-empted-saturday-night-live/ |work=New York Daily News |date=24 May 2016}}

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.{{cite news|url= https://vault.si.com/vault/2001/02/26/scorecard |work=Sports Illustrated Vault |title=Scorecard: Fight Club |date=February 26, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100909080030/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1021846/index.htm |archive-date=September 9, 2010|access-date=January 2, 2022}}

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.{{cite news |url=https://nypost.com/2020/11/08/snl-fans-fuming-over-delay-due-to-college-football/ |work=New York Post |title='SNL' fans ticked off after show is delayed by college football game |date=November 8, 2020 |access-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108055415/https://nypost.com/2020/11/08/snl-fans-fuming-over-delay-due-to-college-football/ |url-status=live }}

The October 12, 2024 episode, hosted by Ariana Grande, began at 11:35 p.m. Eastern due to a primetime college football overrun.{{Cite web |last=Berkowitz |first=Joe |date=2024-10-13 |title=Saturday Night Live Recap: Trapped in Purgatory |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/saturday-night-live-recap-season-50-episode-3-ariana-grande.html |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Vulture |language=en}}

Because SNL 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.{{cite web|title=Saturday Night Live's International Siblings|url=https://jezebel.com/saturday-night-lives-international-siblings-5810481|access-date=January 8, 2022|website=jezebel|date=June 11, 2011|archive-date=January 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121182349/https://jezebel.com/5810481/saturday-night-lives-international-siblings|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Saturday Night Live – Ohjelmat – MTV.fi|url=http://www.mtv.fi/saturdaynightlive|access-date=January 6, 2015|website=mtv|archive-date=August 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830042123/https://www.mtv.fi/saturdaynightlive|url-status=live}}{{Clarification needed|reason=This into implies that all versions were SNL-affiliated or coordinated with the U.S. production. However most following paragraphs imply that the foreign shows—except rebroadcasts of U.S. SNL—were unaffiliated productions.|date=March 2025}}

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 American 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106108/|title=RTL Samstag Nacht (TV Series 1993–1998)|website=IMDb|date=November 6, 1993|access-date=April 21, 2018}}

SNL in its original American version has aired in Israel since the early 2000s and is broadcast by satellite provider yes. 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.osn.com/onlineguide/schedules/channel_en_gb.aspx?Channel=OCO&Genre=SER |title=OSN |publisher=OSN |date=October 15, 2011 |access-date=October 23, 2011 |archive-date=March 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301004234/http://www.osn.com/onlineguide/schedules/channel_en_gb.aspx?Channel=OCO&Genre=SER |url-status=live }}

In India and Sri Lanka, Saturday Night Live! airs an hour-long version on Comedy Central one week after the U.S. broadcast.{{cite web |url=http://tv.burrp.com/channel/Comedy%20Central/267/ |title=Schedule for Comedy Central, Comedy Central Schedule playing on Tue, Dec 08 | Tuesday, 08 December | burrp!TV Guide |access-date=November 28, 2015 |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208133949/http://tv.burrp.com/channel/Comedy%20Central/267/ |url-status=dead }}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.mediaset.it/italia1/snl/ |title=SNL Italy |publisher=Tv.mediaset.it |date=July 6, 2011 |access-date=August 6, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816225746/http://www.tv.mediaset.it/italia1/snl/ |archive-date=August 16, 2011 }}

On December 3, 2011, South Korea's SNL Korea premiered on cable channel tvN.{{cite news|last=Choi|first=EunHwa|title=Saturday Night Live Korea to Start Airing on December 3|url=http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=1690|access-date=March 9, 2013|newspaper=enewsWorld|date=November 22, 2011|agency=CJ E&M|archive-date=January 28, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130128225915/http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=1690|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|last=Noh|first=Hyun-gi|title=Live from Seoul, It's Saturday Night!|url=https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2011/11/135_99614.html|access-date=March 9, 2013|newspaper=Korea Times|date=November 27, 2011|archive-date=September 19, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919050159/https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2011/11/135_99614.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://news.jkn.co.kr/article/news/20111128/4622991.htm|script-title=ko:김주혁, 코믹 화보 폭소 작렬 '이런 모습 처음이야|work=JK Star News|date=November 28, 2011|access-date=November 23, 2012|language=ko|archive-date=April 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426163317/http://news.jkn.co.kr/article/news/20111128/4622991.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=http://boom.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20111109050018 |script-title=ko:tvN-장진 감독, 한국판 '새터데이 나이트 라이브' 제작 합심 |work=Boom Seoul |date=November 9, 2011 |access-date=November 23, 2012 |language=ko |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426082513/http://boom.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20111109050018 |archive-date=April 26, 2012}} 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 Japan, 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.{{cite news |url=http://www.axiommagazine.jp/2011/06/05/saturday-night-live-japan/ |title=SNL Japan |newspaper=Axiom Magazine |publisher=Axiommagazine.jp |date=June 5, 2011 |access-date=August 6, 2011 |archive-date=September 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918024321/http://www.axiommagazine.jp/2011/06/05/saturday-night-live-japan/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |first=Megan |last=Angelo |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/japanese-snl-saturday-night-live-kristen-wiig-2011-6 |title=Saturday Night Live JPN |publisher=Businessinsider.com |date=June 4, 2011 |access-date=August 6, 2011 |archive-date=July 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710040354/https://www.businessinsider.com/japanese-snl-saturday-night-live-kristen-wiig-2011-6 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/07/08/general/live-from-tokyo-its-saturday-night/#.VNOgKdLxKlB|title=Live from Tokyo, it's Saturday Night!|publisher=japantimes.co.jp|date=July 8, 2011|access-date=February 5, 2015|archive-date=February 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205204042/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/07/08/general/live-from-tokyo-its-saturday-night/#.VNOgKdLxKlB|url-status=live}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.rbc.ru/newspaper/2013/09/20/56c0cc4e9a7947299f72dd36|script-title=ru:ТВ. Вечер. Шоу. Откуда телепродюсеры знают, что нужно зрителю|newspaper=RBC Daily|date=September 20, 2013|access-date=April 22, 2020|archive-date=September 19, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919050050/https://www.rbc.ru/newspaper/2013/09/20/56c0cc4e9a7947299f72dd36|url-status=live}} Due to low ratings and negative reviews, the third episode was pulled from the schedule.{{cite news|last=Borodina|first=Arina|url=https://ria.ru/20130925/965848544.html|script-title=ru:Ванга снова вернулась в телевизор|newspaper=RIA Novosti|date=September 25, 2013|access-date=April 22, 2020|archive-date=August 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821003510/https://ria.ru/20130925/965848544.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Petrovskaya|first=Irina|url=https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2013/09/27/56524-iskusstvo-delat-133-bolshoe-delo|script-title=ru:Искусство делать большое дело|newspaper=Novaya Gazeta|date=September 27, 2013|access-date=April 22, 2020|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807070954/https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2013/09/27/56524-iskusstvo-delat-133-bolshoe-delo|url-status=live}} 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; the specials were broadcast on February 8 and March 22, 2014. Hosted by Louis-José Houde and Stéphane Rousseau, it is the same format and length as the original SNL series.{{cite news|last=Sobolewski|first=Samantha|title=Saturday Night Live gets Canadian treatment|publisher=The Loop|date=May 8, 2013}} Certain sketches from the original program, such as Debbie Downer and Schweddy 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.{{cite news|first=Brendan|last=Kelly|url=http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2014/05/13/guy-a-lepage-veronique-cloutier-patrick-huard-to-host-snl-quebec-next-season/|title=SNL Quebec is returning for a second season|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|date=May 13, 2014|access-date=December 12, 2014|archive-date=July 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715204048/http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2014/05/13/guy-a-lepage-veronique-cloutier-patrick-huard-to-host-snl-quebec-next-season/|url-status=live}} Télé-Québec announced in May 2015 the series would not be renewed due to funding cutbacks,[http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/arts_et_spectacles/2015/03/03/001-snl-quebec-tele-quebec-compressions.shtml "SNL Québec victime des compressions à Télé-Québec"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623055501/http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/arts_et_spectacles/2015/03/03/001-snl-quebec-tele-quebec-compressions.shtml |date=June 23, 2015 }}. Radio-Canada, March 3, 2015. and Ici Radio-Canada Télé subsequently signed the show's production team and cast to produce a new series, Le nouveau show, for that network.[http://www.lapresse.ca/arts/television/201504/09/01-4859570-radio-canada-repeche-les-comediens-de-snl-quebec.php "Radio-Canada repêche les comédiens de SNL Québec"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702103559/http://www.lapresse.ca/arts/television/201504/09/01-4859570-radio-canada-repeche-les-comediens-de-snl-quebec.php |date=July 2, 2015 }}. La Presse, April 9, 2015.

The French channel M6 launched the pilot episode of its SNL adaptation, Le Saturday Night Live, in January 2017.

The Polish division of Showmax video-on-demand streaming service launched the first season of its SNL adaptation, SNL Polska on December 2, 2017. The show received mixed reviews,{{cite web|url=https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/polska-edycja-saturday-night-live-showmax-recenzja-opinie|title=Pierwszy odcinek polskiego "Saturday Night Live" nie zachwycił (opinie)|website=www.wirtualnemedia.pl|date=December 4, 2017|access-date=April 30, 2021|archive-date=April 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430025732/https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/polska-edycja-saturday-night-live-showmax-recenzja-opinie|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/ludzieistyle/1731056,1,polskie-saturday-night-live-jednak-mocno-rozczarowuje.read|title=Polskie "Saturday Night Live" jednak mocno rozczarowuje|date=December 12, 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://mobirank.pl/2017/12/09/obejrzalem-2-odcinek-snl-polska-ale-sie-usmialem/|title=Obejrzałem 2. odcinek SNL Polska, ale się nie uśmiałem - mobiRANK.pl|date=December 9, 2017}} however improving by the end of the series.{{cite news|url=https://teleshow.wp.pl/karolak-zafundowal-widzom-jazde-bez-trzymanki-snl-polska-sie-rozkreca-6211520020534913a|title=Karolak zafundował widzom jazdę bez trzymanki. "SNL Polska" się rozkręca!|newspaper=Wp Teleshow |date=December 9, 2017|access-date=March 12, 2023|archive-date=March 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312113107/https://teleshow.wp.pl/karolak-zafundowal-widzom-jazde-bez-trzymanki-snl-polska-sie-rozkreca-6211520020534913a|url-status=live}} Following the first series, a stand-alone "Weekend Update" was introduced in autumn 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/snl-polska-weekend-update-showmax-emisja-telewizja-wp|title="SNL Polska - Weekend Update" od 27 października w Showmax, dzień później w Telewizji WP|date=October 23, 2018|access-date=March 12, 2023|archive-date=March 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312113103/https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/snl-polska-weekend-update-showmax-emisja-telewizja-wp|url-status=live}} In December 2018, Showmax announced the closure of its Polish branch, effectively cancelling the show.{{cite web|url=https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/showmax-wycofuje-sie-z-polski-jego-wlasciciel-skupia-sie-na-afryce|title=Showmax wycofuje się z Polski, Naspers sprzeda serwis|date=December 12, 2018}}

On December 10, 2021, Deadline reported that Sky One was working on a British version of Saturday Night Live.{{cite web|first=Peter|last=White|url=https://deadline.com/2021/12/saturday-night-live-british-version-comcast-backed-sky-1234887760/|title='Saturday Night Live': British Version Of NBC Late-Night Comedy In The Works At Comcast-Backed Sky|publisher=Deadline|date=December 10, 2021|access-date=December 13, 2021|archive-date=December 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211182113/https://deadline.com/2021/12/saturday-night-live-british-version-comcast-backed-sky-1234887760/|url-status=live}} After the shutdown of Sky One, it was announced that the UK version is official and it will premiere on Sky Max and the streaming service NOW, which will be executive produced by the U.S. version creator Lorne Michaels. It is set to debut sometime in 2026.{{cite web|last=Savage|first=Michael|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/apr/10/sky-tv-uk-version-saturday-night-live-lorne-michaels|title=Sky announces 'star-studded' UK version of Saturday Night Live|date=April 10, 2025|access-date=April 23, 2025}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonifitzgerald/2018/11/17/which-saturday-night-live-cast-delivers-the-best-ratings-in-44-seasons/|title=Which 'Saturday Night Live' Cast Delivers The Best Ratings In 44 Seasons?|last=Fitzgerald|first=Toni|access-date= 7 May 2021|website=Forbes|date=17 November 2018}}

In 2002 SNL was ranked tenth on TV Guide{{'}}s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time,{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tv-guide-names-top-50-shows/|title=TV Guide names Top 50 shows|access-date=November 23, 2009|publisher=Associated Press/CBS News|date=April 26, 2002|archive-date=February 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207123427/https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/04/26/entertainment/main507388.shtml|url-status=live}} while in 2007 it was honored with inclusion on Time magazine's list of "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME".{{cite news |url=https://time.com/collection/all-time-100-tv-shows/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028100904/http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1651341_1659192_1652529,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 28, 2007 |title=All-TIME 100 TV Shows|first=James |last=Poniewozik |author-link=James Poniewozik |magazine=Time |access-date=January 8, 2022 | date=September 6, 2007}}

In June 2013 the show was placed at number 25 on the list of the 101 best written shows of all time by the Writers Guild of America, assessing series from the previous seventy years.{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2013/06/wgas-101-best-written-tv-series-of-all-time-complete-list-512061/ |title='101 Best Written TV Series of All Time' From WGA/TV Guide: Complete List |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=June 2, 2013 |access-date=June 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607063617/http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/wgas-101-best-written-tv-series-of-all-time-complete-list/ |archive-date=June 7, 2013 |url-status=live }} In December 2013, TV Guide ranked it #18 on their list of the 60 Greatest Shows of All Time.{{cite journal |last1=Fretts |first1=Bruce |last2=Roush |first2=Matt |title=The Greatest Shows on Earth |journal=TV Guide |volume=61 |issue=3194–3195 |pages=16–19 }} A 2015 The Hollywood Reporter survey of 2,800 actors, producers, directors, and other industry people named SNL as their #7 favorite show.{{Cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/best-tv-shows-ever-top-819499/item/friends-hollywoods-100-favorite-tv-821361 |title=Hollywood's 100 Favorite TV Shows |date=2015-09-16 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=2019-07-17 |language=en |archive-date=July 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717030112/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/best-tv-shows-ever-top-819499/item/friends-hollywoods-100-favorite-tv-821361 |url-status=live }} It is currently the longest running sketch comedy show on television.{{cite web |last1=Nunan |first1=Tom |title=FORBES BUSINESS HOLLYWOOD & ENTERTAINMENT Saturday Night Live, America's Longest Running Sketch Variety Show, Posts #1 Comedy Ranking |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomnunan/2021/01/29/saturday-night-live-americas-longest-running-sketch-variety-show-posts-1-comedy-ranking/ |work=Forbes}}

In 2016 a New York Times study of the fifty television shows with the most Facebook likes found that SNL "is very much an urban show. It is most popular in cities throughout the country, and college towns. Amherst, Mass.; Madison, Wis.; and Ithaca, N.Y. are all among the top{{spaces}}10."{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/26/upshot/duck-dynasty-vs-modern-family-television-maps.html |title='Duck Dynasty' vs. 'Modern Family': 50 Maps of the U.S. Cultural Divide |last=Katz |first=Josh |date=December 27, 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=February 20, 2017 |archive-date=March 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170329083111/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/26/upshot/duck-dynasty-vs-modern-family-television-maps.html?_r=1 |url-status=live }}

Some critics have cautioned that the show is too dependent upon visiting guest actors and former SNL cast members{{snd}}particularly for its impersonations of prominent politicians in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election races{{snd}}and is beginning to have difficulty producing relevant, truly funny content.{{cite magazine |last=Berman |first=Judy |url=https://time.com/5896549/snl-late-night-trump-covid-19/ |title=Can We Joke About the President Having COVID-19? Late-Night Comedy Can't Decide |date=October 5, 2020 |magazine=Time |access-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-date=December 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203163040/https://time.com/5896549/snl-late-night-trump-covid-19/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Valby |first=Karen |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/snl-jim-carrey-biden-issa-rae |title='Saturday Night Live' Has a Jim Carrey Problem |date=October 18, 2020 |work=Vanity Fair |access-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-date=December 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220211045/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/snl-jim-carrey-biden-issa-rae |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Cavna |first=Michael |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/10/31/jim-carrey-biden-snl-saturday-night-live/ |title=Why Jim Carrey's Biden impersonation on SNL isn't quite catching on |date=October 30, 2020 |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-date=November 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121210752/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/10/31/jim-carrey-biden-snl-saturday-night-live/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Ali |first=Lorraine |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-11-12/snl-jim-carrey-joe-biden |title=Commentary: Joe Biden won the election, but Jim Carrey's impression of him is 'SNL' fans' loss |date=November 12, 2020 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128053133/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-11-12/snl-jim-carrey-joe-biden |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=Aisha |last2=with Tobin Low |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/11/11/933871683/the-meaning-of-snl-in-2020 |title=The Meaning Of 'SNL' in 2020 |work=National Public Radio |access-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021102912/https://www.npr.org/2020/11/11/933871683/the-meaning-of-snl-in-2020 |url-status=live }}

In 2023, Variety ranked Saturday Night Live #15 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/lists/greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time/|title=The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time|publisher=Variety|date=December 20, 2023|access-date=December 21, 2023|archive-date=December 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220162853/https://variety.com/lists/greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time/|url-status=live}}

{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Saturday Night Live|l1=List of awards and nominations received by Saturday Night Live}}Saturday Night Live has won numerous awards since its debut, including 95 Primetime Emmy Awards,{{cite web |title=Saturday Night Live - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins |url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/saturday-night-live |access-date=October 11, 2022 |work=emmys.com |archive-date=July 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730124820/https://www.emmys.com/shows/saturday-night-live |url-status=live }} six Writers Guild of America Awards,{{cite web |title=Writers Guild Awards |url=http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1517 |website=Writers Guild of America Awards |publisher=Writers Guild of America West |access-date=June 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503095751/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1517 |archive-date=May 3, 2012 |url-status=dead}} and three Peabody Awards.{{cite web|url=http://www.peabody.uga.edu/winners/PeabodyWinnersBook.pdf |title=George Foster Peabody award winners |access-date=November 23, 2009 |publisher=National Association of Broadcasters |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726163315/http://www.peabody.uga.edu/winners/PeabodyWinnersBook.pdf |archive-date=July 26, 2011 }} 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 drama ER.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2010/07/with-13-additional-emmy-nomina.php |title=With 13 Additional Emmy Nominations, 'Saturday Night Live' Breaks Record as Most Nominated Show in Awards Program's History |magazine=TVWeek |access-date=November 6, 2010 |archive-date=March 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304134045/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2010/07/with-13-additional-emmy-nomina.php |url-status=dead }}{{cite news | url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/saturday-night-live-breaks-an-emmy-record-and-lorne-michaels-is-cool-with-that/?ref=television | work=The New York Times | title=Saturday Night Live Breaks an Emmy Record, and Lorne Michaels Is Cool With That | first=Dave | last=Itzkoff | author-link=Dave Itzkoff | date=July 8, 2010 | access-date=May 5, 2014 | archive-date=July 18, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718054151/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/saturday-night-live-breaks-an-emmy-record-and-lorne-michaels-is-cool-with-that/?ref=television | url-status=live }} As of September 2022, it has received a record total of 305 Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

Twenty-five cast members have received individual Primetime Emmy Award nominations in the show's history. These nominations were mostly in the category of Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program before that award was discontinued; since then, nominations have been in the Supporting Actor and Supporting 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), and Kate McKinnon (2016, 2017). In addition, Alec Baldwin received two Emmy nominations, winning once in 2017, for his recurring guest role as Donald Trump.{{cite web|url=http://www.goldderby.com/article/2017/saturday-night-live-wins-emmys-awards-kate-mckinnon-alec-baldwin-news/|title='Saturday Night Live' wins 4 more Emmys Sunday; extends mind-blowing Emmy series record for wins to 64|last=Beachum|first=Chris|date=September 17, 2017|publisher=Gold Derby|access-date=September 17, 2017|archive-date=September 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920143548/http://www.goldderby.com/article/2017/saturday-night-live-wins-emmys-awards-kate-mckinnon-alec-baldwin-news/|url-status=live}}

SNL has also 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 the 2008 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 on SNL, 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 the Democratic then-nominee.{{cite news |first1=John |last1=Fitzpatrick |title=The SNL Effect: 'Saturday Night Live' Political Skits Make Real Impact on Voters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2008/11/05/idUS255618+05-Nov-2008+PRN20081105 |publisher=Thomson Reuters |work=Reuters |date=November 5, 2008 |access-date=August 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228223041/http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/11/05/idUS255618+05-Nov-2008+PRN20081105 |archive-date=February 28, 2014 |url-status=dead }} Chevy Chase's bumbling impression of then-president Gerald Ford during the 1976 presidential election was cited as an influence on the election, and a quote commonly attributed to 2008 vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin stating "I can see Russia from my house" was actually spoken by SNL cast member Tina Fey while portraying Palin.{{cite news|first=Tyler |last=Kingkade |title='Saturday Night Live' Political Skits May Sway The Presidential Election, Academics Argue |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/saturday-night-live-political-skits_n_1901761 |work=HuffPost |date=September 25, 2012 |access-date=August 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302235318/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/saturday-night-live-political-skits_n_1901761.html |archive-date=March 2, 2014 |url-status=live }} The political content was abandoned briefly following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack in New York, with Amy Poehler saying the writers did not want to produce politicized material.{{cite news|first1=James Andrew |last1=Miller |first2=Tom |last2=Shales |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/snl-political-secrets-revealed-hillarys-726324/ |title='SNL' Political Secrets Revealed: Hillary's "Entitlement", the Sketch Obama Killed and the Show's "Karl Rove" |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=August 20, 2014 |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020145000/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/snl-political-secrets-revealed-hillarys-726324 |archive-date=October 20, 2014 |url-status=live }}

Several politicians have appeared on SNL, including President Gerald Ford (in 1976, during the show's first season), then-Senator Barack Obama (2007), Senator John 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.{{cite news |first=Dominic |last=Patten |title=No SNL For Mitt Romney This Season, Says Lorne Michaels |url=https://deadline.com/2012/05/no-snl-for-mitt-romney-this-season-says-lorne-michaels-265520/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=May 2, 2012 |access-date=January 2, 2022 }} Senator Obama's appearance occurred in part because Hillary Clinton abandoned her scheduled appearance. Donald Trump hosted the show in 2015,{{cite episode|title=2|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkLzSLkYnGc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/PkLzSLkYnGc |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|access-date=4 October 2020|series=41|series-link=Saturday Night Live (season 41)|network=NBC|date=November 7, 2015}}{{cbignore}} which was met with controversy.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2015/11/donald-trump-snl-deport-racism-pac-reward-video-1201609250/|title=Donald Trump On 'SNL': Latino PAC Offers Reward To Disrupt Broadcast|last=de Moraes|first=Lisa|access-date=6 October 2020|website=Deadline|date=5 November 2015|archive-date=October 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009085108/https://deadline.com/2015/11/donald-trump-snl-deport-racism-pac-reward-video-1201609250/|url-status=live}} Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party's nominee for the 2024 United States presidential election, made a guest appearance on November 2, 2024.{{Cite news |last1=Nehamas |first1=Nicholas |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie |last3=Rogers |first3=Katie |date=2024-11-02 |title=Harris Will Make Surprise Appearance on 'Saturday Night Live' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/02/us/politics/kamala-harris-snl.html |access-date=2024-11-02 |work=The New York Times}}

{{Main|List of Saturday Night Live incidents|l1=List of Saturday Night Live incidents}}

File:Sinead rips into the Pope.jpg tears apart a picture of Pope John Paul II during a live SNL performance.]]

Due to its live 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.{{cite news|last1=Tapper|first1=Jake|title=Sin|url=http://www.salon.com/2002/10/12/sinead_3/|access-date=June 19, 2015|work=Salon|date=October 13, 2002|archive-date=June 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619155549/http://www.salon.com/2002/10/12/sinead_3/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Leung|first1=Rebecca|title=Michaels: Lip-Sync An 'SNL' No-No|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michaels-lip-sync-an-snl-no-no/|access-date=July 31, 2024|work=CBS News|date=October 28, 2004|archive-date=March 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306013154/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michaels-lip-sync-an-snl-no-no/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/01/saturday-night-live-sam-rockwell-curse|title=Saturday Night Live: "S—hole" and An Accidental F-Bomb Challenge NBC Censors|first=Katey|last=Rich|website=Vanity Fair|date=January 14, 2018|access-date=July 22, 2018|archive-date=July 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707042409/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/01/saturday-night-live-sam-rockwell-curse|url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Gupta |first1=Prachi |title=5 sketches that "SNL" allegedly plagiarized |url=https://www.salon.com/2014/10/07/5_sketches_that_snl_allegedly_plagiarized/ |website=Salon |access-date=July 31, 2024 |date=October 7, 2014 |archive-date=June 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240629123049/https://www.salon.com/2014/10/07/5_sketches_that_snl_allegedly_plagiarized/ |url-status=live }}

One incident that garnered widespread media coverage was a 1992 appearance by singer Sinéad O'Connor, in which she ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II during her performance in an effort to protest the Catholic Church.{{cite web|last1=Murray|first1=Noel|title=Inventory: Ten Memorable Saturday Night Live Musical Moments|url=https://www.avclub.com/article/inventory-ten-memorable-isaturday-night-livei-musi-1525|website=A.V. Club|publisher=The Onion|access-date=January 22, 2015|date=March 7, 2006|archive-date=January 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123044720/http://www.avclub.com/article/inventory-ten-memorable-isaturday-night-livei-musi-1525|url-status=live}} This led to hundreds of complaints from viewers and widespread criticism at the time,{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jlxWAAAAIBAJ&pg=3641%2C4197661 | title=Singer rips pope, shocks audience | access-date=11 March 2011 | date=5 October 1992 | newspaper=The Spokesman-Review | page=A4 | archive-date=8 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408175828/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jlxWAAAAIBAJ&dq=sinead-o-connor%20saturday-night-live%20pope&pg=3641,4197661 | url-status=live }} although retrospective opinion of her action has been more positive since the Church's cover-up of abuse became public many years later.{{Cite news |last=Hess |first=Amanda |authorlink=Amanda Hess |date=18 May 2021 |title=Sinead O'Connor Remembers Things Differently |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/18/arts/music/sinead-oconnor-rememberings.html |url-status=live |access-date=28 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915212515/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/18/arts/music/sinead-oconnor-rememberings.html |archive-date=15 September 2021}}

Technical issues have also led to major controversies, such as in a widely publicized incident involving singer Ashlee Simpson in 2004 where she appeared to lip sync during her second performance, appearing flustered when the wrong song was played.{{cite news|title=Ashlee Simpson takes 'SNL' lip sync blame|url=http://www.today.com/id/6356035/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/ashlee-simpson-takes-snl-lip-sync-blame|access-date=July 31, 2024|work=TODAY|publisher=NBC News|date=October 28, 2004|archive-date=October 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023142807/http://www.today.com/id/6356035/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/ashlee-simpson-takes-snl-lip-sync-blame|url-status=live}} 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.

Over the years, SNL has been criticized for stereotypical and sparse representation of racial and gender groups. A 2016 study of SNL 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/snl-awkwafina-become-first-asian-woman-host-18-years-1149851|title='SNL': Awkwafina to Become First Asian Woman to Host in 18 Years|last=Kilkenny|first=Katie|date=October 5, 2018|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en|access-date=2019-09-15|archive-date=January 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126094722/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/snl-awkwafina-become-first-asian-woman-host-18-years-1149851|url-status=live}}

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 on In Living Color, which featured a mostly Black cast and would offer Rock more creative freedom.{{cite web |last1=Alexander |first1=Brenda |title=Chris Rock Left 'SNL' For 'In Living Color' Over Frustrations With Stereotypical Material |url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/chris-rock-left-snl-for-in-living-color-over-frustrations-with-stereotypical-material.html/ |website=Showbiz CheatSheet |access-date=20 July 2021 |date=6 June 2020}} He would later host the show 4 times in 1996, 2014, 2020 and 2024, respectively. When longtime cast member Kenan 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 was SNL that was not ready, and the racial disparity "is symptomatic of problems deeply rooted in comedy and the entertainment industry at large".{{cite web |last1=Gennis |first1=Sadie |title=Kenan Thompson Blames SNL's Diversity Issue on Lack of Talented Black Comediennes |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/snl-diversity-issue-kenan-thompson-1072056/ |website=TV Guide |access-date=3 January 2020 |date=14 October 2013 |archive-date=October 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015023051/https://www.tvguide.com/News/SNL-Diversity-Issue-Kenan-Thompson-1072056.aspx |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Kerry |first1=Coddett |title=The Real Problem With SNL and Casting Black Women |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/11/the-real-problem-with-snl-and-casting-black-women/281280/ |website=The Atlantic |access-date=3 January 2020 |date=8 November 2013}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/09/the-remarkable-rise-of-tiffany-haddish/538872/|title=The Remarkable Rise of Tiffany Haddish|last=Jeffries|first=Michael P.|date=September 7, 2017|website=The Atlantic|language=en-US|access-date=December 9, 2019|archive-date=December 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209224024/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/09/the-remarkable-rise-of-tiffany-haddish/538872/|url-status=live}} Thompson also refused to play any more black women on the show and demanded SNL hire black women instead.{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/snls-kenan-thompson-refuses-to-dress-in-drag-until-the-show-hires-a-black-woman-2013-10|title='SNL's' Kenan Thompson Refuses To Dress In Drag Until The Show Hires A Black Woman|last=Weisman|first=Aly|website=Business Insider|access-date=2019-03-05|archive-date=October 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030185106/https://www.businessinsider.com/snls-kenan-thompson-refuses-to-dress-in-drag-until-the-show-hires-a-black-woman-2013-10|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.glamour.com/story/history-of-women-on-saturday-night-live|title=16 Times Women Changed the Game on 'Saturday Night Live'|website=Glamour|date=June 27, 2018|access-date=2019-03-05|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113102959/https://www.glamour.com/story/history-of-women-on-saturday-night-live|url-status=live}}

SNL has had "little representation from Asian actors, as cast members or hosts", in its run.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/17/bowen-yang-joins-snl-recurring-cast-in-season-45.html|title=Before his historic promotion to the SNL stage, Bowen Yang was voted 'most likely to be a cast member on Saturday Night Live' in high school|last=Liu|first=Jennifer|date=September 17, 2019|website=CNBC|language=en|access-date=September 19, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308032115/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/17/bowen-yang-joins-snl-recurring-cast-in-season-45.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/12/arts/television/snl-asian-bowen-yang.html|title='S.N.L.' Has Long Lacked Asian Players. One Just Joined the Cast.|last=Coleman|first=Nancy|date=September 12, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 15, 2019}} Until Bowen 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 a Filipina grandmother; and Nasim Pedrad (2009–2014) was born in Tehran, Iran.{{cite web|last=Pfefferman|first=Naomi|url=https://18doors.org/a_conversation_with_rob_schneider/|title=InterfaithFamily.com|date=January 12, 2009|publisher=InterfaithFamily|access-date=October 4, 2012|archive-date=May 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514094254/https://18doors.org/a_conversation_with_rob_schneider/|url-status=live}} In the first forty-seven seasons, the show had seven hosts who were of Asian descent.{{Cite news|url= https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/bowen-yang-shane-gillis-saturday-night-live-controversy-884888/|last= Chan|first= Tim|date= September 16, 2019|title= 'SNL' Hired Bowen Yang, But It Still Has a Diversity Problem|magazine= Rolling Stone|access-date= September 17, 2019|archive-date= September 18, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190918053736/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/bowen-yang-shane-gillis-saturday-night-live-controversy-884888/|url-status= live}}

Denny Dillon was the first gay cast member in the 1980–81 season, but was in the closet at the time. Terry Sweeney was SNL{{'}}s first openly gay male cast member, appearing in the 1985–1986 season. Sweeney was also the first openly gay series regular on network television.{{Sfn|Shales|Miller|2015|p=295}}*{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/snl-alec-baldwin-gay-cast-members-in-closet-1201941198/|title='Saturday Night Live': Alec Baldwin Says There Have Been Many Gay Male Cast Members — They Just Weren't Out|last=Miller|first=Liz Shannon|date=March 19, 2018|website=Indiewire|access-date=September 16, 2019|archive-date=September 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926111317/https://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/snl-alec-baldwin-gay-cast-members-in-closet-1201941198/|url-status=live}}

• {{cite book|title=Uncommon Heroes: A Celebration of Heroes and Role Models for Gay and Lesbian Americans|last=Sherman|first=Phillip|publisher=Fletcher Press|year=1994|editor-last=Bernstein|editor-first=Samuel}} 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 as Shane Gillis, who was found to have aired what was perceived as homophobic and anti-Asian jokes and slurs on his podcast.* {{cite web |last=Sims |first=David |date=September 13, 2019 |title='Saturday Night Live' Made a Mistake Hiring Shane Gillis |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/09/saturday-night-live-cant-ignore-its-shane-gillis-problem/598033/ |access-date=2019-09-13 |website=The Atlantic |language=en-US |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515171731/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/09/saturday-night-live-cant-ignore-its-shane-gillis-problem/598033/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite web |last=Ho |first=Vivian |date=September 13, 2019 |title=SNL adds first Asian cast member while another is under fire over anti-Asian slur |url=https://theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/sep/12/snl-bowen-yang-shane-gillis-asian-slur |access-date=September 13, 2019 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919040726/https://theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/sep/12/snl-bowen-yang-shane-gillis-asian-slur |url-status=live }}
• {{cite web |date=2019-09-12 |title=New 'SNL' cast member Shane Gillis responds after video of racist slur resurfaces |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-09-12/snl-shane-gillis-racial-slur-matt-and-shane-secret-podcast |access-date=2019-09-13 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515171731/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-09-12/snl-shane-gillis-racial-slur-matt-and-shane-secret-podcast |url-status=live }}
• {{Cite news |last=Wright |first=Megh |date=September 13, 2019 |title=New SNL Hire Shane Gillis Has a History of Racist and Homophobic Remarks |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/snl-shane-gillis-racist-homophobic-remarks.html |access-date=September 13, 2014 |work=Vulture |archive-date=May 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516041950/https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/snl-shane-gillis-racist-homophobic-remarks.html |url-status=live }}
• {{Cite news |last1=Thorne |first1=Will |last2=Low |first2=Elaine |date=September 13, 2019 |title=New 'SNL' Cast Member Shane Gillis Uses Racist, Sexist, Homophobic Remarks in Resurfaced Material |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/shane-gillis-snl-racial-slur-saturday-night-live-nbc-1203334216/ |access-date=September 13, 2019 |work=Variety |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515171732/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/shane-gillis-snl-racial-slur-saturday-night-live-nbc-1203334216/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Lewis |first=Sophie |date=September 13, 2019 |title=New "SNL" cast member Shane Gillis exposed in videos using racist and homophobic slurs |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-snl-cast-member-shane-gillis-exposed-in-videos-using-racist-and-homophobic-slurs/ |access-date=September 13, 2019 |website=CBS News |language=en-US |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515171731/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-snl-cast-member-shane-gillis-exposed-in-videos-using-racist-and-homophobic-slurs/ |url-status=live }} Within days, a spokesperson for Michaels announced Gillis was fired due to the controversy. Later, Gillis went on to host SNL in 2024 during the 49th season,{{cite web |last1=Deggans |first1=Eric |title=Shane Gillis struggles in a 'Saturday Night Live' monologue that avoids the obvious |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/02/25/1233584316/shane-gillis-struggles-in-a-saturday-night-live-monologue-which-avoids-the-obvio |website=NPR |access-date=August 2, 2024 |date=February 25, 2024 |archive-date=April 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240409080325/https://www.npr.org/2024/02/25/1233584316/shane-gillis-struggles-in-a-saturday-night-live-monologue-which-avoids-the-obvio |url-status=live }} and again in 2025 during the 50th season.{{cite web|last=Valby|first=Karen|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/shane-gillis-bombs-on-return-to-saturday-night-live?srsltid=AfmBOorg9v6am74xaeLkaI8J_w54F4aQ9cvS91v5EIs5RwfjCMzAFi4Y|title=Shane Gillis Bombs On Return to 'Saturday Night Live'|date=March 2, 2025|access-date=April 23, 2025}} Molly Kearney became the first openly non-binary cast member in 2022.{{cite news |last1=Yurcaba |first1=Jo |date=September 15, 2022 |title='Saturday Night Live' announces its first nonbinary cast member |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-pop-culture/saturday-night-live-announces-first-nonbinary-cast-member-rcna47993 |access-date=September 15, 2022 |work=NBC News |archive-date=September 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916033933/https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-pop-culture/saturday-night-live-announces-first-nonbinary-cast-member-rcna47993 |url-status=live }}

Melissa Villaseñor joined as a featured player on the October 1, 2016, episode of SNL.{{cite web|last=Evans|first=Greg|date=October 2, 2016|title='SNL' Surprise: Newcomers Mikey Day, Alex Moffat & Melissa Villaseñor Actually Make Good, Strong Impressions|url=https://deadline.com/2016/10/snl-debut-newcomers-mikey-day-alex-moffat-melissa-villasenor-1201829645/|access-date=August 6, 2021|website=Deadline|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721094433/https://deadline.com/2016/10/snl-debut-newcomers-mikey-day-alex-moffat-melissa-villasenor-1201829645/|url-status=live}} Villaseñor was the second Latina cast member after Noël Wells, who is a quarter Mexican,{{cite web|last=Romero|first=Dennis|date=September 12, 2016|title=SNL Hires its First Latina Cast Member, and She's From L.A.|url=https://www.laweekly.com/snl-hires-its-first-latina-cast-member-and-shes-from-l-a/|access-date=August 6, 2021|website=LA Weekly|archive-date=July 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719140332/https://www.laweekly.com/snl-hires-its-first-latina-cast-member-and-shes-from-l-a/|url-status=live}} and the first Latina to be promoted to repertory status.{{cite web|last=Villafañe|first=Veronica|date=September 30, 2016|title=SNL Starts New Season With Debut Of First Latina Cast Member, Latino Writer And Lin-Manuel Miranda|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/veronicavillafane/2016/09/30/snl-starts-new-season-with-debut-of-first-latina-cast-member-latino-writer-and-lin-manuel-miranda/?sh=3bf7124a7ccc|access-date=August 6, 2021|website=Forbes|archive-date=August 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806175039/https://www.forbes.com/sites/veronicavillafane/2016/09/30/snl-starts-new-season-with-debut-of-first-latina-cast-member-latino-writer-and-lin-manuel-miranda/?sh=3bf7124a7ccc|url-status=live}}

{{Main|List of Saturday Night Live home video releases|l1=List of Saturday Night Live home video releases}}

Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Lions 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 the NBC Universal merger. A majority of Lionsgate's SNL DVDs are "Best Of{{spaces}}..." compilations.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

Saturday Night Live, the first authorized book about the series, was published by Avon Books in 1977 and edited by Anne Beatts and John Head, with photography by Edie Baskin;{{sfn|Beatts|Head|1977}} all three worked for SNL at the time the book was published. The oversized illustrated paperback included the scripts for several sketches by the 1975–80 cast.[http://www.dailyllama.com/spam/books/idle.html Eric Idle Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208142212/http://www.dailyllama.com/spam/books/idle.html |date=December 8, 2020 }} from dailyllama.com In 1986 Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad authored Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live, a behind-the-scenes look at the first ten seasons.{{sfn|Hill|Weingrad|1986}} 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.{{sfn|Cader|1994}}{{Cite magazine |last=Fretts |first=Bruce |date=1994-10-07 |title=Book Review: 'Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years' |url=https://ew.com/article/1994/10/07/book-review-saturday-night-live-first-twenty-years/ |access-date=2023-04-12 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |language=en |archive-date=April 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412114047/https://ew.com/article/1994/10/07/book-review-saturday-night-live-first-twenty-years/ |url-status=live }}

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 by Tom 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.{{cite news |last1=O'Sullivan |first1=William |date=January 4, 2003 |title=Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, Definitive record of an enduring creative work |work=Washingtonian |url=http://www.washingtonian.com/bookreviews/50.html |access-date=April 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521100155/http://www.washingtonian.com/bookreviews/50.html |archive-date=May 21, 2011}} In 2004 former cast member Jay Mohr released his memoir Gasping for Airtime: Two Years in the Trenches of Saturday Night Live{{sfn|Mohr|2004}} 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 member Bobby Moynihan described the book as "a handbook on what NOT to do at SNL".{{cite news |first=Mike| last=Ryan| url=http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2009/02/26/snl_s_bobby_moynihan_discusses_working_w?page=2|title='SNL's' Bobby Moynihan Discusses Working with Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, James Franco And More |publisher=Starpulse |access-date=January 26, 2012 | date=February 26, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301004850/http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2009/02/26/snl_s_bobby_moynihan_discusses_working_w?page=2|archive-date=March 1, 2014| url-status=dead}}

{{Main|List of Saturday Night Live feature films|l1=List of Saturday Night Live feature films}}

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{{spaces}}million on a $27{{spaces}}million budget.{{cite web|title=The Blues Brothers|website=Box Office Mojo|publisher=Internet Movie Database|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bluesbrothers.htm|access-date=December 16, 2008|archive-date=July 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707115719/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bluesbrothers.htm|url-status=live}}

In 1990 Michaels oversaw the writing of a sketch anthology feature film titled The Saturday Night Live Movie with many of the show's then-current writing staff, including Al Franken, Tom Davis, Greg Daniels, Jim Downey, Conan O'Brien, Robert Smigel, and George Meyer, contributing. The screenplay only got as far as a Revised First Draft dated July 26, 1990, before being abandoned.[http://www.filmbuffonline.com/FBOLNewsreel/wordpress/2012/07/06/script-review-the-saturday-night-live-movie/ Script Review: THE SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE MOVIE] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127111212/http://www.filmbuffonline.com/FBOLNewsreel/wordpress/2012/07/06/script-review-the-saturday-night-live-movie/ |date=November 27, 2020 }} from filmbuffonline.com

The success of Wayne's World (1992) encouraged Michaels to produce more film spin-offs, based on several popular sketch characters. Michaels revived 1970s characters for Coneheads (1993), followed by It's Pat (1994); Stuart Saves His Family (1995); A Night at the Roxbury (1998), Superstar (1999), and The Ladies Man (2000). Some did moderately well, though others did not{{snd}}notably, It's Pat, which did so badly at the box office that the studio that made the film, Touchstone Pictures (owned by the Walt Disney Company, which also owns NBC's rival ABC), pulled it only one week after releasing it,[http://www.filmcritic.com/features/2010/05/snls-bad-boys----top-ten-worst-snlmovies/ Live, From New York, It's the Worst Movies From the Cast of SNL] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527104355/http://www.filmcritic.com/features/2010/05/snls-bad-boys----top-ten-worst-snlmovies/ |date=May 27, 2010}} from filmcritic.com and Stuart Saves His Family, which lost $14{{spaces}}million. Many of these films were produced by Paramount Pictures. The films based on The Blues Brothers were produced by Universal Studios, which merged with NBC in 2004 to form NBC Universal (Universal also has a joint venture with Paramount for international distribution of the two studios' films).

The character Bob Roberts from the Tim Robbins film of the same title (1992) first appeared on SNL in a short film about the conservative folk singer.

In addition, the 1999 comedy film Office Space originated from a series of animated short films by Mike Judge that aired on SNL in 1993.{{cite magazine | last = Fierman | first = Daniel | title = Judge's Dread | magazine = Entertainment Weekly | date = February 26, 1999 | url = https://ew.com/article/1999/02/19/mike-judge-takes-live-action/ | access-date = August 16, 2007 | archive-date = December 11, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201211172326/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,274497,00.html | url-status = live }}

The fictitious American folk music trio The Folksmen first appeared on SNL, performing the song "Old Joe's Place" before later appearing in the film A Mighty Wind (2002). The three members of the Folksmen were the same three comedians: Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, and Christopher Guest, who also appeared on the same episode as the rock group Spinal 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 the Mr. Bill sketches from early seasons of SNL.{{Cite web |last=Rosenberg |first=Howard |date=1986-09-10 |title=The First Arrivals on the Home Front |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-09-10-ca-13190-story.html |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}

In 2024, the film Saturday Night was released, about the production of the first SNL episode to air on October 11, 1975, with Gabriel LaBelle as Michaels.

Over the years popular characters from the show have appeared in ad campaigns for an assortment of products.

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");{{cite web |year=1976 |title=NBC's Saturday Night Live |url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-NBCs-Saturday-Night-Live/release/2119575 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224073927/https://www.discogs.com/Various-NBCs-Saturday-Night-Live/release/2119575 |archive-date=December 24, 2018 |access-date=2018-12-23 |website=www.discogs.com |language=en}} it was later re-issued on CD and MP3 download.

In 2005, the comedy troupe The Lonely Island—consisting of SNL members Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone—gained national exposure after joining the show and debuting their comedic music video "Lazy Sunday", written with fellow cast member Chris Parnell. The song became a surprise hit.{{cite news|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1184075,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614190554/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1184075,00.html|archive-date=June 14, 2006|title=Straight Outta Narnia|first=Joel|last=Stein|magazine=Time|date=April 17, 2006|access-date=January 2, 2022}}{{Cite web |last=Itzkoff |first=Dave |date=December 27, 2005 |title=Nerds in the Hood, Stars on the Web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/27/arts/nerds-in-the-hood-stars-on-the-web.html |access-date=November 13, 2024 |website=The New York Times}} 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."{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Andrew Wallenstein,Todd |date=2015-12-18 |title='Lazy Sunday' Turns 10: 'SNL' Stars Recall How TV Invaded the Internet |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/lazy-sunday-10th-anniversary-snl-1201657949/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Higgins |first=Bill |date=2017-10-05 |title=Hollywood Flashback: 'SNL's' 'Lazy Sunday' Put YouTube on the Map in 2005 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/hollywood-flashback-snls-lazy-sunday-put-youtube-map-2005-1044829/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Nate |date=2008-11-23 |title=Did "Lazy Sunday" make YouTube's $1.5 billion sale possible? |url=https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2008/11/did-lazy-sunday-make-youtubes-1-5-billion-sale-possible/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-US}}

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"{{snd}}the latter of which won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2007{{cite news |title=2007 Emmy Winners: the Complete List |work=Daily News (New York) |date=September 17, 2007 |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/2007-emmy-winners-complete-list-article-1.248071 |access-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108081059/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/2007-emmy-winners-complete-list-article-1.248071 |url-status=live }}{{snd}}saw The Lonely Island go on to release two albums, Incredibad (2009){{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1601144/snl-star-andy-samberg-recruits-t-pain-justin-timberlake-norah-jones-for-new-album/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905194049/http://www.mtv.com/news/1601144/snl-star-andy-samberg-recruits-t-pain-justin-timberlake-norah-jones-for-new-album/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 5, 2014|title='SNL' Star Andy Samberg Recruits T-Pain, Justin Timberlake, Norah Jones for New Album|access-date=January 8, 2022|last=Kaufman|first=Gil|date= December 10, 2008|publisher=MTV News}} and Turtleneck & Chain (2011), containing SNL-developed songs and original works. The albums were released by Universal Republic Records, which was provided with a license to the SNL songs by NBC and Broadway Video.

On January 16, 2025, the four episode documentary series SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, featuring rare footage and interviews with more than 60 contributors—including cast members, writers, and execs—became available to stream on Peacock. A sequel, feature-length documentary Ladies & 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.{{cite news|url=https://ew.com/saturday-night-live-how-to-watch-50th-anniversary-special-snl-docs-8773247|title=How to watch Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary special, new SNL docs, and more|first=Jillian|last=Sederholm|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|date=January 14, 2025|accessdate=January 15, 2025}}

Several programs have documented the behind-the-scenes events of the show. A 60 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 an A&E episode of Biography which covered the production process, as well as an episode of TV Tales in 2002 on E!. In 2010, Saturday Night, a 94-minute documentary by actor James Franco in his directorial debut, was released; it follows the production process of the December 6, 2008, episode hosted by John Malkovich, from the concept stage to the episode actually airing live. Although it originated as a five-minute short film for Franco's New York University film class, Michaels granted Franco access to the process, allowing the project to be expanded. On February 15, 2015, NBC aired a {{frac|3|1|2}}-hour special on Saturday 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.{{cite news| url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/reviews/snl-40-tv-review-saturday-night-live-40th-anniversary-special-1201434680/ | work=Variety | first=Brian | last=Lowry | title=TV Review: 'Saturday Night Live's' 40th Exhibits Middle-Aged Bloat | date=February 16, 2015}}

In September 2011 ice cream company Ben & 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, and Molly Shannon.{{sfn|Veroni|2014}}{{cite news|first=Katy| last=Steinmetz | title=Schweddy Balls: Ben & Jerry's Newest Vermont Export |url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2011/09/07/schweddy-balls-ben-jerrys-newest-vermont-export/ | magazine = Time |date=September 7, 2011| access-date=February 21, 2012}} According to the company, the ice cream became their fastest-selling limited-edition flavor.{{cite news | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/ben-jerry-s-saturday-night-251521/ | title=Ben and Jerry's 'Saturday Night Live' Flavor, 'Schweddy Balls,' Not Welcome in Some Stores | first=Michael | last=O'Connell | date=October 20, 2011 | work=The Hollywood Reporter | access-date=January 8, 2021 | archive-date=September 21, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921162629/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/ben-jerry-s-saturday-night-251521/ | url-status=live }}{{failed verification|date=October 2017|reason="Popular" ≠ "fastest-selling"}} The ice cream was also subject to criticism and boycotts by One Million Moms, a project of the American Family Association, over the "vulgar" name.{{sfn|Veroni|2014}}{{cite news|first=Deborah|last=Netburn|title=Is Ben & Jerry's 'Schweddy Balls' R-rated ice cream?|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/09/is-ben-jerrys-schweddy-balls-r-rated-ice-cream.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 23, 2011|access-date=February 21, 2012|archive-date=January 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108233546/https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/09/is-ben-jerrys-schweddy-balls-r-rated-ice-cream.html|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite magazine|first=Aly|last=Semigran|title=Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls not being sold in some stores: Have you had a taste yet?|url=https://ew.com/article/2011/10/21/ben-and-jerrys-schweddy-balls-not-sold-in-stores/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=October 21, 2011|access-date=January 8, 2022|archive-date=January 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108081114/https://ew.com/article/2011/10/21/ben-and-jerrys-schweddy-balls-not-sold-in-stores/|url-status=live}} 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, and Gilly's Catastrophic Crunch based on the recurring Gilly sketches featuring Kristen Wiig.{{cite web |last=Kludt |first=Amanda |url=http://eater.com/archives/2014/06/19/saturday-night-live-inspired-ben-jerrys-newest-flavors.php |title=Ben & Jerry's Introduces SNL-Themed Ice Cream |publisher=Eater |date=June 19, 2014 |access-date=December 12, 2014 |archive-date=March 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307005419/https://www.eater.com/2014/6/19/6204971/ben-jerrys-introduces-snl-themed-ice-cream |url-status=live }} Two Wild and Crazy Pies, based on the catchphrase of the recurring Festrunk Brothers, was introduced in September 2014,{{cite news |last=Aiken |first=Kristen |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ben-and-jerrys-new-snl-flavor_n_5864158 |title=Ben & Jerry's New 'SNL'-Inspired Flavor Is Their Best Yet, But You Won't Find It in a Pint |work=HuffPost |date=September 24, 2014 |access-date=December 1, 2021 |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919040652/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ben-and-jerrys-new-snl-flavor_n_5864158 |url-status=live }} followed by Wayne'Swirled, which was inspired by the eponymous Wayne's World in February 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/wayneswirled-snl-batch |title=Introducing Wayne'Swirled: The Newest SNL Batch! |publisher=Ben & Jerry |date=February 10, 2015 |access-date=February 16, 2015}}

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

• Saturday Live/Friday Night Live (a British television comedy show with a similar format)

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin|35em|indent=yes}}

• {{cite book

|editor1-last=Beatts

|editor1-first=Anne

|editor1-link=Anne Beatts

|editor2-last=Head

|editor2-first=John

|year=1977

|title=Saturday Night Live

|location=New York

|publisher=Avon Books

|isbn=978-0-380-01801-7

}}

• {{cite book

|last=Cader

|first=Michael

|year=1994

|title=Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years

|location=Boston

|publisher=Houghton Mifflin

|isbn=978-0-395-70895-8

|url=https://archive.org/details/saturdaynightliv00cade

}}

• {{cite book

|last=Gates

|first=Racquel

|year=2013

|chapter=Bringing the Black: Eddie Murphy and African American Humor on Saturday Night Live

|editor1-last=Marx

|editor1-first=Nick

|editor2-last=Sienkiewicz

|editor2-first=Matt

|editor3-last=Becker

|editor3-first=Ron

|title=Saturday Night Live and American TV

|location=Bloomington, Indiana

|publisher=Indiana University Press

|pages=151–172

|isbn=978-0-253-01090-2

|jstor=j.ctt16gznsz.12

}}

• {{cite encyclopedia

|last=Hammill

|first=Geoffrey

|year=2004

|title=Saturday Night Live

|editor-last=Newcomb

|editor-first=Horace

|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Television

|volume=1

|edition=2nd

|location=New York

|publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn

|publication-date=2014

|pages=2008–2014

|isbn=978-1-135-19479-6

}}

• {{cite book |last1=Henry |first1=David |last2=Henry |first2=Joe |title=Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him |date=November 5, 2013 |publisher=Algonquin Books |isbn=9781616200787}}
• {{cite book

|last1=Hill

|first1=Doug

|last2=Weingrad

|first2=Jeff

|year=1986

|title=Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live

|location=New York

|publisher=Beech Tree Books

|isbn=978-0-688-05099-3

|url=https://archive.org/details/saturdaynightbac00hill

}}

• {{cite book |last1=Kaplan |first1=Arie |title=Saturday Night Live: Shaping TV Comedy and American Culture |date=August 1, 2014 |publisher=21st Century |isbn=978-1-467710-86-2}}
• {{cite book

|last1=Marx

|first1=Nick

|last2=Sienkiewicz

|first2=Matt

|last3=Becker

|first3=Ron

|year=2013

|chapter=Introduction: Situating Saturday Night Live in American Television Culture

|editor1-last=Marx

|editor1-first=Nick

|editor2-last=Sienkiewicz

|editor2-first=Matt

|editor3-last=Becker

|editor3-first=Ron

|title=Saturday Night Live and American TV

|location=Bloomington, Indiana

|publisher=Indiana University Press

|pages=1–21

|isbn=978-0-253-01090-2

|jstor=j.ctt16gznsz.4

}}

• {{cite book

|last=Mohr

|first=Jay

|author-link=Jay Mohr

|year=2004

|title=Gasping for Airtime: Two Years in the Trenches of Saturday Night Live

|location=New York

|publisher=Hyperion Books

|isbn=978-1-4013-0006-7

|title-link=Gasping for Airtime

}}

• {{Cite book |last2=Miller |first2=James Andrew |title=Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests |last1=Shales |first1=Tom |date=October 6, 2015 |publisher=Back Bay Books |isbn=978-0-316-29506-2 |edition=2nd |language=en |lccn=2014943177 |author-link2=James Andrew Miller |author-link=Tom Shales}}
• {{cite book

|last=Tropiano

|first=Stephen

|year=2013

|title=Saturday Night Live FAQ

|location=New York

|publisher=Applause Books

}}

• {{cite book

|last=Veroni

|first=Clive

|year=2014

|title=Spin: How Politics Has the Power to Turn Marketing on Its Head

|location=Toronto

|publisher=House of Anansi Press

|isbn=978-1-77089-318-4

}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin|35em|indent=yes}}

• {{cite news|url=https://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0204snl0204.html|title=Venerable SNL undergoing another generational shift|work=The Arizona Republic|date=February 4, 2006|access-date=January 9, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630095032/http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0204snl0204.html|archive-date=June 30, 2012|url-status=dead|last1=Coyle|first1=Jake}}
• {{cite book

|last=Davis

|first=Tom

|author-link=Tom Davis (comedian)

|year=2009

|title=Thirty-Nine Years of Short-Term Memory Loss: The Early Days of SNL from Someone Who Was There

|location=New York

|publisher=Grove Press

|isbn=978-0-8021-1880-6

|url=https://archive.org/details/thirtynineyearso00davi

}}

• {{cite book

|last=Streeter

|first=Michael

|year=2005

|title=Nothing Lost Forever: The Films of Tom Schiller

|location=New York

|publisher=BearManor Media

|isbn=978-1-59393-032-5

}}

• {{cite book

|last=Whalley

|first=Jim

|year=2010

|title=Saturday Night Live, Hollywood Comedy, and American Culture: From Chevy Chase to Tina Fey

|location=New York

|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan

|isbn=978-0-230-10794-6

|doi=10.1057/9780230107946

}}

{{refend}}

{{sister project links|n=no|b=no|voy=no|v=no|species=no|mw=no|m=no|wikt=no|d=Q13979|commons=Category:Saturday Night Live|s=no}}

• {{official website|http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live}}
• {{IMDb title|id=0072562|title=Saturday Night Live}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20151228172458/https://screen.yahoo.com/snl/ Saturday Night Live video archive] at Yahoo! Screen
• {{emmytvlegends title|saturday-night-live}}
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRPey4Hy_ZM The first episode of Saturday Night Live], on their YouTube channel

{{Saturday Night Live|state=expanded}}

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