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'Saturday Night Live'"Saturday Night Live" is a long-running sketch comedy and variety television show created and produced by Lorne Michaels. Originally called "NBC's Saturday Night," the show changed its name in 1977. Since then, it's often been referred to as "SNL." The show was conceived as a low-stakes replacement for NBC's weekend reruns of Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show." The network recruited Michaels to run the show, pitching it as a showcase for the burgeoning comedy underground. Michaels focused on casting stand-up and improv comedians like Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon. A large part of the show's appeal is that it's a live broadcast, adding unpredictability that has caused the occasional controversy. The live element also makes for a frantic production schedule, with writers and cast members meeting the week's host Monday and writing material for the weekend's 90-minute episode over the next two days.Explore 'Saturday Night Live'

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Comedy legend Catherine O'Hara quit 'Saturday Night Live' after just one week as a cast memberO'Hara was a star on the sketch show 'SCTV,' a sort of Canadian 'SNL' that eventually aired in the US. O'Hara was offered a role on 'SNL' when the future of 'SCTV' was uncertain, but when 'SCTV' was renewed, she quit 'SNL' to return to it. O'Hara was only a cast member for a week and never appeared on-air during that time, though she eventually hosted 'SNL' twice, in 1991 and 1992. Biography 'Saturday Night Live' parodied the jury selection process in 2025This "SNL" sketch lampoons the lengths people go to avoid jury duty, with prospective jurors claiming that a Kardashian hit them with a car, that they are from the future and already know the verdict, and that they should be the judge instead. Saturday Night Live Mark Zuckerberg and Jesse Eisenberg met during Eisenberg's 'Saturday Night Live' monologueWhen Jesse Eisenberg hosted "SNL" in 2011 ahead of an Academy Awards appearance for his portrayal of Zuckerberg in "The Social Network," Zuckerberg actually came on stage. That was the first time the two met, and many viewers said the interaction was awkward. Eisenberg tried to meet Zuckerberg before filming "The Social Network," but his producers told him he couldn't for legal reasons. YouTube 'Saturday Night Live' uses a tool to recreate politicians' clothesThe show's costume designer, Tom Broecker, said that the team uses a "cricket," which allows them to scan patterns from images and recreate them for cast members' costumes. InStyle The intro for every 'Saturday Night Live' cast member everCast member intros are an iconic part of "SNL," featuring a portrait of the comedian and a bold recitation of their name by Don Pardo or Darrell Hammond. This video splices together the intros for every cast member in the show's five-decade history. MENTAL STUDiOS 'SNL' parodied Liza Minnelli's showbiz personaKristen Wiig plays Minnelli in the skit, poking fun at the Broadway star's extravagance and onstage presence. Minnelli is unable to perform regular tasks without whipping out Fosse's dance moves. Saturday Night Live Before 'Saturday Night Live,' Chevy Chase played in a band with the members of Steely DanChase attended Bard College in the 1960s with Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, who'd later form the group Steely Dan, known for hits like "Reelin' in the Years" and "Peg." Chase played drums for the college band, which, at one point, was called the Very Bad Jazz Band. Yahoo Entertainment A smooth, scrollable timeline of every 'SNL' cast memberStarting from season 1 in 1975, scroll through the years of the show's comic actors in this well-designed visual record and get a sense of their relative endurance on the show. Stop to click and read more on that season's highlights or the specific career arc of the actor. Kayla Plunkett Tesla has incorporated several Easter eggs into its electric vehiclesAfter a customer complained that the car's sounds woke up his baby, Tesla implemented "Joe Mode," which quiets sounds, in his honor. Autopilot can be used to engage a depiction of Rainbow Road from Mario Kart on the navigation screen. Capital One Auto Navigator A low-budget, Seattle-based comedy show launched Bill Nye's on-camera career"Almost Live!" began in 1984 as a Sunday evening talk show before evolving into a sketch comedy show that served as the lead-in for "Saturday Night Live" on NBC's Seattle affiliate station. Besides Nye, TV stars Joel McHale and Lauren Weedman were regular cast members. Seattle Met Jim Downey is one of SNL's most legendary writersJim Downey arrived at “Saturday Night Live” in 1976, the same week as Bill Murray. He also wrote a legendary monologue from “Billy Madison,” and created David Letterman’s “Top Ten." The Ringer NFTs are unique assets that exist on the blockchainThis SNL skit accurately defines non-fungible tokens in a song and skit. They are cryptographic tokens that represent digital assets like art, and their value can be volatile. Saturday Night Live The show follows a frantic production scheduleThe show is pitched, written, and designed in a week. Tuesdays feature infamously long writing sessions that usually stretch into Wednesday mornings. Fridays include shooting for digital shorts and an initial run-through of live material. Before Saturday's live show, there's an extended dress rehearsal. NBC The 1977 'SNL' Mardi Gras special is considered the show's biggest disasterAn on-location episode of the then-young sketch show featured drunken heckling from the audience, technical difficulties amid the broadcast, and beads being pelted at cast members. Cracked.com SNL's history in 60 secondsSaturday Night Live has been a fixture of American comedy since 1975. Created by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol, the show was designed as an alternative to late-night reruns, blending live sketch comedy, political satire, and celebrity impressions. 1440 A list of every ‘SNL’ host and musical guestEvery episode, "SNL" welcomes a host and a musical guest, bringing a wild range of personalities to the stage at 30 Rock. That’s evident by browsing this comprehensive list of every “SNL” episode, which features mind-boggling combos, including Buck Henry and Sun Ra, Helen Hunt and Snoop Dogg, and Jackie Chan and Kid Rock. epguides.com 'SNL' spinoffs have had mixed successAs “SNL” became more popular, Lorne Michaels sensed an opportunity to turn some of the show’s most popular sketches and characters into feature films. It’s a strategy that had mixed results: “Wayne’s World” and “The Blues Brothers” are modern classics, while others, like “It’s Pat” and “The Ladies Man,” performed poorly with audiences and critics alike. Yahoo A guided tour of Studio 8H, the home of ‘SNL’Fans of “Saturday Night Live” might be familiar with Studio 8H, which has only changed slightly over the show’s five decades. This video tour from Architectural Digest provides access you won’t find on the weekly broadcast, with cast members Heidi Gardner, Chloe Fineman, and Ego Nwodim walking you through makeup, dressing rooms, and more. Architectural Digest Every ‘SNL’ season, rankedThis list gives an overview of the strengths, weaknesses, and nuances of every one of the 50 seasons of "SNL." Helpfully, it also includes plenty of great sketches, acting as a compilation of the legendary show’s definitive moments. Inside Hook Watch Will Ferrell's ‘SNL’ auditionMaking it to “SNL” requires multiple auditions, including one in New York in front of Lorne Michaels and some of the show’s top staff. Will Ferrell’s audition for 'SNL' is one of the most legendary in the show's history. Ferrell runs through several of his classic characters, covering the stage in his singular weirdness. Saturday Night Live Michaels doesn’t care when people say ‘SNL’ was funnier when they were younger"Generally when people talk about the best cast I think, 'Well, that's when they were in high school,'" Michaels told "Today" in 2015. "Because in high school you have the least amount of power you're ever gonna have. ... Staying up with friends later on a Saturday is great, and people attach to a cast." Today The most controversial moments in ‘Saturday Night Live’ historyThis list ranks the show’s biggest controversies over five decades, including Sinead O’Connor’s infamous shredding of the Pope, Elvis Costello’s abrupt set change, and Fear trashing Studio 8H. TIME Eddie Murphy saved ‘SNL’ from getting canceled in the early '80sA young Eddie Murphy kept "Saturday Night Live" afloat during the years Lorne Michaels left the show by turning even the most pedestrian material into something revelatory. Eventually, he pursued a wildly successful acting and stand-up career. The Wrap After five seasons, Lorne Michaels quit ‘Saturday Night Live‘Lorne Michaels left the show in 1980, citing burnout and disagreements with network executives. He tried several gigs, including a sketch comedy show called “The New Show” that was strikingly similar to “SNL,” but nothing stuck. He returned to "SNL" in 1985. Cracked Before 'SNL,' producer Lorne Michaels was a performerMichaels was a costar on "The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour," a popular show on the Canadian network CBC. As these clips show, it was a standard variety show, something Michaels would intentionally react against with "SNL." stephlechat 'SNL' began as a low-budget replacement for reruns of 'The Tonight Show'Johnny Carson, host of "The Tonight Show," asked NBC to move his reruns to weeknights instead of weekends. That freed up a weekend slot and the network decided to try a new live show. Smithsonian Magazine 'SNL' was originally called 'NBC's Saturday Night'Another show already owned the title: the short-lived "Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell." The variety show only lasted one season and was widely panned, despite featuring several talented comedians—like Bill Murray, Christopher Guest, and Billy Crystal—who'd later be stars on "SNL" ... after officially changing its name. Nathan Rabin's Happy Place The 20-year feud between Elton John and MadonnaThe two superstars feuded from roughly 2002 until 2025. After playing shows together in the 1990s, John took issue with Madonna's James Bond theme song "Die Another Day," calling it the worst of the film series. He kept up a stream of criticisms, and the feud peaked at the 2012 Golden Globes when Madonna beat out John for best original song. The pair reportedly reconciled backstage at "Saturday Night Live" in 2025. PEOPLE The disastrous meeting of the Muppets and ‘SNL’The first season of "Saturday Night Live" featured some of the most cutting-edge comedy imaginable. Curiously, it also featured Jim Henson's Muppets. Henson and his singular brand of puppetry had found success with "Sesame Street," but Henson was concerned he was being pigeonholed as a children's entertainer and jumped at the opportunity to appear in a recurring segment on NBC's new program. The result was a bizarre train wreck that's detailed in this comprehensive retrospective. Salon ‘Saturday Night Live’ cast rank the show's best comics"Saturday Night Live" has held a unique role in the cultural zeitgeist since its founding in 1975, providing a national stage of silly mockery and filling our Sunday feeds with the latest impressions of public figures. In its 50th year, 50 cast members weigh in on who their favorite casts and individual comedians were. Read their various opinions here. GQ 'Lazy Sunday' was YouTube's first viral hitInitially aired on television, the 2005 "Saturday Night Live" digital short featuring Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell took off on YouTube, becoming one of the platform's first viral videos. The song may be a joke, but its success underscored how online video could extend the lifespan of regularly televised content. Saturday Night Live

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