Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live (commonly shortened and abbreviated to SNL) is an American late-night live sketch comedy show created by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol, beginning as NBC's Saturday Night on October 11, 1975. The show revolves around sketches parodying current events, American culture, and politics.

Every episode has a "host", who is a celebrity guest starring on the show, as well as a musical guest, although a host can be both. At the beginning, a cold open sketch is preformed ending with someone breaking character and usually blurting "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!". (This cold opening was removed for season 7, but quickly returned.) Additional sketches include Weekend Update, which functions as a new show, a digital short, and commercial parodies.

Discounting late-night talk shows, it is the longest-running variety series in the history of American television.

History

Founding

Saturday Night Live was born from NBC's desire to place original programming in the 11:30 PM Saturday timeslot. From 1965 until SNL began in 1975, this timeslot was filled with reruns of The Tonight Show (which occupied the timeslot on weekdays). This was dependent, however, on Carson continuing to record shows with sufficient frequency to leave shows available for rerun. By 1974, Carson was hoping for more time off, and asked NBC to stop airing reruns on weekends, so that they could be rerun on weekdays, allowing him further time off.

Then-NBC head Herb Schlosser tapped Dick Ebersol to develop a new show for the timeslot. Ebersol approached Lorne Michaels, who pitched the idea of a comedy variety show with musical guests.

Saturday Night Live was the original name sought by Michaels and Ebersol, due to the show's live broadcast, but the name was unavailable - at the very same time, ABC was developing a similar variety show for primetime Saturday, hosted by Howard Cosell, which had already been named Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. As a result, the new show on NBC debuted under the simpler name Saturday Night. ABC cancelled Cosell's show after eighteen episodes due to poor ratings, and NBC purchased the name, renaming their show Saturday Night Live at the beginning of the second season (although the original title remains in use as part of the famous cold opening announcement, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!").

The name was not the only thing taken from Cosell's show- Cosell had a cast of three actors: brothers Bill Murray and Brian Doyle-Murray, and Christopher Guest. They were known as the "Primetime Players". Michaels parodied this name by naming the new SNL cast the "not ready for primetime players". All three actors would also join SNL on NBC later on; the Murray brothers in season 2 (though Brian Doyle-Murray was a writer only until season 5) and Christopher Guest in season 10. All three anchored Weekend Update during their tenures on the show.

Needing actors for the new show, Ebersol and Michaels turned to Second City TV, a television show being broadcast from the Toronto wing of the Second City comedy troupe. From SCTV, they poached Gilda Radner and Dan Aykroyd. They also hired John Belushi and Chevy Chase from the National Lampoon's Lemmings (Belushi was also a Second City alumnus), as well as Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman.

Rather than having a regular host, SNL was conceived as having a different guest host each week. According to Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, however, having a regular host was briefly considered during the earliest planning stages in 1974 - prior to Michaels joining - with names such as Rich Little, Bert Convy, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin and even singer Linda Ronstadt discussed.

The new show debuted on October 11, 1975, broadcast from Studio 8H in 30 Rockefeller Center. The format was uncertain at first; the amount of time devoted to sketches, music, and stand-up varied widely, as well as the inclusion of Jim Henson's Muppets and pre-filmed content by Albert Brooks. One new sketch that remained permanently was Weekend Update, an invention of Chevy Chase. Chase, the original head writer, wrote the segment for himself.

First generation (seasons 1-5)

The show saw little change in its first five seasons. Notable was the departure of Chase halfway through the second season; he was replaced by Bill Murray. Aykroyd and Belushi also left after the end of season 4, to pursue work on their film, The Blues Brothers. To fill their places, several writers were promoted to cast members, including Brian Doyle-Murray, Peter Aykroyd (brother of Dan), Don Novello, Tom Schiller and Alan Zweibel.

Doumanian era (season 6)

Michaels and most of the cast were weary of the show's production schedule by the end of season 5. Worrying that the quality was beginning to suffer, Michaels asked NBC to put the show on hiatus for a season, in order to retool. NBC denied his request, and he promptly quit, with the rest of the cast (except for Brian Doyle-Murray) quitting along with him.

NBC chose Jean Doumanian, an associate producer on SNL, to take Michaels' place. Her time on the show went poorly- the season started unusually late, the new cast was not well received by fans, and reviews of their performances and the material were largely negative. On the season's 11th episode, cast member Charles Rocket (whom Doumanian was grooming as a second version of Chevy Chase, including installing him on Weekend Update) famously used the "F" word live on-air. By that time, however, NBC was already planning to replace Doumanian, and she was fired after the episode that followed.

Her replacement was Dick Ebersol, who had co-founded SNL with Michaels. The show went on a month-long hiatus to retool, and substantial changes were made in the cast and writing staff. Michael O'Donoghue was brought back to serve as head writer. Ebersol wished to fire the entire cast, with the exception of two breakout stars: Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo. However, the existing contracts needed to be paid off, and there wasn't room in the budget. As such, two other cast members remained, six were released (including Rocket), and five new actors were brought in.

SNL returned in April, with Chevy Chase hosting the first episode. The episode was well-received, but it came during a writers' strike. While Chase had contributed enough writing to create a good script, the following week's hosts, Franken and Davis, were not producing material that Ebersol felt would make for a good show. Not wanting to lose the momentum gained from the previous week, he cancelled the episode and the rest that were planned for the season.

Second generation (seasons 7-10)

Ebersol attempted to revamp the show with several format changes. The opening sketch was dropped for season 7, though it later returned at the request of fans. Weekend Update, which had been renamed Saturday Night NewsLine on the very last Doumanian episode only to revert to Weekend Update for Ebersol's first episode, became SNL Newsbreak (and later Saturday Night News for seasons 8-10).

Ebersol's primary tactic was to showcase Murphy and Piscopo, treating the other cast members as merely supporting cast. This approach began to crumble after only a season, when a snap decision by Ebersol caused a major rift. On the December 11, 1982 show, Nick Nolte was scheduled to host, be he dropped out. Needing a last-minute replacement, Ebersol placed Murphy in the host position. This immediately angered Piscopo, who had never been offered a chance at host. Also, rather than ending the sketch with the classic opening line, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", Murphy said "Live from New York, it's the Eddie Murphy show!" This line angered much of the cast and crew.

Tensions remained into season 9, until Murphy left mid-season. He had filmed 48 Hours with Nolte the previous year, and with his new-found success, decided to depart the show. Piscopo, still unhappy with the show's direction, left at the end of the season. In an attempt to revamp the show again, Ebersol forced out cast members Brad Hall, Tim Kazurinsky, and Robin Duke; the latter two were original to Ebersol's new cast.

The new cast members, many of them established actors, did little to bolster the show for season 10. At the end of the season, in a move similar to Michaels a few years prior, Ebersol asked to put the show on hiatus, as well as moving toward more pre-taped content. NBC denied both requests, and like Michaels, Ebersol walked away from the show, with the remaining cast members and writers following suit.

Lorne Michaels returns (season 11)

NBC initially decided to cancel the show, but decided to keep it going when they managed to secure Lorne Michaels' return. Following Ebersol's lead, Michaels put together a new cast of established stars, including Randy Quaid, Joan Cusack, Anthony Michael Hall, Terry Sweeney, Danitra Vance and Robert Downey, Jr.. He also reverted the news segment to Weekend Update. The season ultimately went poorly, and most of the cast left the show at the end of the season. The only actors to remain were Dennis Miller, who had become well known for his performance anchoring Weekend Update, A. Whitney Brown, Jon Lovitz, and Nora Dunn.

Third generation (seasons 12-20)

Michaels hoped to fix his earlier mistake, and sought out new talent, much like the original founding of the show. Several cast members that would become staples entered in the next few seasons: Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks, Phil Hartman, Victoria Jackson, and Kevin Nealon in season 12; Mike Myers in season 14; and Chris Farley, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Julia Sweeney, Tim Meadows, and Adam Sandler in season 16. Schneider and Spade were writers who were promoted to cast members. Jim Downey was installed as head writer. Ellen Cleghorne and Melanie Hutsell in season 17.

This time period saw several challenges- during season 13 there was both a fire near Studio 8H, as well as a writers' strike which cut the season short. On the May 12, 1990 episode, scheduled musical guest Sinead O'Connor and cast member Nora Dunn boycotted the show due to its being hosted by Andrew Dice Clay; Dunn was fired at the end of the season as a result. O'Connor made headlines the following season for tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II at the end of her performance.

While lauded at first, the show began to decline after several seasons; seasons 19 and 20 are often referred to as the show's worst. Michaels said later the end of season 20 was the closest the show ever came to being cancelled. There were many short-lived cast additions in an attempt to boost the show, but ultimately, a big change was needed. At the end of season 20, most of the cast and writers were let go.

Fourth generation (seasons 21-25)

Remaining from season 20 were Norm MacDonald, Mark McKinney, Tim Meadows, David Spade, and Molly Shannon. MacDonald had joined as a writer at the beginning of season 19 and was promoted to the cast halfway through the season; Shannon had joined the show in the middle of season 20.

Seeking new talent to fill out the cast for season 21, Michaels hired several actors who would become well-known: Jim Breuer, Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, David Koechner, Cheri Oteri and Nancy Walls; among others (though Koechner and Walls only remained for one season). Chris Kattan and Colin Quinn were added mid-season, and Spade left at the end of the season. Ana Gasteyer and Tracy Morgan were added in season 22 and McKinney left at the end of the season; Jimmy Fallon, Chris Parnell, and Horatio Sanz added in season 24; and Rachel Dratch and Maya Rudolph in season 25.

A transition occurred after season 25. Original fourth-generation cast members Cheri Oteri and Colin Quinn and remaining third-generation cast member Tim Meadows all departed. This era is remembered primarily for cast members Ferrell, Shannon, Meadows, Oteri, Gasteyer, Kattan, Hammond, MacDonald, Breuer, and Quinn.

There were several notable events during this period. The April 13, 1996 episode featured billionaire Steve Forbes and musical guest Rage Against The Machine. Angry about the pairing due to Forbes' politics, RATM hung upside-down flags from their amplifiers. They were removed by stagehands, and RATM was removed from the building following their performance. Partway through season 23, Norm MacDonald was pulled off of Weekend Update by NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer due to Ohlmeyer's taking offense to MacDonald's numerous O.J. Simpson jokes; this was against Lorne Michaels wishes and caused significant friction between him and the network.

Fifth generation (seasons 26-31)

Remaining from 1995 were Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, Molly Shannon and Chris Kattan, with seven others who had joined in the interim. New for season 26 was Tina Fey, who was placed on Weekend update with Jimmy Fallon following the departure of previous anchor Colin Quinn. Aside from the change at Update, this era marked a change in tone, as Fey had replaced head writer Adam McKay the previous season.

New for season 26 was Tina Fey, who was placed on Weekend update with Jimmy Fallon following the departure of previous anchor Colin Quinn. Aside from the change at Update, this era marked a change in tone, as Fey had replaced head writer Adam McKay the previous season.

Joining the cast during this period were Jerry Minor in season 26, Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, Dean Edwards and Jeff Richards in season 27; Fred Armisen and Will Forte in season 28; Finesse Mitchell and Kenan Thompson in season 29; Rob Riggle and Jason Sudeikis in season 30; and Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Kristen Wiig in season 31 (Minor and Riggle only lasted one season).

Leaving the show during this period were Molly Shannon mid-way through season 26, Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer after season 27, Chris Kattan, Tracy Morgan, and Dean Edwards after season 28, Jimmy Fallon after Season 29 and Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Finesse Mitchell, Chris Parnell and Horatio Sanz after Season 31.

This era of the show is primarily remembered for cast members Fey, Fallon, Poehler, Rudolph, Dratch, Parnell, Sanz, and Hammond; as well as Ferrell, Gasteyer, Kattan, and Morgan in earlier seasons; along with Meyers, Armisen, and Forte, with the latter three remaining well into the following generation.

Season 29 also debuted a new set based upon Grand Central Station, which remains in-use as of Season 49.

Sixth generation (seasons 32-38)

Season 32 began with a massive budget cut, leading to the dismissal of Parnell and Sanz before the start of the season; Fey and Dratch also left. No new members joined for season 32. Casey Wilson replaced Rudolph in mid-season 33; Bobby Moynihan, Abby Elliott, and Michaela Watkins joined in season 34; Nasim Pedrad and Jenny Slate in season 35; Vanessa Bayer, Paul Brittain, Jay Pharoah, and Taran Killam in season 36; Kate McKinnon was added halfway through season 37, replacing Brittain; and Aidy Bryant, Tim Robinson, and Cecily Strong in season 38. (Watkins, Slate, and Robinson all remained for only one season.)

Due to a writers' strike, Season 33 was heavily shortened down to 12 episodes.

Leaving the show during this period were Maya Rudolph mid-season 33; Amy Poehler in mid-season 34; Darrel Hammond and Casey Wilson after season 34; Will Forte after season 35. Paul Brittain left halfway through season 37; Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig, and Abby Elliott left after season 37, and Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Jason Sudeikis after season 38.

This era is mostly remembered for cast members Wiig, Samberg, Hader, Armisen, Meyers, Sudeikis, Forte, and Thompson; as well as Moynihan, and Pedrad a couple seasons in; along with Hammond, Poehler, Elliott, and Wilson in earlier seasons, and Bayer, Pharoah, and Killam in later seasons.

Seventh generation (seasons 39-47)

Season 39 marked the first time for several years in which a large number of new talents was added. Four members were gone from the previous season: Armisen, Hader, and Sudeikis had left, while relative newcomer Robinson was moved to the writing room. All three remaining featured players (McKinnon, Bryant, and Strong) were promoted to repertory status to replace the departing three repertory players.

For starters, the cast expanded slightly with six new featured players being brought in: Beck Bennett, John Milhiser, Kyle Mooney, Mike O'Brien, Noel Wells, and Brooks Wheelan. However, these weren't to be the only newcomers. Early in the season, Kenan Thompson went on-record complaining about the show's lack of black female actors, and publicly refused to dress in drag on the show. After a flurry of press and social media attention, the show brought in Sasheer Zamata, who would be joining the cast as a new featured player after Christmas break. She made her first appearance on January 18, 2014.

It was also known before the season began that Seth Meyers would be departing, to take over hosting Late Night. He remained until the show went on hiatus for coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics in February, and it was announced that fellow head writer Colin Jost would join the show in his place when it resumed in March. As a result of all of this, the show ended up with five members from the previous season gone, and eight new members added to the cast.

Season 40 began with three new cast members, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, and Leslie Jones. Che replaced Cecily Strong as Weekend Update anchor, with the Update set given a new backdrop. Following a long tenure with Seth Meyers as head writer, this era never settled on consistent head writers, changing people almost every season. Though the most consistent head writers have been Kent Sublette (who has been a head writer since 2017); and Colin Jost and Michael Che (who served as head writers together from 2017 to 2022, with other head writers coming in and out. This era is also known for its high amount of political content centered around Donald Trump, who was portrayed by Alec Baldwin during Trump's entire presidency; a large majority of sketches would center on American politics even outside of election years. This style came under criticism from notable SNL alumni, including Dana Carvey and Rob Schneider.

This era also saw the show weather the COVID-19 pandemic, with the three Saturday Night Live At Home episodes ending season 45 and a disruption to season 47. Additionally, because of COVID complications, a lot of the cast ended up staying longer than they intended, and this is tied with the third generation (1986-1995) as longest running era of SNL, as so many people decided to stay on the show for so long, because of the pandemic. Additionally, because of COVID, Seasons 46 and 47 had the largest casts in SNL history; with S46 having 20, and Season 47 having a record 21 people. Lastly, since many cast members ended staying with the show for so long (mainly because of COVID), some fans have even labeled this the "Forever Cast" era, since it took a while for many of these vets to leave.

Other people joining the cast during this period include Jon Rudnitsky in season 41; Mikey Day, Alex Moffat, and Melissa Villaseñor in season 42; Heidi Gardner, Luke Null, and Chris Redd in season 43; Ego Nwodim in season 44; Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang in season 45; Andrew Dismukes, Lauren Holt, and Punkie Johnson in season 46; and Aristotle Athari, James Austin Johnson, and Sarah Sherman in season 47 (Milhiser, O'Brien, Wells, Wheelan, Rudnitsky, Null, Holt, and Athari all only lasted one season).

Leaving the show during this period were Seth Meyers and Nasim Pedrad after season 39; Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah after season 41; Vanessa Bayer, Bobby Moynihan, and Sasheer Zamata after season 42; Leslie Jones after season 44; Beck Bennett after season 46; and Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Kyle Mooney, Alex Moffat, Chris Redd, and Melissa Villaseñor after season 47.

This era will be mostly remembered for cast members McKinnon, Strong, Thompson, Bryant, Bennett, Mooney, Jost, Che, and Davidson; along with Jones, Day, Moffat, Villaseñor, Gardner, and Redd throughout various seasons of that era; as well as Killam, Pharoah, Bayer, Moynihan, and Zamata in earlier seasons; and Nwodim, Fineman, and Yang in later seasons.

Eighth generation (season 48-present)

Prior to the start of season 48, eight cast members departed the show. In addition, executive producer Lorne Michaels announced that season 48 would be a transition year, and that he hired 4 new cast members, in preparation for the transition. Three days later, the new cast members were revealed to be Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker.

Also, current Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che resigned as head writers before this season started. Though, they currently remain on the writing staff and on Update.

Leaving the show during this period was Cecily Strong midway through season 48.

Season 48 ended a month early on April 15, 2023, with only 18 episodes, due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America Strike, which canceled the final 3 episodes of the season.

Other people joining the show during this period included Chloe Troast in season 49.

Cast

Main article: Cast

Name	Seasons
	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	49
Dan Aykroyd
John Belushi †
Chevy Chase
George Coe †
Jane Curtin
Garrett Morris
Laraine Newman
Michael O'Donoghue †
Gilda Radner †
Bill Murray
Tom Davis †
Al Franken
Peter Aykroyd †
Jim Downey
Brian Doyle-Murray
Don Novello
Tom Schiller
Paul Shaffer
Harry Shearer
Alan Zweibel
Denny Dillon
Robin Duke
Gilbert Gottfried †
Yvonne Hudson
Tim Kazurinsky
Matthew Laurance
Gail Matthius
Laurie Metcalf
Eddie Murphy
Joe Piscopo
Emily Prager
Ann Risley
Charles Rocket †
Tony Rosato †
Patrick Weathers
Christine Ebersole
Mary Gross
Brad Hall
Gary Kroeger
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Jim Belushi
Billy Crystal
Christopher Guest
Rich Hall
Martin Short
Pamela Stephenson
A. Whitney Brown
Joan Cusack
Robert Downey Jr.
Nora Dunn
Anthony Michael Hall
Jon Lovitz
Dennis Miller
Randy Quaid
Terry Sweeney
Danitra Vance †
Dan Vitale †
Damon Wayans
Dana Carvey
Phil Hartman †
Jan Hooks †
Victoria Jackson
Kevin Nealon
Mike Myers
Ben Stiller
Chris Farley †
Tim Meadows
Chris Rock
Adam Sandler
Rob Schneider
David Spade
Julia Sweeney
Beth Cahill
Ellen Cleghorne
Siobhan Fallon
Melanie Hutsell
Robert Smigel
Norm Macdonald †
Michael McKean
Jay Mohr
Sarah Silverman
Morwenna Banks
Chris Elliott
Janeane Garofalo
Laura Kightlinger
Mark McKinney
Molly Shannon
Jim Breuer
Will Ferrell
Darrell Hammond
Chris Kattan
David Koechner
Cheri Oteri
Colin Quinn
Nancy Walls
Fred Wolf
Ana Gasteyer
Tracy Morgan
Jimmy Fallon
Chris Parnell
Horatio Sanz
Rachel Dratch
Maya Rudolph
Tina Fey
Jerry Minor
Dean Edwards
Seth Meyers
Amy Poehler
Jeff Richards
Fred Armisen
Will Forte
Finesse Mitchell
Kenan Thompson
Rob Riggle
Jason Sudeikis
Bill Hader
Andy Samberg
Kristen Wiig
Casey Wilson
Abby Elliott
Bobby Moynihan
Michaela Watkins
Nasim Pedrad
Jenny Slate
Vanessa Bayer
Paul Brittain
Taran Killam
Jay Pharoah
Kate McKinnon
Aidy Bryant
Tim Robinson
Cecily Strong
Beck Bennett
Colin Jost
John Milhiser
Kyle Mooney
Mike O'Brien
Noël Wells
Brooks Wheelan
Sasheer Zamata
Michael Che
Pete Davidson
Leslie Jones
Jon Rudnitsky
Mikey Day
Alex Moffat
Melissa Villaseñor
Heidi Gardner
Luke Null
Chris Redd
Ego Nwodim
Chloe Fineman
Bowen Yang
Andrew Dismukes
Lauren Holt
Punkie Johnson
Aristotle Athari
James Austin Johnson
Sarah Sherman
Marcello Hernández
Molly Kearney
Michael Longfellow
Devon Walker
Chloe Troast

Years at the Timeline

Name	Births
Mike O'Brien	June 22, 1976 (born)
Bobby Moynihan	January 31, 1977 (born)
Paul Brittain	February 16, 1977 (born)
Kenan Thompson	May 10, 1978 (born)
Bill Hader	June 7, 1978 (born)
Andy Samberg	August 18, 1978 (born)
Mikey Day	March 20, 1980 (born)
Casey Wilson	October 24, 1980 (born)
Tim Robinson	May 23, 1981 (born)
Vanessa Bayer	November 14, 1981 (born)
Nasim Pedrad	November 18, 1981 (born)
John Milhiser	November 29, 1981 (born)
Alex Moffat	March 25, 1982 (born)
Jenny Slate
Taran Killam	April 1, 1982 (born)
Colin Jost	June 29, 1982 (born)
Michael Che	May 19, 1983 (born)
Heidi Gardner	July 27, 1983 (born)
Kate McKinnon	January 6, 1984 (born)
Cecily Strong	February 8, 1984 (born)
Kyle Mooney	September 4, 1984 (born)
Beck Bennett	October 1, 1984 (born)
Chris Redd	March 25, 1985 (born)
Punkie Johnson	April 29, 1985 (born)
Sasheer Zamata	May 6, 1986 (born)
Brooks Wheelan	August 21, 1986 (born)
Noël Wells	December 23, 1986 (born)
Aidy Bryant	May 7, 1987 (born)
Abby Elliott	June 16, 1987 (born)
Melissa Villaseñor	October 9, 1987 (born)
Jay Pharoah	October 14, 1987 (born)
Ego Nwodim	March 10, 1988 (born)
Chloe Fineman	July 20, 1988 (born)
James Austin Johnson	July 19, 1989 (born)
Jon Rudnitsky	November 22, 1989 (born)
Luke Null	July 7, 1990 (born)
Bowen Yang	November 6, 1990 (born)
Devon Walker	February 13, 1991 (born)
Lauren Holt	March 12, 1991 (born)
Aristotle Athari	July 28, 1991 (born)
Molly Kearney	May 2, 1992 (born)
Sarah Sherman	March 7, 1993 (born)
Pete Davidson	November 16, 1993 (born)
Michael Longfellow	January 31, 1994 (born)
Andrew Dismukes	June 21, 1995 (born)
Chloe Troast	May 13, 1997 (born)
Marcello Hernández	August 19, 1997 (born)

Name	Deaths
John Belushi	March 5, 1982 (died): aged 33
Gilda Radner	May 20, 1989 (died): aged 42
Danitra Vance	August 22, 1994 (died): aged 40
Michael O'Donoghue	November 8, 1994 (died): aged 54
Chris Farley	December 18, 1997 (died): aged 33
Phil Hartman	May 28, 1998 (died): aged 49
Charles Rocket	October 7, 2005 (died): aged 56
Tom Davis	July 19, 2012 (died): aged 59
Jan Hooks	October 9, 2014 (died): aged 57
George Coe	July 18, 2015 (died): aged 86
Tony Rosato	January 10, 2017 (died): aged 62
Norm Macdonald	September 14, 2021 (died): aged 61
Peter Aykroyd	November 6, 2021 (died): aged 65
Gilbert Gottfried	April 12, 2022 (died): aged 67
Dan Vitale	May 6, 2022 (died): aged 66

Production

The Studio

The show takes place in Studio 8H of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, formally known as the Comcast Building (formerly knows as the General Electric "GE" Building or the Radio Corporation of America "RCA" Building). Studio 8H is the biggest studio in the building, as the show puts the most work into a live production.

Before 1975, the show has been used for many different game shows, such as the Match Game, Family Feud, Jeopardy, Wheel Of Fortune, etc. (when NBCUniversal was producing the shows). The studio was also used as a sound stage for the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Four of the 1976-1977 SNL shows took place in NBC Studios in Brooklyn, as the presidential debate took place in 8H.

Creating An Episode

Creating an episode involves a six-day work week, starting with a pitch meeting on Monday and ending with the live show Saturday Night.

The Monday pitch meeting is between the cast, writers, producers, and the host, who come up with sketch ideas for the episode. The host is invited to pitch in ideas, too, but doesn't have to, only be present and agree with the lineup. The meeting extends over two hours and around 40 sketch ideas are pitched.

Tuesday is a day dedicated to writing the scripts. The writers spend most of the day brainstorming the sketches (usually 2-3 sketches to a writer) and writing may not began until as late as 8pm Tuesday. Writers are to pull an all-nighter extending until early-mid Wednesday morning. Tuesday is also the day the two promotional are shot for the upcoming episode, involving the host, musical guest, and two different cast members (one for the landmark shoot and one for the stage shoot, the latter promotional being the only appearance of the Musical Guest).

On Wednesday, the cast, host, musical guest (if added in any sketches), writers, producers, the crew come together for a table read of all the sketches. The piano player from the Saturday Night Live Band appears as well for any sketches involving music/singing. After the completion of the table read, usually 3 hours, Lorne Michaels, the guest host, the head writer, and the head of the set crew moves to Michael's office to discuss the layout of the show and which sketches will make the cut. After the decision is made (after an hour), the cast and writers are allowed in to see if their sketch survived.

With the show layout complete, Thursday is the development day for the sketches. The sets are built, costumes are made, and sketches are rewritten if needed. During mid-development, sketches become impossible or too stressful to complete and may be scrapped; Sketches that make it beyond Thursday are scheduled for the live show and are rehearsed Thursday and Friday, before moving to a dress rehearsal before a live audience Saturday at 8pm. The dress rehearsal is taped in case a corruption happens during the live production three and a half hours later. After the rehearsal, Lorne examines the lineup to see if it all fits in the 90 minute period. If it crosses over, a sketch that received lesser grace from the DH audience will be cut.

Pretaped sketches are usually blocked and filmed first on Friday before rehearsing the live sketches and are shot at the NBC Studio's in Brooklyn, while some are shot on location relevant to their plot (including Studio 8H, if the sketch is supposed to take place there). Pretaped sketches that do not involve the host are usually shot during the show's dark weeks or during summer at the NBC Studios in Los Angeles, California, which has a more professional studio.

See also

• Saturday Night Live Wiki:Miscellaneous Show Trivia