“Well, isn’t that special?”
“We are two wild and crazy guys!”
“We want to pump…you up!”
“Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
Over the years, Saturday Night Live has given us a number of catchphrases that bring smiles to our faces, but in the beginning, it was a much different show.
NBC debuted the first episode of Saturday Night Live on October 11, 1975. The late-night comedy sketch show was to air live and be tailored for a specific young audience. Created by Lorne Michaels the show began with the simple title of, Saturday Night. That was because ABC was airing a different comedy show called Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. (It wouldn’t go by the name of Saturday Night Live until its third season.)
SNL’s first host was George Carlin who did the opening monologue, but did not appear in any of the show’s sketches. The first musical guests were Billy Preston and Janis Ian. Even the Muppets were part of the show. It was all new. Some sketches worked, others did not. Reviews from critics were mixed. And yet, here are, 50 years later celebrating this unique, quirky and often controversial show. To celebrate this achievement, NBC and Peacock are presenting three new specials that will appeal to even the most casual fan.
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night
First up, Peacock will begin airing the docuseries, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night on January 16 which is not your typical clips special. Instead, the four-episode series will present a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make the show. Executive produced by Morgan Neville, each of the four episodes “will take a different creative approach to the tapestry of SNL and embracing the unique vision of their award-winning directors,” says the streamer.
“I’ve been obsessed with Saturday Night Live as long as I can remember,” says Neville. “For SNL50, I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite independent filmmakers to tell some deeper stories of SNL. Taken together, these standalone episodes give a new perspective of SNL and what makes it work.”
The series also contains never-before-seen footage from all 50 years and insights from over 60 contributors including: (take a deep breath) Amy Poehler, Al Franken, John Mulaney, Larry David, Paula Pell, Sarah Silverman, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey, Chris Kattan, Dana Carvey, Darrell Hammond, Fred Armisen, Jimmy Fallon, Rachel Dratch, Will Ferrell, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Bobby Moynihan, Bowen Yang, Cheri Oteri, David Spade, Ego Nwodim, Fred Armisen, Heidi Gardner, Anthony Michael Hall, Billy Crystal, Damon Wayans, George Wendt, John Lithgow, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon, Nora Dunn, Penn & Teller, Jason Sudeikis, Jay Pharaoh, Jeff Blake, Joe Piscopo, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kenan Thompson, Kyle Mooney, Lindsay Shookus, Marci Klein, Mike Shoemaker, Molly Shannon, Nasim Pedrad, Pete Davidson, Stephen Colbert, Tracy Morgan and more.
Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music
According to NBC, Saturday Night Live has served as the premier venue for televised live music performances while continuously pushing boundaries to reimagine the relationship between music and comedy. The upcoming special, Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music will feature untold stories behind the culture-defining, groundbreaking and news-making musical performances, sketches and cameos of the past 50 years.
Airing on January 27, the three-hour special broadcast event will showcase interviews with musical artists, cast, writers, producers and more who have been part of “SNL’s” legacy. Directed by Grammy and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Emmy Award-winner Oz Rodriguez.
SNL 50: The Anniversary Special
To date, NBC has produced over 975 episodes of Saturday Night Live since 1975. During that time, we’ve seen 167 cast members perform live. The show has received 101 Emmy wins (including awards for its specials and short form series) and has been honored twice in 1990 and 2009 with the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
The show has had its highs (the highest ratings for the show were from the 2016-2017 season) and its lows (2007-2008 season saw its lowest ratings). Each show features sketches that are super funny and others that make you scratch your head and wonder, “What were they thinking?” A little bit of all of these will be featured during the SNL50: The Anniversary Special airing live on Sunday, February 16 on NBC.
‘Saturday Night’ Movie
On October 11, 2024, the unofficial biographical comedy-drama, Saturday Night opened in theaters, 49 years after the debut of SNL. It had good reviews, but unfortunately, not many people knew that it even existed due to low budget marketing. In fact, you might not have known that this movie even exists until now. Good news! Netflix will begin streaming Saturday Night on January 25.
This movie has been a film in the making for many years. Directed, co-written and produced by Jason Reitman, the movie is about the premiere of Saturday Night Live’s very first episode. Like the show if portrays, the movie features a large ensemble cast playing the roles of now famous actors and actresses.
Saturday Night stars Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels who arrives at the NBC building only to be met with chaos. Although programming executive David Tebet (Willem Dafoe) gives Michaels encouraging words to his face, he soon learns that Tebet actually has no faith in the show and plans to air a repeat of The Tonight Show if the show goes south.
Co-stars featured in the movie include Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner, Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman, Matt Wood as John Belushi, Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris (no relation) and Kim Matula as Jane Curtain, to name a few.
The movie looks fun, but keep in mind that unlike late night TV, this movie is rated R for a reason.
Main Images: NBC
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