Saturday Night Live (SNL), a comedy sketch show created in 1975, airing on Saturday nights, reached its 50th season this year. The show airs most Saturdays at 11:30 PM with each episode being about an hour long.
Each episode takes on a celebrity host and a musical guest. The episode features new sketches each week, involving both the host and musical guest, with the show’s cast of comedians taking the stage with them and writers penning the sketches.
Celebrities such as Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Jimmy Fallon, and Adam Sandler were part of the main cast of SNL which helped them to get their start.
As the 50th season of Saturday Night Live began, three new cast members, Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline, joined the show. Three new writers, Allie Levitan, Carl Tart, and Moss Perricone also were casted for this season.
With already 17 episodes this season, there have been hosts including Ariana Grande, Jack Black, Lady Gaga, and Timothèe Chalamet. Some of the musical guests have been Billie Eilish, Hozier, and Lizzo.
With comedy being as subjective as it is, there have been varying opinions on the show’s 50th season so far. While some have believed it to be not as good as the show used to be, others believe that the show has only changed and adapted to the new times.
Some of the most watched sketches are political ones that poke fun at current events, Trump Tariff Cold Open, gaining over 8 million views on YouTube.
In addition, one of the most well known sketches from this season was the Bridesmaid Speech musical sketch with Ariana Grande, as she and a few cast members sing about their bridesmaid vacation in which they met a man named Domingo.
The next episode of Saturday Night Live will air on May 3rd with Quinta Brunson as the host and Benson Boone as the musical guest. SNL can be watched on streaming services such as NBC, Peacock, Hulu, and Prime Video.
Saturday Night Live is proof that people need joy and laughter in their lives and that even in an ever changing world, comedy is a staple.
