1975 • TMDB 6.9 • 52 seasons • Comedy, News
Overview
Since 1975, Saturday Night Live has closed out the week from Studio 8H in New York with a live mix of sketch comedy, satire, and music. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest who opens the show with a monologue and then throws themselves into sketches alongside the repertory cast, before a musical guest takes the stage. The format has barely changed in five decades, yet the show keeps reinventing itself as new cast members arrive, old favorites return, and the news cycle hands the writers fresh material every week. Cold opens lampoon politics, recurring characters drift in and out of the public imagination, and Weekend Update delivers the week’s headlines with a smirk. Created by Lorne Michaels, Saturday Night Live has launched the careers of generations of comedians and remains the most durable live comedy institution on American television.
Creator and Main Cast
Created by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. Main cast members include Kenan Thompson (Self – Various Characters, 473 episodes), Darrell Hammond (Self – Various Characters, 295 episodes), Colin Jost (Self – Various Characters, 269 episodes), Seth Meyers (Self – Host and Various Characters, 264 episodes), Michael Che (Self – Various Characters, 252 episodes), Cecily Strong (Self – Various Characters, 214 episodes), and Kate McKinnon (Self – Various Characters, 214 episodes).
Seasons Snapshot
Saturday Night Live premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, and is still a returning series. It has run for 52 seasons, with Season 52 premiering on September 26, 2026. Early seasons established the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players, the 1980s and 1990s brought new waves of stars, and the 2000s onward kept the show at the center of American political satire. The long run makes it one of the longest-running series in television history.
Why Watch Saturday Night Live?
Because no other show captures the week quite like it: the sketches are written, rehearsed, and performed live within days of the events they mock, so watching SNL feels like watching comedy happen in real time. Its huge cast, rotating hosts, and musical guests mean every episode is different, and its five-decade archive is a living history of American humor.
Trailer
No official series trailer is currently available for Saturday Night Live, a live weekly show that is presented episode by episode rather than through seasonal trailers.
Where to Watch
In the US, Saturday Night Live streams on Peacock Premium (52 seasons) and Peacock Premium Plus (52 seasons), Amazon Prime Video (19 seasons), and NBC (8 seasons), with additional seasons on fuboTV and YouTube TV. Seasons are also available to buy on Apple TV, Amazon Video, and Fandango at Home. Availability was checked against JustWatch US listings on October 29, 2026; check the JustWatch US page for Saturday Night Live for the latest options.
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