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When is the next ‘Saturday Night Live’ show? SNL season 50 release date
The comedy sketch show is set to return at the end of September, coinciding with the release of ‘Saturday Night’ - Jason Reitman’s comedy drama movie about the about the night the show premiered in 1975.
It’s that time of year - Saturday Night Live is set to return as the comedy sketch show, which first aired in 1975, gears up for Season 50. It will be particularly intriguing to see how the political landscape and its protagonists are dealt with, mocked and ridiculed during the episodes that run up to the US general election on 5 November.
Cast members rule themselves out of SNL Season 50
USA Today reports that two cast members will definitely not be involved in SNL Season 50. Punkie Johnson, the first openly black queer woman to feature on the show, has confirmed she won’t be taking part. In a video posted on her Instagram page, the 39-year-old comedian said, “SNL was a dream I didn’t even know I could achieve. I just want to let y’all know that after four seasons I will not be returning to ‘SNL’ for the 50th. I ain’t coming back. It’s no bad blood, it’s no hard feelings”.
Molly Kearney, who joined as a featured player in Season 48, also announced last month that she won’t be coming back as the show hits its half century. “Yall that’s a wrap on my time on SNL!” she posted on Instagram. “Reflecting on the amazing 2 seasons I got on this show, it was such a dream come true. So incredibly grateful for this period in my life. So much love to all my big hearted buddies behind the scenes who make the magic happen every week. So many bald caps, so little time. It was a true honor to work with such a talented group of writers and DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE CAST. Head up and heart out! Harold forever!!!!!”
When will SNL Season 50 air?
The date for Saturday Night Live’s season 50 premiere episode has not been officially announced but industry insiders believe that it will air Saturday 28 September at at 11:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. PT on NBC as well as several several live TV streaming services such as Peacock, Sling TV and Fubo.
NBC has yet to announce the cast members for Season 50 but confirmation is expected in the next couple of weeks. Among the repertory players who starred in the previous season were Heidi Gardner, Michael Che, Sarah Sherman, Mikey Day, James Austin Johnson and Colin Jost with musical guests including Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande, Chris Stapleton and Sabrina Carpenter.
Season 49 regularly drew a TV audience of over 5 million viewers, with episode 17 featuring Chris Stapleton topping the ratings with 8.9 million. It ranked as the 2023-24 TV season’s top-rated comedy series, with an average demo rating of 1.1.