‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL) was one of the longest-running American late-night comedy/variety shows ever aired on NBC. It dominated American television during the 1970s and 1980s, becoming a hit without even airing a pilot.
The show, which was created by Lorne Michaels and produced by Michaels’ company, aired live in front of a studio audience from 1975 to 1995. It was broadcast live because, according to an interview with Michaels, both he and NBC believed the show wouldn’t work if it were pre-recorded.
The program is 90 minutes in length (including commercials), which allows for a show format that features several comedy sketches, usually running shorter than the standard 15–20 minutes. The show often features new musical guest artists as well as a comedy guest host.
What is ‘Saturday Night Live’ ?
NBC has aired the ‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL) “live” almost every Saturday night for the last 40 consecutive years beginning in 1975. The show will always be 90 minutes in length, resulting from requiring that it be taped live before airing on television.
During the early years of SNL’s existence, many sketches were released for public consumption in a collection known as the “SNL Book of Slapstick”. It is also one of the few programs that frequently broadcasts live to air across all time zones in the U.S., with a small amount of delay for the West Coast. This has allowed the show to be recently known for addressing current events on a weekly basis
The Accolades of ‘Saturday Night Live’
The show has amassed many awards over the years including a 82 Primetime Emmy Award, six Writers Guild of America Awards, Three Peabody Awards, six Golden Globes and one Television Critics Association Award. As of the mid-1990s, it has become the highest-rated sketch comedy series on American television.
The show is set up as a parody of late night talk shows hosted by various celebrities. The show opens with current sketches , usually “cold openings” that do not include the typical SNL cast.
How does ‘Saturday Night Live’ work ?
They are followed by a short monologue by a guest host, who congratulates the guest musical act of the evening and then introduces the cast members while they enter from either side of the stage. The announcer gives a list of “commercials”, but instead presents a series of sketches that air during commercials. The show’s next segment is Weekend Update, featuring jokes about recent news stories and political issues from anchor Norm Macdonald. The last section of the show is known as “Sketch Block”, featuring several comedy sketches of varying length, many of which are pre-taped.
SNL has been broadcast in high definition since season 38 (2009–10). The first high definition broadcast was on September 22, 2008 with Andrew Garfield hosting the season premiere. The first HD broadcast on a non-opening/closing basis was on February 24, 2009 with host Anne Hathaway .
‘Saturday Night Live’s Controversies
With the success of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and with the show becoming more popular and receiving more awards, there came to be many controversies involving the show over the years. On October 3, 1992, appearance by singer Sinéad O’Connor, in which she ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II during her performance. This one is a popular controversy.
