With Saturday Night Live’s 50 years of runtime, it’s surprising how the primetime television series has been able to capture–and keep– the attention of so many generations.
Since the series’ pilot in 1975, the show has seen success through frequent hosts, rising stars in music, and hilarious writers. One major setback Gen Z has faced with enjoying the show is its dated jokes that often seem to fall flat with younger audiences, though I argue that to enjoy the show isn’t finding every single skit humorous but admiring the structure & organization that goes into producing a unique show every Saturday night. In the meantime, let’s look at what the show has become in its 50th season!
As a child, I’d stay up all night watching SNL (when I should have been learning my multiplication tables). I remember the faces who’ve left the show and either moved on to stardom or Z-list status such as Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, Vanessa Bayers, Seth Meyers… the list goes on. The show is known for being the soil and the roots of rising stars in both the comedy scene and Hollywood. Stars you might recognize in episodes this season who have made the modern show what is today include Kenan Thompson (who has been on the show for over 21 years, and is the longest-running cast member still on air), and ‘Weekend Update’ co-hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost (the latter has appeared in skits since 2006 and has shared the position of head-writer on and off since 2012).
Some heavy hitters and cast members who’ve joined the show less than 10 years ago include Heidi Gardner (joined in 2017, during the 43rd season) who is notorious for playing a wide range of characters that tend to represent images more relatable to younger viewers (including myself), and Marcelo Hernandez, who recently gained TikTok fame because of his role as ‘Domingo’ in various skits regarding a cheating woman, comedic renditions of pop songs, and the title character who is her lover.
While in recent years SNL’s audience has drifted away from younger viewers because of its lack of relevant humor that connects with Gen Z, the 50th season has not only gained the attention of me, but also other young watchers. The ‘Domingo’ character appeared at a Los Angeles tour stop of Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet tour in November, where the popstar arrested the love-struck character mid-show; the positive response to this act resulted in the third revival of the character’s skits during the February anniversary show.
Another way SNL has wriggled back into the hearts of youngsters who typically associate the show with washed-out comedians & cringy mockeries of Gen Z is through its musical guest stars. SNL has always been a breeding ground for new artists to step into the scene and old artists to come back stronger (these stars include popstars, rappers, and everyone in between- one thing the show has never strayed away from is a diverse range of musical guests). Trendy artists who are popular amongst younger generations and have performed during this season have been a key factor in the recognition of SNL as a major force in Gen Z-watched television. For example, musical guests this season included Tate McRae, Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish, and Gracie Abrams.
One of my personal favorite performances this season was Timothée Chalamet (Episode 12, Host & Musical Guest: Timothée Chalamet) performing songs by Bob Dylan- an ode to his performance in A Complete Unknown (2024) where he performed as Dylan. It was something I’ve personally never seen done on the show, and Chalamet is slowly growing to be one of my favorite hosts.
While for most of my childhood I’ve only tuned into SNL with my parents or grandmother, this year I started watching the show by myself. Every Saturday at 10:28 pm I’d set up a blanket on the couch and wait 2 minutes for the evening news to turn off and for the SNL cold open to begin. With an especially political season (you can credit the 2024 presidential election for this theme), most ‘cold opens’ from September to December began with a Dana Carvey (‘88-‘93 SNL alum) rendition of now ex-president Joe Biden. Dana Carvey was noticeably absent from the anniversary special, but he did have one of his most recent appearances as his ‘Church Lady’ character during the cold open on December 7th’s episode (host: Paul Mescal, musical guest: Shaboozey).
The 50th season is also a major milestone for the show because of the season’s highly anticipated anniversary special, which aired on Sunday, February 16 (Breaking away from the show’s typical ‘Saturday Night’ schedule).
While weekly episodes have a standard run time of 1 hour & 30 mins, the special ran for just over 3 hours. Celebrities, ex-cast members, & crew that showed up for the celebration and its many skits included Lorne Michaels (infamous SNL creator), Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase (Original ‘75 cast member), Molly Shannon, Pete Davidson, Maya Rudolph, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey, and many more. The special also included over 10 original skits, an audience Q&A section hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and multiple skit montages (including a hilarious compilation of offensive characters, stereotypes, & jokes that aged horribly–narrated by Tom Hanks).
If you’ve ever wondered about SNL’s ability to humor younger audiences I believe it can. When you focus on the effort provided on the show and its ability, in part, to create at least 1 or 2 funny & memorable skits every few episodes, the show deserves the respect & accolades it receives in modern prime-time television. While the show ages, it still aims to appeal to its ever-changing audiences through the skits that make them laugh the most & the artists they love to hear from the most. I mean, give them a break! Are most things still that adaptable once they hit 50?
