On average, the United States airs anywhere from 200-600 TV shows every year. With such a wide range of entertainment, it is hard for many shows to gain a large audience and fan base. To tune in and wait for new episodes every week has become a difficult task with the introduction of streaming services that release an entire 20-episode season at one time. Despite all of these changes and challenges, “Saturday Night Live” has created a solid fan base, with continually increasing numbers.
“SNL” is categorized as a late-night live sketch comedy, and it has musical and celebrity guests each week of the show. Ranging from politicians to musicians, the show continues to stay relevant through its guests. Along with these celebrity guests in each episode, there is the regular cast that has frequent appearances throughout the whole season.
The show just began its 50th season. With a current cast list of 14 actors, the show continues to plan new skits and prompts for each week. The most recent addition to this cast is comedian Marcello Hernandez. As one of the main reasons that “SNL” has gained more popularity in the last few months, Hernandez uses his stand-up comedy ability to create and transform a script in amazing ways.
Along with the new cast, season 50 has seen many famous celebrities that have also brought viewing levels through the roof. With each episode, a celebrity will host the show. This means they act in skits, introduce singers, and perform the famous opening monologue. Some of the most famous monologues remembered were given by Chris Rock, Will Ferrell, Kim Kardashian, and most recently, Sydney Sweeney.
In episode 3, Ariana Grande performed the famous Domingo skit alongside members of the regular cast. Her ability to “poorly” sing helped aid with the bit and make a hilarious memorable skit. Junior Charlotte Duranske said, “I really liked the Domingo skit, and it has made me start watching SNL again.”
“Saturday Night Live” also has musical guest appearances in each episode which helps with raising viewership. So far this season, the show has heard music from Jelly Roll, Coldplay, Chappell Roan, and Billie Eilish. While not always relating together, the celebrity and musical mashup is always a good addition to any episode.
The amount of skits per episode can vary, but the prep for the final cuts takes a long time. Anywhere from 30-40 skits are written for each episode, but only about one in every eight are kept for the live show. This process is to make sure that the best skits occur with each host, and having a good cast can be the difference between a good skit and a great skit. Senior Margaret Gautschi said, “My favorite skit is the one with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. It was the I can see Russia from my house skit, and it was super funny.”
While “SNL” has existed since 1975, it has gained a lot of popularity from recent social media outreach. The new goal of the show was to get younger viewers to watch the show. With efforts to include younger artists, and to create sketches that involved more youthful aspects, the writers went on a mission to expand the age of “SNL”.
The place where the writer found the most success was to start advertising on TikTok and other social media platforms. With the skits surfacing in the feeds of younger people, they quickly received positive feedback and a larger following. With the start of season 50, the show has now received the highest viewership it has gotten in four years.
With many new efforts to increase viewership through younger celebrities and more youthful skits, “Saturday Night Live” has seen a peak in feedback and views. Airing each week on Saturday, viewers can tune in through NBC and Peacock to watch the latest episodes.
