Saturday Night Live has been an American television institution for over fifty years now. For many people and probably most of you reading this, you don’t remember an age where you grew up without it. That’s the kind of staying power and legacy that very few programs hold. When we previously reported that the United Kingdom was going to be getting their own version, we didn’t quite know what to think. Lorne Michaels certainly carved out success for the show here in the States. Would that same magic work across the pond? Well, it’s done enough to get a second season.
Lorne Michaels Reacts
The British “SNL” started airing on March 21st, on the Sky channel. It’s watchable in the US the next day on Peacock. With Michaels serving as executive producer, he had this to say: “I’m incredibly proud of our team and the show. It keeps getting better every week. I’m grateful to Dana Strong and Sky for believing in and supporting SNL U.K. I’m excited for the season ahead.” Clearly Sky must be happy with the performance as well. Not only are they going ahead with season two, they’re upping the episode order. Season one consisted of eight episodes. Season two ups the count to 12. In comparison, the US version generally runs about 20 episodes a year.
Starting Off on the Right Foot
The debut episode pulled a smooth transitional move by having “SNL” alum, Tina Fey as the inaugural guest host. After that though, it was onto traditional British guests. Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed hosted the next two episodes. The season is set to end on May 16th with Ncuti Gatwa hosting. The time between seasons can be a very telling one. It’s easy for momentum to continue along when a show is running week to week. The hiatus between seasons can show if that momentum and interest has any legs to it.
It’s got a long way to go to match the runtime of its American counter part. The show celebrated it’s 50th anniversary in 2025. Even if the original “SNL” ended today, the UK version would have to go into the 2070’s to match the number of seasons. We wish it luck. Maybe we’ll be celebrating SNLUK 50 down the line!
