#snl50: beyond saturday night

[dailysudeikis]

Jason Sudeikis on episode 1 of SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.

[ninetyminutes]

LORNE MICHAELS, 1985: When I left I wanted to die.

Check out this clip from SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night - Episode 4 The Weird Year where Lorne Michaels talks about returning to SNL after his five-year hiatus

[jmunneytumbler]

Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 1/10/25

You’re traveling through another sketch show dimension… (CREDIT: Peacock/Screenshot) Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out. Movies –Better Man (Theaters) –Hard Truths (Theaters) –The Last Showgirl (Theaters) TV –Goosebumps Season 2 (January 10 on Disney+ and Hulu) – David Schwimmer leads the cast…

[greensparty]

Stuff I'm Looking Forward to in January

Welcome to 2025! As we begin this year, there's still Hanukkah (ends 1/2) and Kwanzaa (ends 1/1) both continuing into this month and then there's New Year's Day (1/1), Armenian Christmas (1/6), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1/20), Inauguration Day (1/20), and Lunar New Year (1/25). Here's what else is on my radar:

Movies:

DIG! XX 

Ondi Timoner's 2004 documentary Dig about the friendship and rivalry between The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols is one of my favorite documentaries of the 00s. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, Timoner revisited the film with an extended edition that, after playing festivals, is getting released 1/17.

Presence

Steven Soderbergh is one of those directors I always check out. Good or bad, there's always a unique take on a genre he's jumping into. Now he's got a thriller about a haunted house opening 1/24.

Music:

Ringo Starr Look Up

I'm a big fan of Sir Ringo Starr and after years of EP releases he is back with a new full length album for the first time in years. It's a country album produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett. Album drops 1/10.

TV:

SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live and there are going to be multiple celebratory shows. First up is a docuseries about SNL produced by Morgan Neville premiering on 1/16 on Peacock.

Severance Season 2

I named the first season of the high-concept workplace series Severance my #2 TV Show of 2022. After multiple delays due to the strikes, season 2 is finally premiering on 1/17 on Apple TV+.

Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music

Speaking of SNL50 celebrations, there's a primetime special co-directed by Questlove about the musical guests over the last 50 years on SNL, airing 1/27 on NBC.

Awards Season:

Now that 2024 is over, it's time to hand out some awards for the Best of 2024. Kicking off awards season this month is Golden Globe Awards on 1/5.

[ofkithandmckinney]

Some screenshots from "SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night" - Episode 4

[gregorycddie]

mark mckinney interviewed for the snl50 documentary

[windy-apple]

SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night | Official Trailer

[johnschneiderblog]

Notice the T-shirt ...

You can’t slip a thing past those hawk-eyed World Enders.

One of the Lord Huron fan club member spotted the above image in the “” "SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night" "docuseries" streaming on Peacock.

The woman is Lindsay Shookus, a former SNL producer. Notice what she’s wearing under her blazer. It’s not exactly obvious, but she’s rocking a Lord Huron T-shirt.

This can mean only one thing, right …? That the Bubs are on SNL’s musical-guest short list for the upcoming season. Simple logic.

Personally, I can’t understand why LH hasn’t already played SNL.

[hollywoodoutbreak]

Calling all SNL enthusiasts! Peacock is ready to take you backstage with their upcoming docuseries, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night. This four-part series offers an insider's look at the legendary late-night show as it marks its 50th milestone season.

Directed by the Academy and Emmy Award-winner Morgan Neville—celebrated for 20 Feet From Stardom and Won't You Be My Neighbor?—this series goes straight to the heart of Saturday Night Live. From the whirlwind of the writers' room to the nerve-wracking audition experience, SNL50 pulls back the curtain on the creative machine that’s kept audiences laughing for half a century.

Featuring insights from over 60 voices, including former and current cast members, writers, and crew, the series uncovers the secrets behind the show’s enduring magic. Packed with rare footage and revealing interviews, every episode dives into a different part of SNL's story—from its cultural influence to the evolution of its comedy over the decades. You'll see how the sketches that define generations go from idea to live broadcast.

Don't miss SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, an exclusive celebration of comedy and creativity. The series premieres January 16, 2025, only on Peacock.

[dayisfading]

this weekend, i binged peacock's documentaries marking saturday night live's 50th anniversary: SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night and Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music.

the latter was so good, like, easily a new favorite documentary (but i am a sucker for music + pop culture docs). it does this thing at the beginning that is genuinely cool, where it mashes up different snl music performances across time, although, unfortunately, it goes on a little too long and it got really disorienting LOL. i had to skip through to the end of it but like, great concept!

it has talking heads from cast members past/present and a number of musicians, and they talk not only about the evolution of live music on the show and notable performances, but also the incorporation of music into sketches and the introduction of new genres and performances. like for instance, the first rap artists to perform on snl were invited by debbie harry (blondie) when she hosted in 1981(!).

the other doc is a four-parter but the episodes each have a distinct focus and they don't really tie together at all imo. the second episode is literally entirely about the iconic cowbell sketch. the first and third eps were the more interesting ones for me: the first is about the audition process and features snl cast members throughout the show's run talking through how it goes, reviewing their original audition tapes and characters.

the third goes through the process of writing on SNL over the course of a week, and oh my god, this job sounds miserable. experiencing critique and rejection on a daily basis and you just have to like. go with it. it never occurred to me how much they cut from the show, as in, 14 sketches get approved and only 8 make it to air. the writers and cast might not even know until right before air, or while it's airing, exactly what's going to run. this inside look gave me a lot more appreciation for the show as a whole, even when it kind of sucks, because holy shit these jobs are not easy, and it's literally a blank slate you have to fill week-by-week.

obviously these are a must-watch if you are a fan (or used to be a fan) of snl. it's enjoyable even just for getting to see former cast members and clips from the time you thought it was better/best (for me, circa late 2000s-early 2010s). it inspired me to watch a few recent episodes which are honestly pretty good!

[dailysudeikis]

Jason Sudeikis on episode 1 of SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.

[annajthorley]

LIVE FROM NEW YORK...IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT

This last weekend was the big celebration of 50 years of Saturday Night Live!

As a long time fan of the show, I devoured all the SNL offerings on peacock and especially enjoyed the SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night docuseries and the Ladies & Gentlemen...50 Years of SNL Music program.

While I wax on, (and I'm fully aware that I'm just repeating what so many have already said), there is no doubt that Saturday Night Live is a mover and shaker. It's a reflection of American culture and I love that it is like a time capsule of the decades. I have loved comedy since I was a kid and as I've grown up and spent some time in live TV in college and work, I've come to really appreciate the adrenaline and magic (with an underpinning of chaos and panic) that comes from a live broadcast.

There have been lot of fun lists, rankings, and articles analyzing the 50 year catalog and with so many individual shows and sketches, I've loved seeing what things become legendary and what makes it into the broader zeitgeist across the decades. Now, we all know the exact prescription for a fever.

I've got my favorites about SNL, too, of course.

One thing I have consistently loved is the bumper photos of the hosts and musical guests. These are the graphics that are done on the stingers coming back into the show from commercial break--done by Edie Baskin from the show's start and then moving to the incredible Mary Ellen Matthews when she took over in 1999. Mary is putting out a book this year all about the SNL bumpers called "The Art of the SNL Portrait" and I cannot wait to pick it up.

As a young freshmen in college, I got a new flash for my Nikon and one of the first things I did was create my own bumper photos, SNL style.

I couldn't end this post without sharing some of my favorite sketches of the years. And like so many others, I loved the cast I grew up with so it's a little skewed to 2005 and beyond.

Some of my fav sketches:

Maya's National Anthem

Back Home Ballers

One of my favorite hosts ever, Melissa McCarthy as Arlene

Wells for Boys

Kaitlyn Gets Her Ears Pierced

Roundball Rock, a Tim Robinson triumph!

Weekend Update: Rebecca Larue the Flirting Expert

Cold Commercial with Kristen and Will, two of the all time greats.

Baby Shower (this is a documentary, not a sketch!)

Hello Kitty

Will Forte's Spelling Bee, one of my fav cast members

The best fragrance commercial, I'm No Angel

Brothers featuring my favorite duo Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney

Bedroom with Melissa Villaseñor's legendary dirty talk

Papyrus and Papyrus 2

Traffic Altercation with the fabulous Quinta Brunson

And a classic, Kotex Classic

[kiwijedi]

SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night,"Season 11: The Weird Year" finale!

[introvertedone]

I’m watching SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night 1x01 "Five Minutes"

[ofkithandmckinney]

[wordofthewolf]

Media Update 1/30/25

SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (2025) This one caught my eye when scrolling and I decided to check it out. As Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary approaches, a docuseries details some of the hidden aspects of the show. This is a great documentary series with tons of people they got for interviews. There is not only the stars we all know but also the staff behind the scenes who rarely get…