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Five years ago this week, the television industry rose to the challenge of keeping news, daytime and late-night talk shows and other topical series on the air during the harsh early months of the Covid pandemic.

We didn’t know it then, but March 2020 marked a huge inflection point for the television business. Stay-at-home orders, masks and antigen tests — it seems distant and not so distant all at once. The story of how Covid helped supercharge the streaming business — and the streaming wars — has been well documented in recent years.

But another big TV story unfolded during the early months of lockdown that hasn’t gotten as much attention. The first few weeks of the pandemic spurred more seat-of-the-pants innovation to broadcast operations and engineering than had been done since the days of Sid Caesar and Milton Berle in the early 1950s. In media and entertainment, the show-must-go-on ethos is real.

This week marks the 50th anniversary celebration of Saturday Night Live (or SNL as it is more colloquially known). In its half-century of running, SNL has become a comedic institution unmatched in television history. Conceived by Lorne Michaels, the visionary who still helms the show to this day, SNL follows an iconic structure that consists of a celebrity host (and monologue),a musical guest, sketches performed by a principal cast, a weekend update news segment, and, always, the declaration of the iconic, "live from New York it's Saturday Night."

A vast number of industry legends have gotten their start on SNL, including the likes of Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, and Mike Myers. However, few people know the truth behind SNL's chaotic origins in 1975, or how close the beloved show was to failing to exist at all. Luckily, this is the...

Tony Roberts, the urbane supporting actor known for his collaborations with Woody Allen in six films — including the Oscar best picture winner Annie Hall — and two Broadway plays, died Friday. He was 85.

Roberts died of complications from lung cancer at his home in Manhattan, his daughter, Nicole Burley, told The New York Times.

From Take Her, She’s Mine in 1961 to The Royal Family in 2009, Roberts appeared on Broadway 23 times. In between, he stepped in for Robert Redford in the original production of Neil Simon‘s Barefoot in the Park, directed by Mike Nichols.

In the long-running 1969-70 Broadway hit Play It Again, Sam, written by and starring Allen, Roberts portrayed Dick Christie, whose wife has an affair with his best friend, the magazine writer Allan Felix (Allen).

After Roberts received a best actor Tony nom for his performance, he and Allen reprised their roles for the 1972 movie version at Paramount...

Who is going to speak out?

That’s the disturbing question being debated this week in response to the discordant noises from Washington. The advent of Donald Trump’s “Imperial presidency,” as The Economist terms it, is stirring an emotional response within the entertainment community because of its enemies lists and warnings of “retribution.” But it’s muted.

The results of the 2024 presidential election imparted the message to Hollywood that celebrity voices weren’t resonating. Voters were searching elsewhere for authoritative opinion.

That message seems especially relevant today because retribution has become a key tenet in Trumpdom – witness the enemies lists prepared by several appointees. Or the cancellation of security protection for figures ranging from Gen. Mark Milley to Mike Pompeo.

Even the Wall Street Journal expressed alarm this week about the consequences of revenge politics. Trump supporter Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ar) urged Trump to “revisit” his decisions on security protection,...

Saturday Night would make for a very solid double-bill with a Muppets movie. And not just because there are Muppets in it — well, primitive Muppets, at least, in the form of early Jim Henson creations King Ploobis and Vazh. Because much like one of Kermit and co’s capers, it’s all about putting on a show, and how much stress, anxiety and arm-flapping goes into playing music and lighting lights. At the centre of Jason Reitman’s movie, essentially playing the role of the frog, is the cardigan-wearing Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle), young Canadian TV producer and wannabe revolutionary of the medium. He’s the sensible one. Around him swirls chaos, in many forms. There’s even an Animal stand-in, in the burly shape of John Belushi (Matt Wood), cocaine appreciator and walking tornado.

This is, however, far from family viewing. NBC’s sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live (known...

Director Jason Reitman's Saturday Night makes its quiet debut on a fan-favorite streaming platform.

Per Netflix, 2024's Saturday Night joined the streaming giant's ever-expanding catalog of films and TV shows. The move came with little fanfare on January 25, almost four months to the day after the film kicked off its theatrical run.

Related Ben Stiller Reveals a Surprising Star Trek Connection With His Most Treasured Possession

Ben Stiller showcases just how much of a Trekkie he truly is during new Q & A.

Directed by Reitman from a script co-written by Gil Kenan, Saturday Night charts the events leading up to the very first episode of Saturday Night Live, which aired on October 11, 1975. The film features an expansive ensemble cast, including Teen Wolf and The Maze Runner star Dylan O'Brien in the role of the legendary Dan Aykroyd. Saturday Night also stars Gabriel Labelle in the role of Saturday Night Live...

“Ladies and gentlemen, Sean Paul.” That’s all Adrien Brody had to say when he hosted Saturday Night Live. Instead, he went full Jamaican, donning a wig, taking on an accent and grooving in a way that nobody expected or wanted. As such, he got a lifetime ban from the show. Or did he? While the moment is undoubtedly one of the more questionable moments to happen on SNL, Adrien Brody isn’t so sure that he is actually banned.

As far as Adrien Brody remembers, his one-time hosting stint on SNL was going well enough, finding the confidence to pitch his faux Jamaican character to the cast and Lorne Michaels. “I think Lorne wasn’t happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to. I thought that was a safe space to do that, weirdly.” With that sort of confidence, Brody took the stage at Studio 8H and introduced Paul,...

Quick Links The Evolution of Television Brought a Steady Increase in Quality Programming No One Believed a Prestige TV Drama Could Work on Broadcast Lost Accidentally Proved Peak TV-Style Shows Could Work on Broadcast The Business of Making Television Changed Because of Lost's Success

Looking at the history of modern television, the success of Lost on ABC, a broadcast network, was an important milestone in reaching the era of "Peak TV." Some point to The Sopranos as the moment when televised drama began to match the prestige of cinema. However, it wasn't just one series that improved the overall quality of programming on the small screen, but a steady progression of shows culminating with Lost. Shows like The Sopranos and Lost debuted before on-demand and digital video recorders were in widespread use. What happened each week to Tony, his family or the gang on the island captured the zeitgeist beyond their debut dates.

2024 was a packed year for several actors working in Hollywood, whether they are continuously rising stars or already well-established names in the industry. The year had plenty of noteworthy character-driven dramas, animated features, chaotic comedies, and big-budget blockbusters to keep audiences entertained. More importantly, these actors proved their capability of playing two different types of characters.

For example, multiple actors from the enthralling and visually stunning Dune: Part Two, like Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Austin Butler, also appeared in acclaimed and award-worthy dramas in the same year. They are just a few of many actors who stole the show in 2024 with their commanding screen presence and shockingly good versatility. From newcomers like Cailee Spaeny to big-name stars like Chris Hemsworth, 2024 was a spectacular year for these particular performers.

Gabriel Labelle Ran a Food Stand & Portrayed The Iconic Lorne Michaels Snack Shack & Saturday Night

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Saturday Night...

Due to a lack of official updates on The Batman - Part II over the past while, there's been some concern that the highly-anticipated sequel could soon face another delay. Director Matt Reeves and others involved with the project have assured fans that things are still on track for a 2025 shoot, but a recent report told a slightly diffrent story.

In their coverage of star Robert Pattinson joining the cast of Christopher Nolan's next movie, THR noted that the actor "is due to return to Batman for Matt Reeves’ sequel and there was hope that it could shoot sometime next year. Those hopes remain in place but nothing is close to being planned."

In his latest newsletter, Jeff Sneider mentions that The Batman Part II is on track to begin shooting late spring/early summer of next year, and is still set to release in theaters in October 2026... for now.

It’s just a coincidence that Laraine Newman is calling for this interview on Oct. 11, 49 years to the day since she was part of the group of comedians known as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players that starred on the first episode of Saturday Night Live. “I didn’t realize this was the date until I saw it on the internet,” she says. There’s also a reminder by way of Saturday Night, Jason Reitman’s take on that night. (Emily Fairn plays Newman.)

Laraine Newman

Newman, 72, known for characters like Connie Conehead and her impressions of Barbra Streisand and Carole King, appeared on her last SNL episode in 1980. In recent years, she’s become a versatile voiceover artist with contributions to the Despicable Me franchise, Inside Out 2 and the Everybody Still Hates Chris animated reboot. And talk about full circle: Her daughter, Hacks star Hannah Einbinder, popped up...

Before Laraine Newman brought it to Saturday Night Live, the valley girl accent was relatively obscure, really only known to Southern Californians as the way surfers spoke. As an L.A. native, though, Newman was very familiar with it, and so, she used it for inspiration for a character she developed named Sherry, a rambling, airheaded blonde who loved to talk about her “bitchin’ bod.”

She originally performed the character at The Groundlings, but she took Sherry — and the valley girl dialect — national when she became an original “Not Ready for Prime Time Player” in 1975 (in a sketch about group therapy that also included Don Corleone). In turn, Sherry became one of Newman’s best-known SNL characters. But because Newman never wanted to repeat herself, she only did Sherry for about a year, a decision which, 50 years later, she’s still unsure about.

Along with that, I recently spoke with...

Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series that shines a spotlight on the scripts for this year’s buzziest films is now pointing the viewfinder on Saturday Night, the Jason Reitman-directed film that tells the origin story of NBC’s venerable late-night franchise by focusing on the 90 minutes leading up to its TV debut.

The flick written by Reitman and Gil Kenan takes place on October 11, 1975, when an ambitious troupe of young comedians and writers would go on to change television forever. Formerly titled SNL 1975 (that’s the title on the script), the film tells the true story of what happened behind the scenes that night leading up to the first-ever broadcast of SNL.

The movie stars Gabriel Labelle as SNL honcho Lorne Michaels, Dylan O’Brien (as Dan Aykroyd), Cory Michael Smith (Chevy Chase), Rachel Sennott (Rosie Shuster), Lamorne Morris (Garrett Morris), Nicholas Braun (Jim Henson), Finn Wolfhard (NBC...

There's been a somewhat worrying lack of official updates on The Batman - Part II over the past while, and although director Matt Reeves and others involved with the sequel have assured fans that things are still on track for a 2025 shoot, a new report may indicate that the production could be hit with another delay.

In their report of star Robert Pattinson joining the cast of Christopher Nolan's next movie, THR notes that the actor "is due to return to Batman for Matt Reeves’ sequel and there was hope that it could shoot sometime next year. Those hopes remain in place but nothing is close to being planned."

If the trade did get word of a possible delay, it seems like an odd move to bury it at the bottom of a story, so there's probably no need to be concerned just yet. After all, Reeves has been busy working on The Penguin,...

The 2025 stamp designs are out! There are the usual boring sets — American vistas? More U.S. flags? Vibrant leaves? — but one announcement has set comedy hearts aflutter: a commemorative stamp featuring the late sitcom superstar Betty White. Score!

“An icon of American television, Betty White (1922–2021) shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades — including roles on The Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” said the Usps in its announcement. “The comedic actor, who gained younger generations of fans as she entered her 90s, was also revered as a compassionate advocate for animals. Dale Stephanos created the digital illustration based on a 2010 photograph by Kwaku Alston. Greg Breeding, an art director for Usps, designed the stamp.”

In other words, Betty White was a badass.

White isn’t the first comedian honored by the Post Office, but she’s on a very short list. While you can’t...

Jason Reitman’s recent Saturday Night movie told the story of how a young upstart producer named Lorne Michaels dared to revolutionize late-night television with his bold new vision for a sketch comedy series unlike any other, ultimately succeeding in his goal despite network meddling and Milton Berle’s attempts to to crush Chevy Chase’s soul with his giant hog.

The movie would have been a tad less triumphant had it included a post-credit scene in which Michaels bails on the show after just a few weeks for purely petty reasons. But reportedly, that’s what happened.

Bill Carter, author of the quintessential late-night comedy text The Late Shift, recently spoke with Susan Morrison, author of the upcoming biography Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live, for LateNighter. According to Morrison, one notable story about Michaels is the time he quit his own show less than a month after it premiered.

Cory Michael Smith has mostly played vulnerable men in dramas like 1985 and May December. So he had plenty of reason to doubt his ability to land the part of the wisecracking and often swaggering Chevy Chase in Jason Reitman’s comedy Saturday Night, which chronicles the first live show of Saturday Night Live in 1975.

“I did not foresee myself being cast in this,” Smith, 37, tells THR. “The [audition] process just kept going, and in my head I’m like, ‘There’s no way that I’m the best person for this.’ ”

Smith eventually would land the part, tasked with inhabiting one of the most colorful members of that kaleidoscopic inaugural class of SNL. It filled him with anxiety.

“I was both elated and horrified that I was going to do this because it’s a big, exciting film that multiple generations care about,” he says. “They care about this institution. They know these actors.

Even if you haven’t watched a single second of Saturday Night Live, you must be aware of the existence of the phenomenon. That is, of course, if you are into American pop culture. If you’re not, then Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night is not for you, and I don’t mean to be rude. Of course, it still might not be your thing unless you actually enjoy watching chaos unraveling on screen for almost two hours. Because Reitman’s SNL biopic is not something that tells you the story of how Lorne Michaels gathered all the people for years who made the show what it was. Instead, it focuses on the wee hours before the first ever episode actually went live. It’s chaos from the get-go, and that’s what you get for the next one hour and fifty minutes. The vibe is much similar to the...

Saturday Night's digital release date has been revealed.

Saturday Night will be available to buy or rent on digital platforms on November 12, followed by Blu-ray and DVD on January 7.

More to come...

Source: Sony Pictures

Saturday Night 4/10

Saturday Night (2024) is a forthcoming film with an undisclosed director. The movie centers on the vibrant nightlife of a bustling city, capturing the intertwining lives and stories of a diverse ensemble cast navigating personal and social challenges over the course of a single evening.

Director Jason ReitmanRelease Date October 11, 2024Writers Jason Reitman, Gil KenanCast Presley Coley, Abraham Hsu, Justin Matthew Smith, Ellen Boscov, Naomi McPherson, Kirsty Woodward, Mcabe Gregg, Leander Suleiman, Corinne Britti, Rowan Joseph, James Logan, Drew Scheid, Parker Wierling, Jon Batiste, Matt Wood, Emily Fairn, Kim Matula, Brian Welch, Kaia Gerber, Andrew Barth Feldman, Nicholas Podany, Billy Bryk, Gabriel Labelle, Rachel Sennott, Catherine Curtin, Robert Wuhl, Tracy Letts, Brad Garrett, Cory Michael Smith,...

It’s hard to imagine many characters this year having a better introduction than Chevy Chase in Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night.” In the film about the first-ever “Saturday Night Live” episode on October 11, 1975, Chase all but flies onto the screen. He stumbles over a garbage can and falls flat on his face, a move that recalls one of Chase’s signature pratfalls. “Sorry, I tripped over my penis,” Chase says after getting up – a perfect button to the scene, a punchline that underscores his confidence and attitude in those early days of his career.

“I was doing pratfalls around the apartment all the time. So I felt really prepared when I went to the audition,” Chase actor Cory Michael Smith tells Gold Derby. “One of the first things I did in the room was trip over a chair for Jason, which he was very concerned about, but it worked.

Costume designer Danny Glicker goes way back with director Jason Reitman, so much so that Glicker says he considers the filmmaker part of his “creative family.” Glicker first worked with Reitman on the director’s debut feature, “Thank You For Smoking,” and also served as the costume designer on later features like “Up in the Air,” “Labor Day,” “The Front Runner,” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” So the costume designer, an Oscar nominee for “Milk,” perhaps knows best where the new film “Saturday Night” stands within Reitman’s acclaimed filmography.

“This movie felt really special, and I think one of the reasons it felt special is having worked with Jason so long, I kind of could feel the pieces of our previous projects and the lessons that we’ve learned being applied here,” Glicker tells Gold Derby. “From the second he told me this movie was a go to the second I...

The Saturday Night movie brings some legendary Saturday Night Live cast members to the big screen, but only a few of the film's stars have actually been on the show. Directed by Jason Reitman, the film explores the lead-up to the first episode of Lorne Michael's comedy show. Saturday Night's cast sees rising stars play original SNL cast members Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Laraine Newman, Garrett Morris, and Jane Curtis. In doing so, actors like Dylan O'Brien, Ella Hunt, Cory Michael Smith, and Matt Wood put their spins on the comedians.

The timing of Saturday Night's release coincides with the show's 50th anniversary. Over those five decades, there has been no shortage of notable actors who have appeared on SNL in some capacity, whether as a cast member, a host, or a cameo. That created an opportunity for some significant overlap when it came to the...

2024 has been a year packed with great cinema from all different genres. Some of the years biggest hits have also been the most financially successful, like Dune: Part Two, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Deadpool & Wolverine. However, unfortunately, many other great films have fallen by the popularity wayside.

Every year brings a number of films that dont live up to financial or critical expectations, but there are also a lot of films that simply dont spark huge love from audiences. These films are absolutely not failures; they are completely underrated and deserve a second look.

Watch the Chaotic Origin Story of Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is one of the longest-running TV shows of all time, but its premiere episode was filled with production problems that should have doomed the series from the start. And this year, Jason Reitman tells the story of that tumultuous and chaotic night with Saturday Night.

In Jonathan Demme's 1991 thriller "The Silence of the Lambs," FBI cadet Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) finds several interesting and shocking clues while examining a dead body that had been fished out of Elk River in Clay County, West Virginia. Most prominently, large diamond patterns have been sliced out of the skin of the victim's back -- though to what end, Starling hasn't yet determined. More curiously, the pathologist finds a cocoon lodged in the victim's throat. It's too delicate to have fallen in accidentally, meaning someone shoved it in there deliberately. 

Later, Starling takes the cocoon to a pair of entomologists (Paul Lazar and Dan Butler), hoping to learn more about it. The entomologists carefully dissect the cocoon and find it to be the species acherontia styx, better known as the death head moth (although it should have been more accurately described as the lesser death's head hawkmoth). The insect is easily recognizable,...

Longtime friends and collaborators, Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan, reunite once more in this new biopic, charting the explosive birth of the iconic Saturday Night Live comedy program on the US TV network NBC.

Set in the frantic 90 minutes before the show’s inaugural episode aired, Saturday Night expertly captures the unpredictable, high-stakes nature of live television, weaving in biting humour, personal conflicts, and the birth of a cultural phenomenon.

Reitman and Kenan’s script balances tension and comedy, paying homage to the anarchic energy of SNL’s origins while offering insight into the fragile egos, narcotic excesses and volatile personalities that shaped its creation.

The film opens on October 11, 1975, with a visibly stressed Lorne Michaels, portrayed with nuance and gravitas by The Fabelmans star Gabriel Labelle, entering NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza in preparation for the first show. Outside he is greeted by a stressed out NBC page (Stanger Things...

In Saturday Night, J.K. Simmons plays Milton Berle, a real-life TV personality who is unabashedly arrogant; the real Berle was actually banned from Saturday Night Live. The recent comedy Saturday Night tells the story of the chaotic first episode of SNL. Starting from 90 minutes before the show to the opening sketch, the movie depicts the show's original cast and its creator, Lorne Michaels. Saturday Night's cast is full of familiar faces portraying even more familiar faces, who offer additional lore connected to SNL.

Milton Berle was an actor and comedian known as "Mr. Television." Berle's career spanned his entire life, from performing on stage as a child to hosting the variety show, Texaco Star Theater. Berle was considered the very first television star, which is what earned him his nickname. He was one of the first celebrities to become a household name because of TV, giving him a massive reputation.

The following contains light mention of drug use

The following contains spoilers for Saturday Night, now playing in theatersSaturday Night makes some very specific changes to the origin story of Saturday Night Live. Directed by Jason Reitman and pulling from the numerous behind-the-scenes stories that have been told about the iconic sketch comedy series' history, Saturday Night focuses on the chaos that erupted on Studio 8H in the immediate lead-up to Saturday Night Live's first episode. Much of the film is centered around Lorne Michaels as he tries to wrestle with the egos, expectations, and eccentricities of his cast, crew, and (perhaps most importantly) the executives who could shut the entire production down.

The impressive cast of Saturday Night do a great job of recreating the iconic comedians they're playing, bringing new layers to one of TV's most legendary collections of comedians. Overall, the movie is accurate to the real-world drama that existed behind-the-scenes.

Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night” is a live-wire comedic drama that follows the 90 minutes that directly preceded the airing of the very first episode of “Saturday Night Live” back in 1975. As dramatized in the film, it’s a calamitous combination of faulty equipment, jittery performers and looming executives who were ready to cut the broadcast at any moment.

The movie is funny and dramatic but it really has the beating heart of a thriller, as the cast and crew race against time to get the show on the air. And there is a bit of a mystery there, too, at least when it comes to some of its casting. While a bunch of cute young actors are playing the various performers and behind-the-scenes principals (also Willem Dafoe is there as an antagonizing exec and J.K. Simmons shows up as Milton Berle), there is one casting choice that might have you a little puzzled.

Despite being born and spending much of my life on the other side of the Atlantic, I’ve always been a fan of Saturday Night Live. The live format, which not only allows for constant improvisation but also for countless memorable moments of actors breaking character, is immensely appealing, as is the show’s structure – a collection of distinct sketches with musical performances. So naturally, a film based on the pilot episode, specifically the 90 minutes leading up to the broadcast, caught my attention.

Saturday Night is the title of the movie and was also the name of the original show due to a conflict with another late-night program, Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. After that show was canceled, SNL adopted the title it’s known by today, becoming a cultural phenomenon that, despite having its greatest impact in its home country, still crossed borders and reached audiences everywhere. Naturally,...

“Saturday Night” hit theaters everywhere on Friday, taking fans back to the very beginning of one of NBC’s most famous shows. But, is it a true story?

Directed by Jason Reitman, the film tells the story of the 90 minutes leading up to the very first episode of “Saturday Night Live.” It’s total chaos, with the crew openly revolting against producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle), the content of the show itself still being nailed down, and studio execs simply counting on it to fail.

A lot of the film is rooted in reality, but, like many true stories put on screen, there is some fictionalizing that happens.

Let’s break it down what’s fact and what’s fiction in the “SNL” movie.

Is “Saturday Night” based on a true story?

On the whole, yes. Reitman talked to many, many people involved with the debut of “SNL” to get...

When an arrogant, aging, iconic comedian of yesteryear met an overly confident, young up-and-coming comic beginning to make his mark on the biz, it was pretty much a given that their worlds would clash. And in Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night” — a “based-on-a-true-story” account of what happened 90 minutes before the 1975 debut of “Saturday Night Live” — that is exactly what happened between Milton Berle and Chevy Chase when they met. It was less a passing of the baton and more of a “mine is bigger than yours.”

J.K. Simmons plays Berle, a superstar of his time as a funny man on radio and TV who ultimately became known as Mr. Television, to Cory Michael Smith’s Chase in the biographical comedy-drama. When Reitman approached Simmons about the role, the Oscar winner says he was intimidated but was assured they weren’t looking for an impressionist to tackle the role, but rather...

[This article contains mild spoilers for the part of Saturday Night that has a prosthetic penis in it.]

Because we're children—and not the mature, wise kind of child, who can take in this sort of information with a sober expression and a tiny, resigned nod—there are few things on a movie set we find more amusing than a prosthetic genital. Especially if some intrepid journalist can...

It was no small feat to get “Saturday Night Live” off the ground at NBC, and as a result, the cast of “Saturday Night” is pretty huge. In many cases, the actors also look eerily similar to the people they’re playing.

Hitting theaters everywhere on Oct. 11 after a limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles, Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night” tells the story of the 90 minutes right before the first-ever episode of “SNL.” It’s chaotic and at the time, even Lorne Michaels couldn’t explain what the show was going to be.

Below, you’ll find the cast of “Saturday Night” alongside what their real-life counterparts looked like back then.

Sony/Getty Images Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle)

Lorne Michaels is the creator and, to this day, producer of “Saturday Night Live.” He’s played in “Saturday Night” by Gabriel Labelle, who had his breakout role in Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans.

Jason Reitman's superb "Saturday Night" features 80 speaking parts, along with dozens of background actors, and a camera that effortlessly weaves through a busy set while capturing the disorderly and anarchic production of the first episode of "Saturday Night Live." That required a lot of meticulous planning, especially when there are long single-take shots that move seamlessly throughout a set that has no edge of frame, which means that everything on that set was designed as if all of it could be seen on camera in any given moment. But even with such careful organization needed to realize this hilarious, frenzied chronicle of showbiz history, Reitman still had moments of last minute inspiration, and one of them resulted in a key scene that serves as a significant moment of realization for showrunner Lorne Michaels (played by "The Fablemans" star Gabriel Labelle).

As we speed towards the third act of "Saturday...

In 2008, director Jason Reitman lived his “SNL” dream.

He was fresh off the success of “Juno,” which earned Reitman a Best Director Oscar nomination and the film a Best Picture nomination. His agent reached out to Lorne Michaels and relayed Reitman’s wish — to do a guest writing stint on “Saturday Night Live.” And, incredibly, it happened.

“It was like getting to suit up for the Los Angeles Lakers for one night,” Reitman told TheWrap. He and “SNL” writer Simon Rich stayed up until four in the morning on a Tuesday night working on ideas. On Wednesday, they took their three sketch ideas to the table read. “And then later that afternoon I got to be there for the moment when they come out of Lorne’s office and pinned a piece of paper to the wall,” Reitman said. That’s when he found out that one of his sketches...

Plot: In the ninety minutes before the live airing of the first episode of Saturday Night Live, a young Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle) desperately tries to keep NBC from pulling the plug while dealing with a cast, writers and crew in open rebellion.

Review: Comedy would be very different nowadays if not for Saturday Night Live‘s impact. Most noteworthy comedy film stars of the last four decades emerged from their ranks, and nearly fifty years since its premiere, it remains as vital as ever. Yet, the making of the show itself had become an almost mythological tale, with it a known fact that the young Lorne Michaels had to overcome overwhelming odds to make the show in the first place.

What Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night does is that it distills most of the big challenges Michaels had to overcome into one ninety-minute period. It’s a conceit that...

Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Jane Curtain (Kim Matula), Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott), Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), Alan Zweibel (Josh Brener) and Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle) in Saturday Night.

Ah, the weekend, a time to kick back and relax after the drudgery of the nine-to-fives grind. Well, that’s the case for most of us. For the folks working at “30 Rock” in the “Big Apple” it’s truly “crunch time” Most weeks, that is. And it all started exactly 49 years ago. That’s when one of the “big three” networks (in those “prehistoric’ times before cable and streaming), the National Broadcasting Company decided to gamble on a risky concept, one that was once the “norm” nearly twenty years prior. Back in the 1950s almost everything on the tube (other than creaky old movies) was aired live. But with the advent of video tape, most of the...

The upcoming Saturday Night movie has one of the most stacked ensemble casts of 2024. The first-look images of Saturday Night reveal the behind-the-scenes chaos of the legendary sketch comedy series which will be premiering its 50th season on September 28, 2024. Directed by Jason Reitman, Saturday Night will be released in theaters on October 11, 2024. Oscar winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), 4-time Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (Poor Things), and Emmy winner Matthew Rhys (The Americans) are among the talented ensemble in Saturday Night.

Saturday Night will chronicle the true happenings of the 90 minutes before the premiere of the first ever episode on Saturday Night Live on NBC, which happened at 11:30 Pm on October 11, 1975. Although Saturday Night Live has maintained its monumental status as the longest-running network television series of all time, its beginnings all but guaranteed that the show would last longer than one season. SNL would go on to birth the careers of dozens of comedy legends,...

With Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night now out in theaters, many viewers may find themselves on the edge of their seats and wanting to see what happened in the very first episode of Saturday Night Live.

Saturday Night follows the 90 minutes leading up to SNL’s first-ever broadcast on the evening of Oct. 11, 1975, ending just before all the cast were set to go on air. Starring Gabriel Labelle, Rachel Sennott, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Lamorne Morris, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman and others, the film arrived in theaters a week before the actual 50thanniversary, on which the film will be released wide.

For details about how to watch the first episode of Saturday Night Live, read on.

Where can I stream the very first episode of SNL?

Only one streaming service has all 50 seasons of Saturday Night Live available for streaming, and that is Peacock.

The inaugural sketch comedy...

This review was originally published during the Toronto International Film Festival.

Saturday Night Live is just one year away from its 50th anniversary, and here comes Jason Reitman with a rowdy, profane-filled film adaptation of the show's debut. Reitman is intimately connected to SNL thanks to his father, Ivan Reitman, so there is this strong feeling that no one else could take on such a massive project like Saturday Night,with its various moving parts. But the film fails to answer one crucial question: Why does this exist?

Saturday Night (2024)

Director Jason ReitmanRelease Date October 11, 2024Writers Jason Reitman, Gil KenanCast Rachel Sennott, Dylan O'Brien, Ella Hunt, Finn Wolfhard, Lamorne Morris, J.K. Simmons, Willem Dafoe, Matthew RhysCharacter(s) Rosie Shuster, Gilda Radner, Milton Berle, Dan Aykroyd, David Tebet, NBC PageGenres Biography, Drama, Comedy Saturday Night's Recreation Of History Is Fun (But Leaves A Lot To Be Desired)

Full disclosure: I have...

Saturday Night Live has long been known for its stars’ impressions of everyone from current politicians like Kamala Harris to historical figures like Vincent Price. Saturday Night, the movie set in the moments before its series premiere, isn’t aiming for verisimilitude on that level: the actors might be playing real-life people, but they’re also creating characters. The object isn’t an SNL, or even MADtv-level impersonation, and the performances shouldn’t really be judged on that basis.

So consider the ranking below — focused solely on the actors playing the show’s original seven cast members, known as the Not Ready for Primetime Players — purely a novelty, and don’t use it to fill out your ballot when it’s time to vote for the Oscars.

Warning: Contains moderate spoilers for Saturday Night.

7 Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman

In keeping with the way the show treated its female performers...

Announced by DC Studios’ James Gunn, upcoming animated movie Dynamic Duo will feature two generations of The Boy Wonder, aka Robin.

DC Studios co-chief James Gunn has announced yet another film in Warner Bros’ stable of superhero characters. Dynamic Duo is an animated film that will focus on the early days of future Batman sidekicks Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, before they became known to the wider world as Robin. The film will follow their exploits as young thieves, who choose Dynamic Duo as their team name.

Well, future Robins in existing DC canon, that is. There’s no word as to whether this animated film will be part of the DC Universe or exist as an ‘Elseworlds’ project, outside of the shared continuity that Gunn is building in the style of Marvel’s own MCU. Creature Commandoes, due to air on Max in December, is animated series set in the DC Universe.

Saturday Night Live first aired on NBC in 1975. Created by Lorne Michaels, the late-night sketch comedy has had its ups and downs throughout the years. Each episode features a celebrity host and musical guest, some of which have been incredible additions to the series lineup, while others just didn't hit the mark. Below we chronicle a list of 10 of the worst hosts featured on SNL.

Louise Lasser (1976) Actress Louise Lasser on Television Set | Lynn Goldsmith/GettyImages

Louise Lasser hosted during the debut season of SNL during the penultimate episode. She was well known for her work in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, which earned her place as host. Earlier that year, her personal life took a nose dive when she was given six months probation for cocaine possession. During her episode, she refused to perform with the cast, making an exception for Chevy Chase and a dog.

Her opening monologue focused on her struggles,...

Tonight's brand-new episode of Saturday Night Live kicks off the show's historic 50th season. So it's fitting that the premiere's host will also be making SNL history.

Hacks star Jean Smart is hosting tonight's Saturday Night Live, making her SNL debut. She'll be joined by musical guest Jelly Roll.

And when Smart comes through the door and onto the Studio 8H stage, she'll make Saturday Night Live history. The accomplished actor will be the oldest host for a premiere episode in SNL history.

Smart makes her SNL debut at 73 years old. And while that doesn't make her the oldest SNL host, she is the oldest host to get the honor of starting a new season.

The previous record was held by Woody Harrelson. The actor hosted the season 45 premiere in 2011 at the age of 58.

Who are the oldest Saturday Night Live hosts in the show's history?

For 50 years, Saturday Night Live...

Five decades after the debut of Saturday Night Live, a new feature film will explore how the very first episode came to be. Called Saturday Night, the movie is hitting limited theaters on Sept. 27 with a wider release coming on Oct. 11, 2024.

Ahead of the movie's arrival on the big screen, director Jason Reitman spoke about Saturday Night with Cbr's Kevin Polowy. The conversation included some discussion about the cast, including a nod to Dylan O'Brien's performance as Dan Aykroyd. Reitman, who worked with the real Aykroyd on Ghostbusters: Afterlife and its sequel Frozen Empire, shared why the fan favorite actor was the "trickiest" to cast of the entire team.

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Some of the least funny SNL sketches from the past decade have been the cold opens, namely those that consist mostly of lightly rewritten versions of recent speeches, congressional testimonies, or interviews by politicians. One gets the sense that these skits are built to do nothing more than play on the audience’s mere recognition of what’s being referenced, patting us on the back for being in the know while vying for our laughter.

While Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night does, unlike those sketches, at least include some honest-to-goodness jokes, it often gives into the same pandering instincts. For instance, the film openly invites SNL aficionados and comedy nerds to point at the screen in collective recognition at the events and lore of the show’s past and nod along with pride in their knowledge.

Written by Reitman and Gil Kena, the film offers us a glimpse of John Belushi...

For those whove grown up on TikTok and YouTube, the significance of Lorne Michaels Saturday Night Live (originally titled Saturday Night), which gave the younger generation their own irreverent voice in American television comedy, is hard to fully convey. And in the new film Saturday Night, director Jason Reitman barely tries, for better or worse. Instead, he delivers an adrenaline-fueled, tension-filled, 16mm recreation of the frantic 90 minutes that preceded the October 1975 premiere.

Assembling a fantastic group of performers to channel the spirit of an original cast that included Chevy Chase, John Belushi, and Dan Aykroyd, Reitmans challenge is to approximate with as much verisimilitude as possible the chaos, confusion, and doubt that marked the last waning moments of a world without Saturday Night Live. And while he succeeds with great flair and energy, there is nothing to glean from the attempt and no larger point to consider, other than to...

As Saturday Night Live embarks upon its milestone 50th season, Saturday Night arrives to complete the show’s journey, despite the film’s lack of authorial stamp from Broadway Video, NBC, or even Universal Pictures. With the appearance of a reverent, mythmaking de facto biopic, covering the momentous 90 minutes leading...

Cory Michael Smith, known for playing Edward Nygma/Riddler in the Gotham TV series, had never starred in a comedy movie until now. The actor, who also appeared in Olive Kitteridge and May December, will play comedy legend Chevy Chase in the new Saturday Night film, which chronicles the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live in 1975. Smith recently spoke with Vanity Fair about being cast in the role.

Yeah, this could have gone really wrong when I was first offered this job, Smith told the publication. During the process of auditioning, I didnt see it. I didnt have the confidence that I was the best person for this, but Im always down to take a swing for things that are cool, he said. He added that the part might actually be the end of my comedy career and the role felt like a real risk.

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Jason Reitman’s SNL origin story, Saturday Night, hasn’t even hit movie theaters yet, but it’s already sparking an explosion of online opinions. Most recently, Muppet devotees have been wading into the discourse, due to the film’s depiction of Jim Henson, as played by Cousin Greg from Succession, who, confusingly, also plays Andy Kaufman in the film.

Over on the Muppets subreddit, fans have been responding to a recent Slate article that makes mention of the film’s “dismissive” treatment of Henson. One user noted that this news is “disappointing if true.” Another Muppet fan pointed out that “it makes no one look good to treat Muppets as badly as (the SNL cast and crew) apparently did. Good biopics should capture the magic of their target.”

But others defended the film, suggesting that the “Muppet SNL skits are probably the worst thing Henson ever did,” and reminding...