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Saturday Night Live

"Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

Rating7.0/10

First Air1975

Seasons51

Episodes1001

Votes481

A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.

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First Aired

October 11, 1975

Last Aired

January 17, 2026

Original Language

Popularity

Type

Scripted

Official Website

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Production Companies

Broadway Video

NBC Studios

Universal Television

NBC Universal Television

SNL Studios

Seasons & Episodes

Episodes

The first season of Saturday Night Live, the weekly late-night 90-minute American sketch comedy/variety show on NBC, aired during the 1975–1976 television season. Saturday Night Live premiered on October 11, 1975 and consisted of a total of 24 episodes, the last of which aired on July 31, 1976. In 1974, NBC Tonight Show host Johnny Carson requested that the weekend broadcasts of "Best of Carson" come to an end, so that Carson could take two weeknights off and NBC would thus air those repeats on those nights rather than feed them to affiliates for broadcast on either Saturdays or Sundays. Given Carson's undisputed status as the dean of late-night television, NBC heard his request as an ultimatum, fearing he might use the issue as grounds to defect to either ABC or CBS. To fill the gap, the network drew up some ideas and brought in Dick Ebersol – a protégé of legendary ABC Sports president Roone Arledge – to develop a 90-minute late-night variety show. Ebersol's first order of business was hiring a young Canadian producer named Lorne Michaels to be the show-runner.

Cast

Kenan Thompson

Self - Various Characters

Darrell Hammond

Self - Various Characters, Self (uncredited), Self - Announcer (voice)

Seth Meyers

Self - Various Characters, Self - Cameo (uncredited), Self, Self - Host

Colin Jost

Self - Various Characters, Self - Cameo (uncredited)

Fred Armisen

Self - Various Characters, Self - Cameo (uncredited), Self - Host, Self

Michael Che

Self - Various Characters

Al Franken

Self - Various Characters, Self, Various (uncredited), Self (uncredited), Various, Self - Cameo (uncredited), Henry Kissinger (uncredited), Dancer (uncredited), Guard (uncredited), Pong Player #1 (voice) (uncredited), Lester Crackfield (uncredited), Student (uncredited), Henry Kissinger, Roman, The Life of Vlad the Impalere announcer (voice) (uncredited), Russian Translator (voice) (uncredited), Caveman / Motorist (uncredited), ICM Narrator (voice) (uncredited), Wanderer (uncredited), Camper (uncredited), Ron Ziegler (voice) (uncredited), Psycho Mutant (uncredited), George Jessel / Various (uncredited), Guest (uncredited), Customer (uncredited), Pong Player on the Right (voice) (uncredited), Pinklisting Narrator (voice) (uncredited), Patron / Jewish Warrior (uncredited), Self / Pat Robinson (uncredited), Passenger (uncredited), Bee / Pong Player (uncredited), Soldier (uncredited), Voice of Senator / Dr. Alan S. Franken (uncredited), Mourner (uncredited), Rod M (uncredited), Cardinal / Brad Gunderic / Soldier (uncredited), Crowd Member (uncredited), Phone Technician (uncredited), Mr. Arkansas, Buzz (uncredited), Self - Special Guest, René (uncredited), Two Mile Player (uncredited), Henry Kissinger / Barry / Delivery Man, Pete Tagliani, Pong Player (voice) (uncredited), Various / Football Player (uncredited), Narrator: Big Ball of Sports (voice) (uncredited), Various / Announcer (uncredited), Player on the Left (voice) (uncredited), Sen. Paul Simon (uncredited), Bartender (uncredited), Joe Daddy / Hunter, Shipmate (uncredited), Ray Floyd (uncredited), McSooshi Announcer (voice) (uncredited), Lab Technician (uncredited), Patron / Extra (uncredited), Patron (uncredited), Judge / Cook (uncredited)