What Most Saturday Night Live Fans Don't Know About Filming The Show
Saturday Night Live is one of the most well-known comedy shows in the world. Since its debut in 1975, it has reached millions of viewers across the United States and has become something of an institution. Following pretty much the same format that it did almost 50 years ago, the series sees a celebrity guest host while a large ensemble cast performs sketches and other variety acts live.
While SNL is now firmly established in the minds of its fans, there are still plenty of things that people won’t know about how each episode is made. After all, SNL is such a unique television show that it requires a very specific process for putting each installment together in just a few days with so many different guests and acts.
15 Saturday Night Live Has Used Studio 8H Since 1975
Since launching in 1975, Saturday Night Live has broadcast almost exclusively from Studio 8H. This is a television studio in New York City that is part of the 30 Rockefeller Plaza building. While it is also used by other shows, it is known within the industry as the home of SNL.
14 A New Football League Once Forced A 45 Minute Air Delay
One instance where Saturday Night Live was forced to delay an episode for 45-minutes came in 2001. This was the same year that NBC and WWE launched their own football league in the form of the XFL. The network decided to broadcast a match in its entirety, ensuring that Saturday Night Live could not air at its normal time.
13 Another Episode Was Taped And Broadcast Two Weeks Later Due To A World Series Final
Very few episodes of Saturday Night Live have ever been canceled or postponed. But exactly that did happen back in 1986. The episode was scheduled to air on October 25, but was delayed due to the World Series game taking place at the same time. The show was taped and shown two weeks later.
12 Mary Ellen Matthews Is Responsible For All Photography For The Show
Almost all the photography on Saturday Night Live is handled by just one person. Mary Ellen Matthews has worked on the show since 1993 and took over the photography duties from Edie Baskin in 1999. She is responsible for photoshoots, commercial bumpers, and even directing some video footage.
11 Most Sketches And Scripts Are Written in Just A Day
The vast majority of sketches and other material for Saturday Night Live are written in just one day. The team will meet on Monday to discuss ideas and then write up scripts on Tuesday. Changes might occur after the table read of the material, but most of the significant writing will be completed by Wednesday morning.
10 The First Read Through Of Material Happens On Wednesday
The first read-through of material takes place on Wednesday. This is the first time that the cast, writers, and producers all sit down together to see what they have to work with. It is after this that which sketches are to be included in the upcoming episode are decided upon.
9 The Cast Usually Only Get Two Days Rehearsal
The tight schedule that everything works at on Saturday Night Live means that the cast members have very little time to rehearse what they are due to perform on the show. Once scripts have been written and chosen, the performers will often only get two days of rehearsal.
8 Sketches Can Be Removed At Any Stage After Rehearsal
Even after a sketch has been selected for inclusion, it doesn’t mean that they will make it into the show. At any point before the show airs, a sketch may be dropped, changed, or rewritten. That means that the cast members often have to keep rehearsing a sketch as it is altered.
7 Photo Shoots For Commercial Bumpers Are Completed By Thursday
In order to get photographs prepared and ready for commercials, bumpers, and for other promotional material, they need to be completed by Thursday. That means that photoshoots take place a full two or three days before the show is actually broadcast, requiring guest hosts and musical acts to show up early.
6 Kenan Thompson Is The Longest-Running Cast Member
Kenan Thompson is now the longest-serving cast member on Saturday Night Live. He joined the show back in 2003 and has been a series regular ever since. That means he has been involved in 17 seasons of the show and is now the most senior performer on the series in terms of age.
5 For Most Of The Show’s History, SNL Only Aired Live To Certain Locations
Throughout most of Saturday Night Live’s history, the show was not broadcast around the United States live. Only those watching on NBC's station in Eastern or Central time zones were able to view the series live. Everyone else was given a recorded broadcast that would air at 10:30 p.m in their respective time zone.
4 The Studio Gets Millions Of Dollars In Subsidies From New York State
Because Saturday Night Live is filmed in New York, the studio can get subsidies from New York State. This is largely because of the extra revenue and jobs that the show provides in the local area. According to official data from New York State, these subsidies can run into millions of dollars.
3 Since 2017, The Show Has Been Broadcast Live Across The US
Prior to 2017, the show was not broadcast live across the United States. As part of the 42nd season, four episodes were broadcast simultaneously across the country. This change was made permanent from season 43 and onwards as the producers felt that things like social media would now spoil jokes before people could see the show.
2 The Guest Host’s Opening Monologue Is Often Written On Saturday
As part of the writing process, the opening monologue is not given much priority. In fact, it is commonplace for the dialogue to be written last on Saturday afternoon. This is mainly because it is easier to do than the sketches and other scripts, but it also gives the writers the chance to respond to any very recent events that take place that day.
1 The Crew Need To Quickly Change The Set After Opening Monologues
Due to the fact that the opening monologue takes place on the same stage as the cold open, it forces the crew into a very quick change. They have to completely swap the set and prepare for the opening monologue in just a minute or so while the opening credits play, as can be seen in this Youtube video.
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