Saturday Night Live (TV Program)

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      On ‘S.N.L.,’ Harris and Trump Take Their Contest to ‘Family Feud’

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      It was also an especially music-filled evening, with Stevie Nicks as the musical guest and Ariana Grande, as host, breaking often into song.Although former President Donald J. Trump refused invitations for a second debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, “Saturday Night Live” came up with another setting where both presidential nominees might share the stage: the game show “Family Feud.”This weekend’s “S.N.L.” broadcast, hosted by Ariana Grande and featuring the musical guest Stevie Nicks, opened with what looked like a CNN report — but quickly threw to a special election edition of “Family Feud,” hosted by Steve Harvey (played by Kenan Thompson).Thompson first introduced the players on the Democratic team, led by Maya Rudolph in her recurring role as Harris. “My campaign has raised a billion dollars,” Rudolph noted.“How are you not winning by a landslide?” Thompson asked her.Rudolph laughed and then replied, “That’s a question I scream into my pillow every morning.”The rest of the Democratic team included Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff, Jim Gaffigan as Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota (“I am such a huge fan of your standup, Cedric,” he told Thompson) and Dana Carvey as President Biden.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      8 ‘S.N.L.’ Books and Cast Member Memoirs for 8H Superfans

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      Oral histories and rollicking memoirs by former “S.N.L.” cast members like Molly Shannon and Leslie Jones take you behind the scenes of the comedy juggernaut.“Saturday Night Live,” the late-night NBC comedy-variety show now in its 50th season, generally prefers to mine its material from other people’s dramas and the conflicts of everyday American life — as it is presently doing with its weekly satires of the 2024 presidential race.But over the years, “S.N.L.” has generated more than enough curiosity, controversy and gossip about its behind-the-scenes operations to fill a small library of books.For the comedy and showbiz nerds, there are scrupulous accounts of seemingly every day since Oct. 11, 1975, when Lorne Michaels, its creator and longtime executive producer, and the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players first hit the airwaves (a version of which is enacted in the new film “Saturday Night,” which opens in theaters Oct. 11).Other nonfiction books about “S.N.L.” have focused on discrete eras in its history, or on standout performers and how they exemplified larger trends in popular culture. Members of the show’s cast and creative team have also written memoirs pulling back the curtain on a workplace that can seem like a creative paradise — or like a cutthroat crucible that occasionally produces good comedy, too.Whether you’ve followed the show obsessively since the 1970s or only tune in these days when you recognize the musical guest, these books that offer a backstage look at “S.N.L.” will keep you happily occupied as you wait for the clock to strike 11:30 on Saturday night.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      No Lie: George Washington Is Funny Now

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      The first president is usually at the margins of popular culture. As a recurring character on “Saturday Night Live” and a trend on TikTok, is he finally having a moment?Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson were immortalized in “Hamilton.” John Adams had his own HBO mini-series, and Samuel Adams is a beer. Ben Franklin often appears experimenting with his kite when characters travel back in time to Colonial America.And then there’s George Washington.He might be the first president, but the stoic general who led the Americans to an unlikely Revolutionary War victory doesn’t exactly lend himself to memes and caricatures in popular culture. Other founders immersed in drama and scandal (Hamilton, Jefferson) or at least more quotable (Franklin, Adams) have gotten more attention.But Washington — “a marble man of impossible virtue and perfection,” as the New York Times book critic Michiko Kakutani once called him — might finally be having his moment.Over the weekend, “Saturday Night Live” brought back “Washington’s Dream,” one of its biggest hits last season. The comedian Nate Bargatze, known for his deadpan delivery, plays a subdued, earnest Washington who is trying to inspire his soldiers with his peculiar vision of a free America. In the original version, at camp, he dwells on a new, confusing system of weights and measurements (while consigning the metric system to “only certain unpopular sports, like track and swimming”).In the latest, Washington leads his soldiers across the Delaware River as he yearns to Americanize the English language, proclaiming: “I dream that one day our great nation will have a word for the number 12. We shall call it a ‘dozen.’”A soldier asks what other numbers would have their own words: “None,” Bargatze replied. “Only 12 shall have its own word, because we are free men.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      ‘Saturday Night Live’ Revisits the Vice-Presidential Debate

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      The comic Nate Bargatze hosted an episode that opened with another political sketch featuring the guest stars Dana Carvey, Jim Gaffigan, Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg.Last week, America got the answer to the question: Who would play the presidential and vice-presidential nominees this season on “Saturday Night Live”?This week, another pressing question arose: How quickly would “S.N.L.” reference Senator JD Vance’s quote, “The rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check” from Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate?The answer came late in an opening sketch that parodied the debate, and which featured most of the same players from last weekend’s opening, including Bowen Yang as Vance and Jim Gaffigan as Gov. Tim Walz.Welcomed to their podiums by Heidi Gardner (as Norah O’Donnell) and Chloe Fineman (as Margaret Brennan), the candidates each made a brief opening statement.Yang, observing that he wanted to make an appeal to women voters, said, “I understand that both moderators tonight are mothers, and I like that.”Gaffigan was observed scribbling furiously on a notepad and explained that he was not taking notes for the debate. “I got to grade these papers,” he said. “Got a stack of midterms.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      ‘Saturday Night Live’: 11 Defining Political Sketches

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      Since the 1970s, the late-night institution has offered up definitive impersonations of American presidents and other politicians. Here are its most memorable political sketches.Much like game-show parodies, fake commercials and the Weekend Update segment, comedic sendups of presidential politics have become a staple of “Saturday Night Live.”Look no further than the sketch that opened the 50th anniversary season last weekend, for which “S.N.L.” tapped its celebrated alumni Maya Rudolph to play Vice President Kamala Harris; Andy Samberg to play her husband, Douglas Emhoff; and Dana Carvey to play President Biden. Jim Gaffigan, the standup comic and actor, was also on hand as Tim Walz and — oh yes — the “S.N.L.” cast members James Austin Johnson and Bowen Yang as Donald Trump and JD Vance.Over nearly half a century, “Saturday Night Live” has had an evolving relationship with the presidency and how to present it on the show. As “S.N.L.” has moved from counterculture to the mainstream, it has been pretty open, as an institution, about which commanders in chief it likes and which ones it doesn’t. Yet in every era of its history, “S.N.L.” has had talented cast members to embody presidents and the people fearless (and foolish) enough to want to seek the White House. (And even then, it still sometimes called on celebrities to play those parts.)Here’s a look back at 11 of the show’s most memorable political sketches.1975‘Christmas at the White House’Chevy Chase’s impersonation of Gerald Ford on “S.N.L.” was by no means definitive, or even all that accurate; he did not so much affect Ford’s mannerisms or voice as simply put on formal clothes. But it demonstrated the show’s immediate power to insinuate itself into the political discourse. Try to think of a distinct moment from Ford’s time in office: Do you hear him saying, “Our long national nightmare is over”? Or do you see Chase tumbling off a ladder onto a Christmas tree?1977‘Ask President Carter’We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      ‘S.N.L.’ Recap: Maya Rudolph Returns to Play Kamala Harris

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      The 50th season began with several surprise guests and alumni — including Dana Carvey, Jim Gaffigan and Andy Samberg — playing figures in the 2024 election.“Saturday Night Live” dug deep into its contact list of celebrity alumni and friends in the comedy world as it kicked off its 50th season with an opening sketch that featured Maya Rudolph’s anticipated return as Vice President Kamala Harris.The sketch, for which the cast member James Austin Johnson returned in his recurring role as former President Donald Trump, also saw the debuts of the comedian Jim Gaffigan as Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Bowen Yang, another “S.N.L.” performer, as Senator JD Vance of Ohio.And for good measure, the segment included appearances from “S.N.L.” alums Andy Samberg as Douglas Emhoff, the Second Gentleman, and Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden.Speculation had swirled all summer about who would play these roles on “S.N.L.,” which tends to receive increased attention during presidential election seasons. That curiosity was intensified by the reshuffling of the Democratic ticket in July, when President Biden announced that he was withdrawing from the 2024 race.In early August, when Harris chose Walz as her running mate, many fans wondered if Steve Martin, a frequent “S.N.L.” host and friend of the show, would be cast as the Minnesota governor and vice-presidential hopeful.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      ‘S.N.L.’ Picks Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan to Play Kamala Harris and Tim Walz

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      The casting ended months of speculation after President Biden, played on Saturday by Dana Carvey, withdrew from the race. James Austin Johnson continued as Donald Trump.“Saturday Night Live” dug deep into its contact list of celebrity alumni and friends in the comedy world as it kicked off its 50th season with an opening sketch that featured Maya Rudolph’s anticipated return as Vice President Kamala Harris.The sketch, for which the cast member James Austin Johnson returned in his recurring role as former President Donald Trump, also saw the debuts of the comedian Jim Gaffigan as Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Bowen Yang, another “S.N.L.” performer, as Senator JD Vance of Ohio.And for good measure, the segment included appearances from “S.N.L.” alums Andy Samberg as Douglas Emhoff, the Second Gentleman, and Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden.Speculation had swirled all summer about who would play these roles on “S.N.L.,” which tends to receive increased attention during presidential election seasons. That curiosity was intensified by the reshuffling of the Democratic ticket in July, when President Biden announced that he was withdrawing from the 2024 race.In early August, when Harris chose Walz as her running mate, many fans wondered if Steve Martin, a frequent “S.N.L.” host and friend of the show, would be cast as the Minnesota governor and vice-presidential hopeful.But Martin himself quickly nixed that, telling the Los Angeles Times that he did not consider himself an impressionist. “They’re going to find somebody really, really good,” Martin said at the time. “I’d be struggling.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      ‘Saturday Night Live’: Here’s What Critics Thought of the First Episode

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      The late-night institution begins its 50th season on Saturday. Here’s how The New York Times and others covered its debut in 1975.It is strange to read the early press coverage of “Saturday Night Live.” No matter how much the show has changed over the years, the focus of the criticism is still much the same.“Saturday Night,” as it was known when it premiered on Oct. 11, 1975, was considered to be … rather uneven. Some saw this as a flaw, others as an endearing element. Many saw the ragtag show’s potential to change TV forever.With “Saturday Night,” which recreates the run-up to the first episode, currently in theaters and the show’s 50th season beginning — when else? — Saturday night, here is a look back at how the world greeted the arrival of “S.N.L.”‘Simon and Garfunkel Reunion on NBC’s “Saturday Night”’The New York Times, Oct. 20, 1975The Times did not review the first episode. But the critic John J. O’Connor did write about the second, and he included his thoughts about the premiere. He disliked the inaugural host George Carlin’s “pretentious comedy lectures” and the juxtaposition of fake and genuine commercials. “Even an offbeat showcase needs quality, an ingredient conspicuously absent from the dreadfully uneven comedy efforts of the new series,” he wrote. O’Connor admitted that he missed the first hour of the second episode because of “an unusually good dinner on Long Island” and travel challenges. So he highlighted a Simon and Garfunkel reunion on the show, which he did see. Lorne Michaels complained about this in “Live from New York,” a 2002 oral history of the show.‘Sprightly Mix Brightens NBC’s “Saturday Night”’The New York Times, Nov. 30, 1975By the fifth episode, with Lily Tomlin hosting, O’Connor changed his tune. The format now worked, more of the humor was now “on target,” and the Not Ready for Prime Time Players were “incredibly adept” at going live. The show had become “the most creative and encouraging thing to happen in American TV comedy since ‘Your Show of Shows,’” he wrote. Could Tomlin’s hosting have anything to do with that assessment? Perhaps. In the spirit of full disclosure, O’Connor confessed to being “helplessly in love” with the comedian. (“It’s best to get that kind of thing out in the open.”)Lily Tomlin, center, with Gilda Radner on “Saturday Night” in 1976. Tomlin was a popular early host of the show.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal, via Getty ImagesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More