The rise, fall, and rise again of Saturday Night Live
Exploring the evolution of SNL, from cult comedy to viral sensation.
Since its premiere in 1975, Saturday Night Live (SNL) has been a cornerstone of television and comedy. All these years, audiences have been captivated by the combination of celebrities and comedians into a night of conversation and performance. Created by Lorne Micheals, the show brought sketch comedy to mainstream viewers, blending satire and television through a format that remains nearly unchanged today.
SNL premiered on NBC at a time when talk shows wanted to gain popularity. With its unique craft of pre-recorded segments, live musical performances, and insider guest appearances, it’s no wonder the show quickly gained traction. Comedians like Chevy Chase rose to fame, and the show introduced a new generation of viewers to improvisational, raw, and often politically influenced humour. The show’s key element came from its unpredictable and unhinged nature. Audiences were new to the excitement of a show that unfolded in real-time, with the possibility of unplanned scenes and unscripted dialogues.
As the show rose towards notable success, it didn’t go without a little controversy. It is understandable that due to its unplanned and often inevitable momentum, the show has received several accusations of unfittingly handling issues of gender, race, and problematic stereotypes. Notably, the show’s lack of diversity in casting has also been a long-time discussion despite improving in more recent years. After facing backlash for this avoidance of marginalized groups, Micheals decided to hire Sasheer Zamata, the first Black woman to join the casting crew, in 2013. Likewise, the show has provoked outrage and backlash from different sides of political spectrums, as the unfiltered improvisations and scenes from the show commonly depict satirical (and often problematically exaggerated) storylines and portrayals of political candidates and debates.
On another note, incorporating social media into its production has been one of SNL’s best marketing and growth strategies yet. On platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, the show’s creators have invited celebrities to post bite-sized sketches, such as Ariana Grande’s recent monologue episode released on October 12. Despite criticism of the show’s occasional reliance on celebrity-driven sketches and performances to fill their content, SNL’s success on social media platforms continuously proves the show’s influence in pop culture.
The newly-released biographical-comedy film Saturday Night offers a glimpse into the 1975 premiere of the show. Directed by Jason Reitman, the film dives into the behind-the-scenes process of the show’s production and fine-tuning, portraying the immense pressure, thought, and hilarious mishaps that went into the show’s debut. For SNL fans, the film offers an immersive, personal, and comedic perspective that further captures the raw, unpolished energy that defines what SNL has become.
