‘SNL’ will truly be live everywhere in America
“Saturday Night Live” is enjoying its highest-rated season in two decades, and it’s going to finish it out by doing something the series has never done before: go live, coast to coast.
Usually, “SNL” airs live on the East Coast at 11:30 p.m., and then rebroadcasts in each time zone. But the final four episodes of this season will air simultaneously, meaning Californians get to watch SNL at 8:30 p.m.
Oh, and Melissa McCarthy, whose impersonation of White House press secretary Sean Spicer was a surprise breakout moment this year, will host on May 13.
“SNL’s” take on President Donald Trump and his administration has coincided with a boost in headlines and viewers. NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt’s assertion that SNL “is part of the national conversation” is difficult to refute, given the president has taken time to tweet about how much he dislikes Alec Baldwin’s impersonation of him.
“We thought it would be a great idea to broadcast to the West and Mountain time zones live at the same time it’s being seen in the East and Central time zones,” Greenblatt said in a statement. “That way, everyone is in on the joke at the same time.”
Coast-to-coast live broadcasts begin April 15 with host Jimmy Fallon. Chris Pine will host May 6 and Dwayne Johnson hosts May 20.
This current political environment has been good for late-night comedy, and “SNL” is hoping to continue capitalizing on the momentum. The regular show will go on its typical summer break, but four standalone episodes of “Weekend Update” — which directly comments on the political news of the week — will come to prime time starting Aug. 10.
An average of 11 million viewers have been watching weekly.
Other late-night shows are also riding the wave with incisive political takes and criticism of Trump.