‘Saturday Night Live’ Season 50 Premiere Scores 4 Year High in Viewership
by Joe Otterson · Variety“Saturday Night Live” kicked off its 50th season on a ratings high note.
The “SNL” episode that aired on Sept. 28 drew 5.3 million viewers in the Nielsen Live+Same Day ratings, the most viewers for an “SNL” season premiere since 2020. Per NBCUniversal, the episode ranks as the most-watched “SNL” ever on Peacock through its first weekend, though they did not provide further info.
The episode was hosted by Jean Smart with musical guest Jelly Roll, both of whom were making their first appearances on the long-running NBC sketch comedy series. The cold open featured Maya Rudolph as Vice President Kamala Harris, Andy Samberg as Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Jim Gaffigan as Gov. Tim Walz, and Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden. It was originally reported in July that Rudolph would be making regular appearances on “Saturday Night Live” this season, as she had previously played Harris on the show in multiple sketches. She won the Emmy for best guest actress in a comedy series for her portrayal of Harris in 2019, and again played her during the 2020 election cycle.
Related Stories
What Film Fund From AI Startup Runway Means for Content’s Future
'Mickey 17' Trailer: Robert Pattinson Can't Stop Dying in Bong Joon Ho's Long-Awaited Return After 'Parasite'
The episode also saw Bowen Yang dress up as everyone’s favorite baby hippo Moo Deng, with Yang also leading a Charli XCX talk show sketch called “The TalkTalk Show.”
Upcoming hosts this season include Nate Bargatze, Ariana Grande, John Mulaney, and Michael Keaton, while upcoming musical guests include Stevie Nicks, Coldplay, Billie Eilish, and Chappell Roan.
“Saturday Night Live” is produced in association with Broadway Video. The creator and executive producer is Lorne Michaels.