The Mycenaean

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a live, late-night comedy show airing from New York City.

The show features celebrity hosts who join an ensemble cast to perform comedic skits, musical performances, and parody news.

Saturday Night Live first aired on October 11, 1975, and now celebrates its fiftieth season.

The current cast features actors such as Michael Che, Heidi Gardner, and Kenan Thompson. 

Saturday Night Live has launched the careers of comedy performers. Past SNL actors include Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, and several other A-list names.

Fans across the country have loved watching this late-night comedy show. SNL holds the record as the most Emmy-nominated show in history. It holds a total of 101 Emmy wins.

On Saturday nights, you can watch SNL at 11:30pm EST on NBC. Peacock streams SNL for free.

Considering the show has been on television for decades, some seasons have been more popular than others.

In the last few years, SNL has seen a decrease in popularity. In 2021, Season 47’s pilot was incredibly underwhelming. It brought in some of the worst ratings in Saturday Night Live’s history with a 35% decrease from the previous year’s opener.

“I used to watch it every Saturday, but over time it just got worse and worse,” said Mrs. Warren, American History teacher. 

Popular cast members such as Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon have recently left the SNL crew, and the show hasn’t been producing the same level of successful actors.

Another reason for the possible viewership decline is many people no longer find the content funny, along with SNL’s bias. Some fans believe that there is too much of a liberal stance on Saturday Night Live’s political comedy which can draw away conservative SNL viewers.

Saturday Night Live’s most recent season, season 50, premiered on September 28. 

The episode had 5.3 million viewers. This was a major success for the show considering it was the best start the series has seen since 2020, and it was a 15% increase from last year’s premiere. 

The high number of 5.3 million viewers makes SNL one of the most watched entertainment programs of the 2024-2025 season’s first week.

As it is an election year, and it’s typical for Saturday Night Live to gain more viewers during these years due to the funny political sketches. 

Is SNL only on the rise due to it being a political year, or have the actors and comedic sketches become funny again?

Statistics from 2017 show Saturday Night Live viewership was more popular throughout adults aging between 30 and 44. Now, SNL has started to reach out to Gen Z. By using references to social media, TikTok trends, and popular culture SNL has been able to gain a younger audience.

SNL has also been smarter about marketing. Resulting in the newest season having the greatest reach in SNL’s history. Season 50 has had more than 1 billion views across social platforms which is a 178% increase from last season.

According to a poll conducted by The Mycenaean, 49% of Leesville students watch SNL.

Saturday Night Live continues to appeal to an older audience, but it has also gained popularity among high school students.

“I don’t watch Saturday Night Live, but I have seen the Bridesmaid Speech on TikTok,” said Jordan Pinder, senior.

Also not claiming to be an avid SNL watcher, Mason Andrews, junior said, “I’ve seen SNL before, but I don’t watch it every Saturday night. It’s on one of the local channels.”

On the other hand, some high school students do watch SNL more regularly.

“When my parents watch SNL, I will sit down and watch it with them sometimes,” said Varun Medikonda, junior. 

Overall, Saturday Night Live remains a funny and entertaining show that is rising in popularity, particularly among high school students.

The new cast members have brought a different sense of energy and cleverness back to the show. 

The show also has continued to bring in more well-liked celebrities which has resulted in higher viewership.

Shows that have been around for years and years are going to have ups and downs. As of now, SNL is in an up year, and I do not believe that it’s due to it being an election year. 

Hopefully, for the rest of the season and the seasons to come SNL will continue their whitty sketches that keep the fans coming back every season.

For now, go check out the most recent season of Saturday Night Live.