Is Saturday Night Live new tonight, December 14?

Should fans expect to see a brand new episode of Saturday Night Live tonight on NBC?

We are down to the final few weeks of the holiday season. Are you done shopping? Do you have all your party plans finalized? What about a vacation? It can be a hectic time of year and one in which schedules are unpredictable. The same can certainly be said about Saturday Night Live.

Season 45 has already had a couple breaks between sets of episodes. The latest came during the Thanksgiving holiday. The time off is understandable and necessary for the cast, writers, crew, and staff to get the same chance to relax and recharge.

It has also played a small part in disrupting the momentum of the season. The year kicked off with three solid episodes but couldn’t quite recapture that energy when it came back from the first break.

Something similar happened after Will Ferrell hosted on the Thanksgiving episode. It was the highest rated episode of the season but was followed by time off for the holiday. Jennifer Lopez returned to host last week in an episode that largely fell flat despite a capable host in Lopez.

So what will happen this week? Is it time for another break before the holidays or will Saturday Night Live try to get back on track?

The answer is good news for SNL fans. There will be a brand new episode tonight. Scarlett Johansson is your host. Niall Horan is the musical guest.

This will be Johansson’s sixth time hosting Saturday Night Live. But it will be her first time since becoming engaged  to co-head writer and “Weekend Update” co-anchor Colin Jost.

It will be worth noting how Johansson acknowledges her relationship with Jost. It could come during the monologue or during “Weekend Update.” It seems unlikely that Michael Che would let things go without at least a passing comment.

There is a number of reasons why this episode of Saturday Night Live should attract a lot of attention. Johansson is an A-list star, out promoting her Netflix film Marriage Story. She also has the Marvel Cinematic Universe fanbase behind her as she prepares for the release of Black Widow next year. And a returning host can be reassuring to Saturday Night Live fans who know that it won’t be the host who sends things sideways.

The relationship between Jost and Johansson could also bring some extra eyes to the show. Anyone who follows celebrity news and gossip but not so much SNL may be curious to see how the two interact. Those viewers could be a bit disappoint when they realize that Colin Jost may be a cast member but only shows up if they need a Pete Buttigieg impression.

And being only a couple weeks away from Christmas, fans can expect more holiday sketches to make it to air. Saturday Night Live can do some of its best work around the holidays so it will be worth keeping an eye on anything that kicks off tonight.

Saturday Night Live airs tonight, Dec. 14, at 11:30 PM ET on NBC. What do you expect from Scarlett Johansson as host? Let us know in the comment section and be sure to check back with Last Night On for all the highlights.