Is Saturday Night Live new tonight, September 9?
By Matt Moore
Saturday Night Live is synonymous with the fall season when it comes to late-night TV. So now that we’re past the unofficial end of summer, what should SNL fans expect to see on NBC tonight?
The summer months can seem even longer for those going through Saturday Night Live withdrawals. And considering the stories that broke since May, there was plenty of material that could use SNL’s perspective.
Unfortunately, that SNL drought continues on Saturday. There will not be a new episode of Saturday Night Live tonight.
Instead, NBC will reair the season 48 episode from April 8. Tune in to see SNL alum Molly Shannon’s hosting debut. She was also joined by The Jonas Brothers as the musical guest.
Why isn’t Saturday Night Live new tonight?
The reason Saturday Night Live isn’t new tonight comes down to timing. The long-running sketch show never starts a new season this early in September.
In fact, SNL hasn’t started in the month of September since season 45 back in 2019. The show usually aims for the first week of October to premiere its latest season.
But even when the calendar flips over to October in a few weeks, it seems unlikely that Saturday Night Live will be ready to turn on the lights at Studio 8H. There’s still the whole writers’ strike that needs to be resolved.
The Writers Guild of America went on strike in May. SNL season 48 had to cut three episodes from its schedule. So with no one actively working on getting SNL ready for the new season, it’s hard to imagine the show will be ready to roll immediately following a resolution.
In the meantime, cast members are staying busy in other ways. Many booked stand-up dates, including Colin Jost and Michael Che.