Is Saturday Night Live new tonight, September 23?

September is nearing its end, but is Saturday Night Live ready to start? Here’s what SNL fans should expect to see tonight on NBC.

Saturday Night Live typically brings in the fall television season. So it’s no surprise that audiences are checking the late-night TV schedule to see if SNL is ready to return.

Unfortunately, it won’t be on Saturday. There is not a new episode of Saturday Night Live on tonight.

Instead, NBC will reair the March 11 episode from Saturday Night Live season 48. Interested viewers can tune in to revisit Wednesday star Jenna Ortega’s debut as host. The 1975 joined her as the musical guest for that episode.

Why isn’t Saturday Night Live new tonight?

September 23 is still a little too early for Saturday Night Live to return to the air. The long-running sketch show typically aims for the first week of October for its season premiere. However, it did drop its first episode of season 45 in September back in 2019.

Then there are still the whole Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strikes to remember. The WGA has yet to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

While some reports indicate that the latest round of negotiations made progress, there still remains no indication that writers are ready to return to work. That means late-night TV shows like Saturday Night Live will stay on hiatus.

It could still take some time between a new WGA-AMPTP deal and the Saturday Night Live season 49 premiere. Lorne Michaels’ deal with NBC is currently suspended, so that needs to be settled. And it’s unlikely that the SNL writers, cast, and staff are all ready to immediately jump in and start planning the premiere.

In the meantime, cast members like Colin Jost, Michael Che, Sarah Sherman, and others are staying busy with stand-up shows around the country.