It’s a round of disappointing news this week, as yet another show is being pulled from the NBC schedule. Saturday Night Live has only just come back, and it’s already going on another break.
Granted, this break was expected. That doesn’t mean we have to like it, though!
Why is Saturday Night Live being pulled from the schedule?
What’s the deal? Well, it all comes down to the Winter Olympic Games. They start on Friday, Feb. 6, with coverage running through to Sunday, Feb. 22. That’s three Saturdays that are going to be packed with games and news coverage, which NBC will want to air.
The majority of NBC programming has been shifted because of this. There may be a few daytime programs and some news programs airing, but all the primetime and late night content has been moved off the schedule. That includes Saturday Night Live.
The good news is that you can watch previous episodes on Peacock, so there is a way to get some laughs in.
It's not the only series going on a break right now. The Tonight Show and Late Night will both take a couple of weeks off. The Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Daily Show are all slated to take one week off during the two-week sporting event.
When will SNL return with new episodes?
As of writing this, it looks like it is a three-week break. Saturday Night Live is slated to return on Saturday, Feb. 28 with an all-new episode.
The host and musical guest have not been confirmed just yet. We’ve just had Alexander Skarsgård make SNL history by being the first Swedish-born host of the series. There are sure to be many more record-breaking moments to come. This is all despite the show hitting its 1000th episode on Saturday, Jan. 31!
There are still a lot of questions about who will fill the gap that has been left by Bowen Yang’s exit. This could be a great time to find someone new to add to the cast to create some new dynamics. However, a smaller cast is arguably working, and it does help to keep the budget costs down.
There are only nine episodes left to this current season. When the show returns at the end of February or beginning of March, we’ll get to see a string of new episodes with minimal breaks, leading into a traditional May final. We’ll probably get a week off here and there, potentially with a couple around March Madness or Easter.
Saturday Night Live will now be on a break and the earliest it will return is Saturday, Feb. 28.