NBC release fall schedule but Saturday Night Live is nowhere to be found

NBC released its fall lineup on July 9. It was a pleasant surprise, given that most networks wait until August to unveil which shows will make up the rest of the year's programming. The usual suspects were there in terms of scripted dramas and sporting events.

A notable title that was missing, though, was Saturday Night Live. The sketch show was nowhere to be found in the three month window in which NBC covered between late September and the middle of November. This is strange on multiple levels.

Saturday Night Live historically premieres in October

For one, NBC did not exclude unscripted shows from its fall announcement. The network provided dates for new seasons of The Voice (September 23) and America's Got Talent (September 24), so it would stand to reason that SNL would fall under the same category.

There's also the track record of when Saturday Night Live seasons typically premiere. Seasons 47 and 48 premiered at the very beginning of October, while season 49 got its start on October 14. These dates fall smack dab in the middle of NBC's fall premiere schedule, which makes the SNL omission stand out even more.

This is not just any season, mind you. Saturday Night Live is celebrating its 50th year on the air, which has been a major talking point for cast members and creator Lorne Michaels. It's such a big deal, in fact, that rumors have swirled as to whether Michaels will leave the show after the season.

Lorne Michaels has yet to finalize the season 50 cast

Michaels told The New York Times that he doesn't have a specific plan in place. "I’m going to do it as long as I feel I can do it," he asserted. "But I rely on other people and always have." There's also lots of curiosity as to who will be part of the show's main cast.

During the same New York Times profile, Michaels admitted that he was still finalizing the cast for the milestone season. That was in June, so hopefully the show is close to announcing who will return and who won't.