There are two Saturday Night Live specials that we look forward to every year. While we know it means a disruption to the regular schedule, there’s just so much joy in taking a break from the norm and focusing on the holiday seasons
Thanksgiving and Christmas are the two that we look forward to, and 2025 will see specials for both. While we don’t have many details about the two specials, such as just how much we’ll see of the full cast, we at least have release dates and times.
A Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving
The Thanksgiving episode comes up first. Obviously!
Check out the episode on Wednesday, Nov. 26. Yes, this is the day before Thanksgiving, which is about standard for this series. After all, NBC airs the Thanksgiving football games in the evening, with a special “Sunday Night Football” edition, so it’s not like the Thanksgiving special could air on that day even if it wanted to!
The time for the special is different to what we’re used to on a Saturday night. A Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving will air at 9 p.m. ET/PT and run for two hours.
Expect a night packed with Thanksgiving-themed skits from all your favorite regular season 51 cast members. There are also usually some past sketches that are highlighted throughout.
A Saturday Night Live Christmas
There will be a handful of regular Saturday Night Live episodes in December, and then we’ll get to the Christmas special. This airs just before the final regular episode, and then there is a rerun the week of Christmas.
A Saturday night Live Christmas will initially air on Thursday, Nov. 18. Like the Thanksgiving episode, it will air at 9/8c and run for two hours.
The encore will air on Monday, Dec. 22. Again, it will air at the earlier-than-we’re-used-to time of 9/8c.
Just keep in mind that there will still be a regular Saturday Night Live episode on Saturday, Dec. 20, with Ariana Grande and Cher taking over hosting and musical guest spots respectively.
The Christmas special is a fun way to get ready for the Christmas season, with skits about Santa, a trip to the North Pole, and other myths and legends that surround the holiday season. The entire cast is expected to be a part of it, and there are sometimes legendary cast members and celebrity cameos throughout the night.
While this does mean that Saturday Night Live will soon go into its winter hiatus, we’re definitely looking forward to the Thanksgiving and Christmas specials.