With news that Saturday Night Live was heading across the pond, all eyes were on updates. While it took time to get the show off the ground, it isn’t taking too long for Saturday Night Live UK to premiere.
Late Night host, Seth Meyers, had shared that it looked like the plan was to premiere the new comedy sketch series in March 2026. At the time, we weren’t too sure that was possible, with the casting only just happening around the time of the statement. Well, the statement was true — and really, we shouldn’t have been surprised considering how connecter Meyers still is with Lorne Michaels.
When will Saturday Night Live UK premiere?
Lorne Michaels will executive produce the series, which will head to Sky in the UK. It will premiere on Saturday, March 21, and like with the U.S. series, a new guest will host the episodes each week. There will also be musical guests on the show.
This is going to be a short season, though. There are only six episodes planned for the first season, and that does make sense for two reasons.
First, this is a new idea for the British market, and it’s not clear how well it will perform. While Saturday Night Live is popular in the United States, does that style of comedy translate across the water?
Second, it is more in line with what the British people are used to. The seasons of TV shows are much shorter than the United States, falling more in line with the way streaming shows conduct themselves. So, six episodes is about standard, and will be more in line with network expectations.
Meet the cast of SNL UK
The cast members are relatively unknown comedians, which is a great way to start. After all, Saturday Night Live was a chance for new comedians to get a footing in the world. It’s something that Bowen Yang recently spoke about, before he made the decision to leave the U.S. series.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, The 11 cast members are:
- Hammed Animashaun
- Ayoade Bamgboye
- Larry Dean
- Celeste Dring
- George Souracres
- Ania Magliano
- Annabel Marlow
- Al Nash
- Jack Shep
- Emma Sidi
- Paddy Young
We’re expecting much of the same style of programming for the new series. While there will be a guest host each week, the main cast members will be featured in the sketches that are designed to work with the guest host’s experience.
As of right now, the first guest host hasn’t been announced, but we’re ready for it when they are.
Saturday Night Live UK will premiere on Saturday, March 21 on Sky.