‘Saturday Night Live’ Season 48: What to Expect After a ‘Year of Change’
Saturday Night Live is returning for its 48th season this October. Fans can’t wait to see their favorite comedic actors return to the stage. However, there are plenty of new faces in the cast after a “year of change.” What can viewers expect from the upcoming season?
Who left ‘Saturday Night Live’ last year?
Saturday Night Live’s first episode back will air October 1, with Top Gun: Maverick’s Miles Teller as host and Kendrick Lamar as musical guest. The hosts and musical guests for the next two shows have also been announced: Brendan Gleeson and WILLOW on October 8, and Megan Thee Stallion pulling double-duty as host and musical guest on October 15.
SNL fans are also expecting to see some new faces in the cast. At the end of Season 47, it was announced that Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson would not return to the sketch comedy show.
In addition to that, it was later announced that Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, Chris Redd, and Aristotle Athari would also not be coming back for another season. Cast members weren’t the only ones calling it quits. Lindsay Shookus, head of SNL’s talent department and one of the show’s producers, is also leaving after 20 years.
The new cast members of ‘SNL’
Showrunner Lorne Michaels has already classified this upcoming season as a “year of change” for Saturday Night Live. The show has already announced the new comedic talents they’ve recruited to join the cast.
Eight cast members have exited. But SNL has added just four new faces to the show: Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker. All four have experience in television and comedy.
Hernandez has opened for big-name comedians like Tim Dillon and Gilbert Gottfried, while Longfellow appeared on NBC’s Bring the Funny. Kearney starred in Amazon’s A League Of Their Own and Walked previously served as a writer for Big Mouth.
“This will be a transition year,” Michaels said backstage at this year’s Emmy Awards, according to Indie Wire. “Change years are always difficult but always exciting. There are new people. There are four new people at least for now.”
Why do ‘SNL’ stars leave the show?
While many were shocked that so many beloved cast members left SNL this year, it’s not surprising. The sketch comedy show can make a comedian a household name. But its rigorous shooting schedule means its stars have trouble pursuing careers in television or movies.
Many SNL stars have left the show and gone on to have huge careers, like Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Tina Fey, Bill Hader, and Amy Poehler. From the Emmys to Grammys, former stars and writers of SNL pick up nominations and awards yearly.
The new season of Saturday Night Live will premiere on October 1 at 11:30 PM EST on NBC. You can also stream the comedy show live through Hulu+Live TV and Peacock Premium.
