For decades, Saturday Night Live has been beloved by audiences and celebrities for the entertaining content it creates with minimal resources and the opportunities that it presents performers. Many viewers have made watching the show a routine in their week for years, and many celebrity performers have admitted that they at one point dreamed of being on SNL. The show has elevated the careers of several musical artists and has opened up doors for the career of a number of comedians. The show was even responsible for several extremely popular movies, like The Blues Brothers, A Night at the Roxbury, MacGruber, and a whole list more. There’s no questioning how significant an impact the long-running series has had on pop culture. The impression that it’s had will certainly outlive the show itself.
Nonetheless, its immense popularity hasn't spared it from criticisms about its lack of diversity and some of its skits being insensitive. It really wasn’t until the last decade that the show has begun making serious attempts to cater to inclusivity in its cast and content. This factor, along with the hole left by several notable actors leaving in season 47, have brought about a few rumors of the decades-old series being canceled. While there has been no real confirmation of this happening anytime soon, there are events that have happened recently, and some in the near future, that suggest SNL’s end may be nearing.
Even recently, more of the show’s cast has walked away from the series. Melissa Villasenor and Alex Moffat were confirmed to not be returning for season 48 at the beginning of September. This brought the total number of cast members that SNL has lost this year to seven, which is considerable since it’s a group skit show. Already, it’s clear that this is going to affect the dynamics and characters of the show, and may even have an influence on the budget. This is certainly part of the reason why the possibility of the show getting canceled has come up again recently.
Many people have, as a result, commented on the idea of the show ending around the mark of its upcoming 50th anniversary, and a lot of people are actually in favor of it. The most recent era of SNL has been referred to by many as the worst era of its existence. Even some actors from the show have expressed their distaste for the current structure of SNL and have suggested that it may be better for makers to choose for it to end, rather than it being brought to an end.
Even Keenan Thompson, who has been a star on the show for almost 20 years and is the longest-tenured SNL actor, has voiced his beliefs that it coming to an end may be what’s best. Thompson commented on how he believes that the 50-year mark is a good, natural stopping place for the show, that would do justice to its legacy. Not to mention, the final episode will likely pull in a considerably larger audience than usual episodes, because of the significance that the episode would carry. As a result, creators would likely go all out for it, with a multitude of guests and performances.
Another vital member of the show that has spoken out on the possibility of it coming to an end is the man behind the curtain himself, Lorne Michaels. In a number of interviews, he has commented on the high possibility of him walking away as the creator of Saturday Night Live. With the coming of the 50th anniversary of SNL also comes the 80th birthday of the legendary comedy creator. He has noted before that this age appeals to him for retirement. Whether he intends for the show to end then or if he intends to pass the torch, has yet to be finalized, but he is weighing his options.
Furthermore, there’s concern that Michaels leaving might affect the show. His absence may affect the amount of funding that the show receives, which could very well affect the quality. Part of what makes SNL so successful as a skit show is its ability to create entire worlds quickly through its sets and props. If the show is no longer able to utilize those resources, creatives have to work even harder to compensate.
Michaels has already been working with a room of writers and giving them more liberty in creating the content. He has already hinted that he has an idea of who could replace him if he were to leave. Several fans have expressed their concern for the show if it lost his voice, and many have claimed that they would likely quit watching the series if this were to happen. Michaels made it clear that he doesn’t ever want the show to be bad and that he would do all that’s in his power to prevent that from happening.
These are all important details that should be considered as the team behind Saturday Night Live moves forward with their plans for the future of the show. Though there are multiple layers of concerns for the show moving on without some of its biggest cast and its traditional creator, its legendary status may be enough to keep it alive. No matter what comes of the show’s 50th anniversary (and Michaels’ 80th birthday), fans can expect that the show will live up to its status, in one way or another. If its time does come, it will surely go out with a bang.