When Saturday Night Live returns to NBC in fall 2024 it will officially qualify for its AARP card, as the sketch comedy show begins its 50th season on TV.
There's a lot going on to celebrate Saturday Night Live season 50 — the network has already announced a weekend-long celebration culminating in a three-hour special airing in February 2025, with more expected throughout the season. Outside of NBC's plans, a movie marking the TV milestone is also coming out in 2024, as Jason Reitman's Saturday Night looks back at the making of the very first Saturday Night Live episode.
Even with all the celebration, we can expect much of what has made SNL such a staple for 50 years: funny sketches; fun hosts, musical performances and guest appearances; and a talented cast giving it their all. Here's everything you need to know about Saturday Night Live season 50.
Saturday Night Live season 50 release date
SNL is set to return for its historic 50th season of Saturday, September 28.
The show airs live on NBC across the country at 11:30 pm ET/8:30 pm PT. To watch on your local NBC station you need to have a traditional pay-TV set up, a TV antenna or a live TV streaming service that carries NBC, which includes Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV. The show also streams live on Peacock (and then on-demand) if you've cut the cord from traditional services but still want to tune in.
Saturday Night Live season 50 cast
The official cast for Saturday Night Live season 50 has not been confirmed at this point, but some news has started to trickle in.
Former SNL cast member Maya Rudolph will return to the show to portray Vice President Kamala Harris, now the expected Democratic nominee for president, ahead of this year's presidential election, according to multiple reports.
Cast exits are also starting to be revealed. First, Punkie Johnson is exiting the show after four seasons; sharing the news on her Instagram. Molly Kearney also announced they were exiting the show on Instagram; Kearny was a cast member for two seasons.
Otherwise, there's been no word on no additions, so here's who could be back from the Saturday Night Live season 49 cast: Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chole Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson, Colin Jost, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Chloe Troast, Devon Walker and Bowen Yang. If there are any updates of new or departing cast members we'll share them here when they’re announced.
Saturday Night Live season 50 hosts
No hosts have been announced for SNL's 50th season. We don't expect any official announcements on hosts until we're closer to the show's premiere.
