SNL to return this weekend with new content including Weekend Update

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Saturday Night Live, coronavirus, COVID-19, New York City

Live from New York it's … wait, nope.

It's been announced that Saturday Night Live will be returning to the airwaves this weekend, but it won't be delivering the yucks in front of a live studio audience.

As you're likely to know, the iconic sketch comedy show has been off the air for a number of weeks due to concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. In the weeks since the potentially lethal disease hit one of the world's busiest and most densely-populated cities, the Big Apple has been on lockdown, a feat that's difficult to fathom when in relation to a city that never sleeps. While many of New York's citizens are still taking every precaution to help prevent the spread of the virus, NBC has declared that on Saturday, April 11, SNL will return with material produced by a staff working remotely. While a sketch lineup has yet to be confirmed, it's been said that the newest episode of the long-standing variety series will include a "Weekend Update" segment in addition to other material from cast members.For the moment, NBC has yet to release any details on there being a host or musical guest.

Saturday Night Live is poised to arrive as the latest of TV's late-night programs to return after guidelines for preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus made it impossible for the show to carry on as usual. Though the show traditionally relies on the energy and input of a live crowd, it's a fact that the show has included a number or pre-recorded bits to help facilitate the end product. Things being what they are, the cast and crew of SNL plan on delivering the goods come hell or high water, even if they have to use preexisting materials to do it.

Are you excited to hear about Saturday Night Live's return? Are you curious as to how the show will manage its comedy while delivering it remotely? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Source: Variety

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.