Trending News

Live From New York!: 'Saturday Night Live' To Simulcast Across The United States [VIDEO]

By Gerard Black | Update Date: Mar 18, 2017 11:14 PM EDT

Now when they say "Live from New York, It's Saturday Night!", they will really mean it. "Saturday Night Live" will now simulcast in all continental US time zones. The much-beloved show will finish off the season with four of these completely live episodes.

The Mountain and Pacific time zones only get to watch a delayed telecast of "Saturday Night Live" 42 seasons. NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt believes that it is a great idea that all time zones are watching it at the same time -- that way everyone is in on the joke at the same time. In the current format, "Saturday Night Live" airs 11:30 Eastern and then shows a delayed telecast in the Mountain and Pacific time zones, The Washington Post reported.

The new format for "Saturday Night Live" will also eliminate the constant apprehension that the East Coast viewers will spoil the gags through social media. Jimmy Fallon is scheduled to host the first live show on April 15. That episode will be followed by Chris Pine and Melissa McCarthy. Dwayne Johnson will close out the season on May 20, The Vanity Fair reported.

The telecast changes on "Saturday Night Live" will try to capitalize on the show's renewed popularity. After a  downturn in ratings, the producers of "Saturday Night Live" made major changes by firing Jay Pharoah and Taran Killam and bumped-up senior writers. Now, the show averages 11 million viewers weekly.

The show's risking on making fun of the current political situation in the US partly contributes the uptrend of "Saturday Night Live's" ratings. Other shows have been using the same tactic; late night show hosts like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon have taken comedic pot shots at the President.

The new "Saturday Night Live" also aims to reduce commercial load by 30% and give more time to the actual show. They will now follow a format that will use branded sketches with content from advertisers.

© 2024 Counsel & Heal All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics