The full run of “SNL” has rarely been made available via streaming, with most services offering only the first five seasons, recent years and a scattering of other sketches.
Fans of “Saturday Night Live” will soon have the ability to explore the good, the bad and the ugly across 45 years of the venerable sketch comedy institution.
Finally, Peacock has announced it will be making the entire series run available ahead of its Season 46 premiere, per EW. That’s just shy of 900 episodes, so professional binge-watchers might need to stock up on provisions now to tackle this monumental feat.
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According to the streamer, “Saturday Night Live” drops in its entirety on Thursday, October 1, just two days before Season 46 kicks off back in the studio with host Chris Rock and musical guest Megan Thee Stallion.
Speaking of musical guests, while it’s not entirely clear at this point, it is still possible that fans won’t get to enjoy the full experience of each episode in its entirety. Over the years, there have always been certain sketches and moments rendered unavailable, usually due to musical rights issues.
But we fully expect the classic “cowbell” sequence to remain available. Certain things simply cannot be removed for fear of full-scale riots.
Also notable is the inclusion of Season 6-10, infamously known as the Lorne-less years. This is considered by many fans a bleak era of the show, though one anchored by breakout star Eddie Murphy, who just won an Emmy for his long-awaited return this past season.
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Nevertheless, it was the first time the show was nearly canceled after Lorne Michaels joined his original “Not Ready for Primetime Players” in departing the show, and therefore it has rarely been made available in streaming packages.
After five years away, Michaels returned to the show and slowly built the show’s second power ensemble with the likes of Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Dana Carvey, Kevin Nealon, Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz, Victoria Jackson and Dennis Miller.
Through multiple cast changes and what are considered several renaissance cast periods, “Saturday Night Live’ has become an institution, one that it is hard to imagine ever having been “on the bubble” or ever really leaving the air.
Now, new fans and long-times fans alike will have the chance to explore 45 years of history through the satirical lens of the longest-running sketch comedy show in the United States. Along the way they can see the beginnings of some of comedy’s biggest stars from Chevy Chase and Bill Murray to Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris Farley, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and the returning Chris Rock (among many others).
“Saturday Night Live” Seasons 1-45 hit Peacock on October 1. Season 46 premieres two days later on October 3.
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