In any dynasty the line of succession becomes a subject of great discussion. With Saturday Night Live currently playing through its 50th season on the 2025 TV schedule, that topic is certainly in the air - as Lorne Michaels doesn’t look to be retiring any time soon.
For biographer and colleague Susan Morrison, this isn’t really a surprise, and her reasons why come with a strategy she thinks the Canadian comedy mogul could use to continue his reign. If she's right, it'll probably leave the audience, and upcoming SNL hosts, asking the same question: ‘Is Lorne Michaels ever going to retire from SNL?’
Susan Morrison is someone who’d know, as her extensive biography Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live pours over the man’s entire history. As I had the opportunity to speak with her on behalf of CinemaBlend, the oft-discussed matter of his retirement was an obvious point of conversation, especially since he's previously teased wanting to get to SNL 50, which finally just happened.
When we approached that question, Susan Morrison shared her firmly held belief that she doesn’t think Lorne ever will retire from NBC’s landmark sketch show. Which, for NBC execs and Peacock subscription holders alike, is probably seen as a good thing.
Citing good health, and a stellar work ethic, the articles editor for The New Yorker shared with CinemaBlend the strategy she thinks Lorne Michaels could use in the future:
I could see a thing happening where he just comes in on Wednesday afternoon for read-through, then picks the 12 sketches that are gonna go into production, and then comes in Saturday for dress rehearsal and the show. And I think that he has such a great team of deputies that they could really handle everything else. And, you know, I could see when you're 90 and he takes really good care of himself, he's very healthy. I could see him still doing that. Who knows. But that's what I would vote for.
Right at the beginning of Lorne, Susan Morrison lays out the show’s schedule as kicking off on Monday evening, with the introduction of the guest host to the writers and actors of SNL. The rest of the week is meticulously planned out, from pitching to writing to read throughs to rehearsals. Michaels is, of course, involved with all of it right now, but as she speculates, perhaps there's a future in which he's only involved in some of it.
Michaels' future isn't the only thing covered in the biography. It's filled with plenty of Saturday Night Live stories, like that time in the mid-90s when NBC considered firing Lorne Michaels. Instead, he survived for another 30 years, long enough to be at the center of Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live. In addition to covering the creator, it also doubles as a history lesson in what it’s taken to keep that legendary show running for 50 years.
A span of work experience that long means you're doing something right, and there are plenty of stories that preceded Lorne's publication to prove that fact. Whether convincing key cast members to stick it out or greenlighting legendary sketches, he's been connected to and responsible for almost all of it.
Susan Morrison’s background as a writer’s assistant on the infamous The New Show has given her a unique perspective to weigh in on the matter of who, if anyone, could succeed him. One of the projects Michaels worked on during his time away from SNL in the ‘80s, she was there to learn the same lessons the impresario himself gathered before heading back to his television child.
Which is why her further reflection below is something that’s stuck with me:
I just can't see him leaving. You know, if you think about all these years, he's never, ever missed a show. He's never had a cold on Saturday night and stayed home. And I just can't see him hanging around St. Barts instead. He'll keep doing it as long as he possibly can.
As Morrison remarked during her appearance on David Spade and Dana Carvey’s Fly on the Wall podcast, she’s of the mind that Lorne Michaels will be running Saturday Night Live until they carry him out of 30 Rock on a stretcher. But her theory is also backed by her insistence that Lorne was one of the first people to really invest in “self care,” playing as hard as he worked.
For a show that’s known for its topical entertainment, perhaps there’s more lessons we could all learn from how SNL runs. And if that interests you, you should definitely pick up Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live, as it’s currently available at all fine booksellers.
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