Saturday Night Live is hitting a pretty huge milestone this season, hitting the big 4-O. To celebrate forty years on television, NBC’s late night series is kicking off with a very funny star who used to play side characters but has vaulted into the a-list in recent months. Chris Pratt will host the first episode of SNL this season, which is headed to NBC’s schedule at the end of the September.
Saturday Night Live kicks off on September 27, with Guardians of the Galaxy and upcoming Jurassic Park 4 actor Chris Pratt taking on the role of host. He’ll appear opposite “Problem” singer Ariana Grande, who will make her SNL debut as the musical guest that night.
Planning ahead, NBC also announced the host and guest for the October 4 episode of Saturday Night Live. That night will also be a night for newbies, with Sarah Silverman taking the reigns as a host on the show for the first time. Silverman actually launched her career as a writer and a featured player on Saturday Night Live, and I find it extremely bizarre that she hasn’t returned to the series to host it in the twenty years subsequent. Apparently the comedian has a new album coming out called Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles, and I guess appearing on SNL will be a great way to pump fans up about the new release.
Silverman will be joined onstage by Maroon 5, who has appeared on SNL a whopping five times and also recently released the bestselling album, V. The band's return this fall is a wee bit surprising, considering Maroon 5 played during Levine’s hosting stint last January. This time around will obviously be more relaxed for the busy Levine, and I’m sure Maroon 5 fans aren’t complaining about another appearance on the late night series.
NBC often announces new episodes and guest hosts just a couple of weeks before they pop up on the sketch comedy series, but since this is a special year for the series, an extra special has been planned. On February 15, SNL will air a 40th Anniversary episode that will include famous members of the cast from the past and present, as well as a slew of hosts and musical guests who are well-known for having appeared on the show throughout the years. None of the names involved have been officially released, yet, but we’ll keep you posted as NBC kicks off Season 40.
NBC’s Saturday Night Live will kick off on Saturday, September 27 at 11:35 p.m. ET. For the rest of the 2014 fall premiere schedule, head here.
