Tonight, Season 48 of Saturday Night Live will premiere, and a lot will be different. Lots of cast members left, including Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson, and four comedians have been added to the cast. This year of SNL is bound to be a transition season with eight people leaving and four coming in. However, Lorne Michaels has explained why that’s a good thing. He described all four incoming cast members as “fresh” and in a recent interview, he talked about what it has been like seeing them start work on the show.
The Season 48 cast will feature longtime cast members like Kenan Thompson and Colin Jost, as well as fan favorite Bowen Yang. Along with the repertory players, we’ll also meet the new featured players: Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker. Michaels was chatting with SNL alums David Spade and Dana Carvey on their podcast Fly On The Wall, and when they asked him about the new cast members, Michaels responded with:
It was so much fun seeing these new people, because they’re exactly where you should start.
He discussed the excitement and nerves of being on SNL, especially since this is a lot of these comedians' first times working with a camera. Michaels elaborated on this point, saying:
There’s that exuberance and excitement. It just shows, and that energy shows. When you start with people who’ve never been on television and the audience gets to be a part of that process and live with them through it.
Walking into a show that has been on the air for nearly 50 years must come with a lot of pressure. I’d also imagine it’s super exciting starting this job and knowing all the legendary comedians who kicked their careers off in Studio 8H. Beginning tonight, we’ll get to see these four new cast members on their journey through the chaos of SNL.
The SNL cast has an exciting lineup of hosts kicking off Season 48 with them this year. Starting off the season is Top Gun: Maverick star Miles Teller. He’ll be followed next week by Brendan Gleeson, known for his roles in Harry Potter and Paddington 2. Then week three will see the first double-duty host of the year with Megan Thee Stallion.
Even though SNL is in a transition year with its big cast changes, this host lineup and Michaels’ excitement about the new cast, has me very excited to see what’s in store. Stay tuned to the 2022 TV schedule for more information on this season of the classic sketch show. As for tonight, get excited because at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC (or with a Peacock subscription) we’ll be hearing “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night,” once again.
