Saturday Night Live is set to return in the not-too-distant future in the 2024 TV schedule, and the sketch comedy series will hit a milestone that not many TV shows ever do: the 50th season. The time has never been better to look back at all the big names over the past half century who made SNL into what it is today, and one of those names is certainly Molly Shannon. Ahead of her debut as part of the Only Murders in the Building cast, Shannon opened up about the milestone and dropped some comments that could indicate her return to SNL.
In a fun twist, the 50th anniversary of SNL coincides with the 25th anniversary of Superstar, the feature film based on the SNL character Mary Katherine Gallagher, played by Molly Shannon. Speaking with ET, the actress said this about Saturday Night Live Season 50:
I’m so excited. It’s such a thrill for Lorne Michaels. It’s really to celebrate Lorne Michaels and everything he’s done. To get to see all my fellow colleagues from SNL who I’ve performed with, some of who I haven’t. It’s going to be epic and I can’t wait. Lorne’s been planning it and working on it… people are getting so excited now.
Creator Lorne Michaels' tenure at SNL is impressive, to say the least, and he once suggested that he might retire after the milestone 50th season. Whether that's still the case remains to be seen; for now, it sounds like there's a lot to look forward to for fans of the sketch comedy series. Molly Shannon didn't commit to appearing herself in the 50th season in her comments, but I have to be optimistic after her phrasing.
Shannon, who was a member of the SNL cast from 1995-2001, has appeared back on the show several times since exiting full-time. In fact, she hosted twice: first in May 2007 and then most recently in April 2023. Over her years on the show, she had to fight to get her character of Jeannie Darcy on screen and even convinced Whitney Houston to appear. Throw in starring in Superstar, and would it even be right if she doesn't appear in Season 50? Shannon does seem to have inside info, as she also said:
They’ve been working on it for at least a year or more. It’s been a lot of planning.
It's not clear if those plans for celebrating the milestone ever included the two cast members whose departures were more recently announced. Punkie Johnson was the first to confirm that she wouldn't be back for Season 50 earlier this month, followed shortly by Molly Kearney. A different star is coming back, though, as Maya Rudolph is set to appear as a guest star for her impression of Vice President Kamala Harris.
As for Molly Shannon, you can revisit her seasons of SNL streaming now with a Peacock Premium subscription. For a more recent contribution than her run from 1995-2001, you can take a look at one of my personal favorites with her appearance in a Please Don't Destroy sketch:
With or without Molly Shannon, Saturday Night Live will premiere Season 50 on Saturday, September 28 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. You can also check out Superstar streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
