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Acclaimed documentarian Morgan Neville is honoring the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” will docuseries “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.”
The four-part documentary, which will be premiering on Peacock, revisits the legacy of “SNL” with more than 60 SNL alumni interviewed onscreen. The show’s most iconic moments from fan favorite sketches like “More Cowbell” to the pivotal Season 11 that catapulted the series to fame will be captured in the docuseries.
Academy and Emmy Award winner Neville executive produces the series, which is directed by a slew of award-winning helmers.
“I’ve been obsessed with ‘Saturday Night Live’ as long as I can remember,” Neville, who recently directed the Steve Martin documentary and Pharrell Williams’ Lego feature “Piece By Piece,” said in a press statement. “For ‘SNL50,’ I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite independent filmmakers to tell some deeper stories of ‘SNL.’ Taken together, these standalone episodes give a new perspective of ‘SNL’ and what makes it work.”
Neville and Caitrin Rogers executive produce, with Juaquin Cambron serving as the showrunner and executive producer.
Each episode spotlights a different element of “SNL” history, starting with the first installment “Five Minutes” about the audition process. Emmy Award winner Robert Alexander directs the first episode, which includes never-before-seen audition footage and firsthand accounts from alums as they reflect on their preparation and journey to the “SNL” stage.
The second episode, tilted “Written By: A Week Inside The SNL Writers Room,” offers a behind-the-scenes look at the writing process from script to screen. Academy Award winner Marshall Curry directs.
“More Cowbell” follows as the third episode, which particularly examines the making of the now-iconic sketch starring Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken. Emmy nominee Neil Berkeley helms it.
Emmy nominee Jason Zeldes directs the fourth and final episode in the docuseries, titled “Season 11: The Weird Year.” Per the official synopsis, the installment is “an exploration into ‘SNL”s 11th season, examining the pivotal year that reset the show’s direction and cemented its enduring DNA with Lorne Michaels at the helm.”
“SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” is produced by Jonathan Formica and Allison Klein.
“SNL” will mark its 50th anniversary with a celebratory weekend culminating in a live primetime special airing on Sunday, February 16 on NBC and Peacock. Every season of “SNL” can also be exclusively streamed on Peacock, with new “SNL” episodes streaming live on the platform in addition to the broadcast on NBC (11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT).
The history of the first episode of “SNL” was recently fictionalized in Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night.”
“SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” premieres January 16 on Peacock.
English (US) ·