With Melissa McCarthy as a host, “Saturday Night Live” has become Weekend’s biggest show.

On an average, the show has 13 million viewers per episode. Currently, it is one of the most talked-about shows on social media. “Saturday Night Live” is the most-watched “SNL” telecast in May since Betty White hosted an episode on May 8, 2010, when nearly 12 million tuned on.

Other fan-favorite shows are “60 Minutes” with 9 million viewers, “Madam Secretary” with 7 million viewers, and NBC hit “Little Big Shots” with over 6 million viewers worldwide. Also, the finale of ABC’s program “Once Upon a Time” averaged 2.5 million viewers over two hours.

The weekend show

It is one of the most famous American shows. It is created by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol, premiered on NBC in October 1975 under the title “NBC's Saturday Night.” The comedy sketches are performed by various cast members. All episodes are hosted by famous celebrities, featuring performances by musical guests. In 1980, Michael left the show to explore better opportunities, so Jean Doumanian was recruited in his place.

Broadcast from Studio 8H at NBC's head office in the Comcast Building, “Saturday Night Live” has aired over 820 episodes since its debut and began the 42nd season in October 2016. It is one of the longest-running television shows in the United States. Though the format has been recreated in Turkey, England, France, India, and China, “Saturday Night Live” touches the peaks of success.

Accolades

The show has received dozens of awards throughout four decades, such as 40 Primetime Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards.

In 2001, it was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and ranked ninth in TV Guide's list of greatest shows of all time. As of 2013, the show has received more than 150 Emmy nominations.

The cast members

“Saturday Night Live” has featured over 150 cast members, including Rachel Dratch, David Spade, Chris Rock, Amy Poehler, Will Forte, Andy Samberg, Tracy Morgan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris Parnell, Kristen Wigg, and Maya Rudolph.

In 2008, Seth Meyers hosted "Weekend Update," and then joined hands with Cecily Strong for another show. The most notable repertory players are Vanessa Bayer, Beck Bennett, Aidy Bryant, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, Leslie Jones, Colin Jost, Kate McKinnon, Bobby Moynihan, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, and Sasheer Zamata. As of 2013, Rob Klein and Colin Jost have scripted the story, with Meyers writing the dialogues.
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