Saturday Night Live: Cecily Strong Returns to Sketch Comedy With Three New Episodes

After a quick one-week break, the cast and crew of Saturday Night Live will reassemble at 30 Rock in a matter of hours for the last new episode of October. The first of three-straight new episodes leading up to Thanksgiving airs tonight, October 29th, and will feature the highly anticipated return of SNL mainstay Cecily Strong. Strong missed the first three episodes of the season due to her one-woman play The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe.

Strong will be joined by Jack Harlow, the hip-hop artist making his hosting debut. It will be Harlow's second time at Studio 8H, having last appeared as a musical guest in a Season 46 episode. The rapper will be pulling double duty, serving as both host and musical guest.

Who all left SNL?

In total, eight castmates left the program prior to the Season 48 premiere, including mainstays Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney, Chris Redd, and Melissa Villaseñor. Featured player Aristotle Athari left 30 Rock after one year on the program. Andrew Dismukes and Punkie Johnson were promoted to the main cast after two seasons on the show while it added four new faces: Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker.

This will be a transition year, and the change years are always difficult," SNL creator Lorne Michaels said to a media scrum at the Emmy Awards this year. "There are new people, and things are changing, and a different generation comes into the show."

How to watch Saturday Night Live

Throughout the remainder of Season 48, currently expected to run through next May, NBC is simulcasting new episodes live on both NBC and Peacock. Peacock also serves as the streaming vault for all SNL episodes from its inception, with new episodes being added the day after they air.

Virtually every SNL episode, other than the select few locked away for good because of a variety of reasons, is now available to watch on the streaming service.