Saturday Night Live Returns Tonight With Second Remotely Produced Episode

The cast and crew from Saturday Night Live are returning tonight for at least one more episode of the sketch comedy show produced entirely remotely. As social distancing standards remain in place, the SNL crew has put together another episode far from the confines of 30 Rock, in the homes of cast members involved in the sketch comedy show. It won’t be live, however, though it will feature entirely new content and skits from the sketch comedy cast.

The last episode — which aired on April 11th — was notable for several reasons. First, it featured Tom Hanks as a surprise guest host, stepping in the role after both he and his wife made full recoveries from COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. It also signaled a return to at least some sense of normalcy as the show continues to power through its 45th season — at least as normal as a live-sketch show can be when it’s written and shot in a dozen different homes throughout the country, that is. In addition to Tom Hanks, Coldplay’s Chris Martin pre-recorded a one-song set for use in the show. It’s unclear if tonight’s episode — branded again as SNL: At Home — will feature another surprise host or musical guest.

As social distancing restrictions continue in place, especially in New York Center — a place that health experts consider this country’s epicenter of the pandemic — it’s unclear if this will end up being cut short or if they’ll finish out the season entirely remotely.

For the past seven seasons, each year has featured 21 episodes and the five years prior to that, NBC order 22 episodes per season. In that same timeframe, the latest a season has aired has been May 21 (Season 41, 2015-2016), which means the network and show would need to pump out five more episodes between now and then. Tonight’s episode will be the 17th of Season 45, so it’s possible they’d be able to reach 21 by the end of May, a move that’d only allow them one week off.

Saturday Night Live starts at 11:30/10:30 p.m. Central.