‘Saturday Night Live’ Sets Return on NBC, Pete Davidson to Host Season 49 Premiere

NBC is ready to open the 49th season of “Saturday Night Live,” pushed back just a week or two from when the series might normally launch in the fall.

After being shut down in May by the Hollywood writers strike, “SNL” will return on October 14, marking the first of three consecutive weeks of original broadcasts, NBC said in an announcement Wednesday. Ice Spice will serve as musical guest. Davidson had been scheduled to host the show last season, before the strike forced “SNL” to go dark. Bad Bunny will host and perform on Oct. 21.

The entire cast is set to return, with a single addition: Chloe Troast, who has performed with the writer trio that makes up SNL’s “Please Don’t Destroy,” joins as a featured player. NBC did not say whether any of the current group of featured players, which include Sarah Sherman and James Austin Johnson, had been promoted to the main cast.

While SAG-AFTRA has yet to settle its strike with the big studios, the union said “SNL” cast members may return to the production. “SAG-AFTRA members appearing on Saturday Night Live either as hosts, guests, or cast members are working under the Network Code agreement, which is not a contract we are striking. They are not in violation of SAG-AFTRA strike rules, and we support them in fulfilling their contractual obligations.”

As more TV viewers migrate to streaming services to watch their favorite scripted dramas and comedies on demand, “SNL” has taken on new importance for NBC. Once relegated to airing after the late local news in a time slot network executives didn’t consider paramount, the program now runs live across the U.S. all at once, meaning that it runs in primetime in certain parts of the country. The show is one of the most-watched entertainment programs on TV among viewers between 18 and 49, the demographic most preferred by advertisers.

NBCUniversal has already started negotiating with advertisers for sponsorships tied to the landmark 50th season of “SNL,” slated to debut in the fall of 2024. In March, “SNL” executive producer Lorne Michaels made a presentation in Studio 8H, the show’s longtime home at NBC’s New York headquarters, to around 100 advertisers about what to expect as the anniversary draws near. NBC plans a series of retrospectives around “SNL” as well as at least one documentary about the program.

“Saturday Night Live” generated approximately $74,7 million dollars in ad sales in 2022, according to Vivvix, a tracker of ad spending. That figure represents a 12% dip from the nearly $85.3 million “SNL” generated in 2021.