The Real Reason Saturday Night Live is going, um, Live!

As the end of the 42nd season of Saturday Night Live comes to an end, the show has seen a noticeable boost in its profile thanks in part to the quirks of the Trump administration. Guest stars like Melissa McCarthy and Alec Baldwin have made regular appearances throughout the season that have helped propel viewership past numbers the show has not seen in years. It has truly been a season that has made many comedy content creators consider CD replication vs duplication to showcase and spread their unique takes on the current state of the country to their fan base.

The creator and writers of the show are eager to quickly capitalize on the cultural relevancy the show has not been able to obtain in decades, so the show has decided to take some bold steps. After making the surprising announcement that the show will create a summer spin-off of the ‘Weekend Update’ segment, the series has also announced that it will no longer broadcast the show live throughout the country for the rest of the season.

This means that viewers on the West Coast of the country will no longer have to read the spoiler alerts on social media before the show comes on in their ‘neck of the woods’. Saturday Night Live will now come on the air at 8:30. In combination with booking a list of favorite guest stars for the rest of the season, Lorne Michaels, founder and executive producer, appears to be very committed to maintaining the renewed popularity the show has.

New Time Slots and Returning Hosts

Alan Sepinwall from Uproxx delivered this newest scoop about the comedy series writing that it will broadcast on air at the following times on Saturday:

  • The Eastern Time Zone – 11:30 pm
  • The Central Time Zone – 10:30 pm
  • The Mountain Time Zone – 9:30 pm
  • The Pacific Time Zone – 8:30 pm

The changes in the time slots will not become effective until April 15. This means that there is only one more episode that will air using the old time system. The host of this show will be Louis C.K. After that, a list of who’s who will be the hosts until the end of the system. The list includes:

  • Jimmy Fallon – April 15
  • Chris Pine – May 6
  • Melissa McCarthy – May13
  • Dwayne Johnson – May 20

Out of the four, Chris Pine is the only one who has never hosted the show before.

The Five Timers’ Club

Last week’s host, Scarlett Johansson, along with the three of the upcoming hosts have entered the famed and highly coveted Five Timers’ Club. Although Johansson’s entry into the club was met with little fanfare, it is highly unlikely that Melissa McCarthy’s appearance will be the same, especially with all she has done to boost the show’s ratings this season. It will definitely be on the same level as the tribute the show gave Justin Timberlake.

Less Commercial Breaks

In addition to the shake ups that are being made on and off the set, the show has also made a vow to reduce the number of commercials by 30 percent. The network believes this will give more time to the show and make it a lot easier for the viewers to see the show live.

However, what a difference an election season can make when it comes to television. Recurring gags have seemed to be the winning formula, not just in one sketch, but in a constantly repeating visual.