Saturday Night Live to Air Live Across the Country

[brooklynite]

Source: Variety

Starting on April 15, the show will air live simultaneously across the country for the first time in its history, coinciding with the East Coast airing, Variety has learned. This schedule change impacts the final four episodes of the current season.

The episodes will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon on April 15, followed by Chris Pine on May 6, Melissa McCarthy on May 13, and Dwayne Johnson for the season-ender on May 20. McCarthy’s portrayal of White House press secretary Sean Spicer has been one of the highlights of the season, driving the show to ratings heights.

...snip...

The show has been on a ratings roll since President Trump’s upset victory in the Nov. 8 presidential election, fueled by Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of the commander-in-chief. Overall, “SNL” viewership for the season to date is up 19% in adults 18-49 (3.5 vs. 2.9 rating) and up 22% in total viewers (10.6 million vs. 8.7 million) over the comparable period in the 2015-16 season.

NBC also recently announced plans to extend the run of the show into the summer. “Weekend Update” hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che will also get a limited run in primetime in August when NBC airs four half-hour broadcasts of the faux-news showcase.

Read more: http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/saturday-night-live-all-time-zones-1202010211/

[montanacowboy]

1. Oh SUPER

now us west coasters can watch at 8:30 pm
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

17. East coasters have to stay up late for everything live...

like those presidential debates.

[AngryAmish]

2. I am on an over thirty year streak of not watching that show.

When I was younger who stayed home on Saturdays? Now that I am older getting the same old conventional wisdom that I get everywhere else is boring. Plus I am usually in bed for an hour or two before it starts.

I suppose the elderly and shut ins get some sort of thrill from it.

[jvill]

3. Or, you know...

...DVR.

[Tikki]

6. Hey, Welcome to DU...

Tikki

[DK504]

16. LOL ... and welcome.

Good one right out of the box!

[gopiscrap]

19. welcome to DU

[LanternWaste]

4. No doubt, the elderly and the shut-ins will appreciate the warmth of your sentiment.

No doubt, the elderly and the shut-ins will appreciate the warmth, courtesy, and good-will of your sentiment... regardless of the thrill you may or may not get from it.

[NRaleighLiberal]

8. indeed. a lovely way to join in here

[Bengus81]

9. When it started in 1975 our local station didn't air it until 11:30pm

Afraid the wittle kiddies here in Kansas might see something. So....I made it home most of the time to watch. Still do!

[TexasBushwhacker]

15. When I was younger I didn't stay in on Saturdays

I just got home before it started, in the 70s before VCRs. I was in college, in my early 20s. My boyfriend and I had a routine on Saturdays. We'd go have dinner, then go see a movie, then back to his place to watch SNL, then have sex. If we had much of a gap before SNL started, we'd have sex first, watch the show, then have sex again. Ah, those were the days!

[spiderpig]

5. Finally.

I will never move from CA, but we are left out of the loop a lot.

[DesertRat]

7. Awesome! Looking forward to it!

[MontanaMama]

10. Good news!

I remember 'back in the day' watching it while I babysat for neighbor kids. I'd never be allowed to stay up that late at home. I was 11 years old when SNL began and it shaped my sense of humor and taste in music over the years. Now, I watch it with my 11 year old and it is a blast laughing ourselves silly together.

[JudyM]

11. Aw, that's a fun and sweet story! I discovered it when I was babysitting, too, when it first

came on the air. I was flipping channels one night and paused on it for a couple minutes, not initially interested because I thought it was just news. I still get a smile remembering the moment I realized it was snarky satire being done by pretty cool young peeps. "This just in... Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!" (Chevy deadpans it and rifles through his pile of papers) I was like... what...? Then oh, man that's excellent!

Intelligently irreverent.

[Rollo]

12. I will look forward to being able to watch SNL at a much earlier hour...

And the idea of breaking out Weekend Update is great. Fake news to counter Trump's tweets.

[MontanaMama]

13. Melissa McCarthy

is hosting in May!! Sorry Spicey, your ass is grass.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

14. They should have Melissa McCarthy on every week.

We cannot wait until May for her next send-up of Spicer.

[Maru Kitteh]

18. Yay! Mountain Time - now I won't have to avoid social media so I don't see

spoilers.