Saturday Night Live Season 49 - Will It Ever Happen?

As the final third of 2023 approaches, it's almost time for "Saturday Night Live" to return from its summer break. Since its start in 1975, the late-night sketch comedy show on NBC runs from the fall of one year to the spring of the next, with every season featuring a roster of up-and-coming comedians, rotating celebrity guest hosts, and spectacular musical acts. The show has been an iconic part of television history, both for its characters and catchphrases, as well as unintentional moments of virality and chaos.

Each new season of "Saturday Night Live" is more important than the last these days, as the series nears its fiftieth anniversary in 2025. However, most of the cast and crew don't spend much time looking far into the future given the monumental workload to prepare for each week's show on Saturday. Following the COVID-19 pandemic and entertainment industry production shutdowns that resulted in three self-produced "SNL At Home" episodes in the spring of 2020, the show is more fragile than ever these days. 

However, audiences are eager to see the show return. Sadly, it may be a while before new "Saturday Night Live" episodes hit the TV screen, and dedicated fans may want to know why. 

The reason why "Saturday Night Live" Season 49 has been delayed indefinitely is because of the industry-wide labor strike occurring between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and both the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild. The WGA was the first to go on strike in May 2023 after studios refused to budge on contract negotiations pertaining to issues of expanding writers' rooms, the lack of residuals from streaming services, and the use of A.I. for writing purposes. 

The strike's commencement meant that Season 48 of "Saturday Night Live," which was intended to end in late May 2023, ended early, and Season 49 currently has no scheduled air date. Unfortunately, "Saturday Night Live" will not be able to re-enter production until the studios and networks are able to agree to a deal with the guilds. As of August 2023, the WGA has rejected the AMPTP's latest counter-proposal, stating in a memo, "The companies' counteroffer is neither nothing, nor nearly enough," (via The Hollywood Reporter). 

Thankfully, once the strike ends, it won't be long before "Saturday Night Live" hits the TV screen again, due to its expedited production time, but for now, the focus is on making sure writers and actors are fairly compensated. 

2023 is far from the first time labor disputes have put "Saturday Night Live" on hiatus. The Writers Guild of America also went on strike from November 2007 to February 2008, shutting down production on "Saturday Night Live" during its 33rd season, though the strike also coincidentally aligned with the show's usual holiday break, meaning that only a few weeks of shows ended up being canceled. 

The Writers Guild of America also went on strike much earlier in the show's history: In 1988, a strike that lasted 153 days and currently holds the record for the union's longest in history (though it seems that the 2023 strike may overpass it). This also affected "Saturday Night Live," cutting their 13th season short by several months, though the show eventually returned on time in the fall. 

Earlier in 2023, "Saturday Night Live" was under threat of being shut down due to labor disputes with their editing team. The show's 20-person editing staff nearly went on strike over a lack of pay increases, work benefits like health care and transportation, and overtime. Thankfully, NBC reached an agreement with the editors before the strike ever occurred, meaning the show didn't have to cancel any episodes, though that was quickly unavoidable once the Writers Guild of America couldn't reach a deal. 

Strikes aside, there have been many instances where "Saturday Night Live" has continued to air a new episode despite production issues. Notably, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring of 2020 and everybody was forced to stay home, the cast, writers, and editors banded together to produce three "SNL At Home" episodes. However, that's obviously not a viable solution given that, in 2023, actors and writers will not be working.

The show also faced a similar threat of cancellation with their 2021 Christmas episode featuring Paul Rudd's fifth time hosting, with musical guest Charli XCX. The cast was struck with an outbreak of the Omicron coronavirus variant, meaning that the show ended up airing with a limited cast and crew live. They aired pre-taped sketches from earlier in the week, as well as vintage "Saturday Night Live" sketches themed around Christmas, such as "A Holiday Wish from Steve Martin" and "Caleb and Monty." 

Sadly, this option would not be possible either, unless it was hosted by a non-SAG or WGA guild member, or perhaps a musical guest. Nevertheless, it's unlikely that "Saturday Night Live" will attempt to follow in the footsteps of Conan O'Brien during the 2007-2008 Writers Guild strike, continuing to air shows without any content planned. 

Hopefully, most fans of "Saturday Night Live" won't be sad that the show isn't airing, out of support of the writers and actors on strike. However, the cancellation of the rest of season 48 resulted in some lost opportunities for the episodes in May. The first would've seen the return of Pete Davidson as host, who departed from the cast at the end of season 47, to promote his Peacock series "Bupkis," alongside musical guest Lil Uzi Vert.

Though Davidson will likely get another shot to host at some point due to his closeness to the show, the same can't be guaranteed for the other two scheduled May hosts, who were revealed after the show went on hiatus. Kieran Culkin of "Succession" would've hosted for the second time with musical guest Labrinth, while the season finale would've been headlined by "The White Lotus" star Jennifer Coolidge, with The Foo Fighters supporting her. 

For Coolidge, at least, the "Saturday Night Live" invitation had been a long time coming. The actress alleged to have tried hard to join the cast when she was a younger actress, but it never came to fruition. 

Just because the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild are on strike doesn't mean that these writers and actors can't stop working outside of film and television. Many stars of the NBC sketch show have gone on live comedy tours during their downtime, including writing trio Please Don't Destroy (composed of Martin Herlihy, Ben Marshall, and John Higgins), James Austin Johnson, and Sarah Sherman. 

The Please Don't Destroy trio, while not actively able to promote it due to WGA and SAG strike rules, also have a film heading to Peacock: "Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain," which stars themselves, fellow "Saturday Night Live" cast member Bowen Yang, and former writer Conan O'Brien. The film is set to begin streaming on Peacock in November 2023, so potentially the Please Don't Destroy trio will get to promote it if the strike is over by then. 

Outside of stand-up comedy tours and upcoming releases, the cast and writers of "Saturday Night Live" have also been active on picket lines in New York City and Los Angeles. Yang, who appeared in New York City picket lines at the start of the WGA strike, told The Hollywood Reporter he was disheartened by studios' lack of cooperation with writers and actors, stating, "A lot of people in the industry are members of multiple guilds, and I think it's important that we show some solidarity as we can among the unions."

Given the frequency of appearances from the "Saturday Night Live" cast members and writers on the picket lines in New York and Los Angeles, there have been lots of opportunities for them to voice their opinions on why they feel the strike is important. Some have mentioned that they'd obviously rather be working on their dream job, with writer Celeste Yim saying during the first week of strikes, "I wish that I was at the office writing jokes for Pete Davidson where he plays, like, a big chicken or something ... But I can't be doing that. I have to be here," (via Vulture).

Former "Saturday Night Live" employees have also turned out for strikes, including former head writers Seth Meyers and Tina Fey. Prior to the beginning of the strike, Meyers addressed its likelihood on his talk show, "Late Night with Seth Meyers," stating "If you don't see me here next week, know that it is something that is not done lightly and that I will be heartbroken too and miss you all as well."

Though many are upset to be missing out on work by picketing, the consensus is that it's ultimately best for the overall health of the industry. Plus, it's given comedians and writers a great opportunity to flex the writing that studios aren't valuing with their customized picket signs. 

Assuming "Saturday Night Live" returns before the end of 2023, there are a lot of events in pop culture that they'll have to address from the time they were gone. Obviously, knowing the history of "Saturday Night Live," most of it will skew toward the show's political commentary. James Austin Johnson, who will likely be promoted to the main cast in Season 49, will probably get a lot of mileage through his portrayal of Donald Trump as the former president faces criminal justice for his involvement in the January 6th insurrection and efforts to fix the election in Georgia.

Elsewhere in pop culture, Elon Musk dominated the news cycle with his purchase of Twitter in October 2022, which has only gotten increasingly more ludicrous in recent months with the social media website's rebrand into "X." Sadly, "Saturday Night Live" might be too late to spoof the "Barbenheimer" trend, where moviegoers were flocking to theaters for an unlikely double feature of Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" and Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer," which released on the same day in July 2023.

Other pop culture topics "Saturday Night Live" might explore for potential episodes in 2023 include Taylor Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour (which many cast members have been spotted attending over the summer), the Congressional hearing on UFOs, as well as viral TV shows like "The Bear," "Black Mirror," and multiple "The Walking Dead" spin-offs. 

Season 47 of "Saturday Night Live" saw perhaps the biggest cast member exodus since the infamous firings and departures between Seasons 20 and 21 in 1995. The finale marked a departure for four big presences in the cast: Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, and Kyle Mooney, while later departures prior to the start of Season 48 included Alex Moffat, Chris Redd, Melissa Villaseñor, and featured player Aristotle Athari. 

Heading into Season 48, "Saturday Night Live" added on four new cast members who have all excelled in their appearances on the show: Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearny, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker, who each seem likely to stay for a potential Season 49. Sadly, the show faced another huge loss at the end of the year, with longtime cast member Cecily Strong saying farewell. Strong was sent off with the Christmas episode's host, Austin Butler, serenading her with "Blue Christmas" by Elvis Presley at the end of the show.

After confirming the additions of Hernandez, Kearny, Longfellow, and Walker to the cast, Lorne Michaels noted that Season 48 was going to be a transitional year for the show. At the 2022 Emmy Awards, Michaels told reporters, "There are new people, and things are changing, and a different generation comes into the show," (via PEOPLE). It's unknown if those changes will extend into Season 49, given that Season 48 was cut short by the strikes. 

Assuming that the 2023 strikes of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild are resolved quickly, there are lots of great possibilities for hosts to promote upcoming projects. Obviously, Pete Davidson, Kieran Culkin, and Jennifer Coolidge all deserve invitations to return, but "Saturday Night Live" might also prioritize hosts with more relevant upcoming projects. That could include returning hosts like Jason Momoa, to promote the upcoming "Aquaman" movie, or Saoirse Ronan for her indie sci-fi drama "Foe." 

There could also be hosts from films and TV shows who have already proven their "Saturday Night Live" cred, such as Ryan Gosling for "Barbie." The actor has made many strong appearances hosting, and would likely be warmly welcomed back.

Some celebrities may return to "Saturday Night Live" for Season 49 to join the Five-Timers Club. Emma Stone has had many successful hosting appearances in recent years, and is currently only one hosting gig away from earning her Five-Timers jacket. Plus, she has some upcoming projects to promote, including Yorgos Lanthimos' "Poor Things," as well as an upcoming Showtime series, "The Curse," with Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie. 

Similarly to celebrity hosts, musical guests often perform on "Saturday Night Live" to promote new music, whether it be a single or a full album. Season 48 saw some pretty high-profile musical acts appear under these conditions, including Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and Jonas Brothers. Many viewers have also clamored for more solo musicians and bands to appear on the show compared to singers and rappers, which Season 48 satisfied with the presence of acts like Willow, Steve Lacy, and The 1975.

When it comes to pop music in 2023, there are many performers who have already proven they can handle the pressure of "Saturday Night Live" from previous appearances. Olivia Rodrigo has one of the most highly-anticipated pop albums of the year, while Miley Cyrus' successful album "Endless Summer Vacation" likely gives her a lot of potential to return for another musical guest spot in the next season.

Of course, it's hard to think of a musician more dominant in 2023 than Taylor Swift, with her Eras Tour across the U.S. and her re-recorded albums "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" and "1989 (Taylor's Version)." The last time she appeared on "Saturday Night Live" was in 2021 to promote her re-recording of "Red," which included a show-stopping performance of "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)." Given the relevance of New York City to "1989," it makes sense that Swift might appear on the New York-based sketch show to promote it. 

The biggest question surrounding the possibility of "Saturday Night Live" premiering Season 49 doesn't even lie with this upcoming year. Every day, the show nears closer to its 50th anniversary, which will come in 2025 with its 50th season. The sketch show is known for throwing big celebrations for events like this, as we saw in 2015 for "SNL 40." The television special included retrospectives on the show's history, musical performances, and an after-party that no attendee will ever forget. 

As Lorne Michaels has suggested, there are plans in motion to top it for the 50th anniversary. In June 2023, Michaels revealed that their plans for "SNL 50" include an event at New York City's Radio City Music Hall featuring music and comedy that will be streamed live, stating, "It will be emotional, but everyone will show up because it's important," (via Deadline). 

It's unknown if the rest of Season 50 of "Saturday Night Live" will be any different, but it's safe to say that most of the current cast, including stars like Bowen Yang, Heidi Gardner, and James Austin Johnson, will likely be the faces of "Saturday Night Live" for its 50th year on air. But the question then becomes ... what comes next?

There have been lots of rumors swirling around the future of "Saturday Night Live" after its highly-anticipated 50th season. The show has had fluctuating ratings in recent years, though its online engagement remains strong, thanks to every sketch from the night being uploaded to YouTube and social media after it airs. However, commentary has continued as to whether or not it's time to put the show to bed.

For what it's worth, "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels seems to have no desire to slow down anytime soon. Though he previously implied he'd stay until the 50th anniversary, he reiterated in 2022 that he has no plans to retire, stating, "I'm not a big person for celebrating," (via The New York Times). However, long-time cast member Kenan Thompson thinks ending the show after its 50th anniversary might be a good idea, telling Vanity Fair, "50 is a good number to stop at."

In terms of the potential "Saturday Night Live" has to survive without Lorne Michaels, NBC might have a good replacement in mind. In 2023, rumors suggested that former head writer and cast member Tina Fey was being prepared to take over Michaels' role, though NBC denied it. Nevertheless, Fey returning to lead an NBC sketch series would bring things full circle, given that she played that exact role in her successful sitcom "30 Rock."