Saturday Nighttells the true story of what happened on the first episode ofSaturday Night Live, providing a re-enactment of the beginning of the long-running series.NBC launched the first season ofNBC’s Saturday Nightin 1975after Dick Ebersol hired Lorne Michaels to create a new piece of late-night programming. The importance and legacy of the sketch comedy show grew in the decades that followed, with it becoming a place where many famous comedians, such as Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, and Adam Sandler, became breakout stars.
While multipleSaturday Night Liveskits became moviesover the years, it took until 2024 for a movie to be made specifically about the show itself. Directed by Jason Reitman,Saturday Nighttackles the true story of the show’s origin, bringing in a cast of young, rising stars to play some ofSNL’s most important cast members, creators, and more. The movie is about the 90 minutes leading up to the debut ofSaturday Night Live’s first episode, making the film responsible for telling the true story and events as accurately as possible.
Saturday Night Is Based On The True Story Of SNL’s First Episode
The Debut Came On July 24, 2025
The true story thatSaturday Nightrevolves around are the events that occurred on July 14, 2025. This is the night that the first episode of the show that became known asSaturday Night Liveaired on NBC.At the time, it was known asNBC’s Saturday Nightbecause ABC already hadSaturday Night Live with Howard Cosellon the air. NBC’s need forSaturday Night Livecame from Johnny Carson’s request to not do live shows on a few weeknights and the company no longer wanting to air re-runs of earlier episodes ofThe Tonight Showin those slots.
SNL: The 30 Best Skits Of All Time, Ranked
Saturday Night Live has been on the air since 1975, with lots of iconic sketches over the decades. Here are some of the best SNL skits of all time.
The original goal forNBC’s Saturday Nightwas to be a 90-minute variety show for late-night audiences, andLorne Michaels worked on its development during the mid-1970s. The show was finally ready to go in 1975 after assembling a cast of young comedians, who became known as The Not Ready for Prime Time Players, and a talented writers room. AlthoughSaturday Night Liveevolved into becoming a full sketch show with one celebrity host participating in the sketches and a musical guest, the show originally was more divided between the host’s abilities, sketches, and musical performances.
Who Was Part Of SNL’s First Episode In 1975
The First Cast Members & Guests
The first episode ofSaturday Night Liveincluded the core cast members who would mostly be around for the entire first season or beyond. The Not Ready for Prime Time Players included Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner, George Coe, and Michael O’Donoghue at the start. Coe did not return after the first episode.There were also a number of uncredited cameosfrom Richard Belzer, Tom Davis, Audrey Peart Dickman, Al Franken, Neil Levy, Don Pardo, Tom Schiller, Paul Simon, Akira Yoshimura, Alan Zweibel, Jaqueline Carlin, Wendell Craig, and Clifford Einstein.
Gilda Radner
Ella Hunt
There were also several other individuals involved inSaturday Night’s first episode who were not part of the mainSaturday Nightcast members. Comedian George Carlin was the host, while Billy Preston and Janis Ian were the musical guests. Comedians Valri Bromfield and Andy Kaufman also appeared to do solo sketches and routines.Billy Crystal was originally scheduled to have a setas well, but his was cut from the live show.
What Sketches Were Done On SNL’s First Episode
An Iconic Sketch Began
Saturday Night’s first episode was very different from what the show became, as the sketch comedy was split up by different comedic and musical performances. There were still a few typical sketches that were done. O’Donaghue and Belushi did the cold open calledThe Wolverines. Sketches known asNew Dad,Trial,Victims of Shark Bite,Jamitol,Triopenin,Bee Hospital,Academy of Better Careers,Home Securities, andTriple Tracwere all included.Jim Henson and The Muppets even contributedby doingThe Land of Gorch. Pre-recorded sketches with Albert Brooks and one calledShow Us Your Gunsalso were aired.
The most notable of the sketches included in the first episode ofNBC’s Saturday Nightis the first edition ofWeekend Update. Chevy Chase and Herb Sargent were responsible for creating it. Chevy Chase was theWeekend Updateanchorfor the entire first season and a few in season 2. The segment became a staple of the show, appearing in every single episode ofSaturday Night Livesince then.
Did NBC Want Lorne Michaels & Saturday Night Live To Fail?
The Movie Suggests So
One plot point inSaturday Nightis the suggestion that NBC wanted Lorne Michaels andSaturday Night Liveto fail. Although the movie chronicles the true story ofSNL’s origins,there is no evidence to suggest that the studio wanted Lorne Michaels' show to be anything other than a success. NBC neededSaturday Night Liveto fill a big hole in its programming schedule after Johnny Carson’s request.
While giving a relatively unproven producer and cast of unknowns the responsibility of replacing a time slot Carson occupied was certainly a risk, the suggestion that NBC was secretly rooting against the show’s success is just for narrative purposes. It gives Lorne Michaels and the entire success ofSaturday Night Livea bit more of an underdog success story feeling. That said, NBC probably did have some doubts about the show’s long-term viability and did not think it would run for half a century and spawn a movie likeSaturday Night.
How Accurate Saturday Night Is To The True Story
The film takes a lot of creative liberties with the true story
WhileSaturday Nightdoes capture an authentic sense of the chaotic energy leading up to the premiere of the first episode ofSaturday Night Live, the film does alter several true story details and even creates completely new scenes that never happened. Scenes such asJohn Belushi ice skating at Rockefeller Centers twenty minutes before the firstSNLepisodewent live inSaturday Night’s ending,
Milton Berle flashing Chevy Chase after hitting on his fiancée Jacqueline Carlin, Johnny Carson’s intimidating phone call to Lorne Michaels, and host George Carlin getting lockjaw from doing too much cocaine never actually occurred. There were also several true and somewhat accurate moments inSaturday Nightwhose timing and emphasis were altered in order to fit into the film.Chevy Chase got into a fight backstage with Bill Murray, not John Belushi, during season 3 ofSNL, although Belushi was said to have instigated the confrontation.
Lorne Michaels had considered hosting the Weekend Update segment at one point in the show’s development, but it was established beforehand that Chase would anchor the classic sketch. The set designers were laying brick on the set hours, not minutes, before the firstSaturday Nightpremiered. Michaels did hire writer Alan Zweibel after meeting him at a bar, but not on the night of theSaturday Nightpremiere covered in prop blood.
What The Original SNL Cast Has Said About Saturday Night
Dan Aykroyd Loved It, But Chevy Chase Hated It
The reaction toSaturday Nightwas mixed from the surviving original cast members. The filmmakers should be credited for going to the source to get the information, making Lorne Michaels their first contact. However, at the same time, they had to make some changes to ensure that the movie was entertaining, including adding things that happened later in history to the day of the premiere. This caused some people to praise it and others to criticize it. Dan Aykroyd praised the movie, calling it a “stand-alone masterpiece” (viaThe Hollywood Reporter).
“Cracking a Head to applaud Jason Reitman’s triumphantSNLfilm. Wow! What a propulsive, engaging, funny, beautifully cast and acted, suspenseful, adventurous, music-filled ride. A perfect window into the creative process at its highest level. Pretty accurate too.”
However, one of Aykroyd’s former cast members was not as kind. Chevy Chase was not entertained bySaturday Nightand told director Jason Reitman as much (viaEntertainment Weekly). “Chevy loves to say the thing you’re not supposed to say — to the extreme,” Reitman said. “Chevy comes in to watch the movie, and he is there with [his wife] Jayni, and they watch the film, and he’s in the group, and he comes up to me after, and he pats me on the shoulder and goes, ‘Well, you should be embarrassed.'”
Saturday Night
Cast
Saturday Night (2024) is a forthcoming film with an undisclosed director. The movie centers on the vibrant nightlife of a bustling city, capturing the intertwining lives and stories of a diverse ensemble cast navigating personal and social challenges over the course of a single evening.
