NBC is bringing a late-night institution to primetime with a four-episode order for Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update, which joins the schedule starting Thursday, Aug. 10 at 9 p.m. The half-hour telecast will feature Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che. Additional Saturday Night Live cast members will also make appearances. Here's what Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment, had to say in a statement about the new series.
"SNL is having its best season in a quarter of a century. How many shows can say that?! So we didn't want them to take the summer off. We're thrilled to have Colin Jost and Michael Che continuing their unique brand of news with fresh Weekend Update shows in primetime this August."
Weekend Update, which comments on and satirizes the news and current affairs of the week, has consistently ranked as one of the most popular segments of NBC's Saturday Night Live throughout the show's storied 42-year history. Previous "Weekend Update" anchors include Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Dennis Miller, Norm Macdonald, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers.
So far this season, Saturday Night Live originals are averaging a 3.57 rating in adults 18-49 and 11.022 million viewers overall in "live plus seven day" averages from Nielsen Media Research. This makes it SNL's top-rated season at this point in eight years in 18-49 (since 2008-09) and most-watched season in 24 years (since 1992-93). Versus year-ago averages, SNL is up +21% in adult 18-49 rating (3.57 vs. 2.94) and up 2.2 million persons or +26% in total viewers with 11.022 million.
SNL has won 53 Emmy Awards, the most for any show in television history. SNL also holds the title for the most nominated television show in Emmy history with 219 nominations. SNL has been honored twice, in 1990 and 2009, with the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and cited as "truly a national institution." Saturday Night Live was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame by the National Association of Broadcasters. Saturday Night Live will go on another brief hiatus for the next three weeks, returning with an all new episode on April 8, hosted by Louis C.K. with musical guest The Chainsmokers.