Saturday night live is in the midst of a transition, as several key cast members have left the show and new cast members have been added since. Between seasons 47 and 48, the night institute saw eight actors leave for various reasons. Now, after a summer of great success, SNL creator Lorne Michaels talked about these departures and why collectively they are a good thing.
As fan favorites like Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon greet each other in the season 47 finale, SNL has experienced more notable starts, including those of Melissa Villaseñor and Alex Moffat. Recently, five-year veteran Chris Redd marked his departure with a sweet message for fans. While all of this can be overwhelming for viewers, Lorne Michaels isn’t as worried as he once was. Saturday night live Casting changes were on the way. The EP revealed to the NYT that losing cast members actually helps the show survive:
Yes, but we were also 23 or 24. We got to a point where we had a lot of people and people didn’t have enough time to play, the way the show survived is due to that level of renewal. The price of success is that people walk away and do something else; his main obligation is with his talent and keep promoting it. And there is something much better in the show when all that matters is the show. There is a time to say goodbye and there is a natural time to say goodbye, but the pandemic has just interfered with natural weather.
It seems Lorne Michaels knew some of the cast members were ready before the COVID-19 pandemic. The ordeal seemed to prevent these departures from taking place earlier. Since this is a television institution and they need to keep things fresh, SNL you have to keep refilling every few years to keep the machine running. And there’s no need to worry about the stars leaving, as Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson and Chris Redd have translated their time with the show into fruitful off-show projects.
Taking out key players would be difficult for any show, but SNL he is used to a change of scenery. These openings allowed Lorne Michaels to add four outstanding new players to an already confirmed group SNL Cast of Season 48. With that, the creator of the series talked about what the new cast members will add to the long-running series:
I think all four are great. They bring things we don’t have and complement the people we already have. In people like Kate and Aidy, we had superstars, and that’s only because you’ve met them over the years and then they’ve grown in stature. New people could last for years. These are not load-bearing walls. They are not yet what they will be, but at least half the fun of watching the show is watching people starting out and getting to know them.
Being a lead actor can be the gateway to comedy stardom, as viewers who connect with former students like Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant demonstrate. And if new players can grow, they can achieve the same level of success. However, as Lorne Michaels pointed out, that depends on the public’s reception of his progress. We will see how they work and if they can help the program progress.
With new faces including Devon Walker and Molly Kearney joining in the 2022-23 season, loved ones like Kenan Thompson and Bowen Yang are still on the schedule. Fans are also expecting stellar guests and musical guests for season 48, including Megan the Stallion and Brendan Gleeson. The last season of Saturday night live will start on October 1st with Top Gun: MaverickMiles Teller as a guest and Kendrick Lamar as a musical guest. It will premiere on NBC at 11:30 PM EST as part of the 2022 TV show. In the meantime, you can stream previous episodes of the show with a Peacock Premium subscription.
Source: Cinemablend
