Despite (and perhaps partially because of) our humorless president’s disapproval of anything that brings joy and laughter to humanity, Saturday Night Live has been experiencing its most successful run in more than 20 years. As a way to capitalize on its newfound popularity, network executives unveiled surprising plans to broadcast the final four episodes of the 2017 season live to all time zones.
It’s the first time the New York-based late-night sketch comedy has done such a thing in its 42-year history, as the show typically airs at 11:30 p.m. local time in each zone. In a statement, NBC Entertainment’s chairman Robert Greenblatt said:
“SNL — enjoying its most popular season in two decades– is part of the national conversation, and we thought it would be a great idea to broadcast to the West and Mountain time zones live at the same time it’s being seen in the East and Central time zones. That way, everyone is in on the joke at the same time. Kudos to Lorne Michaels, the producers and cast for making SNL one of the most relevant and anticipated shows in the zeitgeist.”
For these nationwide live broadcasts, SNL has recruited four A-list hosts. Most notably, Sean “Spicy” Spicer herself, Melissa McCarthy will host the May 13th episode. Also confirmed are Jimmy Fallon (April 15th), Chris Pine (May 6th), and Dwayne Johnson (May 20th).
Each of the episode will air live at the following times:
11:30 PM Eastern
10:30 PM Central
9:30 PM Mountain
8:30 PM Pacific
