Yahoo Lifestyle ‘SNL’ First Episode from 1975 to Re-Air on NBC Ahead of 50th Anniversary Special
On Feb. 15, NBC will re-air the first-ever episode of “Saturday Night Live.” The telecast comes one day before the network’s three-hour special celebrating the show’s 50th anniversary.
Originally airing on Oct. 11, 1975, the episode was hosted by George Carlin with musical guests Billy Preston and Janice Ian. The original cast of the late night sketch show, which was then titled “NBC’s Saturday Night,” was known as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players and included Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman and Gilda Radner. The premiere episode also featured an appearance from Andy Kaufman and a sketch from Muppets creator Jim Henson.
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The 1975 telecast was the subject of Jason Reitman’s 2024 film “Saturday Night,” which starred Gabriel LaBelle as “SNL” executive producer Lorne Michaels and followed the chaotic 90 minutes before the show reached the air.
The re-airing of the premiere episode of “SNL” is part of the show’s larger 50th anniversary campaign. Leading up to “SNL50: The Anniversary Episode,” NBC has aired Thanksgiving and Christmas specials made up of the show’s most remembered holiday sketches as well as “Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music,” a documentary directed by Questlove, which will have an encore on the network directly after the 1975 re-air. A historical docuseries called “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” debuted on Peacock in January.
The anniversary special, airing on Feb. 16, will feature guests and musicians including Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Bad Bunny, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Kim Kardashian, Martin Short, Miley Cyrus, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Pedro Pascal, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson, Robert De Niro, Sabrina Carpenter, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks and Woody Harrelson.
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