‘SNL’ Returns This Week With New Material After Monthlong Hiatus

Topline: Saturday Night Live will be back with a new episode on April 11, 2020, after halting production due to coronavirus, as late-night comedy adapts to the new normal.

• Saturday’s episode, which will air at its normal 11:30 p.m. EDT time slot, will feature original content produced remotely by the show’s cast.
• It will also feature a new edition of Weekend Update.
• SNL, which is filmed in front of a live audience, halted production in March, when it was on a scheduled hiatus, and was originally supposed to return on March 28, 2020.
• NBC did not indicate if production would resume beyond Saturday’s episode.
• Like the rest of the country, the cast is not above using Zoom to get work done.

Key background: This is the latest indicator that late-night comedy is acclimating to the realities of the pandemic. With both their audiences and staffers stuck at home, hosts like The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert and The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah have been broadcasting from their living rooms remotely hosting guests like Senator Bernie Sanders and Jennifer Garner. Jimmy Fallon’s daughters have become late-night stars in their own right.

Tangent: The SNL cast has not been spared the virus’ wrath. Tuesday, Weekend Update cohost Michael Che announced that his grandmother had died from COVID-19. “I’m obviously very hurt and angry that she had to go through all that pain alone,” he said.

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