Saturday Night Live has been celebrating its 50th anniversary since its current season kicked off in September, but now that we’re in 2025, the appreciation of its original 1975 premiere is really shifting into overdrive. In addition to a live, three-hour special in February, the series has already announced a documentary about SNL's musical history. Last month, Peacock announced a four-part docuseries, Beyond Saturday Night, about the sketch comedy’s writing and history, and that series just got a first trailer this morning.
This first clip, admittedly, leans a bit sentimental and a bit clichéd. “There was nothing like it!” Julia Louis-Dreyfus tells us of the series. “SNL was the biggest show ever!” another voiceover says. We learned last month that the four episodes will focus on four different elements of the show—auditions, writing, the Cowbell Sketch, and the maligned 10th season—and there are peeks of all of them here. You’ve got Al Franken, Paula Pell, and Sarah Silverman saying the SNL writers deserve more recognition! You’ve got Andy Samberg admitting he threw up after his first audition, and Tina Fey recalling that the show “is built on competition” and apparently using the term “authentic self.” Bobby Moynihan cries, and Amy Poehler gets close to tears, if she’s not actually full-body cringing. What more could you want?
All in all, there are more than 60 contributors to Beyond Saturday Night. All four episodes hit Peacock on January 16.
