“Saturday Night Live” is looking to wrap up its current season with a bang.
While everyone is wondering how they will use Alec Baldwin as President Donald Trump next, the show has some exciting news. For the first time ever, the sketch comedy show will air live in North America at the same time. Its west coast broadcast in the U.S. is generally pre-taped.
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According to Robert Greenblatt, the chairman of NBC Entertainment, the decision is only natural. “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,” he said to The Hollywood Reporter.
“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,” Greenblatt continued.
In addition to that, the final four hosts of the show’s current season have been announced. Jimmy Fallon is set to host on April 15, Chris Pine on May 6, Melissa McCarthy on May 13 and Dwayne Johnson on May 20.
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This news comes after the announcement that the show’s news segment, “Weekend Update” will be heading to primetime this summer for four weeks.
“Saturday Night Live” has had a record-breaking season. When Alec Baldwin hosted the show in February, it brought in the best ratings the show has seen in six years.
SNL airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT on Global.
