Saturday Night Live is back to provide some much-needed laughs during these dark times.
Tonight, the SNL cast is presenting a special At Home edition that was produced entirely remotely. The sketch show announced the episode earlier this week, confirming it would include the fan-favorite Weekend Update segment along with "other original content from SNL cast members," according to the New York Times.
Because NBC has kept details to a minimum, fans had many questions about tonight's broadcast: Will it feature a musical guest? Will the skits be live, pre-recorded, or a combination of both? And, perhaps the biggest question of all, will SNL At Home be a series one-off or a format we will see throughout the rest of the season? You can watch the episode now on NBC, the NBC app or the NBC website, as well as streaming platforms such as Hulu Live TV, YouTube Live TV, and Sling.
Tom Hanks opened the show as tonight's host to give an update on his current health condition while doing his best to do an opening monologue without an audience.
“Hey, it's good to be here, though it is also very weird to be here hosting Saturday Night Live from home,” Hanks said. “It is a strange time to try to be funny, but trying to be funny is SNL’s whole thing, so we thought, what the heck, let's give it a shot!”
“But, why me as host?” he asked. “Well, for one, I have been the celebrity canary in the coal mine for the coronavirus and ever since being diagnosed I have been more like America's dad than ever before... since no one wants to be around me very long and I make people uncomfortable.”
SNL season 45 was suspended last month over coronavirus concerns. The last episode aired on March 7 with host Daniel Craig and musical guest The Weeknd. Nearly two weeks before SNL was set to return on March 28, NBC told the Timesthe series would "not resume production until further notice ... We will monitor the situation closely and make decisions about future shows on an ongoing basis as further information develops."
