Top 10 Crazy Facts About Working on SNL
#10: No Self Promotion
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If you’re hosting “Saturday Night Live,” you better not be stealing precious airtime! To be given the opportunity to host an episode of this historic series is an honor in itself, but don’t get too greedy. Lorne Michaels, the show’s executive producer, reportedly does not take kindly to guests who use SNL’s platform to advertise their own personal side projects. Typically, the only appropriate time to mention one’s other work would be during the opening monologue – but only if it’s scripted and approved. Otherwise, you may get the boot and be asked never to return!
#9: One Day Off
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Even though it’s “Saturday Night Live,” work still starts promptly on Monday! The entire cast and crew work some seriously long hours. It starts with a pitch meeting on Monday, then on Tuesday sketches are written, from morning until long into the night. Like any job, it’s especially crucial to be punctual– otherwise, the show may not go on! But on top of all of this long, challenging work, the cast and crew only get one full day to themselves – Sunday! Every other day of the week is dedicated to constructing the episode, rehearsing, and of course, going live on air!
#8: The Three Offer Rule
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Once you’re part of the “Saturday Night Live” family, your loyalties must lie with creator Lorne Michaels! Early on in the show’s history, cast members were strictly prohibited from taking other jobs or opportunities while under contract with SNL. Now, things are a little different– but still complicated! If someone from the cast is given a chance to have another show on NBC, they’re reportedly allowed to reject the first two offers, but must accept the third! Most of the other series that cast members appear on are produced by Broadway Video – Michaels’ production company!
#7: No Cursing!
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Go and wash your mouth out with soap– this is family friendly entertainment! Alright, it’s not that serious. But using swear words on air is never permitted by NBC, SNL, or Lorne Michaels. This rule extends beyond the show itself, and applies to pretty much any live television program. To be expected, plenty of cast members, hosts, and musical guests have broken this cardinal rule– whether on purpose or by mistake. These various f-bombs are edited out in post, but there’s nowhere to hide during that Saturday night broadcast!
#6: Last Minute Cuts
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Let’s speed it up, people! While the final performance is rehearsed all the way through many times, the show will still end up running a bit long at times. When does the cast and crew make note of the run time? During the Weekend Update, of course! At this point in the episode, the writing and production teams will put their minds together and figure out where to trim the fat of the rest of the show. Then, they must pass this information along to the cast members so they know what’s been eliminated from the remaining sketches.
#5: Small Elevators
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Only one at a time, please! “Saturday Night Live” is filmed in Studio 8H of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and while it’s a historic soundstage– it has some quirks! The elevators that bring the cast and crew up to the set are notably tiny, which causes some hiccups for the production team. For example, when there’s a need for a prop car in a sketch, it can’t be taken to the stage in one piece. It has to be disassembled and put back together once they make it up the lift.
#4: Sketch Odds
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To be successful on “Saturday Night Live,” you need talent, guts, and some pure luck! At the beginning of every production week, all of the cast and crew gather together in Lorne Michaels’ office to pitch their sketch ideas for that week’s episode. With all the hands on deck during that meeting, the chances of your idea getting chosen is very slim. Each week, up to 50 sketches are thought up and shared with the team– and only eight of those make it to the final cut. That’s showbusiness, baby!
#3: Breaking Mid-Scene
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Working on “Saturday Night Live” is a ‘try not to laugh challenge’ in its own right. Even though their jobs are to make the audience – and each other– laugh, it’s well understood on SNL that you shouldn’t be cracking up in the middle of your scene. Breaking character is unprofessional! However, some sketches get a bit more leeway. For example, John Mulaney would often write new lines for Bill Hader’s character Stefon on Weekend Update at the last minute - leading Hader to crack up as he spoke the lines for the first time. But if you’re supposed to blend into the background, and you’re laughing? That’s a no-no.
#2: The Oval Office
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The sets on SNL might be super realistic, but they’re not super sustainable! Most sketches written and performed require some elaborate world building on the famous soundstage to make their ideas come to life. But unfortunately, most of these backdrops are demolished once “Saturday Night Live” no longer needs them– even if there are pieces that could potentially be reused. The only constant set that will never be thrown away is the Oval Office– which has been used countless times across the seasons, and for various United States presidents!
#1: Improv Free Zone
It’s pretty ironic that the skill that likely got the cast hired is a no-go once they hit the air! Lorne Michaels has a hard and fast rule about making stuff up on the spot during an episode of SNL – the rule is, don’t do it. While most of the cast is professionally trained in improvisation, “Saturday Night Live” is a well oiled– and scripted– machine, and one surprise quip or joke could totally derail a sketch. That’s especially true if an unplanned moment comes from a guest host, who generally has less technical comedy training.
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