‘SNL’ Season 46 Will Premiere Live From Studio 8H on October 3

Saturday Night Live is finally returning to Studio 8H. As first reported by The New York Times, SNL Season 46 will begin on Saturday, October 3 with its first live episode since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March. NBC has yet to reveal a host or musical guest for the October 3 episode, but expect new details to emerge as the season premiere approaches.

SNL aired its last live episode on March 8 featuring James Bond star Daniel Craig. Just days later, as the NBC comedy was in the process of preparing for an upcoming show hosted by A Quiet Place II star John Krasinski, NBC shut down production to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, and staffers began working remotely. While other late night shows established live broadcasts relatively quickly, SNL instead aired three pre-taped episodes featuring comedy sketches produced from the cast and crew’s homes. The Season 45 finale aired on Saturday, May 9 but featured no host or musical guest.

NBC has offered few additional details about Saturday Night Live Season 46 beyond its October 3 premiere date and filming location. The network has not yet announced how many consecutive episodes will air, how many total episodes will be included in the season, or who fans should expect as hosts and musical guests. Additionally, SNL has yet to delineate its COVID-19 policy or reveal if the cast, crew, and guests will be expected to quarantine before live shows.

SNL‘s Season 46 premiere will come just a few weeks after the 2020 Emmy Awards, at which the comedy series will compete for a variety of different honors. In July, the series was nominated for 15 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Variety Sketch Series, Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Maya Rudolph (as Kamala Harris, an impression that will definitely make an appearance this fall), and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong.

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