Posted in: NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl

Saturday Night Live 50: Jean Smart, SNL Cast Check In From Read-Thru

Saturday Night Live host Jean Smart and the SNL cast check in from Wednesday night's read-thru ahead of this weekend's Season 50 kickoff.

With only days to go until host Jean Smart (Hacks) and musical guest Jelly Roll help the long-running late-night sketch comedy & music series to kick off its milestone 50th season, NBC's Saturday Night Live offered its first mid-week sketch of the season. In the clip above, Smart takes a walk down SNL memory lane through the hallways of Studios 8H as we see clips from previous seasons. And then we see more clips… and less of Smart. It doesn't take long before Smart realizes that SNL might be swimming a bit too much in a sea of nostalgia. Now, we're getting a chance to check out Smart and the SNL cast – including new featured players Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline – during Wednesday night's first official read-thru for Season 50.

After this upcoming weekend, we have Oct. 5th: Nate Bargatze / Coldplay; Oct. 12th: Ariana Grande / Stevie Nicks; Oct. 19th: Michael Keaton / Billie Eilish; Nov. 2nd: John Mulaney / Chappell Roan. Now, here's a look at Smart during Wednesday night's read-thru:

Saturday Night Live Season 50 & SNL EP Lorne Michaels

Back in May, the word went out regarding early plans to celebrate the milestone 50th season of Saturday Night Live. The network confirmed that there will be a "celebratory weekend" that wraps up on Sunday, February 16th (from 8-11 p.m. ET), with a live, primetime special. Now, thanks to an interview he had with The New York Times at the end of the most recent season, we're learning some additional details on what's ahead – and Michaels's thoughts on those rumblings about his retiring after Season 50.

Along with the primetime special on February 16th, music producer Mark Ronson and Michaels will produce a "homecoming" of sorts at Radio City Music Hall on the Friday of that weekend. In addition, it was noted that musician and producer Questlove (The Roots) is co-producing a documentary for the anniversary season spotlighting the impact that SNL had had on music and culture, and Morgan Neville (Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces, Won't You Be My Neighbor) is producing five documentaries focusing on both Michaels and the long-running late-night sketch comedy/music series. As for those rumblings that the 50th anniversary will also be his last hurrah, Michaels is basing that decision on how he's feeling and not committing to anything. "I'm going to do it as long as I feel I can do it," he shared. "But I rely on other people and always have."

Heading into Season 50, SNL said goodbye to Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney, and Chloe Troast – and hello to new featured players Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline. In addition, Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker were promoted to the main cast. The long-running late-night sketch comedy series is executive-produced by Lorne Michaels, with Liz Patrick directing and SNL alum Darrell Hammond announcing. Broadcasting from Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, Saturday Night Live is produced by SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video.

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