Posted in: NBC, Preview, TV, YouTube | Tagged: Austin Butler, lizzo, nbc, saturday night live, snl

Saturday Night Live: Lizzo Replaces Yeah Yeah Yeahs for 2022 Finale

With co-hosts Steve Martin & Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building) and musical guest Brandi Carlile currently live on our screens for the holiday episode, it looks like we have a change in next week's midseason finale of NBC's Saturday Night Live. While Austin Butler (Elvis) is still set to host, musical guest the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is no longer listed. Going into a commercial break, the brief promo now has Lizzo helping lead the show into the end of the year.

Steve Martin & Martin Short's "Saturday Night" Live Week

In the first on-stage promo, Short shows an appreciation for Martin's "top-shelf" cologne. Following that, Martin, Short & Strong stage an impromptu performance to audition to be Carlile's backup. Not a good move. Finally, Short explains that while there may be two hosts, the two are also triple threats. Though Martin's definition of "triple threat" wasn't quite what we were expecting…

And here's a look at a brief blooper reel from this week's promo:

Here's a look back at Martin & Short holding court during the read-thru (along with looks at the SNL cast):

In this week's midweek sketch, SNL cast member Michael Longfellow gets a chance to meet his comedy heroes… and in doing so, we see the secret behind Martin & Short's close working relationship. So with that in mind, here's a look at today's midweek sketch, and don't forget that December 17th's midseason finale brings host Austin Butler (Elvis) and musical guest the Yeah Yeah Yeahs:

And here's a look back at SNL's welcome video for Martin, Short & Carlile that kicked off the week (followed by a look back at some thoughts on the season and beyond from SNL creator Lorne Michaels):

NBC's SNL Season 48 includes Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson, Colin Jost, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Devon Walker, and Bowen Yang. Executive produced by Michaels, SNL is directed by Liz Patrick, with alum Darrell Hammond announcing. Based out of Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, the long-running late-night sketch comedy/music series is produced by SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video.

Lorne Michaels on SNL Season 48, SNL's Future & More

Speaking with The New York Times, Michaels addressed the casting changes, labeling the upcoming season as "a year of reinvention" that could lead to some "exhilarating" change. He also had some reassuring words for "Weekend Update" fans and teased what's in store for SNL's big 50th-anniversary celebration. Here are some of the highlights:

COVID-19 Fallout Resulted in Much Larger SNL Cast Than Usual: "The pandemic had put us in this position where no one could really leave because there were no jobs. And at the same time, if I don't add new people every year, then the show isn't the show. There have to be new people, for both our sake and also for the audience."

Michaels Believes Cast Departures are Good Things for SNL: "We got to a point where we had a lot of people, and people weren't getting enough playing time. The way the series has survived is by that level of renewal. The price of success is that people go off and do other things; their primary obligation is to their talent and to keep pushing that. And there's something so much better about the show when all that matters is the show. There's a time to say goodbye, and there's a natural time for it, but the natural time just got interfered with by the pandemic."

… Except with Colin Jost, Michael Che & "Weekend Update": "Particularly, coming into a midterm election, I just need that part ['Weekend Update' with Che & Jost] to be as solid as it is."

SNL's 50th Anniversary/Season? Think Big: "The 50th will be a big event. We'll bring everyone back from all 50 years and hosts and all of that. It will be a very emotional and very strong thing. There won't be as many plus-ones, I can tell you that much."

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