Posted in: NBC, Preview, TV, YouTube | Tagged: arcade fire, benedict cumberbatch, nbc, preview, saturday night live, snl

Saturday Night Live S47 Cast Photo; Benedict Cumberbatch SNL Read-Thru

Kicking off what looks to be the first of the season's final three episodes before the summer break and next fall's Season 48 (I know, right), this weekend brings Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) back to NBC's Saturday Night Live to host, with Arcade Fire joining him as the musical guest. So after the official SNL "Welcome!" video and before Thursday's onstage promos, it's time to check in with the host to see how things are looking. But before we get to that, we have a look at the SNL cast photo that was released earlier today that really drives home the point (and a kick to the feels) that the season is ending.

Now here's a look at Cumberbatch in the middle of SNL read-thru from earlier this afternoon:

Here's a look back at the official intro video welcoming Cumberbatch & Arcade Fire to SNL Studio 8H:

During a tour behind-the-scenes of SNL's show night with CBS Mornings host Gayle King for his Kennedy Center honor before the end of the year, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels revealed that he had been thinking of retiring and thought it was a "really good time to leave." But first and foremost, his commitment is to see the show make it to that milestone. "I think I'm committed to doing this show until its 50th anniversary, which is in three years. I'd like to see that through, and I have a feeling that'd be a really good time to leave," Michaels explained.

"I won't want the show ever to be bad. I care too deeply about it. It's been my life's work. So I'm going to do everything I can to see it carry on and carry on well," he continued. And while Michaels was loathed to discuss details on something that wouldn't happen for three more years, he did admit when it comes to who would take on the role next that they had "a sense of where we're headed with that."

NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 47 cast includes Aidy Bryant, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney, Ego Nwodim, Chris Redd, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Melissa Villaseñor, and Bowen Yang; feature players include the returning Andrew Dismukes and Punkie Johnson, as well as new players Aristotle Athari (Future Man, All Rise), James Austin Johnson (Silicon Valley), and Sarah Sherman (The Eric Andre Show).

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