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

SNL Pregame Preview: Season 52 Who's Who, Week in Review & More!

With New York Knicks champ & NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson and KATSEYE helping kick off Season 52 TONIGHT, here's our "SNL Pregame Preview."

NBC's Saturday Night Live is back! Tonight, New York Knicks champ & NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson and KATSEYE help the SNL crew kick off its 52nd season – and we have an "SNL Pregame Preview" for you to check out. First up, we have an updated rundown of the show's cast, writing teams, and more for the season. Following that, we have a look back at the past week, who's on tap for a number of upcoming shows, the best of what Season 51 had to offer, and more (including a new behind-the-scenes look with the members of KATSEYE):

SNL Season 52 Main Players: Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Marcello Hernández, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Ashley Padilla, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, and Jane Wickline.

SNL Season 52 Featured Players: Saidah Belo-Osagie, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, Grace Reiter, and Veronika Slowikowska.

SNL Season 52 Head Writers: Alison Gates, Erik Kenward, Streeter Seidell, and Kent Sublette.

SNL Season 52 Senior Writer: Bryan Tucker

SNL Season 52 Supervising Writers: Dan Bulla, Jake Nordwind, and Will Stephen.

SNL Season 52 Writers: Bam Alston, Jack Bensinger, Michael Che, Mike DiCenzo, Tucker Flodman, Jimmy Fowlie, Maxwell Gay, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Allie Levitan, Claire McFadden, Lorne Michaels, Ceara O'Sullivan, Moss Perricone, Chase Rosenberg, Jo Sunday, Carl Tart, Asha Ward, and Maddie Wiener.

SNL Season 52 "Weekend Update" Head Writer: Pete Schultz

SNL Season 52 "Weekend Update" Writers & Producers: Megan Callahan-Shah, Dennis McNicholas, Josh Patten, KC Shornima, and Scott Weinstein.

SNL Season 52 Head of Talent Department: Keri Powers, who was promoted to lead the team responsible for host, musical guest, and guest star bookings.

SNL Season 52 Producer: Rebecca Schwartz, who was promoted for her efforts in supporting the show's cast and production team.

During the first midweek sketch of the season (above), Brunson showed Marshall (who had an odd tattoo request) his ceremonial key to NYC, which he received after the Knicks' big win. But for Brunson, there's only one door he needs that key to open. But getting into Studio 8H may not be as easy as it seems – or maybe it is? And here's a chance to check out Brunson, new featured players Belo-Osagie and Reiter, and the rest of the SNL team during Wednesday's first read-thru for the season:

On Thursday, Brunson and KATSEYE were joined by none other than Hernandez for the season's first on-stage promos. In the first, Hernandez shows some love and respect for a great season – just not to whom you would think. Following that, Brunson shows off his comedic range to Hernandez. And finally, the members of KATSEYE have Brunson's back when it comes to being dialed in for the big show – well, almost all of them.

Here's a rundown of the first four shows: Sept. 26th: Jalen Brunson & KATSEYE; Oct. 3rd: Dakota Johnson & Turnstile; Oct. 10th: Shane Gillis & Rosalía; Oct. 31st: Inde Navarrette & Gracie Abrams. Brunson will host for the first time for the 52nd season premiere. KATSEYE will make their debut as musical guests. Johnson will return as host for the third time, while Turnstile will perform as musical guests for the first time. Gillis will make his third show, with Rosalía taking the stage for the second time as musical guest. Following a two-week break, SNL will return on Oct. 31st with Navarrette making her hosting debut. Abrams will make her second appearance as musical guest.

Over the summer, SNL released its Season 51 "Top 5" lists: most-watched cold opens, most-watched monologues, most-watched live sketches, most-watched pretaped sketches, and most-watched "Weekend Update" features. The lists were compiled by looking at how each sketch performed across the show's digital platforms. Here's a look at the "Top 5" compilation videos that were released, along with an extended list offering a look at the 10 top sketches/segments for each category:

Top 10 Most-Watched Cold Opens:

• 10. NYC Mayoral Debate Cold Open
• 9. Jeffrey Epstein Ghost Cold Open
• 8. Trump Making Calls Cold Open
• 7. Trump Iran War Address Cold Open
• 6. Pete Hegseth Cold Open
• 5. Cabinet Meeting Cold Open
• 4. Epstein White House Briefing Cold Open
• 3. Hegseth and Patel Iran Press Briefing Cold Open
• 2. Pentagon Press Conference Cold Open
• 1. Domingo Cold Open

Top 10 Most-Watched Monologues:

• 10. Will Ferrell Monologue
• 9. Nikki Glaser Monologue
• 8. Matt Damon Monologue
• 7. Harry Styles Monologue
• 6. Connor Storrie Monologue
• 5. Jack Black Monologue
• 4. Bad Bunny Monologue
• 3. Sabrina Carpenter Monologue
• 2. Finn Wolfhard Monologue
• 1. Olivia Rodrigo Monologue

Top 10 Most-Watched Live Sketches:

• 10. Shop TV: Lava Cake
• 9. Mom Confession
• 8. Elf on the Shelf Support Group
• 7. Sebastian Maniscalco: Bachelor Party
• 6. KPop Demon Hunters
• 5. My Ex
• 4. Sebastian Maniscalco: New Lawyer
• 3. Passing Notes
• 2. Dancing 101
• 1. El Chavo Del Ocho

Top 10 Most-Watched Pretaped Sketches:

• 10. Random Duet Christmas Spectacular
• 9. CPAP Commercial
• 8. Plans
• 7. The Gentlemen's Code
• 6. MAHAspital
• 5. White House Makeover
• 4. Missing Wives Docuseries
• 3. Stranger Things Promo
• 2. Home Alone
• 1. Heated Wizardry

Top 10 Most-Watched Weekend Update Features:

• 10. Tucker Carlson on Liberal Politics and the 2026 Met Gala
• 9. Alix Earle and Alex Cooper on Their Brewing Feud
• 8. Michael Che's Nephew Threatens Santa
• 7. Jack Harlow on His New Album
• 6. Professor Snape Addresses New Spin on Harry Potter Role
• 5. Red Heart and Aerial Tramway Emojis on Apple's New Emojis Release
• 4. Tucker Carlson on Liberal Politics and the 2026 Oscars
• 3. Two Kids from the Back of the Bus
• 2. Punch the Monkey and His Mom
• 1. Tamara on Her Resolutions on Buttons

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