‘Saturday Night Live’ Premiere Promo Features 8 Departed Cast Members (VIDEO)

Saturday Night Live dropped its first promo for the upcoming season, and if you didn’t know any better, you might think it was a promo for last season.

That’s because the long-running NBC sketch comedy series lost eight cast members between last season and this season, hinting at a total overhaul for the show.

But oddly enough, for the promo, all eight departing cast members are featured in the teaser for the upcoming season.

See the promo below:

#SNLPremiere THIS SATURDAY @Miles_Teller hosts with musical guest @kendricklamar! pic.twitter.com/5cKjYxKNdd

— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) September 27, 2022

In the promo, the famous “And live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” line that the cast always says at the end of the first sketch is heard over three different clips from opening sketches of the past. One from an NFL sketch, one from the Halloween episode, one from the Easter episode, and a final clip from the Christmas episode. Then it switches to the music of Kendrick Lamar (who will be the musical guest for the premiere) as it advertises Lamar and Miles Teller as the stars of the premiere episode.

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'SNL': Miles Teller to Host Premiere, Megan Thee Stallion & More Also on Board for Season 48

During the final episode last season, it was known that Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson would be leaving the cast. McKinnon reprised her beloved alien abduction character in a moving goodbye, Bryant gave a hilarious final performance of her popular Trend Forecasters duo with Bowen Yang, and Davidson returned to the weekend update desk where he first made his debut on the show.

In recent weeks, it was announced that Chris Redd, Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, and Aristotle Athari are also leaving.

The struggle will be real this season as the show attempts to find its footing and grow a new crop of stars, but if any show is resilient, it’s SNL. The series has undergone similar mass overhauls in the past — and it has always made way for a new generation of comics to take over.

Saturday Night Live, Season 48 Premiere, Saturday, Oct. 1, 11:30/10:30c, NBC