‘Saturday Night Live’ Debuted as ‘Saturday Night’ 50 Years Ago: What Did Critics Say?

If you watched last year’s biopic Saturday Night, you already know the backstory behind Saturday Night Live’s debut. On October 11, 1975, the sketch-comedy show debuted under the name Saturday Night, with Lorne Michaels, then just 30 years old, shepherding the Not Ready for Primetime Players onto NBC airwaves.

Those players were Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner, George Coe, and Michael O’Donoghue. Stand-up comedian George Carlin hosted the first episode, folk singer Janis Ian and soul keyboardist Billy Preston were the musical guests, Albert Brooks shared a short film, and Jim Henson provided a Muppets sketch.