SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night

Matt Roush says...

So much talent. So many memories. As Saturday Night Live gears up for its three-hour prime-time blowout next month to commemorate the show’s 50th anniversary, a fascinating four-part docuseries executive produced by Oscar winner Morgan Neville goes behind the scenes to mark the highs and lows of the enduring sketch-comedy franchise. The first episodes are immediate grabbers, with past and present cast members recalling the nerve-wracking audition process (in some cases watching their own tapes), followed by a fly-on-the-wall chronicle of a week in the writers’ room as they prepare for one of last season’s shows. Another episode takes a deep dive into the iconic “more cowbell” sketch featuring Christopher Walken from 2000, and the finale relives the fraught 11th season, when creator Lorne Michaels returned after a five-year absence to oversee a new cast that never found its bearings. Essential viewing for SNL aficionados. (See the full review.)

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