The sketch comedy show is celebrating 50 seasons with two documentaries and an upcoming prime-time special that reflect on its standing as an American institution.

Beyond Saturday Night," former cast member Pete Davidson recalls wanting to leave "SNL" after his first season.

There are books — the best of which is still “ Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live ” — and countless movies, including a 2010 documentary and a 2024 feature, both titled “Saturday Night,” and a slew of comedies derived from popular “SNL” sketches, notably “The Blues Brothers” and “ Wayne’s World .”

Lorne Michaels gifts his Saturday Night Live archives to the UT Austin, offering researchers and fans unprecedented access to the show's history.

He’s ruled with absolute power for five decades, forever adding to his list of oracular pronouncements—about producing TV, making comedy, and living the good life.

After just one season of “Saturday Night Live,” Pete Davidson wanted out. In the new “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” docuseries, the comedian revealed that he asked series creator and showrunner Lorne Michaels to cut him loose.

"Everybody here is so talented and they don't want to be my friend," the comedian recalled telling the "Saturday Night Live" creator after his first season.

Pete Davidson says he felt like a failure at Saturday Night Live at the end of his first season as one of the youngest cast members in the show’s 50 year history. Davidson, who was just 20 when he joined the show in 2014,