Saturday Night Live Debuts: Comedy Rewritten

Live from New York, a revolution in American comedy arrived with almost no fanfare. NBC executives weren't even sure the show would last past its first season. When George Carlin stepped onto the stage of Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on October 11, 1975, he introduced what would become the longest-running entertainment program in American television history. The show's creator, Lorne Michaels, was a 30-year-old Canadian who envisioned something radically different from the polished variety shows dominating late-night television. He assembled a troupe of unknown young comedians — Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, and Garrett Morris — and branded them the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players." The premiere featured Carlin performing three stand-up segments, Andy Kaufman lip-syncing to the Mighty Mouse theme, and musical guests Janis Ian and Billy Preston. Jim Henson's Muppets also appeared in the early episodes. Saturday Night Live broke every convention of network television. Sketches didn't need neat endings. Political satire was sharp and unapologetic. The humor was aimed squarely at younger viewers who'd grown up on counterculture, not Vaudeville. The show's "Weekend Update" segment pioneered the fake news format decades before The Daily Show existed. The cultural impact proved enormous. SNL launched the careers of dozens of major comedy stars, from Eddie Murphy to Tina Fey to Will Ferrell. Its political impressions — from Chevy Chase's Gerald Ford to Tina Fey's Sarah Palin — became part of the national conversation. After more than 900 episodes spanning fifty seasons, the show Michaels built from nothing remains a Saturday night institution and a proving ground for American comedic talent.