Report: Behind ‘Saturday Night Live’ in the room where it happens
The controlled chaos backstage at “Saturday Night Live” — and the legendary television moments born from this frenzied yet composed shuffle of celebrities, sets, and scripts — is rarely seen in person, so let’s take a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of what you don’t see watching the show from home.
Once Upon a Saturday Night…
The President of the United States sits at his desk in the Oval Office. He speaks directly into a camera, addressing the nation.
On the other side of the camera, in the room with the President, a small group of people watch attentively. They’re waiting for the part where they’ll be expected to respond to the President’s remarks. As the President seems to wrap up his presentation, the door to his office opens, and in comes the President’s closest confidante: Christopher Walken.
This isn’t the real Oval Office, but rather a recreated set in Studio 8H within Rockefeller Center. That isn’t the President; it’s actor Mikey Day debuting his take on Biden. The people gathered in the room aren’t press members waiting to ask questions, but audience members anticipating their moment to laugh or applaud.
This isn’t the nation’s capital at all, but it might be television’s. Live from New York, it’s Saturday night.
I’ve had the thrill of being in the “Saturday Night Live” audience twice: once via the “SNL” standby line and a second time through the “SNL” lottery (in a previous story, I wrote about the “SNL” ticketing process). During my first visit, I saw the live show; the next time, I saw the dress rehearsal.
As a former broadcasting major and longtime student of comedy, watching the well-oiled “SNL” backstage magic unfold before my eyes was as entertaining as the show itself. Following are a few of my favorite behind-the-scenes observations.
Attractions Magazine did not receive any special access to “SNL.” The story below reflects the same experience anyone can have, detached from press affiliation.
The Crucial Role of the Audience
“Saturday Night Live” performs in front of a live studio audience, and the crowd isn’t just there for ceremonious tradition. As the cast members bring their energy and comedic talents to each sketch, the audience’s response — through laughter, applause, or other instant reactions — swings right back to the performers and elevates the show.
Of course, this principle is true of pretty much any live performance anywhere. Here, though, this flow of comedic responsibility sets a barometer for the broadcast of one of America’s most established television institutions. Viewers watching at home can hear the studio audience’s response at all times (even during pre-recorded segments as the audience watches them in real time).
At “SNL,” there’s no canned laugh track, and there’s no do-over. The audience either laughs, or they don’t. When a joke lands, the live audience’s laughter can be infectious to the viewer at home. Conversely, when a sketch doesn’t connect, the lack of response is just as palpable as a hit.
The audience for the dress rehearsal has another part to play, even if they don’t realize it: They have a hand in deciding which sketches make it to the live show (more on this later).
There’s a Pre-Show Only the Live Audience Sees
The “Saturday Night Live” cast and crew ensures Studio 8H feels alive from the moment guests enter the space, even before the broadcast begins. Again, setting a high-energy atmosphere within the studio is a priority. There’s a premium placed on cultivating an intentional experience for the live audience, even if these efforts will never be seen on television.
As audience members file into the studio, the house band is already in full swing. Soon, “Weekend Update” co-anchor and “SNL” co-head writer Michael Che takes to the stage for a few minutes of stand-up comedy.
Before long, the band starts up again, this time joined by cast members Kenan Thompson, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, and Ego Nwodim. The quartet, dressed to the nines, performs “Gimme Some Lovin’,” a song originally recorded by The Spencer Davis Group in the ’60s. At this point, with ample supply of showmanship on display, the reality of the experience starts to settle in for those in the studio audience: This is going to be special.
Sharp listeners at home may notice each “SNL” broadcast begins with the sound of the audience laughing. Since the show hasn’t started yet, I always wondered what they were laughing at. Turns out, a crew member counts down the seconds until the broadcast feed is on the air. They say the final numbers in a funny-sounding voice that elicits a mild chuckle from the crowd at the exact moment NBC picks up the broadcast. The more you know!
Yes, the Entire Show is Really Hand-Written on Cue Cards
Cast members recite their lines during sketches by reading cue cards that crew members hold off-camera. I knew cue cards were part of the “Saturday Night Live” process, but until being in the audience, I didn’t realize how significant they were.
Several crew members hold multiple sets of cue cards for every sketch. Each card-holder stands in a different spot off-camera, so that no matter where an actor is positioned within the set, at least one set of cards is in their viewpoint at all times. These are full-size poster boards, each with about a paragraph of text and color-coded for specific each member.
Considering the quantity of sketches, the multiple sets of cards, and on-the-fly changes, the “SNL” cue cards command a massive operation.
After Dress Rehearsal, Jokes are Rewritten and Sketches are Cut for Time
The live studio audience not only provides a real-time reaction to the sketches of “Saturday Night Live,” but in some cases can determine which sketches the rest of the world sees, and which ones get cut. Sketches get cut due to audience response, time constraints, technical difficulties, or preferences of the host.
I watched the live show on TV after seeing the dress rehearsal in person earlier the same night. The dress rehearsal I attended was roughly half an hour longer than that evening’s live show. In total, I saw three live sketches and one pre-recorded sketch in the dress rehearsal that did not appear on air later.
One of the cut sketches relied heavily on a character using a TV. During the dress rehearsal, the TV malfunctioned and the start of the sketch was paused until the production crew could swap out the screen (the makeshift solution pictured above). Perhaps the risk of the issue persisting was too great of a chance to take for the live show. Maybe the time constraints just didn’t have room for everything, and something had to go. In any case, the sketch was later posted to the “SNL” YouTube channel, as cut sketches sometimes are.
I also noticed that even if a sketch made it the live show, none of them were identical to what I had seen the dress rehearsal. Some sketches were presented in a different order than before. Some had new jokes. Others removed entire characters from their premises. One joke was cut from my dress rehearsal’s “Weekend Update,” but was resurrected for the following week’s live show.
A Lot Happens During Commercial Breaks
Watching “Saturday Night Live” from home, you may notice — if the camera lingers long enough after a sketch concludes — a production member scurry into frame, grab the host’s hand, and hurriedly rush them away (shown below, approaching host Adam Driver).
A commercial break is terrifyingly short. It’s the responsibility of one crew member to know the host’s flow of the evening from sketch to sketch and escort them where they need to be for costume changes, fast.
While this happens, cast members may also have quick costume changes backstage. Meanwhile, crew members switch out fully-built sets, maneuvering around the audience as they do so (sometimes in the dark, if a pre-recorded segment is playing, such as a video starring Please Don’t Destroy).
For as chaotic as this all seems on paper — and given the remarkable feat of the entire show being put together in mere days, starting from nothing each Monday — I was surprised at how controlled these transitioned seemed. The production team occasionally speaks with urgency about a set piece or a prop here or there, but overall the cast and crew exhibit impressive composure given the high pressure of the tasks at hand.
All the while, a man with silver hair and wearing a suit and tie paces the floor slowly. Though you’d be forgiven for assuming he’s part of a security team, that’s Lorne Michaels, the head honcho here for nearly 50 years and one of the most influential stewards of modern comedy.
During most commercial breaks, the house band performs jazz, helping maintain the flow of the energy in the room. From what I could tell, the entire band remains in their spots (visible behind the host during the monologue, but otherwise not seen again on-air) for the entire episode.
Cast and Crew Optimize the Limited Space of Studio 8H
For as high-profile as “Saturday Night Live” is, I think many people assume the live audience is massive. This is New York, after all, home of famous theaters and venues that regularly accommodate thousands of people. Defying expectations, Studio 8H only has 285 seats across less than 4,000 square feet of space.
The result is an audience size that feels surprisingly personal given the caliber of talent on display.
The crew leverages the space limitations to great effect. If a sketch requires a particularly large set, it likely takes place in the main stage area, the same place where the host delivers the monologue at the beginning of the show. For smaller sketches, any space in Studio 8H that can be used, will be used. Cast members perform sketches all over, sometimes behind or even under audience seating areas. Though this sometimes leads to obstructed viewing, it conversely means no matter where an audience member is sitting, they’re likely to have a prime view for a sketch at some point.
Elsewhere, small details throughout Studio 8H imply hidden history. Behind a production console, for instance, there’s a paper cutout pasted to the wall of Waldorf, one of the older men known for heckling the Muppets. Is he symbolic of something for the crew, or a decoration and nothing more? Above the audience, one of the light fixtures is labeled “8G,” likely referring to Studio 8G. That’s the room down the hall, home of “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Is there an amusing anecdote behind this borrowed equipment?
As for not-so-hidden stories, the hallway leading into the studio is lined with framed portraits of moments from “SNL” history. Memories old (Adam Sandler singing at the “Weekend Update” desk) and new (Ego Nwodim slicing a steak as Lisa from Temecula) are equally represented.
Thank You and Goodnight
As quickly as the spell is cast, the fantasy dissipates the moment the broadcast concludes. The cast waves to the crowd before briskly making their way backstage in single file, the theatrical lighting gives way to fluorescents, and NBC Pages assist audience members in exiting the studio.
Crew members promptly begin tearing down and loading up various sets and production equipment. This surprised me, but makes sense. After all, in two days, come Monday evening, a new host will arrive and the process will start all over again to assemble next week’s show.
It’s fascinating how a space that has held such permanence in the television landscape is composited nearly entirely by the temporal.
More Backstage “SNL”
Want to be in the “Saturday Night Live” audience? It’s free, but requires a bit of luck and a lot of patience. Read our previous story about acquiring “SNL” tickets through the standby line or lottery system.
If you’re visiting New York and you’re an “SNL” fan, but you’re not able to see the show in person, you might enjoy The Tour at NBC Studios, which sometimes visits Studio 8H (but no guarantees).
Additionally, The Shop at NBC Studios is open daily on the entry level of Rockefeller Plaza. Many items can also be purchased online.
In 2023, David S. Pumpkins, Tom Hanks’ “SNL” Halloween character, appeared as a walk-around character at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal theme parks. What could other “SNL” theme park experiences look like? Imagine the possibilities in our recent story.
For now, the closest thing might be Race Through New York starring Jimmy Fallon. The simulator at Universal Studios Florida takes place in Rockefeller Center, where “The Tonight Show” broadcasts just a few floors away from “SNL.”
For a deep dive into “SNL” history, check out the “Creating Saturday Night Live” playlist on the show’s official YouTube channel, Taschen’s “Saturday Night Live: The Book” by Alison Castle, and “Live from New York” by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales.
