'SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night’ Docuseries Trailer Brings All The History
Call in Sally O’Malley because now we know all SIXTY contributors to Peacock’s docuseries
What up with that SNL50 docuseries? Peacock released the trailer for SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, exploring the rich history found in a half century of NBC’s sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. Premiering January 16, the trailer showcases a significant handful of the 60 alums interviewed. If you think you know the show, think again.
Strangely, the trailer seems to reveal the inclusion of a Will Ferrell interview old enough to be in 4:3, but otherwise includes an intro somewhere by Kevin Nealon, and obviously new sit downs with Tracy Morgan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Larry David, Dana Carvey, Tom Hanks, Jon Lovitz, Amy Poehler, Bowen Yang, Pete Davidson, Andy Samberg, Kenan Thompson, Jimmy Fallon, Paula Pell, Al Franken, Sarah Silverman, Bob Odenkirk, Seth Meyers, Penn Jillette, Teller, Tina Fey, Fred Armisen, a tearful Bobby Moynihan, Cheri Oteri, Anthony Michael Hall, and Damon Wayans.
The four-part docuseries already has its directors and synopses out there, but the press release accompanying the trailer has revealed who will be contributing to what episodes. The trailer doesnt make the context of who’s where for the clips it has too obvious for everyone, but the span from Poehler to Teller is actually pretty sequential. Poehler, Yang, Davidson, Samberg, and Thompson are very clearly discussing their auditions, the focus of the first episode “Five Minutes”. It is, according to the synopsis, a showcase of the audition process, with never-before-seen audition footage and firsthand accounts from some of the show's most iconic names as they reflect on their preparation and journey to the stage. It features Ayala Cohen, and the iconic names that also include Beck Bennett, Bill Hader (the only personnel missing from the trailer but appears in an ad spot, said spot adds his laugh), Moynihan, Oteri, David Spade, Ego Nwodim, Armisen, Heidi Gardner, Jason Sudeikis, Jay Pharoah, Jeff Blake, Joe Piscopo, Louis-Dreyfus, Kyle Mooney, Lindsay Shookus, Marci Klein, Mike Shoemaker, Molly Shannon, Nasim Pedrad, Stephen Colbert and Morgan. It is directed by Robert Alexander.
The second episode, "Written By: A Week Inside The SNL Writers Room", is a behind-the-scenes look at the writing process from script to screen, capturing the creativity and chaos of a week inside the writers' room. It is directed by Marshall Curry. In addition to David, Pell, Franken, Silverman, Odenkirk, and Meyers, it also features Alan Zweibel, Alex English, Andrew Dismukes, Asha Ward, Ben Marshall, Bryan Tucker, Ceara O'Sullivan, Celeste Yim, Emily Spivey, Harper Steele, Jim Downey, Jimmy Fowlie, John Higgins, John Mulaney, Louie Zakarian, Marilyn Miller, Martin Herlihy, Robert Smigel, Simon Rich, Steve Higgins, Streeter Seidell, Fey and Will Stephen.
The third episode “More Cowbell” focuses entirely on the famous sketch about a fictional Behind the Music episode on Blue Öyster Cult from the April 8, 2000 episode hosted by Christopher Walken. In it, Walken plays producer Bruce Dickinson, who insists Gene Frenkle, played by Will Ferrell play “more cowbell” during the recording of “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper”. The episode seemingly features an in-character interview with Walken as Dickinson. From when is not made clear is directed by Neil Berkeley. It also features Ferrell, sketch co-stars Chris Kattan and Chris Parnell, as well as Fallon, Blue Öyster Cult lead vocalist Eric Bloom, original drummer Albert Bouchard, Akira Yoshimura, Beth McCarthy-Miller, Bruce Dickinson, Buck Dharma, Cara Hannah, Carvey, Dave Grohl, Dave Itzkoff, Darrell Hammond, Eamon Cunningham, Armisen, Jodi Mancuso, John Karpi, Josh Homme, Keith Raywood, Larry Demler, Louie Zakarian, Murray Krugman, Rachel Dratch, Tom Broecker, and David Lucas.
The final episode, "Season 11: The Weird Year" is directed by Jason Zeldes and explores a pivotal year in the show’s history that “reset its direction and ensured its future”. It saw series creator Lorne Michaels’s first season back after five years gone, and the cast was completely reset, bringing on established names Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall, Robert Downey Jr., and Joan Cusack, with Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller also hired. The episode features A. Whitney Brown, Franken, Lovitz, Nealon, Dunn, Jillette, Teller, Hall, Wayans, Andy Breckman, Billy Crystal, Carol Leifer, George Meyer, George Wendt, Griffin Dunne, James Andrew Miller, Jim Downey, John Lithgow, Laila Nabulsi, Mark McKinney, Robert Smigel, Terry Sweeney and Hanks. Additional archival interviews include Bernie Brillstein, Michaels, Downey Jr. and Tom Davis. In the aforementioned TV spot, Wayans directly addresses his infamous firing and is in full knowledge it will be discussed.
Piece by Piece director Morgan Neville and Caitrin Rogers executive produce alongside showrunner Juaquin Cambron. Jonathan Formica and Allison Klein are producers. “I’ve been obsessed… as long as I can remember,” Neville previously said in a statement. “For SNL50, I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite independent filmmakers to tell some deeper stories… Taken together, these standalone episodes give a new perspective… and what makes it work.”
The press release does confirm that this and Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music airing January 27 on NBC are part of a collection of original programming celebrating the 50th anniversary of the program, and five sure sounds more like a collection than two. Saturday Night Live will be back with new episodes on January 18 and 25 before breaking in preparation for the primetime anniversary special on February 16.
