Saturday Night Live Cast, Austin Butler Read-Thru; “Kenan & Kelly” BTS

With only three days to go until Austin Butler (Elvis) hosts and NBC’s Saturday Night Live (with musical guest Lizzo), we’ve got a look at Butler and several members of the SNL cast at read-thru for the final episode of the year. But we’ve got a little something extra to pass along to all of you (and especially for any Kenan & Kel fans out there).

Here’s a look at some screencaps from today’s read-thru, followed by a look behind the scenes of the “Kenan & Kelly” sketch:

And in the following “Behind the Sketch” featurette, SNL cast members Kenan Thompson & Devon Walker discuss how the sketch “Kenan & Kelly” with episode host Keke Palmer and featuring Kel Mitchell:

And here’s a look at Butler getting ready for his first time hosting SNL (and getting a reality check) during today’s midweek sketch, followed by a look back at how the rest of the week’s gone so far:

Now here’s a look back at the official SNL “welcome” video for Butler & Lizzo from earlier in the week, followed by a rundown of this season’s cast and a look back at some thoughts that SNL creator Lorne Michaels had to share prior to Season 48:

NBC’s SNL Season 48 includes Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson, Colin Jost, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Devon Walker, and Bowen Yang. Executive produced by Michaels, SNL is directed by Liz Patrick, with alum Darrell Hammond announcing. Based out of Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, the long-running late-night sketch comedy/music series is produced by SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video.

Lorne Michaels on Saturday Night Live Season 48, SNL’s Future & More

Speaking with The New York Times, Michaels addressed the casting changes, labeling the upcoming season as “a year of reinvention” that could lead to some “exhilarating” change. He also had some reassuring words for “Weekend Update” fans and teased what’s in store for SNL’s big 50th-anniversary celebration. Here are some of the highlights:

COVID-19 Fallout Resulted in Much Larger SNL Cast Than Usual: “The pandemic had put us in this position where no one could really leave because there were no jobs. And at the same time, if I don’t add new people every year, then the show isn’t the show. There have to be new people, for both our sake and also for the audience.”

Michaels Believes Cast Departures are Good Things for SNL: “We got to a point where we had a lot of people, and people weren’t getting enough playing time. The way the series has survived is by that level of renewal. The price of success is that people go off and do other things; their primary obligation is to their talent and to keep pushing that. And there’s something so much better about the show when all that matters is the show. There’s a time to say goodbye, and there’s a natural time for it, but the natural time just got interfered with by the pandemic.”

… Except with Colin Jost, Michael Che & “Weekend Update”: “Particularly, coming into a midterm election, I just need that part [‘Weekend Update’ with Che & Jost] to be as solid as it is.”

SNL’s 50th Anniversary/Season? Think Big: “The 50th will be a big event. We’ll bring everyone back from all 50 years and hosts and all of that. It will be a very emotional and very strong thing. There won’t be as many plus-ones, I can tell you that much.”