"Saturday Night Live," NBC's Emmy Award-winning late-night comedy showcase, enters its 44th season for another year of laughs, surprises and great performances.

Since its inception in 1975, "SNL" has launched the careers of many of the brightest comedy performers of their generation; and, as The New York Times noted on the occasion of the show's Emmy-winning 25th Anniversary special in 1999: "In defiance of both time and show business convention, 'SNL' is still the most pervasive influence on the art of comedy in contemporary culture." At the close of the century, "Saturday Night Live" placed seventh on Entertainment Weekly's list of the Top 100 Entertainers of the past fifty years.

The program has won 64 Emmy Awards, the most for any show in television history. "SNL" also holds the title for the most nominated television show in Emmy history with 243 nominations. "SNL" has been honored twice, in 1990 and 2009, with the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and cited as "truly a national institution." "Saturday Night Live" was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame by the National Association of Broadcasters and continues to garner the highest ratings of any late-night television program, entertaining millions each week.

"SNL" is making headlines and influencing the political dialogue while skewering it at the same time. Beyond politics, the show's cast of recurring characters and take on pop culture targets remains spot-on. The addition of the show's Emmy Award-winning SNL Digital Shorts continues to keep the show as current today as it was when it debuted.

"Saturday Night Live," which premiered October 11, 1975, is broadcast live from NBC's famed Studio 8H in New York City's Rockefeller Center. The program is a production of Broadway Video in association with SNL Studios. Lorne Michaels is the executive producer.

Episodes available for purchase.

CREDITS

Starring the SNL 2017–2018 Company
Beck Bennett, Aidy Bryant, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner, Leslie Jones, Colin Jost, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney, Chris Redd, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Melissa Villaseñor,Ego Nwodim

Executive Producer
Lorne Michaels

Produced By
Steve Higgins and Erik Kenward

Director
Don Roy King

Supervising Producer
Ken Aymong

Head Writers
Michael Che
Colin Jost
Kent Sublette
Bryan Tucker

Writing Supervisor
Streeter Seidell

Writers
James Anderson, Kristen Bartlett, Megan Callahan, Steven Castillo, Michael Che, Andrew Dismukes, Anna Drezen, Claire Friedman, Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Steve Higgins, Sam Jay, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Nick Kocher, Michael Koman, Erik Marino, Dave McCary, Brian McElhaney, Dennis McNicholas, Lorne Michaels, Nimesh Patel, Josh Patten, Katie Rich, Gary Richardson, Will Stephen, Julio Torres

Film Producer
Justus McLarty

Musical Directors
Lenny Pickett, Leon Pendarvis, Eli Brueggmann

Musicians
The Saturday Night Live Band

Production Designers
Eugene Lee, Akira Yoshimura, Keith Ian Raywood, N. Joseph DeTullio

Costume Designers
Tom Broecker, Eric Justian

Announcer
Darrell Hammond

Production
Produced by SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video

Origination
NBC Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center

Bea Arthur

Season 5 | Episode 5 | 11/17/1979

All Episode Sketches