The Atlantic

Why <em>Saturday Night Live</em> Is Actually Going Live

The show will air at the same time across the U.S. for the first time ever starting in April—thanks to social media.
Source: NBC

In its 42 seasons, has been hosted by politicians and world leaders, has spun off countless films and television shows, and has served as America’s flagship sketch-comedy series. There’s one thing it hasn’t done, though—aired live for the entire country. For all these years, has been live at 11:30 p.m. Eastern and 10:30 p.m. Central Time, then showed on tape delay for viewers in the Mountain andtime slot has been of paramount importance to the show’s longevity and ratings success. But for its final April and May episodes this season, .

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