Sky has confirmed that Saturday Night Live UK will be back for an extended second season.
The British version of the legendary late night comedy show will return in September for 12 more episodes – up from eight in the first season, which itself was increased from an original order of six episodes.
The SNL UK renewal comes after a very strong debut run for the series, which premiered in March to positive reactions and solid ratings.
The Tina-Fey hosted launch reached 528,000 viewers after seven days, and despite a subsequent dip in overnight viewership, the series continued to make a significant impact online, with more than 86 million social media views reported by Sky.
Speaking about the renewal news, SNL creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels said: “I’m incredibly proud of our team and the show. It keeps getting better every week. I’m grateful to Dana Strong and Sky for believing in and supporting SNL UK. I’m excited for the season ahead.”
Phil Edgar-Jones, executive director of unscripted originals at Sky, added: “It’s fair to say people doubted SNL would work in the UK, but thanks to Lorne Michaels, his longtime Saturday Night Live producing team and UTAS UK, alongside our brilliant cast and writers, SNL UK is Sky’s most talked about show of the year.
“It’s now firmly part of the cultural conversation and we’re thrilled the show will be returning in the autumn, bringing laughter and mischief to our audiences, live from London on a Saturday night!”
Sky has confirmed that the 12 SNL UK episodes for season 2 will air between autumn 2026 and early 2027, so expect some weeks without a new episode as the cast and crew take a break from the intense schedule (as traditionally happens on the US version).
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Like the New York-based original, Saturday Night Live UK features a celebrity guest host every week, as well as a musical act who performs live.
Alongside Fey, other season 1 hosts have been Aimee Lou Wood, Nicola Coughlan, Jack Whitehall, Riz Ahmed and Jamie Dornan.
Musical guests so far have been Wet Leg, Wolf Alice, Kasabian, Jorja Smith, Foo Fighters and MEEK.
There are just two weeks left of the debut season, which will be hosted by Ted Lasso favourite Hannah Waddingham and Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa.
Waddingham will be joined by singer-songwriter and BRIT Award winner Myles Smith as musical guest this coming Saturday, while Gatwa will be accompanied by indie-pop singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone for the season finale.
Saturday Night Live UK continues on Saturday 9 May at 10pm on Sky One and NOW – sign up to Sky TV to watch.
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