Oct

LONG-RUNNING SHOW BEGAN ON THIS DAY IN 1975

Saturday Night Live (also known simply as SNL) is a late-night NBC television
comedy sketch and variety show that premiered on October 11, 1975. The first
guest host was George Carlin. The show is one of the longest-running network
television programs in the country with over 700 episodes broadcast over the
span of 37 seasons as of 2011. Saturday Night Live has received a number of
awards, including 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and three
Writers Guild of America Awards. In 2000, it was inducted into the National
Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Time magazine listed SNL on its
“100 Best TV Shows of All-Time”. In 2009, it received 13 Emmy nominations
bringing the show to a total of 126, giving it the most Emmy nominations in
television history.

The original cast of SNL. From left to right: Laraine Newman, John Belushi,
Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris and Chevy Chase.