In times of great distress, when the news has gotten increasingly more and more difficult to stomach, we need options. And thanks to NBC, this summer we’ll get another one. Saturday Night Live’s iconic “Weekend Update” segment is headed to primetime. The news comes as no surprise as the long-running SNL show is a favorite amongst viewers.
“SNL is having its best season in a quarter of a century — how many shows can say that?! — so we didn’t want them to take the summer off,” said NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “We’re thrilled to have Colin Jost and Michael Che continuing their unique brand of news with fresh Weekend Update shows in primetime this August.”
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According to the Tuesday announcement the hit segment is scheduled to air four specials which will begin on August 10, in the 9 p.m. ET timeslot.
Saturday Night Live is in the midst of a successful ratings stint as the program hit a five-year high this February. This is thanks in part to Alec Baldwin’s recurring Donald Trump impersonation. Though, in a recent interview with Extra, Baldwin revealed his Trump persona might not last much longer. “The maliciousness of this White House has people worried ... that’s why I’m not going to do it much longer, the impersonation, I don’t know how much more people can take it," he commented.
Weekend Update, which first aired in 1975, was created by original host Chevy Chase. In a more recent era, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler are just a few of the big names who've sat in the anchor chair.
This isn’t the first time Weekend Update has aired primetime specials. In 2008 and 2012 the show aired three solo segments in light of the election year. Despite there being no presidential election coverage, Che and Jost will surely have ample material to work with. It’ll be interesting to see how the four-part series covers every-day news.
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