Is Saturday Night Live new tonight, October 26?

Colin Jost and Michael Che on Saturday Night Live (Image credit: Will Heath/NBC)

Saturday night is just a few hours away, so is there going to be a new episode of Saturday Night Live to watch on October 26? The historic Saturday Night Live season 50 is well underway having aired four episodes of the sketch show so far, but are they keeping things rolling this week? Short answer, no.

There is no new episode of SNL on Saturday, October 26. This is the first week off for SNL since the new season premiered on September 28. But if you’re scrolling looking for something to watch at 11:30 pm this Saturday, the premiere episode of SNL season 50, which featured Jean Smart as host and Jelly Roll as the musical guest, is airing on October 26. You can also catch up with any of this season’s shows (or past seasons) on Peacock.

So when is the next Saturday Night Live episode? Well, the good news is that this isn’t going to be a long hiatus, as the next new episode of SNL is set to air on November 2, with John Mulaney hosting and Chappell Roan as the musical guest.

If you’re curious as to why Saturday Night Live is not on this week, there really isn’t any better answer than it’s just part of the show’s schedule. It’ll take certain weeks off throughout the year, sometimes around holidays, and sometimes probably to just give their team a break (can’t be easy producing a live show every week).

As we mentioned this is a historic year for SNL, as the sketch show celebrates its 50th season, with the first SNL episode debuting on October 11, 1975 (a moment recently recreated in the movie Saturday Night). In addition to the movie, some more specials are expected to come out later this year for SNL’s 50th, but most appear set for 2025.

In addition to Smart, the hosts for SNL season 50 so far have included Nate Bergatze (who once again did a George Washington sketch that is an early contender for best of the season), Ariana Grande and Michael Keaton. Musical guests for this season have also included Coldplay, Stevie Nicks and Billie Eilish.

Again, Peacock has all of these recent episodes available on-demand (subscription required).

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.