by Katie Griffin

Saturday Night Live, known as SNL, has been around for 50 years and has had many episodes filled with skits and laughter. The SNL50: The Red Carpet event will be held on February 16.

A documentary called Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music on Netflix celebrates 50 years of SNL musical guests. It’s a show filled with untold stories behind the culture and groundbreaking musical performances of the past 50 years of Saturday Night Live. There are interviews with music artists, cast members, writers and more.

SNL has made a huge mark on history and on many people’s lives throughout the generations. The first show aired October 11, 1975. Another movie on Netflix called Saturday Night recreates the first show of SNL as a special tribute to their story.  “It was an interesting look at the process of getting the show onto the air,” Bob Parks, a teacher at Bellbrook High School, said. “It was not a documentary but more like a biopic so they did not have to adhere to facts but just focus on telling an entertaining story.”

Parks is an avid SNL fan. He remembers the first time he watched the show. “I think the first time I can remember watching Saturday Night Live I was in 8th or 9th grade (about 1986-1987),” Parks said. “I watched it while sleeping over at a friend’s house.”

Like any piece of art, the show has evolved. “SNL has definitely changed over the years,” Parks said. “The biggest difference is the size of the cast and the number of pre-recorded skits used. The cast used to be fewer than ten people and it seemed like everyone was used in almost every skit. I like that because you get to know the cast better. Cast members used to only stay for four or five years at the most. Today it seems like the cast has 20 people and you can go an entire show without ever seeing some of them.”

As the show has aged, older people watch SNL more regularly than younger generations, especially live on-the-air.  “I don’t really watch it on the regular,” junior Aly West said. “But I do watch some of it on TikTok and see the funny skits that they do. I think it’s pretty funny and entertaining to watch! I think the reason why people don’t watch SNL as much anymore is because there’s places like Hulu and Netflix where their favorite tv shows are.”