Saturday Night Live sets another 50th anniversary special, this time courtesy of Questlove
Just last week, Peacock announced a four-part docuseries about Saturday Night Live in honor of the series’ 50th season. That news came after the confirmation of a three-hour live special honoring the show in February. In case your appetite for SNL history is not yet satiated, there is another three hour special coming—this time focused on the music.
On January 27, 2025, NBC will run a three-hour special titled Ladies And Gentlemen… 50 Years Of SNL Music. It will stream on Peacock the next day, and is co-directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Oz Rodriguez, per Variety. Per the logline, the special is set to “feature untold stories behind the culture-defining, groundbreaking and newsmaking musical performances, sketches and cameos of the past 50 years.”
Variety notes that Bad Bunny, DJ Breakout, Elvis Costello, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Dave Grohl, Debbie Harry & Chris Stein, Mick Jagger, Dua Lipa, Darryl DMC McDaniels, Tom Morello, Kacey Musgraves, Olivia Rodrigo, MC Sha-Rack, Paul Simon, Chris Stapleton, Justin Timberlake, Lee Ving and Jack White are all among the musicians who will be interviewed. Cast members including Jane Curtin, Jimmy Fallon, Al Franken, Eddie Murphy, and Andy Samberg will also feature in the doc.
“Everyone knows the most famous SNL appearances, whether it’s Elvis Costello, Prince or the Beastie Boys, but they’re the tip of a huge iceberg,” Questlove said in a statement. That’s for sure. Hopefully the special also goes into some of the more infamous performances, too. This writer would certainly be interested in learning more about Sinéad O’Connor’s, Ashlee Simpson’s, or Lana Del Rey’s time on the show, even if the reputations of their appearances are more of a mixed bag. Questlove concludes: “The process of going back through the incredible archival footage was like being in a time machine, DeLorean or other. I’m so happy I went on the trip and now get to share it with everyone.”