Is there a new SNL tonight, March 23?

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- Episode 1857 -- Pictured: (l-r) Heidi Gardner as Woman Who Is Aging Gracefully on "Weekend Update"
(Image credit: NBCUniversal)

If you were hoping for a new SNL tonight, March 23, we're sorry to say that Saturday Night Live season 49 won't be back with a live episode out of Studio 8H this week. But thankfully, the comedy show's spring break will soon be coming to an end. 

Despite what the show title may promise, Saturday Night Live doesn't actually air live every Saturday night, as the program regularly takes a break from filming every few weeks to give the cast and crew a much-welcome reprieve from the strenuous production schedule. The show has taken similar mini breaks throughout this season, which premiered back in October 2023, the longest being the holiday stretch between December 16 and January 20. 

The sketch show went on its current hiatus beginning on Saturday, March 9, which saw the return of Dune: Part Two actor Josh Brolin as host for the third time and pop star Ariana Grande as the musical guest. There was no new episode last Saturday, March 17 and there similarly won't be a new one tonight, March 23 either, with NBC filling the programming gap by running SNL reruns instead. 

But the cast and crew will soon be returning to Studio 8H with fresh material on Saturday, March 30, which will kick off three consecutive weeks of brand-new SNL episodes. Golden Globe-winning actor-comedian Ramy Youssef, who movie fans most recently saw in Poor Things opposite Emma Stone, will be making his hosting debut on the March 30th edition of the show, in promotion for his second HBO comedy special, Ramy Youssef: More Feelings. Youssef will be joined by rapper Travis Scott as musical guest. 

And then on April 6, former SNL cast member Kristen Wiig will return to 30 Rock to host the show for her fifth time, which grants her membership into the prestigious "Five Timers Club." (Fellow five-time hosts include Tom Hanks, Tina Fey, Dwayne Johnson, Steve Martin and Emma Stone.) British singer-songwriter Raye will also be performing two musical numbers that night.

And Barbie star Ryan Gosling—who can next be seen on the big screen in the action-comedy The Fall Guy—will bring his Kenergy to the show as host on Saturday, April 13. It will be the actor's third time hosting, with a musical performance by country superstar Chris Stapleton.

What do you think of the upcoming hosting calendar? And, better yet, who do you think has been the best SNL host so far?

Saturday Night Live airs on NBC, which means that anyone with a traditional cable subscription or TV antenna can tune in to their local NBC station to watch the show when it is live. If you're a cable-cutter, a number of live TV streaming services also carry NBC, including FuboHulu with Live TVSling TV and YouTube TV. Or if you're a Peacock Premium Plus subscriber, you can stream SNL live on the service during the episode or catch-up next day with a regular Peacock subscription.

Christina Izzo

Christina Izzo is the Deputy Editor of My Imperfect Life. More generally, she is a writer-editor covering food and drink, travel, lifestyle and culture in New York City. She was previously the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York. 


When she’s not doing all that, she can probably be found eating cheese somewhere.