Claim: Will Ferrell established himself as a cast member of a long-running NBC show.

Saturday Night Live -LRB- abbreviated as SNL -RRB- is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol . The show premiered on NBC on October 11 , 1975 , under the original title NBC 's Saturday Night . The show 's comedy sketches , which parody contemporary culture and politics , are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members . Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest -LRB- who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast -RRB- and features performances by a musical guest . An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming , `` Live from New York , it 's Saturday Night ! '' , properly beginning the show .   In 1980 , Michaels left the series to explore other opportunities . He was replaced by Jean Doumanian , who was replaced by Ebersol after a season of bad reviews . Ebersol ran the show until 1985 , when Michaels returned ; Michaels has remained since then . Many of SNLs cast found national stardom while appearing on the show , and achieved success in film and television , both in front of and behind the camera . Others associated with the show , such as writers , have gone on to successful careers creating , writing , or starring in TV and film .   Broadcast from Studio 8H at NBC 's headquarters in the Comcast Building , SNL has aired 829 episodes since its debut , and concluded its forty-second season on May 20 , 2017 , making it one of the longest-running network television programs in the United States . The show format has been developed and recreated in several countries , meeting with different levels of success . Successful sketches have seen life outside of the show as feature films , although only two met with critical and financial success : The Blues Brothers -LRB- 1980 -RRB- and Wayne 's World -LRB- 1992 -RRB- . The show has been marketed in other ways , including home media releases of `` best of '' and whole seasons , and books and documentaries about behind-the-scenes activities of running and developing the show .   Throughout four decades on air , Saturday Night Live has received a number of awards , including 50 Primetime Emmy Awards , two Peabody Awards , and three Writers Guild of America Awards . In 2000 , it was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame . It was ranked tenth in TV Guide `` 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time '' list , and in 2007 it was listed as one of Time magazine 's `` 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME '' . As of 2012 , it has received 156 Emmy nominations , the most received by any TV show . The live aspect of the show has resulted in several controversies and acts of censorship , with mistakes and intentional acts of sabotage by performers as well as guests .