Is SNL New Tonight? (September 19, 2026)

The late night television staple "Saturday Night Live" is heading into Season 52, continuing to deliver live sketch comedy following its milestone 50th anniversary celebration not too long ago. While the cast and writing staff continues to change, showcasing today's rising stars in comedy, Lorne Michaels remains the show's fearless leader, even as rumors perpetually swirl about his potential retirement.

As we head into the fall and shows return to network television, you're probably wondering whether "SNL" is new on this evening of September 19, 2026. Thankfully, we've got all the details you need to know about the return of "SNL" for Season 52, as well as the upcoming episodes that have already been announced. 

No, there is not a new episode of "Saturday Night Live" on September 19, 2026. This is the last weekend of the annual summer hiatus that network television shows often take, giving their cast and crew a break for a few months before getting back to work. 

Thankfully, you won't have to wait to long for a new episode of "SNL," because Season 52 is about to begin before the end of September.

"SNL" will return for its Season 52 premiere on September 26, 2026. This marks the beginning of a new season, and with it will be some changes among the cast.

Before we get to that, here are all the returning cast members for "SNL" in Season 52 (in alphabetical order): Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Marcello Hernández, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Ashley Padilla, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, and Jane Wickline.

Padilla and Wickline were promoted to repertory players over the summer, having previously been among the featured cast members. Speaking of which, featured cast members Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowkowska will also be returning.

Not returning for the new season will be Chloe Fineman, who announced her departure over the summer. Bowen Yang is also not returning, having left "SNL" during the show's winter break during Season 51. 

Additionally, though not an official cast member, Martin Herlihy has also left "SNL." Herlihy was part of the trio known as Please Don't Destroy, along with Ben Marshall and John Higgins. After the group was not brought back as an entity, Marshall became a featured player and Herlihy stayed on as a writer who occasionally appeared in some pre-taped sketches that he often wrote himself. But now Marshall will be the only remaining member of Please Don't Destroy at "SNL."

We've already covered the returning and departing members of the "SNL" cast, but a new season typically means new cast members, and Season 52 will see the addition of two women to the roster as featured players.

First up, Wisconsin native Grace Reiter is making the jump from the internet to network television. Reiter has an impressive following on TikTok and YouTube, the latter of which sees her writing and performing as part of the American High sketch comedy team. The group created the YouTube series "Minimum Wage" about a team of fast food workers, and it's being adapted into a Netflix series that will debut in October 2026. You can get a taste of some of Reiter's finer moments above, or you can watch her and some friends remake "The Hunger Games" from memory. 

Next, "SNL" is finally getting a Black woman back onto the cast of "SNL," after Ego Nwodim left the series before Season 51 began in 2025. Nigerian American filmmaker and comedian Saidah Belo-Osagie is joining the cast. Hailing from Queens in New York, Belo-Osagie is the creator of the event series "Afrobeats Futura," and she wrote and directed the short film "Tinge," so maybe she'll get into some pre-taped shenanigans on the show. You can see her having some fun above on "The Quick Show."

Those are the only two new cast members who have been announced so far, but "SNL" has occasionally added cast members at the last minute and in the middle of seasons, so we'll have to wait and see what happens.

The Season 52 premiere of "SNL" will be hosted by New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, following the NBA team's championship season earlier in 2026. "SNL" likes to bring in athletes after they've achieved a big moment in their career, typically after championships or the Olympics, but having one kick off a new season is rather surprising.

Jalen Brunson will be joined by girl group KATSEYE as the musical guest. For those unaware, KATSEYE is referred to as a "global girl group," due to the fact that they're comprised of Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Manon Bannerman, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza, and Yoonchae Jeung, all hailing from the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States.

KATSEYE was formed through the 2023 reality competition series "Dream Academy," which was chronicled in the Netflix series "Pop Star Academy: Katseye." So maybe they'll get in on some of the "SNL" comedy action, since their television experience was well-documented and thus ripe for parody.

In addition, we also know who will be hosting the three episodes of "SNL" that will follow the premiere:

FIRST FOUR OF SEASON 52!!! pic.twitter.com/m8F1Hnf1gS

— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) September 9, 2026

• October 3, 2026 – Dakota Johnson hosts with musical guest Turnstile
• October 10, 2026 – Shane Gillis hosts with musical guest Rosalía
• October 31, 2026 – Inde Navarrette hosts with musical guest Gracie Abrams

Whenever there's a new episode of "Saturday Night Live," it always airs live on NBC starting at 11:30pm ET on Saturday night.

"SNL" is truly the only show of its kind these days, as each new episodes is crafted within the span of a single week. If you're curious about how the cast and crew pull off such a feat every week, you should check out a series of "SNL" documentaries available on Peacock that chronicle exactly how the show's team is able to pull off a miracle with every new episode.

Since "SNL" is live, you can watch it as it airs on NBC when the show begins at 11:30pm ET. It's also available to watch live on Peacock at the same time.

However, if you're not watching live, you can typically catch sketches on YouTube not long after they air on TV, or you can watch the entire episode on Peacock the next day.

For some added laughs, you can watch old episodes of "SNL" on Peacock, and you can also watch the new British version of "Saturday Night Live" there too, with UK episodes arriving on Sunday evenings the day after new episodes air live across the pond.

Finally, if you're an "SNL" fan, and you want to hear some knowledgeable commentary, you can check out "The Ten to One Podcast" featuring yours truly. Myself and some die-hard "SNL" fans and friends have been hosting the podcast for a few years, and we recap and review every new episode of "SNL."

Stay tuned for all the latest updates on "SNL" every week!