Buoyed by a spike in ratings — largely thanks to the Trump administration’s highly lampoon-able blunders — Saturday Night Live is trying something different this year. The final four episodes of Season 42 will be broadcast simultaneously across all time zones, UPROXX reports, and the show has scheduled four boldface names to host: Jimmy Fallon on April 15, Chris Pine on May 6, Melissa McCarthy on May 13, and Dwayne Johnson closing out the season on May 20. Louis C.K. is set to host the next new installment, on April 8, as was announced during last week’s episode.
McCarthy is likely the biggest draw here; her take on White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has been a highlight of the post-election season. This will also be McCarthy’s fifth hosting gig, which means she can finally join the Five-Timers Club alongside Tina Fey, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, Justin Timberlake, and others.
SNL is currently enjoying its highest-rated season in 24 years, no small feat in the age of a gazillion choices across streaming, cable, and broadcast television. Normally, the show airs at 11:30 p.m. in each timezone, but this year they wanted the whole country to tune in together so that “everyone is in on the joke at the same time,” Robert Greenblatt, Chairman of NBC Entertainment, said in a statement. He added, “Kudos to Lorne Michaels, the producers and cast for making SNL one of the most relevant and anticipated shows in the zeitgeist.”