Saturday Night Live, the iconic sketch show from NBC, is about to get a British remake soon. The British version of SNL is being developed at the pay-TV operator Sky. Both Sky and NBC are owned by the parent company Comcast, so it is no wonder that a British version of one of the most successful NBC shows is being developed in the house of the said TV operator. A collaboration such as this has often been pondered ever since Comcast bought the European media company for $39 billion (thus outbidding FOX) back in 2018. As of now, it seems Saturday Night Live representatives are in London discussing the details of the deal with Sky.
The UK hosts a huge roster of talent when it comes to comedians, and many rising stars have already thrown their hats in the ring in order to be a part of the famed weekly variety show. Saturday Night Live being adapted to British TV at the hands of Sky was somewhat anticipated, as the pay-TV operator started broadcasting episodes of the American version of the show last year, on its own Sky Comedy channel. Before this, the NBC show was not widely distributed in the UK, apart from having aired briefly on ITV4 in 2006.
This is not the first time British TV is trying its hands at the SNL genre. A British series Saturday Live aired on Channel 4 from 1985-88, during which it provided a glamorous platform to actors like Harry Enfield, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, and Ben Elton.
However, the culture of ’late night shows’ is not the same over there as it is in America. In the UK, it is much harder to get shows away in late-night time slots. Back in 2017, ITV tried out something similar to Saturday Night Live with a show called The Nightly Show. But it was canceled after but one season. Channel 4’s The Big Narstie Show, however, has had a better fate. In all probability, the British version of Saturday Night Live will air at a much earlier slot, compared to its American counterpart.
Being one of the most popular shows, Saturday Night Live has already been remade in other countries, like China (June-September 2018), Japan (October-November 2012), France (was aired for one episode in January 2017), Italy (2006-2011, and again from April-May 2018), Poland (2017-2018), and Brazil (May-October 2012). The Korean version of SNL started airing in Korea this year, after a hiatus following its 2011-2017 run.
