The film will feature more than 50 interviews
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, NBC will air Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music, on January 27th. The full-length film was directed by Grammy and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Emmy Award winner Oz Rodriguez. The special is produced by Two One Five Entertainment, RadicalMedia, and Broadway Video.
For 50 seasons, Saturday Night Live has been the premier venue for televised live music performances while continuously pushing boundaries to reimagine the relationship between music and comedy. Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music will feature untold stories behind the culture-defining, groundbreaking and newsmaking musical performances, sketches and cameos of the past 50 years. The three-hour special broadcast event will showcase interviews with musical artists, cast, writers, producers and more who have been part of “SNL’s” legacy.
“Everyone knows the most famous ‘SNL’ appearances, whether it’s Elvis Costello, Prince or the Beastie Boys, but they’re the tip of a huge iceberg,” Thompson shares. “The process of going back through the incredible archival footage was like being in a time machine, DeLorean or other. I’m so happy I went on the trip and now get to share it with everyone.”
The film will feature more than 50 interviews with musicians and cast members and crew, including Bad Bunny, DJ Breakout, Elvis Costello, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish & Finneas, Dave Grohl, Debbie Harry & Chris Stein, Mick Jagger, Dua Lipa, Darryl DMC McDaniels, Tom Morello, Kacey Musgraves, Olivia Rodrigo, MC Sha-Rack, Paul Simon, Chris Stapleton, Justin Timberlake, Lee Ving, Jack White, creator Lorne Michaels, Fred Armisen, Conan O’Brien, Eli Brueggemann, Jane Curtin, Jimmy Fallon, Al Franken, Josiah Gluck, Bill Hader, Steve Higgins, Marci Klein, Melanie Malone, Tom Malone, Mary Ellen Matthews, Eddie Murphy, Ego Nwodim, Liz Patrick, Leon Pendarvis, Lenny Pickett, Joe Piscopo, Andy Samberg, Brian Siedlecki, Akiva Schaffer, Paul Shaffer, Sarah Sherman, Howard Shore, Robert Smigel, Jorma Taccone, Kenan Thompson, Maya Rudolph, Hal Willner and Bowen Yang.
The film is executive produced by Lorne Michaels, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Zarah Zohlman, Erin David, Dave Sirulnick, Jon Kamen, Meredith Bennett, Alexander H. Browne, Shawn Gee & Tariq Trotter. Oz Rodriguez serves as producer.
Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music is part of a collection of special original programming celebrating the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. A four-part docuseries, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night is available to stream exclusively on Peacock. The anniversary celebrations will culminate in a live primetime special on Sunday, February 16th on NBC and Peacock.
