“Saturday Night Live” celebrated its 50th anniversary by setting a new record for Emmy nominations, a landmark that was never really in doubt.
The long-running comedy series went into this year’s nominations already holding the record as the most nominated program in Primetime Emmy Awards history, with its 341 total nominations far surpassing second place show “Game of Thrones.” It added an additional 31 noms on Tuesday, giving it a new record total of 372.
“SNL” also topped its previous record of 22 nominations in 2017. This haul comes after a relative slump that faced in the comedy variety show in the early 2020s.
“SNL’s” 31 nods consist of nominations across their various ventures and specials in the show’s 50th anniversary season. Entries like “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” and “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” were recognized in various categories like Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. This allowed “Saturday Night Live” to spread out with competitive entries in both the special and series divisions of the variety categories. “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” also allowed Lorne Michaels’ brand to gain recognition in categories like Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
Also among the 31 nominations was Bowen Yang, who is now a four-time nominee in the Outstanding Supporting Actor for a Comedy Series category. Yang was also nominated in 2019 for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. The touching and earnest “Adam Sandler’s Song: 50 Years” from the 50th anniversary special gained recognition in Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. “Saturday Night Live” was also nominated for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series, competing only against “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
The show’s celebration of its 50th season helped bring “SNL’s” nomination haul across the finish line on Tuesday. The show submitted a staggering 43 performers for nominations, including the season’s 20 hosts and five election-related recurring guests. With series like “The Studio” and “The Bear” crowding the guest acting categories, however, Yang stands alone as the series’ only performance nom. It’s a departure from pervious record-breaking seasons (particularly those in election years) where guest performances would help take the show’s hauls over the top.
“SNL” wasn’t always an awards juggernaut. In fact, Lorne Michaels’ comedy mainstay only averaged a little over three nominations per year for its first 33 seasons. From 1975 to 2008, “SNL” earned a total of 101 nominations.
In 2009, the show broke into the double digits for the first time, picking up a then-record of 13 nods. This season saw the Television Academy allow “SNL” cast members and hosts to enter the Supporting and Guest Acting in a Comedy Series categories for the first time. It also coincided with the 2008 election, with Tina Fey winning Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for portraying Sarah Palin. Justin Timberlake won Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for hosting the same year.
The series reached a peak of 22 nominations in 2017, a record for any variety program. Like this year, the 2017 Emmys directly followed an election year, a time when “SNL” generally ramps up political commentary and stunt casting. That year, among other winners, Dave Chappelle took home the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy for hosting the show’s post-election episode (directly following Donald Trump’s first presidential victory), and Alec Baldwin won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work portraying Trump. In 2017, “SNL” also joined the Emmys Hall of Fame alongside its original seven-person cast.
The series fell off at the Emmys in the early 2020s, with 2022 and 2023 each seeing “SNL” only pick up nine nominations. The show only received five total acting nominations across both years. From 2017 to 2021, the variety show annually earned between seven and 11 acting nods.
The last time “SNL” broke its nomination record, it also broke its win record. In 2017, the series took home nine trophies in the wake of Trump’s election. With eight more nominations than the show had back then, only time will tell if “SNL50” will break the show’s win record as well.
The 77th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air live Sunday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and Paramount+. Comedian Nate Bargatze will host.
