NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” returns this weekend with a string of new episodes hosted by Jerrod Carmichael, Lizzo and Jake Gyllenhaal. But before they grace Studio 8H, we took a look at which host so far this season generated the highest level of demand for the NBC sketch show.
That would be Jason Sudeikis — as measured by Parrot Analytics‘ patented platform, which takes into account consumer research data, streaming, downloads and social media, among other consumer engagement.
Reality star Kim Kardashian and Marvel actor Simu Liu placed No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
When comparing demand to episode ratings, it’s only slightly different: Kardashian edges out Sudeikis for the highest-rated episode of the season, according to NBC’s live plus seven day viewing data for the 18-49 age demographic. And “Succession” star Kieran Culkin rounds out the top three.
As far as demand for “SNL” on the day Sudeikis hosted (Oct. 23, 2021) and the two following days, Parrot Analytics found 73.2 times the demand of the average show — a higher level of demand for the NBC series than any other host has achieved this season.
The “Ted Lasso” star, who was was an “SNL” cast member from 2005 to 2013, exemplifies how the long-running comedy show can propel its alumni to successful careers. His recent surge in popularity (including an Emmy win last fall) has mainly been driven by the breakout success of AppleTV+’s “Ted Lasso,” which is based on a character he played promoting NBC’s coverage of the Premier League in 2013.
If “SNL” plays a big part in launching the careers of its cast, former “SNL” actors and writers return the favor by being some of the most popular hosts of the show. These alums know the show and its audience like no other host can. In addition to Sudeikis, former “SNL” writer John Mulaney and cast member Will Forte have also hosted this season.
The success of alumni hosts is a reminder that while “SNL” may be a widely recognized cultural touchstone, it still has its own dedicated fan base that responds to familiar faces like Mulaney. In particular, the episode hosted by Mulaney doubled down on its appeal to fans’ nostalgia by reviving its recurring “Five-Timers Club” sketch where former hosts of at least five shows induct a new member. This particular episode saw appearances from alumni Tina Fey and Conan O’Brien among others.
Hosting “SNL” also benefits the host and musical guest by raising their profile, introducing them to new audiences, and providing a stage to promote their recent work. We can quantify this by measuring the talent demand for hosts and musical guests before and after appearing to see what lift “SNL” provided to their own demand.
The results above capture the win-win impact of hosting this popular show. Celebrities bring their own star power to the show. They pull audiences in and in return see a boost in demand for their talent.
Global superstar musicians like Billie Eilish and Katy Perry are some of the most in-demand talent to grace the “SNL” stage and both artists saw a 25% jump in their demand the week after appearing. Other talent with a lower baseline level of demand like Brandi Carlile and Forte benefit the most from the “SNL” spotlight.
While looking at the results make it seem like Forte is the host benefiting most from the gig and contributing the least to the show, NBC can’t be too disappointed by his performance. As a way of promoting his Peacock series, “MacGruber,” his appearance on “SNL” (including a sketch reprising his role as MacGruber) was fairly effective. The Peacock original released all of its episodes on the platform on Dec. 16. Forte’s “SNL” appearance a month after the show’s premiere drove a second wave of demand for the show.
This is synergistic cross promotion at its finest: A star whose career was launched by “SNL” goes on to create a new series based on a classic “SNL” sketch of the same name. This actor then returns to his old stomping grounds to promote this show, which is exclusive to Peacock — a platform where audiences can watch this latest episode of “SNL,” as well as all of Forte’s classic sketches including the original MacGruber.