John Oliver is not buying into the hype around a British version of Saturday Night Live.
During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Monday, the English comedian made it clear: bringing SNL across the Atlantic is, in his words, “a terrible idea.”
“It just feels like Saturday Night Live is such a unique group…I don’t know how you can impose that cult onto the UK.”
Last month, broadcaster Sky revealed plans for Saturday Night Live UK, set to premiere in 2026.
The British version will be produced live from London, with original SNL creator Lorne Michaels on board as executive producer.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Lorne and the SNL team,” Sky Studios’ Cecile Frot-Coutaz said in the announcement, calling the show a platform that has “discovered and nurtured countless comedy and musical talents.”
But Oliver clearly wasn’t convinced. When Meyers asked what made SNL feel like a cult, Oliver didn’t hesitate: “Lots of it.”
He pointed to the show’s infamous overnight writing sessions, where writers stay up from Tuesday morning straight through to Wednesday.
“I’m saying that’s the kind of thing a cult leader would make you do.”
The UK, among other countries, has tried an SNL-like weekly sketch show before, to mixed reviews, so this new venture might just work out, but not, apparently, to John Oliver.
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Folks found the segment to be very astute, drawing particular attention to Oliver’s characterization of SNL as “a cult.”
People pointed out that SNL in other countries had been tried with only varying success in the past.
There were some hopeful commenters.
Elsewhere, other people had some hot takes.
People figured that Oliver’s opinion matters.
Should it occur, the UK SNL will air in 2026.
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