Why Is 'SNL' a Rerun Tonight? 10/21/17

Why isn't there a new episode of SNL tonight? Saturday Night Live returns November 4 but will be a rerun on October 21 and 28. Why?

Last week, episode #1728 was hosted by Kumail Nanjiani with musical guest P!nk. Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American actor known for his roles on HBO's Silicon Valley and his romantic comedy film The Big Sick. In his opening monologue, Nanjiani addressed Islamophobia and racism, particularly that of his traditional, Muslim parents accepting his marriage to a white, American woman, writer Emily V. Gordon. The topic led to a broader tangent of "race mixing," which inevitably ended up targeting the recent resurgence of white supremacists in the United States.

You can watch Nanjiani's entire opening monologue below:

But why isn't SNL on tonight?

Two weeks on, two weeks off is the SNL schedule. Lorne Michaels, the creator of the hit show, was given the choice by NBC executives of two episodes a month or 3 episodes a month, but with a staff budget that was 1/3 less.

Michaels chose to keep the quality of the show high and opted for fewer episodes but higher caliber content.

Tonight will be a repeat of an earlier episode featuring Ryan Gosling and Jay-Z.

SNL returns November 4 with host Larry David and musical guest Miley Cyrus.

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