Creating Saturday Night Live is an American short-form documentary web series produced by SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video. The series offers behind-the-scenes access to the weekly production of the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL), focusing on crew-level departments like film, makeup, and set design.[1]
Overview and production
Going beyond the cast and writers, the series highlights the technical craftspeople who transform a script into a live broadcast. It documents specific production challenges, such as tight visual effects deadlines and rapid, live makeup changes.[2] Executive produced by Lorne Michaels, Oz Rodriguez, Christopher Voss (TV producer), and Matt Yonks, the series includes 34 episodes released between 2016 and 2019 via Peacock and YouTube.[3]
Accolades
The digital series won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series at the 71st Creative Arts Emmy Awards in 2019.[3] Overall, the series secured one win out of four total Emmy nominations.[4]
References
- Grobar, Matt (June 19, 2017). "'Creating SNL' Director Pulls Back The Curtain On Iconic Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- Agard, Chancellor (August 27, 2019). "SNL director reveals the sketch that almost went wrong and more behind-the-scenes secrets". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- "Creating Saturday Night Live — Awards & Nominations". Television Academy. September 14, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- O'Falt, Chris (August 22, 2017). "Lorne Michaels Breaks the Record As the Emmys' New Nominations King". IndieWire. Retrieved June 21, 2026.