Written by MĂşireann Kinsella
Saturday Night Live crossed the pond in 2026 to the U.K. The American cultural institution is
known to have accelerated the careers of many Hollywood icons such as Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Tina
Fey and many more. With the second season of SNL UK, the question has been raised: is Saturday Night
Live U.S. falling behind the already hit sensation Saturday Night Live U.K?
The 51-year-old American icon that is Saturday Night Live has hosted all ranges of guests such as Oscar
winners Robert De Niro and Brie Larson to reality T.V sensation Kim Kardashian. However, in the last
number of years, Saturday Night Live has lost its shine.
The cast of Saturday Night Live is good, with many strong cast members such as Marcello Hernandez and
Jeremy Culhane, however the show seems to be missing some sort of risqué and adventurous humour
that was once shown. The cast of SNL in season 51 and 52 hasn’t met the expectations of the public.
Season 51 has an average rating of 6.7 stars according to Series Graph. The highest rated being episode
10 with an average rating of 7.6 stars. This was hosted by Ariana Grande with musical guest Cher. Yet,
season 52 hasn’t gotten off to a good start.
Both episodes have gotten a meek 5.4 stars (episode 1) and 5.2 stars (episode 2) according to Series
Graph. The highest rated episode of Season 52 was episode 1; hosted by Jalen Bruson with musical
guests KATSEYE.
The British Saturday Night Live has received better praise to its American predecessor. Season 1
premiered on the 21st of March 2026. The season consisted of eight episodes and gained an episode
average of 7.1 stars according to Series Graph. The highest rated episode was hosted by Aimee Lou
Wood with musical guest MEEK.
Season 2 has also had a modestly good start. Three episodes have aired at time of publishing this article.
According to Series Graph, the three episodes have an average rating of 6.7 stars. The highest rated
episode was season 2 episode 9, hosted by Jeff Goldblum with musical guest CMAT.
Saturday Night Live UK has a very strong cast. With racy sketches about the royal family being a massive
hit. Jack Shep’s portrayal of Princess Diana is taking the series by storm; making repeat appearance’s
whilst being met with the same amount of laughter and elation by the audience.
It’s not just the facts that point to SNL UK being better perceived. According to Rotten Tomatoes reviews,
user @RT96132338 says “SNL UK is refreshingly funny and edgy, the way SNL USA used to be.”
Comparing this to recent reviews left on Rotten Tomatoes under SNL US regarding Season 51, user
@PeterJD said “What happened to this show? Not one skit was even remotely funny. The writing is so
weak; the concepts for the skits so lame. A sad legacy for a once great show. The need new writers, new
direction.”
One thing that is clear is that Saturday Night Live US needs more direction. The creator of Saturday Night
Live, Lorne Michaels, has said in an interview with Variety Magazine “My design for it was that it would
be the cooler of the two shows, and it would be the thing they beat us up with. That it’s smarter, funnier,
more original, and it had to be that.” The future is bright for Saturday Night Live UK, and at the moment;
it is outshining the once stronghold that was Saturday Night Live US.