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Saturday Night Livefans will have to wait a bit longer for the return of new episodes due to the ongoingWriters Guild of America union strike.
PEOPLE has confirmed the NBC series will not produce any more new episodes this season, includingKieran Culkin’s slated return to Studio 8H on May 13 andJennifer Coolidge’s booking for May 20.
Coolidge’s now-canceled season finale gig would have marked the 61-year-oldWhite Lotusstar’sSNLhosting debut, and Culkin’s trip back to Rockefeller Center would have been his second in an, ahem,Successionof hosting gigs after the 40-year-old former child actorpreviously headlinedSNLwith musical guestEd Sheeranin November 2021.
On Tuesday, NBC announcedthe cancellation of this Saturday’s episode, in whichPete Davidsonwas slated to make his hosting debut alongside musical guestLil Uzi Vert.
Will Heath/NBC
Ahead of Davidson’s intended return, longtime cast memberKenan Thompsonteasedwhat fans might have seen on the live broadcast.
“It’s like a week off for us because they know how to do the show,” Thompson, 44, toldEntertainment Tonightof Davidson. “We don’t have to hand-walk them through every single part of it. Usually, they come with ideas too, so a quarter of the show is almost already done. It’s just a fun, easy week for us.”
Thompson added that the episode was going to “try to balance” the characters Davidson previously portrayed on the series alongside new sketches. However, theGood Burgerstar added, “I’m a classics fan. I’d fill the show up with all of his old characters or whatever, but it’s also fun to explore the new.”
RELATED VIDEO:Late-Night Shows Shut Down as Hollywood Writers Strike Begins After Failed Negotiations
As for the writers' strike, several productions are feelingthe impact of the movementinvolving a dispute between the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) labor union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
Late-night shows includingThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,Jimmy Kimmel Live!andLate Night with Seth Meyersare airing repeats while on hiatus.This Week Tonight with John Oliver,Real Time with Bill MaherandThe Daily Showare also on break.
Also feeling the heat are scripted shows likeAbbott Elementary,YellowjacketsandCobra Kai. Meanwhile, production on shows likeThe ViewandHouse of the Dragonis continuing despite the strike.
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Episodes ofSaturday Night Livecan be streamed on Peacock.
source: people.com
