Saturday Night Live Season 52 premieres this fall on the 2026 TV schedule, and as of now, there aren’t any details about who will be returning and who could be leaving. Season 51 saw a mass cast exodus with several fan-favorites departing, while five new cast members joined. Now, some of those newbies are opening up about the advice series creator and producer Lorne Michaels has given them.
Joining a show like SNL isn't exactly easy. Many huge stars have come from SNL, but each of those cast members were battle tested, so to speak. Luckily, a lot of cast members -- current and former -- have given advice to new cast members. However, given Michaels' experience, he's a unique source of advice. When several of the new cast members spoke with Variety, Jeremy Culhane shared what Michaels does when he gives notes, and I wasn't expecting him to mention a Lord of the Rings character:
When Lorne gives notes, he always says something that sounds like Gandalf but sassy. ‘There’s a show in there; we just need to find it.’ When you parse it out, it’s very true. It just needs a little zhuzh.
Obviously, if anyone knows what it takes to put together a show, it’s Lorne Michaels. He not only created Saturday Night Live, but has served as a producer for almost every single season. He’s experienced highs and lows, dealt with eccentric cast members and more. Michaels also knows what work and what doesn’t when it comes to sketches, and it sounds like he knows just what to say when something just doesn’t click.
Michaels apparently also knows when a cast member is trying too hard, which is exactly what Tommy Brennan went through. Brennan recalled:
The first time I really had a sketch on was ‘Karaoke Night’ with Nikki Glaser, which was a two-hander. At the after-party, Lorne was like, ‘Do you feel different now?’ And I was like, ‘Uh, yeah! I felt confident out there.’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, you can stop auditioning soon.’ I didn’t really know what he meant, but now it’s like, ‘You’re on the show. You can stop trying to prove yourself.’
I can imagine that throughout his time on Saturday Night Live, Michaels has come across more than a few cast members who've tried too hard to prove themselves. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as even veteran cast members have to work hard to get more airtime, but I can imagine it's also beneficial to relax and have fun, as Michaels wanted Brennan to do. Also, as Kam Patterson explained, Michaels can also use a random fact to make a point:
The first time I had to cut my mustache off for a sketch, I was like, ‘Hey, can I keep my mustache?’ And Lorne goes, ‘Well, Flip Wilson shaved his whole body.’ And I was like, ‘For sure.’
Following their inaugural season, the younger cast members seem to have a solid grip on SNL. Culhane, Brennan, and Patterson, as well as Veronika Slowikowska, joined the featured players roster for Season 51, and they weren’t the only newbies. Ben Marshall, 1/3 of comedy group Please Don’t Destroy (who have created some viral SNL sketches and digital shorts) also joined the cast at the beginning of Season 51.
So, needless to say, there's a lot of new blood at Studio 8H right now, and I'm hopeful that they'll hone and develop their talents over time. I'd say their lucky to have some veterans like Kenan Thompson, Sarah Sherman and Mikey Day around. However, if they're ever able to get some one-on-one time with Lorne Michaels, I'd imagine that's very beneficial as well.
The full cast for Season 52 has not been announced, so it’s unclear if all of these stars will be back on stage this fall. As a fan, I'm hopeful we won’t see any more changes to the cast for a while. (I’m still mourning over Bowen Yang’s departure. Saturday Night Live returns this fall on NBC, and all existing episodes are streaming now with a Peacock subscription.
