SNL’s Season 52 premiere arrived late in many cities because college football ran late. The Oregon-USC game finished just over 15 minutes behind schedule, meaning affiliates across the country started their broadcast with a 16-minute delay. The episode was live on Peacock, so cord-cutters got the full show without waiting.
The game itself went badly for USC. The Ducks won 41-27, and the broadcast was delayed further when USC’s star quarterback Dante Moore was carted off the field and taken to hospital by ambulance after a late hit.
That incident did not help the timing problem.
Affiliates vs. Owned Stations
Not everyone saw the delay. Many stations, including those in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Baltimore, Dallas and Charlotte, started after the show with the 16-minute gap. But stations in New York, Boston, Washington, DC and Miami, all owned and operated by NBC, aired the episode live.
“The delay was not helped by the fact that the latter’s star quarterback Dante Moore was carted off the field and taken to hospital by ambulance after a late hit.”
That split means viewers in some major markets got the show as scheduled while others sat through a wait before the episode finally arrived. For anyone who streamed it on Peacock, the difference was barely noticeable.
The Opening Sketch
The episode opened with Ramy Youssef reprising his role as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He got a visit from James Austin Johnson’s President Donald Trump.
After that, Jalen Brunson performed the monologue. He was helped by a number of his teammates: Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart joined him on stage.
New Faces
Two new cast members made their debut in an early sketch. Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter appeared together in the show’s early moments, giving viewers their first look at the additions to the lineup.
The current cast includes Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Ashley Padilla, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson and Jane Wickline. The featured players are Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska.
| Group | Members |
|---|---|
| Main cast | Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Ashley Padilla, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Jane Wickline |
| Featured players | Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, Veronika Slowikowska |
Musical Guest
Katseye was the musical guest for the episode.
The irony is almost too perfect to bear. A comedy show about timing and missteps gets delayed by a college football game that ran long, then had to stop for a medical emergency. The show itself is about being ready for anything — and this week it was not.
Whether the delay matters is unknown. Affiliates can always catch up later, and the live stream on Peacock kept the show moving for anyone who wanted it. For viewers who waited through the gap, the episode delivered Brunson’s monologue, the Trump sketch and the new cast debuts. The game that caused the trouble was long gone by the time the show finally started.
What is known is that SNL’s premiere started with a footnote — and that footnote was a college football game that nobody expected to be the story.
Source material: “‘SNL’ Season 52 Premiere Delayed In Many Areas Due To College Football,” Deadline.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.