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British comedian and Last Week Tonight host John Oliver has taken a blunt take on the iconic American sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. During an interview aired on May 6, 2024, on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Oliver criticized the idea of launching a British version of Saturday Night Live, calling the show a “cult.”
In reference to the proposed UK adaptation, Oliver said, “It sounds like a terrible idea,” and emphasized his concern by adding,
“I’m trying to not say the word — it’s a cult.”
The comments came just weeks after it was officially announced that Sky would be developing a UK version of Saturday Night Live, with the show’s original creator and long-time showrunner Lorne Michaels, 80, set to serve as executive producer. The British version is scheduled to debut in 2026, and it promises to follow the same live and fast-paced format as the U.S. version.
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John Oliver breaks down why the Saturday Night Live format won’t work in the UK
John Oliver, 48, appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers to discuss his thoughts on the upcoming UK version of Saturday Night Live. Meyers, himself a former cast member and head writer on Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2014, asked Oliver about his thoughts on the adaptation.
Without hesitation, Oliver responded, “It sounds like a terrible idea.” When prompted by Meyers to elaborate, the British comedian replied,
“We have had sketch comedy before, and I just feel like something like this is such a unique group. It’s a cult. I’m trying to not say the word — it’s a cult. And so, I don’t know how you can impose that cult onto the UK.”
Oliver continued to explain what he believed made the show cult-like. One of the examples he gave was the show’s long-standing tradition of pulling all-nighters on Tuesdays to write and rehearse for Saturday’s live episode.
Referring to that, he said,
“That’s ridiculous. I’m saying that’s the kind of thing a cult leader would make you do. ‘We stay up all night on Tuesdays, by the way.’” He further stated, “It doesn’t have to be dictated to the day that you must not sleep on that day or the great leader will be irritated.”
According to Oliver, while Saturday Night Live has made this practice part of its culture, it does not reflect a necessary standard for producing high-quality comedy. Oliver emphasized that the series is an outlier in the world of comedy production and implied that such a format may not be compatible with the British approach to sketch shows. He added,
“I think it’s been proven that ‘SNL’ is the outlier.”
The UK version of the show was officially announced by Sky in April 2024 and will be produced by Sky Studios in partnership with Lorne Michaels. According to the broadcaster, the British adaptation will retain the core elements that have made the U.S. version a staple of American television since its debut on October 11, 1975.
This includes live performances, a rotating roster of guest hosts, and musical acts. The show will be broadcast live from London on Saturday nights. In a press release, Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios, said,
“For over 50 years, ‘Saturday Night Live’ has held a unique position in TV and in our collective culture, reflecting and creating the global conversation all under the masterful comedic guidance of Lorne Michaels.” She added, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Lorne and the SNL team to bring an all-British version of the show to UK audiences next year — all live from London on Saturday night.”
Fans can stream Saturday Night Live on Peacock.
