“Live from London…It’s Saturday Night”?
NBC’s iconic late-night sketch show could be hitting British shores in the future. Variety has confirmed that a U.K. adaptation of the format is in early development at Comcast-backed pay-TV operator Sky.
The tie-up is hardly surprising given both Sky and NBC share the same parent company, and such collaborations have been mooted ever since Comcast outbid Fox to snap up the European media company for $39 billion back in 2018.
“Saturday Night Live” has been adapted in a number of territories, including China, Japan, West Asia (also known as the Middle East), France, Italy, Poland and Brazil. The show also recently returned to Korea after a few years’ hiatus, as reported by Variety earlier this year.
Given the U.S./U.K. crossover of talent, a British version of the show could be substantial, and it’s believed local comedians are already throwing their hats in the ring to take part. However, Britain doesn’t have the same culture around late-night programming as the U.S. and it’s much harder to get shows away in late time slots. (ITV took a punt at the format with “The Nightly Show” in 2017, which was swiftly canceled after one season. Channel 4 has had more luck in recent years with “The Big Narstie Show”). As such, it’s likely “SNL” will air much earlier in the U.K.
“Saturday Night Live” was not widely distributed in the U.K. until recently, when full episodes have been landing on Sky Comedy.
The original U.S. version is produced in association with Broadway Video, with Lorne Michaels as creator and executive producer.
News of the U.K. adaptation was first reported by Deadline.