'Saturday Night Live' Could Stop Being Live For Now

Since 1975 Saturday Night Live has performed scripted comedy in front of a live studio audience. That might change starting tomorrow as SNL could very well drop the "L" as they start airing material produced by a staff working remotely. According to NBC said material will include "Weekend Update" as well as "other original content from SNL cast members." There's no definitive word on how much material, if any at all, will be live -- but we'd imagine that there would have to be a drastically reduced amount if only because doing live comedy in front of a laptop is more in the purview of a Twitch stream than a network show.

But then again, who knows. It's anyone's guess how this can go. The prospect of Pete Davidson's Chad going "ah word" to his webcam without the laughter of a studio audience to support him seems terrifying.

But at the same time, we're kind of excited to see what happens. For a while now, the current iteration of SNL has been criticized as stale, even by former cast members (No matter how deranged or Chevy Chase they might be).

This could be the shakeup that SNL has needed. After all, "adversity breeds innovation" and I know that's true, not only because my mom stitched it on a throw pillow, because it's worked for SNL in the past. Season 11 was brutal for SNL after Dick Ebersol stepped down as a producer. Lorne Michaels took over the reins and, after suffering through a rough season, brought in Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman, among others, to completely reinvigorate the show.

Personally, we're hoping they lean into the format. Give us fewer political bits and more absurdist comedy befitting of the absurd time we're living in. Maybe, because of the restrictions of being remote, they'll have to focus on sharper jokes or deeper character dives to compensate. Or maybe they'll just throw Alex Moffat in front of the webcam and we'll watch him play "League of Legends" the whole time. Whatever works.

Top Image: NBC