Saturday Night Live added another milestone to its storied legacy on television’s biggest night, taking home the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for its star-studded 50th Anniversary Special.
In all, SNL has now amassed a record 113 Emmy Award wins since its debut in 1975. That’s 54 more than its closest competitor, Game of Thrones, cementing the NBC sketch show’s place as the most awarded television program in Emmy history.
Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator and executive producer, accepted the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) with a mix of nostalgia and dry wit, noting that he first won an Emmy for SNL half a century ago, he had many dreams, none of which were “still doing the same show for the next 50 years.”
He went on to thank NBC and Comcast for supporting the ambitious two-year production of the anniversary special, quipping that they told him, “We don’t care what it costs, as long as it’s good”—before adding, “Maybe they didn’t say that. Maybe that’s just the way I heard it.”
Michaels closed by thanking the Television Academy “for continuing to keep the word ‘Television’ in their name,” adding that as long as they do, SNL will keep showing up.
The landmark special, which aired live from Studio 8H earlier this year, brought together generations of SNL cast members, musical guests, and hosts to celebrate a half-century of late-night comedy. With this latest win, SNL further cements its status as one of the most decorated and enduring shows in television history—and shows no sign of slowing down as it prepares to launch its 51st season this fall.
Source: 800 Pound Gorilla Media (USA)