Saturday Night Live will end its impressive 42nd season with a series of hosts that, save for one, have already visited Studio 8H multiple times over. (Chris Pine is the lone actor among them making his debut.) Melissa McCarthy and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will make their entry into the Five-Timers Club, while former cast member Jimmy Fallon will host for a third time.
And yet, despite this air of familiarity, there’s something completely new about these shows. Namely, each one will air live in time zones throughout the United States, a first for the long-running series. “‘SNL—enjoying its most popular season in two decades—is part of the national conversation, and we thought it would be a great idea to broadcast to the west and mountain time zones live at the same time it’s being seen in the east and central time zones,” NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said in a statement. “That way, everyone is in on the joke at the same time. Kudos to Lorne Michaels, the producers and cast for making SNL one of the most relevant and anticipated shows in the zeitgeist.” Thus no one will have to stare longingly at the tweets and takes waiting to see for themselves just what will piss off the president.
You can see all the airdates in the tweet below. SNL is currently on hiatus, but returns with a April 8 episode with Louis CK and The Chainsmokers before launching into its live-for-all conclusion.