ListNook

VintageToure Apr 22, 2026 +1512

Never going to be easy when it’s behind a paywall on Sky. Would be much more suited to an ITV or C4

1512

dvb70 Apr 22, 2026 +437

Sky have tried to relaunch lots of well known shows and it always ends the same as they just don't have a large enough audience. Gladiators would be one great example. Sky tried to relaunch it and it never went anywhere but the moment the BBC do they same thing its a big success.

437

HMWYA Apr 22, 2026 +93

This isn’t really relaunching a show, though. It’s a completely new show for UK audiences. Also worth mentioning they do have some success with relaunches, though - Never Mind The Buzzcocks will soon be starting filming its sixth Sky series.

93

Ketomatic Apr 22, 2026 +23

Waaait buzzcocks is back!?

23

ShagPrince Apr 22, 2026 +23

People enjoy it, clearly, but don't expect any of the bite of the BBC version.

23

AngryGardenGnomes Apr 22, 2026 +34

Those four series, 2006-09, with Simon Amstell will always remain legendary and unmatched.

34

licoricenipple Apr 22, 2026 +30

The all-timer: [Simon's mockery causes Sam Preston (singer of The Ordinary Boys) to storm out](https://youtu.be/UewCI6dtHss?si=L-VfA0LPDeOjkgrx&t=129) and Bill Bailey finds a solution

30

greyl Apr 22, 2026 +10

The episode I always remember from that era is when Amy Winehouse came on shortly before her death. The audience was laughing but I do think Simon was really worried about her, and Amy kept saying the Amy that Simon used to know was already dead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhNca7hTN_w&t=60s

10

AdamantChorus Apr 22, 2026 +3

>I do think Simon was really worried about her Iirc they were long-time friends (like from their teenage years), so yeah that would track.

3

WanderlustZero Apr 23, 2026 +3

The first time I ever heard of her, Simon was introducing her on one of his shows

3

AngryGardenGnomes Apr 22, 2026 +5

One of the greatest TV moments.

5

sweetmarymotherofgod Apr 22, 2026 +2

Best run of a panel show for me, besides WILTY.

2

_Verumex_ Apr 22, 2026 +2

Greatest panel show ever

2

AngryGardenGnomes Apr 22, 2026 +3

Surely, Have I Got News For You will stand the test of time as greatest panel show ever?

3

_Verumex_ Apr 22, 2026 +6

Not compared to Amstell's Buzzcocks. HIGNFY does dryly mock some guests, but never with the same level of malice, and Hislop and Merton's routine gets very stale and repetitive when you're used to it. Merton in particular has been phoning it in for over 10 years now. It's funny sure, a staple of the genre, but not the greatest. (It also loses a lot of points for legitimising Boris Johnson in the eyes of the public, giving a lot of fuel to his political career.)

6

Buddie_15775 Apr 22, 2026 +4

They’ve both been phoning it in, pretty much, since they got rid of Deayton.

4

AngryGardenGnomes Apr 22, 2026 +3

I'm personally not into panel shows and my fondest memories of them are definitely with Amstell. However, I think most people would definitely say HIGNFY has the greatest legacy. Buzzcocks only had about four years in its run of actually being really good (Amstell's tenure). So complaining about Merton phoning it in for the last few years seems a little unfair.

3

TheMonkeyInCharge Apr 22, 2026 +6

They make it for the original audience... who are now 50 year olds. It's a clever move, and I enjoy it, but it can't be the same beast.

6

tataniarosa Apr 22, 2026 +7

Not just 50 year olds. I’m in my 30s and used to love watching Buzzcocks when it was on the Beeb.

7

ImGonnaImagineSummit Apr 22, 2026 +3

https://youtu.be/OlGzJFO0SZo?si=E7MiBA48XYvCpiUg My favourite introduction by Frankie Boyle.

3

GenGaara25 Apr 22, 2026 +6

It's a pretty different vibe than the original. Noel is the only original show person back iirc. Greg Davies is permanent host, Noel is a captain, Daisy May-Cooper was a captain but has been replaced by Sophie Willan, Jamali Maddox is a permanent panelist. The whole set is totally different too.

6

AngryGardenGnomes Apr 22, 2026 +3

>Daisy May-Cooper She became insufferable after This Country ended. Loved that show.

3

jloome Apr 22, 2026 +5

It's been back for three years already, with Greg Davies as host.

5

joffff Apr 23, 2026 +2

I only found out a few weeks ago after some clip appeared in my YouTube feed. I imagine TV execs see the viewing figures they get and weep when YouTube surpasses that in the first few hours

2

ArticArny Apr 22, 2026 +2

You have to go find the episode in the new series with Spice Girl Mel B on it. She was an absolute firecracker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRZRllLI3sQ

2

HussingtonHat Apr 22, 2026 +3

Ehhhhh, in name but not feeling. It's not as mean as it was, which was like half the point for me. Cocky gods gift to the world musicians being confronted by comedians who have no time for their shit was the draw.

3

AngryGardenGnomes Apr 22, 2026 +3

I doubt they'd have any decent guests in if they carried on like Amstell did.

3

morkjt Apr 22, 2026 +2

Er. You must be young. Friday/Saturday Live in the 80s was pitched as the UK version of SNL, had an almost identical format (if a persistent host in Ben Elton) and was hugely popular.

2

darthboolean Apr 22, 2026 +5

I mean, yes technically it's new, but y'all did have "Saturday Live" for 4 series.

5

dvb70 Apr 22, 2026 +5

We also had Friday night live for quite a few years back in the 80's/90's. That was actually pretty successful.

5

darthboolean Apr 22, 2026 +3

Same show actually. Started as Saturday Live and then got renamed to Friday Night Live. Weirdly enough though the first time I ever heard of the show was in a Red Dwarf documentary. Paul Jackson produced both shows, and Craig Charles only auditioned for Lister because he wanted to work with him. In that interview, Craig Charles just straight up calls it "Saturday Night Live". I'm curious if that was common at the time, like did everyone call it "Saturday Night Live" in conversation even though it was technically called something else?

3

Andyrhyw Apr 22, 2026 +7

I think this is a bad comparison, Sky Gladiators would have failed on BBC. It deviated too far from the OG format and as a result, just wasn't very entertaining

7

DaveShadow Apr 22, 2026 +4

It did give us Nick Aldis though so wasn't all bad. iirc he basically used each episode to cut heel promos and used it as an audition tape for his pro-wrestling career, lol

4

Digifiend84 Apr 22, 2026 +5

Gladiators 2008 actually did pretty well for a Sky show. It was axed due to a change of management at Sky, Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old got axed for the same reason. Had it been on ITV like the original it may well have lasted more than two seasons.

5

Mccobsta Apr 22, 2026 +2

Oh yeah the last reboot was a sky thing that probably explains why people seem to consider the current reboot as the only reboot

2

Digifiend84 Apr 22, 2026 +3

Yeah, absolutely nothing introduced in the 2008 show has carried over to the 2024 one. It's all either new or taken from the ITV version.

3

Danph85 Apr 22, 2026 +70

Yep, which is exactly why they're pushing the social media angle. Anyone can watch a clip on social media for free, barely anyone would watch it on Sky. Especially when their target audience is presumably younger people (based on the cast), no young person is paying £100/month or whatever for Sky these days, they'll either watch clips on tiktok or illegally download/stream it if they care that much. None of those options are good for the advertising figures for Sky itself.

70

nj_tech_guy Apr 22, 2026 +12

I think SNL has also become, over the last 15 years, a show that people primarily watch via Youtube. that shift started to happen with the Lonely Island and digital shorts, albeit slowly. I rarely, if ever, sit down and watch an entire SNL episode live (if any of it) but I'll catch the sketches on youtube (or social media) throughout the week. I've done the same with SNL UK.

12

345tom Apr 22, 2026 +19

I think TLC has done a good job with relaunching Mock the Week, uploading it straight to Youtube (as well as their new comedy travel show). Sky's put too much money in for that to be an option I think, but I'm also just not seeing that many clips either for it.

19

The_Grand_Briddock Apr 22, 2026 +12

I'm still surprised it was TLC that brought back Mock the Week. I really thought Dave would've done it given how much they rely on panel show reruns.

12

The_Lapsed_Pacifist Apr 22, 2026 +5

Iirc Dave is mostly owned by the BBC

5

Digifiend84 Apr 22, 2026 +3

Entirely nowadays. Used to be co-owned by the BBC and Discovery, but they split UKTV in two. Discovery took Really (which still exists), Home (rebranded as HGTV), and Good Food (which merged with Food Network). BBC Studios took the rest, including Dave.

3

kizza96 Apr 22, 2026 +5

I feel like Sky's in an odd position where they desperately try and market themselves to younger people (just look at all the social media 'pundits' they shoehorn into their sports coverage these days) despite the fact that - as you said - the amount of people in that age range who pay the extortionate Sky subscription fees in a world of free entertainment everywhere you look must be almost none

5

markdavo Apr 22, 2026 +7

I don’t have Sky but I do have Now Entertainment which gives me Sky+HBO shows for £7.99 per month. It’s not something I’ll probably keep in long term but I’ve watched Knight of 7 Kingdoms, am catching up on HOTD, and SNLUK has been a nice bonus.

7

IrvinIrvingIII Apr 22, 2026 +2

There’s a Metric shit tonne of shows/movies with HMO Max. Hell I’d probably pay for it just for the access to Adult Swim content. It’s the only subscription I’d probably never cancel

2

IrvinIrvingIII Apr 22, 2026 +12

> no young person is paying £100/month or whatever for Sky Correct, they’re paying £7.99 for NowTV

12

Danph85 Apr 22, 2026 +6

I mean they might be, but NowTV has about 2 million subscribers in the UK, netflix has 17m, Sky itself still has 6.6m (all according to a quick google). So if they are, it's not in big numbers.

6

sainsburys Apr 22, 2026 +5

Is that direct subscribers? for example I get Now via EE TV

5

Simonnumbernine Apr 22, 2026 +3

We get Sky with Virgin cable

3

The_Iceman2288 Apr 22, 2026 +19

Comcast are about to buy ITV so I can definitely see them moving it to ITV1 or 2.

19

misterterrific0 Apr 22, 2026 +30

Great more american tv influence

30

HMWYA Apr 22, 2026 +7

Worth mentioning there’s still no guarantee this deal is happening, they’re just in talks.

7

ima_mouse Apr 22, 2026 +3

Not to mention if you watch it on NOW there’s unskippable ads even if you pay for an ‘ ad free’ experience. Total scum

3

Victim_Of_Fate Apr 22, 2026 +8

Wouldn’t the audience have dropped by more if it was on ITV?

8

allangod Apr 22, 2026 +6

I cant see why if you are talking about percentages? Maybe more people in total potentially could have dropped it but thats also because more people in total would have access to watch it in the first place.

6

Victim_Of_Fate Apr 22, 2026 +5

If you read the article, they say that the overall audience has gone down 30% but that the younger audience has gone up, which makes me think that they got a load of older people into the first episode who didn’t stay for later episodes. ITV viewers are older in general, so I think that would have happened to an even greater degree.

5

allangod Apr 22, 2026 +2

I can see what you're getting at but I still think theyd still have a bigger audience overall. More people have access to ITV than sky so I think the opener could have had a bigger audience share. So even if 30% of the older audience or more left, then they have the potential to still have more viewers than they currently have on sky. I also think that it would have more potential to raise the younger viewership even more than they have as they'll be more likely to access the free to air ITV than signing up to Sky or NOW tv.

2

AnonymousTimewaster Apr 22, 2026 +12

I cannot express enough how trash this would be if ITV were doing it. Sky have done a great job so far.

12

HMWYA Apr 22, 2026 +17

Honestly, I don’t think it would make any difference. The reason it’s working isn’t specifically because it’s Sky, but because it’s Broadway Video (Lorne) and SNL Studios producing it. It’s the production company behind 50 years of the American show. They know what they’re doing, and they know how to make it work. I’d expect it would be the same regardless of which channel picked it up (though, obviously, it was always going to be Sky since both Sky and NBC are owned by Comcast).

17

Mccobsta Apr 22, 2026 +2

In so many casual conversations about what people have watched it's mostly things that air on itv, 4 and BBC as yeah no pay wall I've only met a very small handful of people who've talked about a show they saw on sky

2

error521 Apr 22, 2026 +2

They could always show it on Sky Mix if they really wanted to.

2

The_Alpha_of_Betas Apr 22, 2026 +1

Its on sky one, is that not still on the standard package for every tv box?

1

SteveBorden Apr 22, 2026 +177

I think regular SNL is doing the same kinda thing. YouTube is king for these shows they just need to air somewhere for ads, recognition etc Sky won’t care too much

177

hallese Apr 22, 2026 +64

I watch SNL skits all the time but I haven't watched SNL in two decades. It lends itself well to the internet age.

64

TheWholeOfTheAss Apr 22, 2026 +9

You can only see the wistful opening on TV. Apart from that, the show’s natural home is YouTube.

9

TheDeadlySinner Apr 22, 2026 +10

Not sure about the UK version, but the US version uploads sketches to youtube immediately after they air on the east coast. They clearly don't care that much if people don't watch the live broadcast.

10

_lippykid Apr 23, 2026 +4

fyi SNL airs live across the whole contiguous US, 11:30pm ET, 8:30 PT

4

Anchor_Aways Apr 22, 2026 +7

American SNL has the biggest reach (US domestic wise) of any YouTube channel. I imagine that part of the hope is that they can build a similar revenue stream for the UK.

7

[deleted] Apr 22, 2026 +3

[deleted]

3

Anchor_Aways Apr 22, 2026 +7

Yup! It reached the most (unique) Americans of any YouTube channel. https://consequence.net/2025/09/snl-saturday-night-live-youtube-channel/

7

AVerifiedPig Apr 22, 2026 +179

I always catch up on YouTube. Be it SNL US or UK and I know many others also do this. SNL UK doesn’t seem to post all the skits there however, at least not immediately. As for the show quality itself I thought it would be worse so I was pleasantly surprised. I think a lot of the skits are getting funnier, some fall flat in my opinion in comparison to US but some are just as funny. The UK weekend update and cold opens are still a bit weak however I think.

179

CptTurnersOpticNerve Apr 22, 2026 +52

some of them are terrible but that's also true of regular SNL. Seems to have about the same hit rate so far, imo.

52

Wetzilla Apr 22, 2026 +19

Writing an hour of new comedy material and putting on a live show every week is incredibly hard! Comedy is hard even when you have plenty of time. They're never going to have a 100% hit rate. Listening to the Lonely Island and Seth Meyers podcast has given me a huge renewed appreciation of just how hard it is. I've started watching SNL regularly again for the first time in a long time, and I'm really impressed by how consistently funny the show has been outside a couple of episodes.

19

scottyLogJobs Apr 22, 2026 +16

Yeah, let them cook. If you think about it, every single person, cast, writing staff, costumes, sets, producers, everything - they are all complete rookies when it comes to this show. That hasn't been true for SNL US in 50 years, so the fact that they have a handful of good sketches per show is already pretty good. Realistically they will need at least a year, and possibly more to fully hit their stride, and they should be given that runway. And also let George Fouracres, Paddy Young, and Ania Magliano do literally whatever they want.

16

fugaziozbourne Apr 22, 2026 +4

The monologues are bad, an Weekend Update is painful. But overall it's doing well and i hope it continues because i feel like it will find its sea legs quickly.

4

WeOutHereInSmallbany Apr 22, 2026 +3

SNL is a great program for less established comedians to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. If you get one or two funny sketches an episode, it’s a success imho.

3

SeriousButton6263 Apr 22, 2026 +11

I think they’re recognizing that and adjusting. When the first episode aired, there wasn’t even a SNL UK YouTube channel and they just posted some clips on the Sky YouTube channel. Now there is a dedicated SNL UK channel and they’re uploading most of the skits as well as getting around to uploading the rest of the skits from the initial episodes. Maybe I’m just extrapolating too much, but it does feel like they’re learning the “this needs YouTube to survive” lesson.

11

WaywardWes Apr 22, 2026 +8

Some of the skits for sure hit better for a UK audience I think. We only just watched episode 2 but the British themed bars in Spain was definitely not for a US audience. That said, the Weekend updates have been killing imo. I love them both.

8

AVerifiedPig Apr 22, 2026 +2

Yeah the Spain one made me laugh a lot but that’s because I grew up in the UK but for a US audience it might not be a hit. I’m in no way saying they should cater to the US audience or other countries however. I think they are doing a good job, my only criticism the delivery on the weekend update, which has slightly improved week after week and the cold opens haven’t been so funny but again it’s just the start.

2

Slipperytitski Apr 22, 2026 +12

It’s where SNL thrives. Same with late night now too. No one watches live when they can catch the best bits on Youtube the next day

12

Development-Feisty Apr 23, 2026 +4

So what kind of Irish is your granddad?

4

Lezus Apr 22, 2026 +229

I've had multiple arguments about this, but its clear to me this is a show built for online engagement from none british folks, than british people and i will die on this hill

229

AnonymousTimewaster Apr 22, 2026 +82

It seems to be getting more attention internationally than domestically so that makes sense

82

WySLatestWit Apr 22, 2026 +10

The only people I know who are even talking about it at all are snl US fans.

10

HMWYA Apr 22, 2026 +26

To be fair, that’s unsurprising, given how small the UK population is in comparison to the rest of the world outside of the UK. You could say the same of literally any British sketch show that has millions of views on YouTube.

26

AnonymousTimewaster Apr 22, 2026 +67

It's not proportional though. Top Gear probably has more international views than domestic too, but Top Gear was *wildly* popular within the UK. Taskmaster and Traitors too. With SNL, it's not something that seems to be getting much attention outside of online spheres and with younger people.

67

Atharaphelun Apr 22, 2026 +28

Especially *Celebrity Traitors*. That was basically *Game of Thrones*-levels of popularity when it was on. Everyone was talking about it.

28

AnonymousTimewaster Apr 22, 2026 +12

If I remember the viewing numbers rightly, it got like 20 million or something stupid. Like, a 3rd of the UK adult population were watching it.

12

One-Cloud8658 Apr 24, 2026 +2

I think all of those things were massively helped by being on free to air TV.

2

HMWYA Apr 22, 2026 +74

As a British viewer of the show, I disagree. Sketches like the Jools Holland one show it’s definitely being made for the British audience - international viewers won’t have a f****** clue what a Hootenanny is. Likewise the bits about Martin Lewis, Scott Mills, Mastermind etc.

74

scottyLogJobs Apr 22, 2026 +20

Yeah what I like is that there are several sketches every episode that are clearly solely for British audiences. I don't really understand anyone who says it's first and foremost for international audiences

20

RAIZEN17982196 Apr 22, 2026 +5

we understand those local segments so do not worry

5

GonvVasq Apr 22, 2026 +4

Idk about that. I lived in the middle of nowhere, Chile and I had Later with Jools Holland on TV and the Hootenany every year. You'd be surprised on what they fill cable hours with

4

Conanslew Apr 22, 2026 +4

I’m from Chile and I’ve never heard of that show, and I consider myself pretty aware of British shows

4

DSQ Apr 22, 2026 +2

I had no idea! Is it a semi popular show? Does it air with subtitles?

2

360Saturn Apr 22, 2026 +10

The s*** it airs simply isn't a prime viewing s*** in the UK either. 10pm on a Saturday, and the show is over an hour long. In that s*** it competes with a long-established daily news update, and movies.

10

mcon96 Apr 22, 2026 +3

Idk I only watched the skits online from the first episode but I remember thinking a lot of the references were for foreign to me. Like I didn’t know anybody in that skit at that big table of famous Brits besides Princess Di

3

Buzzk1LL Apr 22, 2026 +9

Why not online British folks?

9

_lippykid Apr 23, 2026 +2

Are you British? Most of the references and subject matter are uniquely very British, which I was very happy to see. Glad they don’t pander to international viewers.

2

bfsfan101 Apr 22, 2026 +5

I think it’s had a fair bit of engagement in the UK as well. Even people I know who don’t watch any sitcoms or panel shows shared the Irish Grandad and Princess Diana sketches.

5

Cont4x Apr 22, 2026 +1

It’s pretty much what Smosh have been doing for years and have panned out in other content. Youtube has opened up accessibility to so many people to upload their content, that skit style comedy has been a big success for many. There was also short form style with vine and now TikTok So skit comedy, to me, is more of an online thing. The other downside is how social media has changed our brains so much that people, myself included, struggle to watch tv and resort to mainly short videos

1

Lezus Apr 22, 2026 +2

sketch, skits are something else

2

Rocinante23 Apr 22, 2026 +42

I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't already baked into their plan

42

caspararemi Apr 22, 2026 +11

It absolutely was, it was talked about from before the first episode aired. Sky has never made much money from ads, it's all subscribers, so they know it'll either bring in some new ones if they're lucky, but otherwise they'll be monetizing it like crazy on YouTube and Facebook and their brand partnerships with Ebay and whoever else comes along will be happy wherever that content goes.

11

Monkeyspazum Apr 22, 2026 +16

Other than the discussion on here and at r/BritishTV I haven't heard anyone talking about it. No one I know has mentioned it and even at work where we quite often talk about TV shows etc, no one has watched it or even really heard of it. Not many people in the UK (not including Listnook before the basement dwelling chronically online start) know what Saturday Night Live is, or care that its an institution in the USA. The format and history means nothing if it just is a bit shit.

16

ampmz Apr 22, 2026 +7

Also, I’m pretty online, I haven’t seen a clip pop up on any of my social media.

7

Monkeyspazum Apr 22, 2026 +3

I think people in the UK just don't care enough about it, especially because it is on Sky. I cannot remember the last thing I watched on Sky One or Max or whatever it was called.

3

Wetzilla Apr 22, 2026 +5

Go watch the Dad Swap ad sketch. It's great.

5

3-DMan Apr 22, 2026 +6

"It's technically legal, but that's not what it's for!"

6

ontheweed Apr 22, 2026 +4

So just like the US version

4

[deleted] Apr 22, 2026 +4

[removed]

4

hillswalker87 Apr 22, 2026 +13

I'm not saying somebody paid for bots...but that's what it would look like if someone did.

13

Severe-Percentage152 Apr 23, 2026 +2

100% because it looks absolutelt dreadfull

2

idontgetit_99 Apr 22, 2026 +3

It’s a show targeting millennials and Gen Xers broadcasting on Sky that only Boomers have. There’s no way anyone in the team behind this can be surprised by this outcome, it was baked in. They know the YouTube views would be high whilst the channel watching is low. I assume Sky’s goal is to convert some more younger people into subs, same with Last One Laughing.

3

undisputedbuzz Apr 22, 2026 +3

All them bots love watching

3

Fandam_YT Apr 22, 2026 +3

Their main aim is clearly to succeed online, airing live on TV is just part of the process. And even with its ratings dropping from the premiere (as they obviously would anyway) it is still one of Sky’s higher rated linear shows

3

Fr1tzOS Apr 23, 2026 +3

The problem with Sky is that most people under 40 don’t have Sky, and that’s not going to change. At the same time, a lot of the comedy in SNL UK so far is targeting younger adults. It’s just a bad home for it.

3

Vic__Mackey Apr 22, 2026 +5

My first thought was "British SNL? Isn't British sketch comedy nothing but men crossdressing?" And lo and behold, there is a guy playing Princess Di.

5

Jemima_puddledook678 Apr 22, 2026 +4

Well Monty Python, one of the single biggest influences in sketch comedy, is British, so no, why would our sketch comedy be nothing but men crossdressing?

4

futuranotfree Apr 22, 2026 +8

i honestly wouldn’t give much credence to social media views. especially thinking they correlate to actual show viewership, its nothing like that.

8

PlaygroundBully Apr 22, 2026 +8

Yea my scrolling on toilet view definitely isnt translating to anything useful for the media companies

8

Jemima_puddledook678 Apr 22, 2026 +2

It is though, that’s literally what it’s designed for. It’s only aired on sky as a formality.

2

markdavo Apr 22, 2026 +5

You might not but advertisers do. A million views on Youtube is worth about £2000-£4000. It could be even more than that for a channel like Sky. Those numbers are definitely part of the expectations for income for SNLUK which will be a pretty expensive show to make. I’d imagine Taskmaster is Channel 4’s highest earning show, despite not being its most watched, because of its big audience on YouTube.

5

fullmoon63 Apr 22, 2026 +13

Honestly, who watches SNL live anymore? People just wait for the best bits the next day.

13

AltL155 Apr 22, 2026 +9

SNL US consistently get 5 million live viewers. It's obviously the most watched show in its time s***. And that doesn't count people who watch the full show after it airs on Peacock or DVR.

9

AimlessWanderer Apr 22, 2026 +6

it gets the same ratings for the last 15 years. its consistent.

6

jonathanrdt Apr 22, 2026 +5

It's better that way: snl has always been ads and filler. The funny is only 20-25% of the total content.

5

Worried_Bass3588 Apr 22, 2026 +2

There is no incentive to pay for media when it’s easily accessible for free.

2

berlin_got_blurry Apr 22, 2026 +5

I know people still watch and love SNL but it feels like the SNL brand isn’t as strong as it used to be, this seems 20-30 years too late

5

markdavo Apr 22, 2026 +30

People from the U.K. are far more likely to have seen an SNL sketch since 2010 than any previous generation simply because of clips being posted online. Yes, there’s less movies based on SNL now but I think its international audience is much bigger - even if that audience might only see a few sketches every month.

30

metal_jester Apr 22, 2026 +6

Brits don't watch TV like sky etc. anymore. Partly down to TV licence and then it's sky. Who are overpriced and f****** suck.

6

Kind_Resort_9535 Apr 22, 2026 +1

Such a big part of SNL for people here in the States is growing up watching it, and your parents telling you how much funnier it was in their teens, just like their parents told them about the original cast or whatever. It’s such an institution, idk how much I would even enjoy it without that history. The hit rate on funny sketches has always been lower than recorded sketch shows. Which is part of the charm, but still.

1

Wetzilla Apr 22, 2026 +3

> The hit rate on funny sketches has always been lower than recorded sketch shows. Yeah, I mean there's a huge difference between having 6 months to create a sketch show, and having a week to write, rehearse, and perform a live comedy show. They don't have the luxury of reworking and rehearsing stuff over months. They aren't all gonna be winners.

3

Kind_Resort_9535 Apr 22, 2026 +2

Ya of course, I never faulted them for it. If it’s someone’s first time watching though they probably are more likely to watch next week if the majority of sketches are funny. Which is sometimes not the case for SNL.

2

Ill-Ad3311 Apr 22, 2026 +1

Linear TV is dead

1

Aevum1 Apr 22, 2026 +1

Its the reality of modern entertainment, the worst part is that they have it easy, its a sketch show so they can easly segment sketches in to reels and shorts, modern variety shows should stop counting just on TV views and also take monitized social media views like tiktok, youtube and instagram as proper audience. If not, they are just setting themselves up for failiure.

1

Edelmaan Apr 22, 2026 +1

The key and peele conundrum

1

skeach101 Apr 22, 2026 +1

The story of TV today

1

Jlx_27 Apr 22, 2026 +1

Paywall is the cause of this, but they knew this would happen.

1

reldnahcAL Apr 22, 2026 +1

Yeah, welcome to Saturday Night Live in 2026.

1

FireWhiskey5000 Apr 22, 2026 +1

I haven’t seen any of it, but I’m not surprised. Not only is it behind a paywall on Sky, but it feels like a show designed to be clipped and shared online, not watched live.

1

gloebe10 Apr 22, 2026 +1

As an American I'd watch it if it were on Hulu or some service I already have. I have no interest in subscribing to a new service just for this one particular show.

1

EastCoastLoman Apr 22, 2026 +4

Do you have Peacock? It’s on Peacock.

4

damargemirad Apr 22, 2026 +1

I was wondering why I was seeing snl clips Saturday morning….

1

Luke_4686 Apr 22, 2026 +1

Tv viewership is very low as it is anyway so it’s kinda hard to tell what is a success. Obviously a 30% drop isn’t great but I imagine the start was always going to higher than the average as it was the first one

1

Accomplished-Head449 Apr 22, 2026 +1

This is a pretty small sample size so I would pay no attention to it

1

maaseru Apr 22, 2026 +1

I watch US SNL on youtube all the time, never on TV. They need to update these models somehow.

1

WySLatestWit Apr 22, 2026 +1

Not sure social media views are gonna matter.

1

tfhermobwoayway Apr 22, 2026 +1

It's weird to me that a lot of TV shows are now using Youtube as their main outlet. I'm not sure I like it. Big proper art should be given a proper outlet on TV networks. And TV moving online now sort of muscles out all the fun little homemade projects that used to dominate the Web. It feels like there's fewer spaces for the sort of lowbrow, outcast, uncharismatic types to express themselves now. There's just big social media sites, which the traditional establishments have come to dominate. We had a good thing going before they showed up.

1

Fantastic_Picture384 Apr 22, 2026 +1

I doubt that the entire show is getting 86m hits.

1

Zealousideal_Mud_557 Apr 22, 2026 +1

It seems a very viral/short clip heavy show. That way the good stuff gets seen but people have have to sit through the pain of the 90% terrible content of it

1

LilGill63 Apr 22, 2026 +1

Because why pay for another service when u can watch all the best bits on YouTube

1

TheFrontierzman Apr 22, 2026 +1

Okay

1

harlotstoast Apr 22, 2026 +1

I watched the first episode the other day and I thought the skits were pretty lame. The opening was the best and the Lady Di impersonation. Maybe two good laughs can be considered a success these days.

1

williamgman Apr 22, 2026 +1

We watch both US and UK SNL's on YouTube. Do many folks still watch on "TV"? We like most people we know (even at our advanced ages...) Cut cable over a decade ago.

1

TeIegraphAve Apr 22, 2026 +1

Not surprising. The UK TV viewing numbers are dying a death.

1

rit56 Apr 22, 2026 +1

I'd watch it but I don't have nor do I want to subscribe to Peacock. Stupid...

1

tahami_allthemeals Apr 22, 2026 +1

I really wish it was on itv or something. I want to watch live but will not pay for another service

1

IntrepidSoda Apr 22, 2026 +1

It’s shit.

1

MagnanimousPleb Apr 22, 2026 +1

Most of SNL UK’s full skit Youtube videos barely scrape 6 figure view counts. Would be very, very surprised if this lasts the year.

1

thefledexguy Apr 22, 2026 +1

Give it time! F***. It’s been a few weeks. Let these people work.

1

Intelligent_Try_2470 Apr 22, 2026 +1

Never ever watching anything on Sky. However, what I've seen has been good. Loved the Prince Andrew sketch. Hopefully it moves to a more reputable broadcaster.

1

Mooman-Chew Apr 22, 2026 +1

I found it a bit ham fisted tbh but my daughter loves it some the stat would make sense

1

HappyT1984 Apr 22, 2026 +1

Seen a few sketches and were not funny

1

HappyT1984 Apr 22, 2026 +1

Spitting image was way funnier

1

IamNotTheMama Apr 22, 2026 +1

How do you have a show on TV that skewers everything, where skewering anything is unlawful?

1

Nanowith Apr 22, 2026 +1

Would be interested in watching this, too bad it's on Sky. No way in hell am I paying up the wazoo for a special box that's just a worse version of an amazon fire stick that I would use approximately twice a week. Sky's business model is just completely outdated.

1

Decard_Pain Apr 22, 2026 +1

Left the tv on after the footy, even as background noise it was shite and the wife asked me to turn it off.

1

Radiant-Courage5545 Apr 23, 2026 +1

Television is dead

1

chalwar Apr 23, 2026 +1

Rather watch Benny Hill.

1

joey_the_lips Apr 23, 2026 +1

Episode 3 was really good (genuinely every sketch was funny) and I do love Weekend Update every week. It's still it's first year, so I think a solid season and maybe 1 or 2 viral clips/skits should be considered a huge success.

1

GroundbreakingUse794 Apr 23, 2026 +1

People don’t really watch tv anymore. Especially the demos they’re trying to reach. I only watch the OG snl on YouTube and TikTok anyway

1

Alarmed_Drop7162 Apr 23, 2026 +1

It’s a good show. It’s on peacock a few later. Hope it makes it.

1

Existing_Oil_2914 Apr 23, 2026 +1

Give it 6mo to a year to flesh things out. I almost always dislike cast member for their first 6months becuase they just seem awkward and aren't very good until they settle in. Keenan and Bowen being the 2 that took a while for me.

1

playdohplaydate Apr 23, 2026 +1

Not a critique of the show, it just demonstrates how people engage with media nowadays. This isn’t the 90’s

1

ZasdfUnreal Apr 23, 2026 +1

A small 30% drop is pretty good.

1

Rune_Council Apr 23, 2026 +1

“SNL UK audience skews young” JFC.

1

BalthaticusTheTurd Apr 23, 2026 +1

Why does this turn me on?!

1

liambrazier Apr 23, 2026 +1

It’s on Sky right? I don’t actually know anyone that has Sky anymore.

1

TheScarletCravat Apr 23, 2026 +1

Yeahh, their marketing campaign on Listnook has been exceptionally concentrated. Endless posts of mediocre sketches. No one in real life is talking about it though.

1

Historical_Note5003 Apr 23, 2026 +1

Lots of us watch zero TV. I don’t even own a TV. All my entertainment is online.

1

Potential_Radio_1211 Apr 23, 2026 +1

American humour will never make it in Britain. It's not very subtle. Not very bright. Basic. Sarcasm, irony, self deprivation are too high brow for the bog standard mentally limited American

1

DemandEducational331 Apr 23, 2026 +1

Sky are literally making this show so that it can go on YouTube. They know it isn’t going to get views live. All tv in a few years will be on YouTube anyway.

1

_PXYDST_ Apr 23, 2026 +1

They should do what Taskmaster and the Mock the Week revival did and upload episodes to YouTube for free with ads so people all over the world can watch them

1

rayoflight110 Apr 23, 2026 +1

Scrap it

1

Too_much_Colour Apr 23, 2026 +1

Only people over 60 have sky becuase they don’t stream. Particularly Asian pensioners that watch Indian shows on Sky. That demo REALLT doesn’t overlap with SNL uk

1

Buster_Gonad_82 Apr 24, 2026 +1

It's so shit. I'm not going to watch it to find out that I'm correct, but... It's so shit.

1

'SNL UK' Storms Past 86M Social Media Views, But TV Ratings Drop 30%

💬 Send a Message

187 Comments