NBC Not Airing New ‘SNL’ Tonight, Showing Halloween Special Instead

Saturday Night Live is taking another week off, and this weekend will see a Halloween special instead.

SNL is in week two of its first hiatus of the season. On Saturday, NBC will air a Halloween special in its usual time-slot, cutting together some of the best Halloween and spooky-themed skits from the last several years. This will undoubtedly include an appearance by Tom Hanks’ David S. Pumpkins, among others.

Saturday Night Live has aired three episodes so far for season 44. It kicked off back in September with the controversial episode featuring host Adam Driver and musical guest Kanye West. West stole that show with his explosive tirade on the stage after the show was over. After that came an episode with Awkwafina and musical guest Travis Scott, followed by the triumphant return of cast alumni Seth Meyers, with musical guest Paul Simon.

All three episodes have featured heavy political satire, with appearances by Alec Baldwin in character as Donald Trump, and other big celebrity cameos. They have also become self-referential, as West’s viral speech was addressed the following week in a segment on Weekend Update.

Next weekend, the show returns with host Jonah Hill and musical guest Maggie Rogers. While there is plenty of news to catch up, it will not be easy to poke fun at. Since SNL has been off the air, the nation has faced a slew of domestic terrorism, much of it with apparently partisan political motives. The federal government has also taken steps to reduce the rights of trangender people, and more attacks on the electoral system are reportedly underway. These are all things that SNL will undoubtedly tackle, though how the show will inject comedy into these subjects is difficult to imagine.

Meanwhile, the show will hopefully address the breakup of cast member Pete Davidson and pop star Ariana Grande. Their engagement was a major event for the show, and was mentioned on air numerous times. Sadly, after the death of her long-time ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, Grande called off her relationship with Davidson shortly after SNL‘s most recent live episode. In all likelihood, the show will at least reference the breakup next week, to lighten the tension and attract some of Grande’s die-hard fans to the clips online later on.

The Saturday Night Live Halloween special airs at 11:30 p.m. ET only on NBC. A new episode premieres next Saturday at the same time.