Is a New 'SNL' on Tonight?

This weekend will be the second without a new episode of Saturday Night Live, as Season 44 ended this past May.

SNL wrapped up its 44th season on May 18 with an episode hosted by Paul Rudd, with musical guest DJ Khaled. The installment was a spectacular send-off for a big season, but now many fans' weekends are feeling a little empty. This Saturday will be the second one without SNL, and some are still getting used to it.

Season 44 technically began back in September, with a now-infamous episode that set the tone for the whole year. While host Adam Driver delivered some stellar performances, musical guest Kanye West stole the show with an unplanned rant advising the American people to support President Donald Trump.

Things stayed strange from there. In this year's 21 episodes we have seen huge celebrity powerhouses as host and rising stars as well. We saw returning cast members and lifelong fans, as well as musical guests carrying more and more of the show.

Meanwhile, this season saw a slight drop in the political sketches with big celebrity guests. Alec Baldwin made fewer appearances with his impression of President Trump this year, and when he did he often shared the stage with others. Robert De Niro took over the role of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, while Ben Stiller played the president's former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

We also saw Matt Damon take on a role as Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh before hosting the show himself, and Kanye West defiantly wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat on stage.

All in all, however, it was a relatively apolitical year by SNL standards. The show focused more on outlandish sketches with memorable characters, and in many cases it succeeded.

Meanwhile, the cast remained in the headlines this year as well, producing some of the biggest celebrity stories of the year. Comedian Pete Davidson drew fresh eyes to the show through his romance with singer Ariana Grande and the ensuing fallout, some of which played out on set. Colin Jost's romance with Scarlett Johansson also had many fans interested, especially with the release of Avengers: Endgame.

Sadly, with all that behind us, SNL fans will now have to wait until September for more new episodes. According to a report by Screen Rant, SNL Season 45 will premiere on Sept. 28, taking fans right through until this time next spring.

This weekend, a re-run will air in SNL's usual time slot. The May 11 show with host Emma Thompson and musical guests the Jonas Brothers begins at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.