'SNL' Returns for Second 'At Home' Episode Tonight in Light of Coronavirus Pandemic

Saturday Night Live returns for another installment of 'SNL At Home' this weekend, and the [...]

By Michael Hein

Saturday Night Live returns for another installment of "SNL At Home" this weekend, and the excitement is building. NBC released a promo showing the cast members getting together in a video chat this weekend, indicating that they are all still working from home. There is no telling what the comedians will get up to this time around without being in the same room together.

SNL took a few extra weeks off after the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., but now the show is finding ways to keep filming while still maintaining social distancing. The first installment of "Saturday Night Live At Home" aired on April 11, and it went over surprisingly well with fans. After another weekend off, it is time to see if the show can catch lightning in a bottle twice.

The new promo shows the cast members chiming in one after another in a quick-cut, stylized video. They laughed and joked together in a promising montage, all from their disparate homes in the city. They wore casual clothes and looked more relaxed than usual, perhaps hinting that the show will steer into the quarantine feeling this week.

So far, it is not clear if there is a host or musical guest for this week's episode, though the show found some elegant solutions for those questions last time. Fans may see an unexpected celebrity cameo, like Tom Hanks' drop-in performance earlier this month.

Other than that, the show will likely be made up mostly of pre-filmed segments featuring just one cast member at a time. Still, the comedians have found some extremely creative things to do on their own, such as Kate McKinnon's "RGB's Workout Corner," where she played Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, or Chloe Fineman's "MasterClass: Quarantine Edition," where Fineman did three superb impressions, including Tiger King's Carole Baskin.

There were also some live installments last time, including "Weekend Update" with Colin Jost and Michael Che. The two can still deliver their quips over video chat, and the live element justifies the show's late-night run time.

Then again, the show may decide to take a completely different route with this weekend's new "At Home" episode. This is brand new territory for SNL — a show that has over four decades of momentum behind its format and presentation. The season only has a few more episodes left to go, and the way the coronavirus pandemic is going, there is little chance it will be filmed back in the studio this spring.

Saturday Night Live airs at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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