‘Saturday Night Live’ Season 48 Sets October Premiere Date (TV News Roundup)

EJ Panaligan, Michaela Zee and Katie Reul
·3 min read
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NBC has announced a premiere date for “Saturday Night Live’s” 48th season, which will return on October 1. The premiere episode’s host and musical guest will be announced at another date.

Though the show typically operates on a fluid weekly schedule throughout the season, new episodes are expected to air on the following two weekends, October 8th and 15th, after its premiere. Creator Lorne Michaels continues as executive producwe.

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Following the show’s 47th season finale, the cast saw its largest exodus in recent memory, with the departures of tenured members Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson and Kyle Mooney announced shortly before the season’s final show. In early September, three more cast members — Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor and Aristotle Athari — departed the show.

The 48th season premiere will stream live on Peacock in addition to its traditional live broadcast on NBC.

Also in today’s news:

DATES

Shudder, AMC Networks’ streamer for horror, thriller and supernatural content, will debut the new spinoff series, “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans,” with a two-episode premiere on Oct. 25. Hosted and created by the Boulet Brothers, the competition reality show will feature drag artists from previous seasons of “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula,” where they will compete in a new “underworld” setting full of twists and physical challenges. Guest judges include Cassandra Peterson, Harvey Guillen, Justin Simien and David Dastmalchian, among others. “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans” can be streamed on AMC+ and Shudder.

PROGRAMMING

Emmy award-winning journalist and television host Elizabeth Vargas is set to guest anchor “NewsNation Prime” from Sept. 19 to 23 at 8 p.m. ET, NewsNation announced Monday. Vargas has previously served as the host of “America’s Most Wanted” on Fox and “20/20” on ABC, as well as served as co-anchor of “World News Tonight” and a news anchor and host of “Good Morning America.” She will be stepping in for NewsNation anchor Marni Hughes.

Sports content creator Jack Settleman will join MSG Networks as a new digital host. He will serve as host and executive producer of “Settle Your Bet,” a show centered around sports betting action across the NFL. Settleman previously founded Snapback Sports, a popular sports-focused Snapchat account that has gained more than 2.5 million followers and generated over one billion total views since its launch in 2017. New episodes of “Settle Your Bet” will air on MSG Networks’ YouTube channel every Thursday during the football season.

SERIES

Paramount+ revealed today the imminence of “Transformers: EarthSpark” November 11th release date along with a first look at the key art for the animated show. Produced by Nickelodeon Animation and Hasbro Entertainment One, the project is the latest installment of the long-standing “Transformers” franchise, which dates as far back as 1984.

Before its international debut, the first ten episodes of the Paramount+ original series will be made accessible on the streaming service in the U.S. and Canada only. After its overseas distribution, viewers can tune in to Nickelodeon to watch the show on cable.

Co-executive producers Dale Malinowski and Ant Ward will promote the upcoming series October 9th at a New York Comic Con panel. Accompanied by voice actors like Sydney Mikayla and Zion Broadnax, the cast and crew will give “Transformers” enthusiasts a sneak peek at more previously unseen content from 12-1 p.m. GMT.

On the show floor, conference-goers can expect to get a photo opportunity with a 16-foot statue of Bumblebee — a popular character from the franchise — or check out a “Transformers” augmented reality experience.

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