The Early Years of SNL: Saturday Night Live's Original Era (Part 1) Artwork

The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL Retrospective

An in-depth journey into the legacy of one of television's most iconic and influential shows - Saturday Night Live. Through deep dives into its most memorable eras, behind-the-scenes stories, and analysis of its evolution, we celebrate and debate all things SNL - the show that has become an institution, defining comedy for over 50 years.

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The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL Retrospective

The Early Years of SNL: Saturday Night Live's Original Era (Part 1)

March 24, 2026 • Two Pints Productions, Inc.

0:00 | 1:54:15

We made it! Our look back on the original era of Saturday Night Live comes to a close. We’ve revisited every episode, talked about every sketch, discussed every host and musical guest, and explored the behind-the-scenes stories that brought this iconic show to life.

In this first part of our retrospective of “The Early Years of SNL,” we look back on why we set out on this journey in the first place and look to answer if we succeeded in our goals. We discuss what we enjoyed the most about the process, what we learned, and what surprised us.

We take a moment to celebrate some of the writers that were responsible for some of the most iconic and classic sketches and characters in the show’s history and – finally – look back at the legendary cast. We discuss all the classic characters we loved, the iconic impressions that blew us away, and shine the spotlight one last time on the group that went from “not ready for prime time” to larger than life in just a few short years.

We hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have.

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