WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Saturday Night.
Saturday Nightportrays Lorne Michaels planning to anchorSNL’sfirst Weekend Update segment before handing it over toChevy Chase. Jason Reitman’s 2024 docudrama follows the chaotic 90 minutes before thepremiere episode ofSaturday Night Liveon June 27, 2025. Michaels, played by Golden Globe nominee Gabriel LaBelle, leads the ensemblecast ofSaturday Night, which also features Cory Michael Smith portraying Chase.
ThroughoutSaturday Night, Lorne has to wrangle his wildSNLcast and make critical decisions that would determine the success of the sketch comedy show’s first NBC broadcast.Saturday Nightdepicts one of those crucial choices that requiredMichaels to swallow his pride and hand the Weekend Update anchor role to Chasejust minutes before the show went live. While it made for one of the more interesting scenes in the film, the actual occurrence went down slightly differently.
Lorne Michaels Didn’t Want To Cut Other Actors' Material While Leaving Himself In For Weekend Update
Michaels Was Focused On Showcasing The Wide Range Of His Cast’s Talents
Lorne Michaels' decision to remove himself as the Weekend Update anchor was made partly due to his consideration for the cast members. According toThe New Yorker, “It would be awkward to cut other people’s material while leaving himself in. That, he said, would be “‘a little too Orson Welles, even for me.'“While Michaels was the creator of the show, he was well aware of the wealth of comedic talent that surrounded him duringSNL’sfirst episode, including Jon Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Laraine Newman.
Saturday Nightis now streaming exclusively on Netflix.
Weekend Update has been a staple ofSaturday Night Livefor 50 seasons based on Michaels’ decision in 1975. In retrospect, he was wise to allow Chase to take the reins of Weekend Update, considering the comedian’s meteoric rise soon afterSNLpremiered. Michaels was also smart to allow his cast members to display his vision forSaturday Night Liverather than try to do it himself. It furtherdemonstrates how keen Michaels' eye was for talent. Many of his castmates were also actors who landed movie roles fromSNL, which Michaels was not interested in personally as a producer.
Saturday Night Depicts How Gifted Chase Was At Getting Laughs
Chase was originally hired as a writer onSNLbut Michaels had him anchor Weekend Update because he made him laugh a lot around the office. This sentiment is highlighted throughoutSaturday Night, seen in moments when Michaels admires Chase’s stage presence and expert ability to get the people around him to laugh. Chase saves Michaels during a speech to NBC’s executives during a crucial scene inSaturday Night. This exemplifies how Michaels recognized how hilarious Chase was and humbly determined that Chase would be a better fit than him for the Weekend Update job.
