how long are snl episodes

A standard Saturday Night Live (SNL) episode is 90 minutes long in its live NBC broadcast, including commercials, running roughly from 11:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Eastern. Without commercials, the actual show content is usually around 60–70 minutes.

Quick Scoop: How long are SNL episodes?

• Live on NBC: about 90 minutes with ads (roughly 11:30 p.m.–1:00 a.m. Eastern).

• Actual sketch + music content: about 66–67 minutes on average when you remove commercials.

• Syndicated/rerun versions: often trimmed down to a 60‑minute slot, with some sketches and/or a musical performance cut.

An internal SNL episode synopsis page notes that an episode “runs approximately 67 minutes w/o commercials and 93 minutes (11:29pm–1:02am) with commercials,” which matches what fans and TV listings report.

Why the length feels different

• In live airings, commercial breaks get especially long in the second half, which makes the show feel longer than an hour and a half to some viewers.

• Older reruns on cable (like Comedy Central) and some primetime NBC presentations use a 60‑minute edited version, which can feel tighter and faster because the weaker sketches are often removed.

So if you’re watching SNL live on NBC, think “90‑minute block.” If you’re watching a rerun on cable or streaming, there’s a good chance you’re seeing a cut‑down 60‑minute version.

TL;DR: SNL is a 90‑minute show on NBC (about 60–70 minutes of actual comedy and music), but reruns are often edited to fit a one‑hour slot.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.