how long is snl
“Saturday Night Live” (SNL) runs about 90 minutes for the live NBC broadcast, from roughly 11:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday nights.
Basic runtime
- The standard live episode is a 90‑minute sketch comedy show.
- NBC actually schedules it for about 93 minutes (around 11:29 p.m. to 1:02 a.m. ET) to allow for transitions and commercials.
Why reruns can seem shorter
- Syndicated or cable reruns are often cut down to about 60 minutes to fit different time slots and ad needs.
- To trim it, networks usually remove a couple of sketches and sometimes one of the musical performances.
What fits into those 90 minutes
A typical live SNL episode’s 90‑minute block usually includes:
- Cold open sketch and “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
- Host monologue
- Several live sketches and at least one pre‑taped piece
- “Weekend Update” segment
- One or two performances by the musical guest
So: live SNL ≈ 90 minutes , but reruns/edited versions ≈ 60 minutes , depending on where you watch.
TL;DR: If you’re watching live on NBC, plan for about an hour and a half; if you’re catching reruns on other channels or on‑demand, expect closer to an hour.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.