SNL Season 51 Opens With Cast Shakeup and Host Lineup

Saturday Night Live opened its 51st season in October with a reshuffled cast and a roll call of upcoming hosts and musical guests, even as one of its longest-serving players prepares for her first postshow project. The NBC sketch series premiered on Oct. 4 and has since announced hosts Miles Teller on Nov. 1, Nikki Glaser on Nov. 8 and Glen Powell on Nov. 15, with musical guests Brandi Carlile, sombr and Olivia Dean joining those respective episodes. Sabrina Carpenter will appear as both host and musical guest on Oct. 18, and Amy Poehler returned to Studio 8H on Oct. 11 for the program’s 50th anniversary celebration.

The show went into Season 51 after a significant summer cast turnover. Five longtime performers departed: Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker and Emil Wakim. Their exits created openings filled by five new featured players: Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska. Season 51’s ensemble also includes returning repertory members Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson and Bowen Yang, along with featured...