It looks like Lorne Michaels won’t be enjoying quiet weekends at home anytime soon.
Yes, it’s been widely rumored that the Saturday Night Live creator would step down at the end of the show’s upcoming 50th season.
But in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Michaels reveals that he plans to continue helming SNL for the foreseeable future.
“[SNL is] always going to be described the same way, which is ‘uneven,’ and yet people have decided somehow that it’s important,” Michaels said.
“And so as long as it’s important and I can be useful, I’ll stay.”
Yes, it sounds like Michaels is planning to hang around for quite some time.
We suppose that’s good news if you’re a fan of SNL’s recent seasons.
But it’s a bit of a bummer for those of us who were hoping to see Tina Fey fulfill her Liz Lemon destiny by succeeding her gruff mentor and becoming NBC’s next sketch show impresario.
Michaels first hinted that he might stick around in a June interview with The New York Times.
“I’m going to do it as long as I feel I can do it. But I rely on other people and always have,” he said at the time.
It’s not the first piece of surprising news surrounding the iconic sketch show’s milestone season.
Earlier this month, fans were floored by some unexpected casting shakeups, including news that beloved Season 49 featured player Chloe Troast would not be returning.
But such personnel changes are an annual tradition in Studio 8H.
The unretirement of SNL’s longtime showrunner is something else entirely.
The news of Michaels’ decision is sure to receive a mixed reaction.
After all, “uneven” is a generous assessment of SNL’s output in recent years, and there’s a widespread belief that the show would benefit from some new leadership.
But as the NBC stalwart gears up for another bonkers election season, it seems that Michaels plans to remain boss for the foreseeable future.
What are your thoughts, TV fanatics? Are you happy that Michaels is sticking around? Or do you think it’s time for the television legend to appoint a successor?
Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!
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