Jean Smart, Jelly Roll and lots of surprise guests

Less than six months ago Saturday Night Live debuted, Saigon fell. The first episode of the series only lasted a year, and nothing changed since Nixon's resignation. With 8H's legacy still in its infancy, the unrest of the 1960s, from assassination to war, was still fresh in the minds of television viewers.

Given that there have been more than 900 episodes since the NBC institution's founding in 1975 – consisting of thousands of live sketches, short films, musical performances and more – it's difficult to accurately capture the impact SNL has taken place over the last six decades. There have been spin-off films, anniversary shows, countless essays on political reporting and even a biopic that hit theaters this weekend.

And tonight's season premiere is, in some ways, business as usual: another hectic week of prep, culminating in an episode of live comedy. But – of course – it's the 50th. Jean Smart will be there. The 2024 election is still weeks away. With more attention than usual, will they find the right tone for this season? Nothing is better than when SNL firing on all cylinders.

First, let's talk to some of the show's top alumni in light of what's happening right now. I recently spoke to Alex Moffat who shared some of his expectations for this momentous season: “I would love to see Eddie Murphy host again. I didn’t just watch for a year.” Beverly Hills police officer every day, but there was a long period of time where my parents had to start limiting the number of loans The best of Eddie Murphy SNL When we went to Blockbuster, he's literally my #1 favorite of all time. I think it's the 50th season so all bets are off. I hope Steve Martin and Tina Fey both host. It will just be cool to see the cavalry of stars in the 50s.”

Former cast member Taran Killam will soon appear in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Kennedy Center in about two weeks. He recently told me that he is “really looking forward to season 50! Some of my favorite hosts I've worked with are in their first few seasons. Ariana, Keaton. Mulaney is the best.”

Finally, season six cast member Denny Dillon joins me and says, “It's overwhelming to think it's been 50 years! The first year, 1975, I guest-starred in the third series with my comedy partner Mark Hampton. We did Talent Night in the Convent. It was crazy being in Season 6. It's a miracle that Lorne Michaels has maintained this revolutionary idea through all these decades.

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“I'm pretty curious SNL 50 and hope that I will be invited to the anniversary. I imagine the world is coming soon,” continues Dillon, who also worked with tonight’s host when Smart starred women design! More on that later.

Jelly Roll is here tonight too, Conehead Nation! His recent music video with Eminem was great. SNL in Review is ready!

And we're off to the races… Kicking off the series is the announced return of Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris, along with the surprises of Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz, Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff and Dana Carvey as Joe Biden.

We will continue to update this summary as it broadcasts.