| "Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special" | |
|---|---|
| Saturday Night Live episode | |
 Special's promo card | |
| Episode no. | Season 40 |
| Directed by | Don Roy King |
| Narrated by | Darrell Hammond |
| Original air date | February 15, 2015 |
| Running time | 211 minutes (with commercials) |
"Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special" (also billed as "SNL40") is a three-and-a-half-hour prime-time special that aired on February 15, 2015, on NBC, celebrating Saturday Night Live's 40th year on the air, having premiered on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night.[1][2] It is produced by Broadway Video. This special generated 23.1 million viewers, becoming NBC's most-watched prime-time, non-sports, entertainment telecast (excluding Super Bowl lead-outs) since the Friends series finale in 2004.[3][4][5][6] It is the third such anniversary special to be broadcast, with celebratory episodes also held during the 15th and 25th seasons.
The special was preceded on NBC by an hour-long SNL 40th Red Carpet Live, hosted by Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Carson Daly and Al Roker, who interviewed past hosts, current and previous cast members, and musical legends who had previously performed on the show.[7]
- ^ Bradley, Bill (April 18, 2014). "'Saturday Night Live' Will Celebrate Its 40th Anniversary With A Three and a Half Hour Live Broadcast". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- ^ "NBC's 'Saturday Night Live' 40th Anniversary Special Set". Deadline. April 18, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- ^ Hibberd, James (February 16, 2015). "SNL anniversary breaks NBC ratings records". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
- ^ "Live from the Red Carpet: SNL 40th Anniversary Special - Saturday Night Live - NBC". NBC.
- ^ "'Saturday Night Live' 40th Anniversary Ratings: Show Dominates Night - Variety". Variety. February 16, 2015.
- ^ "Ratings - "Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special" Is NBC's Most-Watched Primetime Entertainment Telecast, Excluding Post-Super Bowl Programs, In More Than 10 Years - TheFutonCritic.com". thefutoncritic.com.
- ^ "Saturday Night Live listings". Retrieved February 2, 2015.