Saturday Night Live.....

[CaptainYooh]

I was certain I’ve read $20M/episode somewhere, but looks like $4M is the correct amount.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/media/ar...t-episode.html

[troutman]

^^^

Che further illustrated the challenge, saying: 'To me, it's like, imagine being the stepfather of a 50-year-old! It's just impossible,' he concluded.

[Coach]

I was going to say $20m/episode is insane, there's no way. Pretty sure even the most expensive TV shows ever get to MAYBE $10/episode. That's like GoT levels.

[CaptainYooh]

Ah, I remember now, this was about Severance $20M cost per episode. Just got them mixed up as I was posting in both threads.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultas...on-an-episode/

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Coach

I was going to say $20m/episode is insane, there's no way. Pretty sure even the most expensive TV shows ever get to MAYBE $10/episode. That's like GoT levels.

PDD making out like bandits.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Ah, I remember now, this was about Severance $20M cost per episode. Just got them mixed up as I was posting in both threads.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultas...on-an-episode/

That's madness for a show mostly set in one place. I would guess actor's salary are playing into that one pretty heavily.

SNL cast members really don't make much money, especially new ones. I would be surprised if even someone like Keenan Thompson pushes over 1-2M/year. I'm guessing a regular cast member is basically making union scale/week and the technicians on the show probably make more money.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by Coach

T...
SNL cast members really don't make much money, especially new ones. I would be surprised if even someone like Keenan Thompson pushes over 1-2M/year. I'm guessing a regular cast member is basically making union scale/week and the technicians on the show probably make more money.

I don't recall who it was (Pete Davidson at someone's podcast?) who said that new cast members make $3,000 per month or something like that. Frankly, I don't think it is low for what they do. Hanging around, eating free food, laughing, writing, rehearsing sketches and doing drugs all week with a 2-min possible appearance on live TV once weekly. When I was 20-25, I'd do it without a second thought, no matter the pay. F..., I would have done it for free. SNL is a huge stepping stone for comedians - almost a guaranteed career springboard like no others. But it is an absolute meritocracy. Prove you're good, then get paid. Or not. Look at Jimmy Fallon or Pete Davidson - both have practically zero acting talent, very little comedic talent, yet, multi-millionaires out of nowhere. It's a very different world.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

I don't recall who it was (Pete Davidson at someone's podcast?) who said that new cast members make $3,000 per month or something like that. Frankly, I don't think it is low for what they do. Hanging around, eating free food, laughing, writing, rehearsing sketches and doing drugs all week with a 2-min possible appearance on live TV once weekly. When I was 20-25, I'd do it without a second thought, no matter the pay. F..., I would have done it for free. SNL is a huge stepping stone for comedians - almost a guaranteed career springboard like no others. But it is an absolute meritocracy. Prove you're good, then get paid. Or not. Look at Jimmy Fallon or Pete Davidson - both have practically zero acting talent, very little comedic talent, yet, multi-millionaires out of nowhere. It's a very different world.

I’m guessing it’s more like $3-4k/week. $3k/month? How do you think people live? They still have to live in NYC. You seem to have a pretty skewed view of their overall lives. SNL is notoriously a pretty terrible work environment. Certainly not easy breezy fun writing and eating food. Despite it seeming like a fun place, it’s probably the hardest place to work in show business. Just consider their schedule alone much less having to try and make something moderately funny every week live. It’s an insane undertaking.

It’s definitely a stepping stone and that’s why they’re able to pay even that low, but they still have to pay enough for people to survive in New York.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by Coach

I’m guessing it’s more like $3-4k/week. $3k/month? How do you think people live? They still have to live in NYC. You seem to have a pretty skewed view of their overall lives. SNL is notoriously a pretty terrible work environment. Certainly not easy breezy fun writing and eating food. Despite it seeming like a fun place, it’s probably the hardest place to work in show business. Just consider their schedule alone much less having to try and make something moderately funny every week live. It’s an insane undertaking.

It’s definitely a stepping stone and that’s why they’re able to pay even that low, but they still have to pay enough for people to survive in New York.

How do you think seniors' couples live on a $3,000 monthly pension in NYC? They do somehow. People adapt. If your $3-4K/wk amount is correct, then it's more like $110,000-$150,000/yr even assuming they don't get paid anything for 2-3 month of the summer break. Again, consider the work outcome of what they actually produce for that pay amount.

As far as "skewed view of their overall lives", I suggest reading Jay Mohr's "Gasping for Airtime" book. They do all of that and then some. Add constant bickering, fighting for Lorne's and senior writers' attention etc. Point was made that the cast is paid peanuts, which is undfair and we should feel sorry for them. They are not, it is not and we should not.

[Shazam]

Davison said $3K per show.

[Coach]

Yeah my understanding is that new cast members sign a 5 year contract where I'm guessing they are making that ~$3k/show, which is basically a scale union rate for a featured TV performer. I would guess after that 5 year contract if they are a popular and good performer they have some negotiating power to up that into something a bit more in line with what a network TV star normally makes.

I didn't respond after CYs breakdown because it's obviously so out to lunch, figured they could find out on their own if they want. They are still union TV performers subject to those rules, they have to be paid a certain level. And $100K/year living in NYC as one of the stars of one of the most popular and recognizable shows in history is not a lot of money just in general, and then when you compare it to other TV stars it's insanely low. Most stars would pull 100K/episode at least. At peak sitcom stars of Friends, Seinfeld, Frasier and even into How I Met Your Mother days, those actors were pulling $1M/ episode once theyre into 3-5 seasons. Network doesn't make the money they used to so I would imagine that's changed, but not THAT much.

I don't really doubt Jay Mohr probably was making 3K/month...in the 90s when he was on the show. That would actually make sense given it was 30 years ago. There have been some labour disputes since then.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by Coach

...
I didn't respond after CYs breakdown because it's obviously so out to lunch, figured they could find out on their own if they want. They are still union TV performers subject to those rules, they have to be paid a certain level. And $100K/year living in NYC as one of the stars of one of the most popular and recognizable shows in history is not a lot of money just in general, and then when you compare it to other TV stars it's insanely low. ...

Perhaps, help me understand the point you are arguing. Is it that SNL should pay new cast member more, because life in NYC is expensive? Or should they pay them more, because other stars get paid more? Either one is rather flawed logically. Let's assume that $3k/episode is the correct amount (this information is not published and all hearsay, but regardless). SNL makes 18-21 new episodes per season; so, $54K-63K for 20 weeks of fun and learning on the most desirable comedy show in US. Not a huge amount for living in Manhattan, sure. But they can and do work other gigs - clubs, private functions, filming industry etc. They can also share an apartment and drive a limo, like Larry David did, to support themselves. And why should SNL pay young unproven cast members same or close to other stars? They are not stars yet. Similar to pro-sports: athletes are paid low in their first contracts and get much more if they become a star.

It is hard to disagree with this logic. So it must be a different point then. What is it?

[Brupal]

SNL cast members get paid on a tiered system depending on how long they've been working on the show. When a cast member joins for their first season (where they're known as "featured players"), they reportedly make $7,000 an episode or $147,000 over a 21-episode season. Once they make it to their second year as full-time cast members, they get an extra $1,000 added to their salaries, making it $8,00o per episode or $168,000 per season. By a cast member's fifth season, they make $15,000 per episode or $315,000 per season.

[getbak]

That's why they had the joke in the 50th special about how you can tell a cast member is in their third or fourth season because they finally make enough to get their teeth fixed.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Perhaps, help me understand the point you are arguing. Is it that SNL should pay new cast member more, because life in NYC is expensive? Or should they pay them more, because other stars get paid more? Either one is rather flawed logically. Let's assume that $3k/episode is the correct amount (this information is not published and all hearsay, but regardless). SNL makes 18-21 new episodes per season; so, $54K-63K for 20 weeks of fun and learning on the most desirable comedy show in US. Not a huge amount for living in Manhattan, sure. But they can and do work other gigs - clubs, private functions, filming industry etc. They can also share an apartment and drive a limo, like Larry David did, to support themselves. And why should SNL pay young unproven cast members same or close to other stars? They are not stars yet. Similar to pro-sports: athletes are paid low in their first contracts and get much more if they become a star.

It is hard to disagree with this logic. So it must be a different point then. What is it?

I'm not making any point other than just trying to zero in on what they might be paid, as you noted it's unpublished and hearsay. I just think the $3k/m you noted is way off, even just by industry scale standards, and would basically be an unsustainable living in NYC. They are almost assuredly underpaid relative to industry counterparts, but to what think your point might be, is that there are other reasons people want to work there than money, which is true. It's also probably a big reason people don't normally stay that long despite most of them recollecting it as some of their favourite moments in life. But keeping the performers at or close to scale is probably a big reason the show survives as well. Otherwise they would have ended up paying people $1M/episode and it would be unsustainable.

So yeah it's in a unique position where it's a highly touted and enjoyable yet notoriously difficult and underpaid gig. Underpaid doesn't necessarily mean poorly paid.

[troutman]

Finally got to watch the Homecoming Concert I recorded. So great to see B-52s and Devo. They blew my mind on SNL in the 70s. Eddie Vedder was great. Wake Up was song of the night IMO. Too bad Talking Heads did not reunite with Byrne. Jack White killed of course. The Roots are the best.

Where was Bruce?

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by Brupal

SNL cast members get paid on a tiered system depending on how long they've been working on the show. When a cast member joins for their first season (where they're known as "featured players"), they reportedly make $7,000 an episode or $147,000 over a 21-episode season. Once they make it to their second year as full-time cast members, they get an extra $1,000 added to their salaries, making it $8,00o per episode or $168,000 per season. By a cast member's fifth season, they make $15,000 per episode or $315,000 per season.

Does it continue to grow after the 5th season? If so, Kenan Thompson is making bank.

[DownInFlames]

Is Tate McRae going to be the first Calgarian to appear on SNL? Mark McKinney and Norm Macdonald both lived here but didn't grow up in the city. Bruce McCulloch did, but I think he only wrote on the show.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

Is Tate McRae going to be the first Calgarian to appear on SNL? Mark McKinney and Norm Macdonald both lived here but didn't grow up in the city. Bruce McCulloch did, but I think he only wrote on the show.

Good question. I think Tate already appeared in 2023.

I don’t know if Joni Mitchell appeared? She had a year at SAIT, but really from SK.

There was a sketch where Tegan & Sara were impersonated.

I don’t think Hitman Hart ever appeared.

[DownInFlames]

Right, it's her second appearance. Her music is so forgettable.