NBC

SNL is having a banner year with its political sketches, but there’s no overlooking the absence of past favorites Jay Pharoah and Taran Killam. Pharoah in particular says the sketch comedy series had him in an “impression box,” and even had cast members commenting that he was undervalued.

Louis C.K.’s SNL return went smoothly enough, until Tig Notaro fans noticed some striking similarities between a prerecorded “Birthday Clown” sketch, and Notaro’s own “Clown Service” short. It might have been an earnest mistake, but Notaro now speaks out against SNL, calling the apparent rip “extremely disappointing.”

More often than not, hot-ticket network revivals are usually one-and-done, but Will & Grace fans are at least getting some additional bang for their buck. NBC’s revival of Will, Grace, Jack, Karen and the rest is getting an extension, adding a few more episodes to its run.

As if you hadn’t enough trouble keeping The Handmaiden and The Handmaid’s Tale separate, Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman are adding a new wrinkle. The Parks and Recreation pair will host The Handmade Project, a new NBC reality competition for craft-making.

It wasn’t terribly surprising that FOX would say goodbye to American Idol after so many years, but word that NBC might look to revive it alongside The Voice came more unexpectedly. Now, FOX is reportedly bidding for the rights to bring American Idol back on its own, almost exactly as we remember it.

Dave Chappelle had perhaps one of the hardest SNL gigs in recent memory, to follow the still-stunning upset of Election Night with humor. His monologue in particular set a tone for soldiering onward, for which Chappelle now offers new insight into the SNL writers’ room that week, and the advice Louis C.K. gave him.

We’ll never know how Schwarzenegger’s takeover of The Celebrity Apprentice might have succeeded on its own merits, as the results of the 2016 election held a dark cloud over anything bearing Trump’s name. That shade appears to have gotten to Schwarzenegger as well, as the ex-Governator apparently won’t return for another season, citing its toxic association.

If you thought the cord-cutters’ market was aggressive before, just wait until you get a load of YouTube TV. The online video staple announced the full scope of its live TV bundle, complete with unlimited cloud DVR and a moderate monthly subscription fee.

It was back in August we first learned that NBC would experiment with a few Snapchat additions to its most viral shows, and you’ve had at least four months to figure out what that means. Nonetheless, SNL is venturing into Snapchat content with its new Boycott series, as cast members try to get away from the Trump brand.

It made sense of SNL stars Colin Jost and Michael Che to take Weekend Update out on the road for the election conventions, but now that we have a longer investment in political commentary, is it time to spin off the bit altogether? That’s the word on the street, as NBC is reportedly considering a primetime Weekend Update.

After a small intermission that followed Aziz Ansari, SNL is back and ready for its big February encore. As such, host Kristen Stewart and star Beck Bennett workshop their musical in this Saturday’s first promos. They’ve even got three whole words down!

SNL writers understandably channel their feelings toward Donald Trump into comedy on a weekly basis, but aren’t immune to crossing lines. NBC seems to agree, as a writer has been given an indefinite suspension for a tweet about Trump’s son Barron.

We still miss the classic SNL promo format, but Master of None star and comedian Aziz Ansari nonetheless has some serious moves in his first hosting preview. See for yourself (and get a tiny bonus cameo from his mom) of this weekend’s second 2017 show.

The initial shock of Donald Trump’s election left it unclear if SNL would continually call on Alec Baldwin for such an extended commitment, but the 30 Rock alum and ranking host has soldiered on, much to the real Trump’s enjoyable chagrin. Baldwin may even follow in Will Ferrell’s “Dubya” footsteps, apparently taking the role to “other venues.”

Will & Grace fans eager for a revival after the 2016 election short got a shot in the arm with star Leslie Jordan’s announcement that a 10-episode order was already placed, but you know what they say when things sound too good to be true. That Debra Messing will publicly humiliate you over them.

Any great live performance takes a skilled crew working invisibly behind the scenes, and SNL is no different. See for yourself, as a new behind-the-scenes video shows us exactly what’s involved in transitioning from one set to another, going from Donald Trump’s office to Casey Affleck’s monologue in one fell swoop.