Can the Brits Do ‘SNL’ Better Than Americans?

Live from London, it’s Saturday night!

The British adaptation of ‘Saturday Night Live’ premiered earlier this year, but the show really found its voice in its latest episode. Cynthia Erivo was the host. The standout sketch was called ‘Nigerian Wicked,’ a Nollywood twist to her blockbuster film. 

That moment has now been described as one of the best ‘SNL’ sketches ever made. But how did the British version become so good, so quickly? What does the show’s quick success mean for the original? Sam breaks it all down with Caroline Darya Framke, television critic for ‘The New York Times.’

The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love.

Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture.