When will the next new episode of Saturday Night Live air? Details explored

The upcoming episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL) will premiere on January 17, 2026, following a break for the holidays.

NBC has already announced that there won't be a new episode on December 27, 2025, since the same-night rerun of Sabrina Carpenter's episode from October 18, 2025, will be played during the holiday period.

The last new show of 2025 was on December 20, featuring Ariana Grande as the host and Cher as the musical guest.

NBC is still adamant about SNL airing at its usual time of 11:30 p.m. Eastern / 10:30 p.m. Central on Saturday nights, with the episodes being available for next-day streaming on Peacock.

Upcoming Saturday Night Live Episodes and Holiday Schedule

December 27 Rerun Details

On December 27, NBC will re-air SNL Season 51, Episode 3, originally hosted by Sabrina Carpenter. Carpenter served as both host and musical guest for the first time in that episode.

According to NBC, her sketches included a teen boy hosting a podcast called “Snack Homiez,” a character portraying an ambitious entrepreneur, and a scene with Ashley Padilla playing a coworker.

Carpenter also performed her song “Manchild” during the episode.

This rerun will occupy the standard time slot on NBC, providing viewers the opportunity to watch an episode previously broadcast in October.

The episode is also available for streaming on Peacock the following day.

First Episode of 2026

The very first SNL episode of the year 2026 will have Finn Wolfhard as the host and A$AP Rocky as the musical guest, scheduled for January 17, 2026.

Wolfhard has very recently been seen in Stranger Things, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

A$AP Rocky is going to be on SNL for the first time as the musical guest, which will happen the day after his new album's release on January 16.

NBC has definitely confirmed this news as part of the SNL schedule. Wolfhard's hosting will signal the start of the 2026 season and will continue to follow the series' regular Saturday broadcast pattern.

Previous Episode Recap

The December 20, 2025, episode, hosted by Ariana Grande with Cher as musical guest, was the final new episode of the year.

According to NBC and People, this episode included sketches such as a recreation of a scene from Home Alone, featuring Grande, and highlighted the departure of Bowen Yang from the cast.

Cher performed “DJ Play A Christmas Song” and “Run Rudolph Run” from her 2023 Christmas album.

Both performances and cast transitions were noted in the broadcast, and viewers also discussed these moments on YouTube, as reported by People.

Streaming and Accessibility

Peacock is the place to stream all SNL episodes, in addition to reruns and old seasons.

The streaming service gives the audience the option of catching up on the fun and watching the complete episodes whenever they like, even the rerun of Sabrina Carpenter’s October 18 episode which is going to be shown on December 27.

NBC keeps on airing the Saturday night live transmission that makes it easy for U.S. viewers to watch the show.

Hosts and Musical Guests Schedule

The official NBC timetable reveals the subsequent host and musical guest duos. It’s Wolfhard and A$AP Rocky on January 17 after the holiday break.

SNL had a lineup of starry hosts like Lady Gaga, Jon Hamm, Melissa McCarthy, and Amy Poehler throughout the year 2025.

Also, Ariana Grande did a Christmas show with Cher. The episode on October 18 featuring Sabrina Carpenter, also shown as a rerun on December 27, was her debut as a series host.

These updates and reruns from the schedule are part of NBC’s strategy to keep SNL as the Saturday night programming for a long time to come.

Stay tuned for more updates.