'Saturday Night Live UK' Officially Reaches a New Milestone in Season
Amanda M. Castro is a Network TV writer at Collider and a New York–based journalist whose work has appeared in Newsweek, where she is an Associate Editor, and The U.S. Sun, where she previously served as a Senior Consumer Reporter.
She specializes in network television coverage, delivering sharp, thoughtful analysis of long-running procedural hits and ambitious new dramas across broadcast TV. At Collider, Amanda explores character arcs, storytelling trends, and the cultural impact of network series that keep audiences tuning in week after week.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Amanda is bilingual and holds a degree in Communication, Film, and Media Studies from the University of New Haven.
Saturday Night Live UK proves it doesn’t need to match the American original’s numbers to carve out its own place. The British adaptation of Lorne Michaels’ long-running sketch comedy institution attracted 116,000 overnight viewers for its mid-season finale episode on October 24, hosted by Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, making it the day's biggest non-sports program on British pay television. The figure also marks a new Season 2 high, offering a welcome sign of progress for a show that has spent its first year trying to establish itself with audiences across the pond.
The milestone comes with a caveat, asovernight ratings are only part of the picture, and SNL UK has yet to show the mass appeal that turns a promising comedy into an essential weekly appointment. Still, its latest numbers suggest that the show is finding an audience beyond the initial curiosity surrounding an American television institution getting a British makeover. After two seasons of experimenting with its format and finding its comedic footing, the series has reasons to feel optimistic about what comes next.
‘Saturday Night Live UK’ Is Finding Its Audience in Season 2
The most recent episode’s performance is very promising compared with the program's earlier ratings. The first season began in March 2026 with Tina Fey as host, attracting 226,000 viewers in the first episode, according to Sky TV. But the number kept declining until the end of the eight-episode series, with Ncuti Gatwa’s final installment bringing just 86,420 viewers because the Eurovision Song Contest aired at the same time.
Season 2, which debuted in September, started with lower ratings. The episode featuring Jeff Goldblum attracted 105,000 overnight viewers, while Jamie Demetriou’s episode got 139,600. However, the numbers fluctuated afterward, and the October 24 episode reached 116,000 viewers, which is strong given what other shows were broadcasting at the time.
The show can hold its own in a crowded television landscape, where even established entertainment formats compete for viewers’ attention. Its ability to attract the day’s largest non-sports audience on pay television gives the series a meaningful benchmark to build on as it prepares to return in 2027.
Cynthia Erivo’s ‘Nigerian Wicked’ Sketch Shows What Makes the Series Different
Ratings alone don’t explain why SNL UK is beginning to feel more comfortable in its own skin. Look no further than Erivo’s October 24 episode, which featured “Nigerian Wicked,” a Nollywood-inspired parody of the hit musical and film franchise written by cast member Ayoade Bamgboye.
The sketch reimagines Glinda and Elphaba as Nigerian witches traveling to “LagOz” to meet the Wizard. Erivo plays Glinda, who wants a Birkin bag, while Bamgboye’s Elphaba dreams of a “skinny BBL” that defies gravity. Their destination features the “Emerald, White, and Emerald City,” a reference to the colors of the Nigerian flag, while the Wizard, played by Hammed Animashaun, has a “Nolex” instead of a Rolex.
It’s a ridiculous premise, delivered with the kind of cultural specificity that makes the best sketch comedy feel fresh. The humor doesn’t rely solely on recognizable Wicked characters or celebrity impressions; it builds an entirely different comic world around them. The sketch also illustrates the strengths of a cast and writing team willing to draw on experiences and references that distinguish the British version from its American counterpart.
The payoff extends beyond the broadcast. Clips from “Nigerian Wicked” quickly attracted millions of views across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, demonstrating how the show’s reach can extend beyond its overnight television audience. That digital following matters for a program whose younger viewers may encounter individual sketches online rather than watch an entire live episode.
‘SNL UK’ Is Building an Identity Beyond the American Original
With SNL UK's debut in March, comparisons to the U.S. show were inevitable. The British counterpart to SNL, created and produced by Michaels, follows a similar formula, including an A-list host, a musical guest, a series of sketches, and a satirical news segment called Weekend Update. The first season received a mixed but generally encouraging critical response. Its ensemble of British comedians offered a platform for performers whose talents had largely been showcased on the stand-up circuit and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Weekend Update presenters Ania Magliano and Paddy Young, in particular, emerged as audience favorites, while the returning cast continued to develop their chemistry in Season 2.
The show’s approach also reflects a deliberate effort to make the format work for British audiences. Its sketches draw on local television personalities, public figures, and cultural quirks rather than simply importing American references. The specificity might limit the appeal of certain jokes outside the United Kingdom, but it also gives the series a reason to exist beyond nostalgia for the original.
The latest ratings milestone arrives as the series wraps the first half of its 12-episode second season. The remaining six episodes are scheduled to air in January and February 2027, giving the cast and writers another opportunity to build on the momentum of the fall run. However, questions remain about the show’s long-term prospects. Its overnight audience remains modest, and one strong episode doesn’t establish a consistent upward trend. The key question is whether SNL UK can maintain its popularity on its return, especially as audiences grow accustomed to its cast and the concept's uniqueness fades.
Nonetheless, novelty was never meant to be the sustainable backbone of a weekly show. What could prove more useful is a strong voice, a stable ensemble, and sketches people want to share. If SNL UK keeps doing that, its recent ratings success might be more than a one-time win and suggest the British experiment is working in the long run.
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