SNL to air two Thursday primetime election specials in Fall 2012

Still trying to read the tea leaves to see if Jason Sudeikis will return to Saturday Night Live this fall?

One thing’s for certain. Sudeikis will continue working with the SNL crew in primetime, as NBC Chairman Bob Greenblatt announced today at the TV Critics Association summer press tour that the network would air SNL Weekend Update Thursday specials in primetime on Sept. 20 and Sept. 27, 2012.

Lorne Michaels and Co. put on four such specials in the previous presidential election of 2008.

And since Sudeikis portrays not only presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney, but also the sitting Vice President Joe Biden, he’ll be there. So will Fred Armisen as President Barack Obama. And Seth Meyers will be back at the anchor desk for the weekly Weekend Update segments (which, despite Thursday not being on the weekend, blah blah whatever). Only question is: Who’ll be Romney’s running mate? That could be a great opportunity for one of the other SNL cast members.

The first two SNL Thursdays in 2008 lampooned the second and third presidential debates of that cycle. Curiously, though, the two Weekend Update Thursday dates announced fall before the schedule of the actual presidential and vice presidential debates.

The first 2012 presidential debate between Obama and Romney won’t happen until Oct. 3, 2012, at the University of Denver, according to the Commission on Presidential Debates, which schedules these things.

Memo to NBC: You’re going to need to give SNL a couple of more Thursdays!

Obviously, enough will happen on the campaign trail over the course of September to give Meyers

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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