‘Saturday Night Live’ to air new episode produced remotely due to pandemic

After a few weeks on hiatus, “Saturday Night Live” will air a new episode produced remotely this Saturday, NBC announced.

The show had gone dark because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has particularly hurt New York, where the show is produced at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. 

But instead of shooting in its usual studio, “SNL” will air new content in its usual time slot at 11:30 p.m. This will include a version of the “Weekend Update” segment, NBC News reported.

The show’s Twitter account posted a photo of its cast together on a Zoom conference call, a potential hint at what’s to come:

‼️ This Saturday ‼️#SNLAtHome pic.twitter.com/JT62ELvmsW

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) April 9, 2020

Plans for a regularly-scheduled episode March 28 were scratched as the New York entertainment world, including Broadway, shut down. Late-night talk shows, including “The Tonight Show,” “Late Night” and “The Late Show,” in recent weeks have had their hosts broadcasting from home and interviewing guests via video call.

No host for this unique episode of “SNL” was announced, but one reporter said Tom Hanks was rumored to be involved with the production. Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson contracted COVID-19 in mid-March while visiting Australia and have since returned to the U.S.