The first edition of Saturday Night Live UK, which aired on pay TV channel Sky One from 10pm, attracted a solid 226,000 viewers.
The show, which starred Tina Fey, also featured Graham Norton, and was directed by executive producer Lorne Michaels, had a 3.2% share of the television audience at the time, according to official BARB statistics provided by overnights.tv.
In the same slot, it surpassed Channel 4’s 215,000 views, which was showing “Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation.” ‘SNL UK’ had almost four times as many viewers as Sky’s biggest entertainment program ‘A League of Their Own’ and surpassed the US version of ‘SNL’ on the Sky Comedy Channel, which had 5,000 viewers last week.
BBC One News led the 10pm time slot with around 2 million viewers and a 25% share.
Variety critic Scott Bryan was generally optimistic when evaluating the show.
“Thankfully, ‘Saturday Night Live UK’ has pretty much taken the basics that made the US version successful – comedy skits, rotating guest hosts, the unpredictability of live broadcasts – and left it to the British. That’s where it works so well,” he wrote, adding, “The skits are darker and more surreal than the US version, and the comedy is much more deadpan.”
He concluded: “At a time when there is a shocking lack of both comedy and music on British television, if we market ourselves as the only place to watch live comedy and music at the same time, we could be a winner.”
Critical reaction elsewhere was also (tentatively) positive. Nick Hilton of the Independent gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, saying it had “some hits, some misses, and a strong impression of Princess Di.”
Hilton praised the show’s “willingness to risk bad taste and push the envelope.”
He further added, “While borrowing a beloved American format may feel a little dated, it contains notes of new elements that may offer something fresh.”
Lucy Mangan of the Guardian gave the same score. “I think the general feeling is that the first episode of Saturday Night Live UK went well (…),” she said.
“It could have been much, much worse,” she added. “And it could have been better…To be honest, it was refreshing to see the ambition/crazy part of rebuilding a traditional American brand for this septic island being attempted.”
Charlotte Ivers of the Sunday Times welcomed the edgy humor. “It’s so refreshing to see comedians on TV really pushing themselves to the edge,” she says, adding, “Unfortunately, a lot of times the jokes aren’t worth the risk.”
