Saturday Night Live
Will Ferrell / Paul McCartney
TV Flash files “Will Ferrell / Paul McCartney” as the latest listed hour in an open run — Saturday Night Live (1975–present) on NBC, season 51, episode 20, aired 2026-05-16, 93 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S51E20: listed hour 1008 of 1009 in the Saturday Night Live guide, last listed hour of season 51. It aired 2026-05-16 (93 min). The listed hour before it is “Matt Damon / Noah Kahan” (S51E19). Next is “TBA” (S52E01). Broadcast log — titles and dates, not a plot bible.
Not a finale — the series is open. Last completed hour in the pack: Ferrell and McCartney, house alum plus Beatle, while next season's TBA sits in the datebook.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Will Ferrell will host the 51st season finale on May 16, returning to Studio 8H to host "SNL" for the sixth time. The Emmy Award winner executive produces and stars in the new comedy series "The Hawk," premiering this summer on Netflix. Paul McCartney will take the stage as musical guest for the fifth time. The incomparable musician's new album, "The Boys of Dungeon Lane," is set for release May 29.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Will Ferrell / Paul McCartney sit in the Saturday Night Live guide?
S51E20 is listed hour 1008 of 1009 — last listed hour of season 51, season 51 episode 20.
When did Saturday Night Live S51E20 air?
Will Ferrell / Paul McCartney aired 2026-05-16 and is listed at 93 minutes.
Where should I start if I cannot watch fifty seasons?
Do not start at season forty and scroll. Take the first Carlin hour for the live contract, Pryor for the danger, then one later event night (Walken or Timberlake) to see the factory still printing heat.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Not for a thousand recaps — for the live stain. Cold opens as weather, musical guests as alibis, and a talent factory that still prints stars, firings, and Sunday-morning arguments no For You page can schedule.
Flash: October 11, 1975, George Carlin in a cream suit that already looks like a dare, Billy Preston and Janis Ian as the musical alibi, and a late-night hour NBC had not yet learned how to brand. They called it Saturday Night. The afterglow is still on. Someone in 8H is already whispering that the host is terrified, the sketch will run long, and the cut that matters will not be the one Standards & Practices circled. Live television is a carpet that cannot be steam-cleaned until Sunday. I live for that stain.
Filed against
- Lorne Michaels as Creator / Executive Producer
Lorne Michaels built Saturday Night Live into comedy’s permanent talent factory and scandal factory — live from New York since 1975. Cast firings, host disasters, and political cold opens are a parallel industry he still midwifes. TV…
- Chevy Chase as Not Ready for Prime Time Player
Chevy Chase fell into Saturday Night Live history as an original Not Ready for Prime Time Player — Weekend Update swagger and physical comedy that minted a career out of Studio 8H’s talent mill. Live from New York’s scandal-and-star…
- John Belushi as Not Ready for Prime Time Player
John Belushi was an original Not Ready for Prime Time Player when Saturday Night Live was still called Saturday Night — Studio 8H as afterparty, talent mill, and live stain. Cold opens as weather, musical mythology in the building. On TV…
- Dan Aykroyd as Not Ready for Prime Time Player
Dan Aykroyd helped invent Saturday Night Live’s original chaos — Bass-O-Matic energy, Blues Brothers heat, and the talent factory that never fully sleeps. Live sketch as career launchpad from a 1975 hour NBC had not yet learned to brand.…
- Gilda Radner as Not Ready for Prime Time Player
Gilda Radner was an original Not Ready for Prime Time Player on Saturday Night Live — Studio 8H as after-party and talent mill, live television as a carpet that cannot be steam-cleaned until Sunday. TV Flash files her as the first-look…