As Saturday Night Live (SNL) moves forward with Season 50, inviting hosts and musical guests, and fans eagerly await the 50th-anniversary special scheduled for 2025, it’s no wonder Studio 8H’s history is being unearthed. It’s only natural that Lorne Michaels would have a wealth of information about his late-night sketch show. However, I must admit I was taken aback to discover that he was the one who coined the term “cold open,” and this fascinating fact has left me speechless.
For five decades, the sketch presented prior to the opening credits on the NBC series has been a distinctive feature of their programming. It’s created numerous iconic internet moments, some historic, and the best SNL cold opens are truly unique. Although the show didn’t originate the practice of including a sketch or scene before the main titles, it wasn’t as prevalent as it is now.
Michael chose his distinctive approach right from the start, aiming to ensure audiences immediately recognized the content they were viewing. Moreover, he boasts about originating the term connected with this method, as The New Yorker magazine stated.
The first segment is now known as a ‘cold open.’ Michaels told me, ‘I made that phrase up.’
It’s truly remarkable that he was the one who initially coined the term, given its widespread use nowadays. This fact also underscores the enduring success of Saturday Night Live’s format, as it has remained largely unchanged since its inception, with Michaels at the helm, continually refining and updating the show to keep up with changing times.
Established and longtime comedians also recognized the structure of the sketch show. Steve Martin mentioned that he was working on sketches before introductions in his own shows, feeling like he was a step ahead. He was surprised to discover that the historic TV debut was following the same approach, expressing his shock by saying:
Veteran comedians, including Steve Martin, noticed the layout of the sketch show. He revealed that in his own performances, he did sketches first and then introductions, feeling like he was a step ahead. Shockingly, it turned out that the historic TV premiere was also adopting this format, as Steve put it:
I had the sensation that I was blazing a trail in innovation. I was the pioneer of fresh humor. It struck me, “Darn it—they’ve already done it. They’ve taken the lead.
It’s quite cool that such an order of operations was relatively recent in the 70s, and for a network show to creatively incorporate it into its format is impressive. What makes this fact even more stunning is that many renowned sitcoms, like “Parks and Rec” and “Abbott Elementary,” also employ this method, making this knowledge truly mind-boggling.
It’s truly fascinating to discover Michael’s opening statement, serving as a captivating surprise during Saturday Night Live’s 50th Season. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for more intriguing and sensational behind-the-scenes tales as we approach the reunion and delve further into this historic season.
On Saturday evening, January 18th, catch the return of “Saturday Night Live” at 11:30 p.m. on NBC. You can stream it the day after with a Peacock subscription.
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2025-01-18 18:07