Saturday Night Live producers ‘plotting return to 30 Rock without studio audience’ for season 46

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Saturday Night Live producers ‘plotting return to 30 Rock without studio audience’ for season 46

By Cassie Carpenter For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

NBC and Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels are reportedly planning the cast and crew’s safe return to Studio 8H in Manhattan’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza for season 46 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Producers will ditch the live studio audience, but they’re eager to get the old-fashioned show back together in time for the presidential election this fall, two sources told Variety.

Last week, NBC put host Jimmy Fallon and his Roots band back inside 30 Rock’s Studio 6A to tape socially-distanced episodes of The Tonight Show featuring video-conferenced guests. 

Home sweet home! NBC and Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels are reportedly planning the cast and crew’s safe return to Studio 8H in Manhattan’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza for season 46 amid the coronavirus pandemic

Ensemble: Producers will ditch the live studio audience, but they're eager to get the old-fashioned show back together in time for the presidential election this fall (pictured April 25)

Ensemble: Producers will ditch the live studio audience, but they’re eager to get the old-fashioned show back together in time for the presidential election this fall (pictured April 25)

As of Monday, there have been over 221K confirmed COVID-19 cases in New York City leading to over 23K deaths – according to Johns Hopkins University. 

The late-night sketch show’s abbreviated 45th season ended in May with three SNL At Home episodes virtually hosted by the likes of Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt and Kristen Wiig.

The highlight of season 45 was definitely the triumphant return of former castmember Eddie Murphy, who drew 9.9M viewers making it the most-viewed episode since May 2017 – according to THR.

Michaels hasn’t kept his not-ready-for-primetime players off the air since the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike when season 33 shrunk to 12 episodes.

Guinea pigs: Last week, NBC put host Jimmy Fallon (R) and his Roots band back inside 30 Rock's Studio 6A to tape socially-distanced episodes of The Tonight Show featuring video-conferenced guests (pictured July 13)

Guinea pigs: Last week, NBC put host Jimmy Fallon (R) and his Roots band back inside 30 Rock’s Studio 6A to tape socially-distanced episodes of The Tonight Show featuring video-conferenced guests (pictured July 13)

Lockdown laughs: The late-night sketch show's abbreviated 45th season ended in May with three SNL At Home episodes virtually hosted by the likes of Tom Hanks (pictured April 11), Brad Pitt, and Kristen Wiig

Lockdown laughs: The late-night sketch show’s abbreviated 45th season ended in May with three SNL At Home episodes virtually hosted by the likes of Tom Hanks (pictured April 11), Brad Pitt, and Kristen Wiig

Epic: The highlight of season 45 was definitely the triumphant return of former castmember Eddie Murphy, who drew 9.9M viewers making it the most-viewed episode since May 2017

Epic: The highlight of season 45 was definitely the triumphant return of former castmember Eddie Murphy, who drew 9.9M viewers making it the most-viewed episode since May 2017

'Looking back on Season 45!' Michaels hasn't kept his not-ready-for-primetime players off the air since the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike when season 33 shrunk to 12 episodes

‘Looking back on Season 45!’ Michaels hasn’t kept his not-ready-for-primetime players off the air since the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike when season 33 shrunk to 12 episodes