Beginning on April 10, it was revealed that UK residents will soon enjoy a local adaptation of “Saturday Night Live,” intended to lampoon the Royals, poke fun at the Conservatives, and provide a stage for British actors vying for BAFTAs. As per the news, the Sky Max Now production will be overseen by Lorne Michaels’s Broadway Video and will maintain the rotating host and musical guest structure of its American counterpart. However, when the show airs in 2026, it will need to navigate two significant legacies: that of the original “SNL,” along with all 13 international adaptations that preceded it.
Starting in 1993, numerous attempts have been made worldwide to replicate the success of the renowned American sketch comedy series for local audiences, with varying degrees of success. Out of the thirteen adaptations, only Saturday Night Live Korea is still running; most were terminated within two years. The specifics about how these adaptations are related to NBC and Broadway Video aren’t explicitly stated, as NBC chose not to disclose the details of their connection. The fact that so few adaptations have been successful highlights the special blend of timing, talent, and resources that have made Michaels’ original an improbable cultural sensation. As the U.K. prepares to attempt this feat next year, let’s take a look back at the countries that have previously tried to replicate this success.
Germany
Title: RTL Samstag Nacht (RTL Saturday Night)
Aired: November 1993–May 1998
https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=kSjjW2bNaIs&ab_channel=RisingSun
It appears that executives at RTL Television, the German television network, found humor in “Sprockets” and decided to create a show poking fun at themselves. This is a fictional account, but considering that Germany’s version of SNL debuted around the same time as Mike Myers’s iconic sketch and 13 years before the second international adaptation of SNL, it’s not entirely far-fetched! Running for five years, RTL Samstag Nacht was similar to the original SNL in tone and format, but it was pre-recorded instead of live. It showcased famous German celebrities, occasional international stars like Mel Brooks, and its own version of “Weekend Update,” which translates to “Saturday Night News.” Notable skits included “Kentucky schreit ficken” (a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant-based sketch with innuendo) and Ali Bengali, a fortune teller character who sits in a basket filled with snakes and predicts the future in rhyming couplets. The show was popular locally, and it briefly returned in 2005 as RTL Comedy Nacht – but this revival was short-lived, ending after just three months.
Italy
Title: Saturday Night Live From Milano
Aired: November 2006-2010; April 2018–May 2018
https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=BF7-o1qh5AY&ab_channel=INFINITYPRODUCTION
Scant details can be found about the Italian version of SNL online, surprising given its four-season run, which makes it a relatively successful show. Nevertheless, you can find and watch a complete episode on YouTube.
Spain
Title: Saturday Night Live
Aired: February 2009–May 2009
https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=tAU8YPmruE4&t=1s&ab_channel=AboveAverage
The 12-episode run of Spain’s adaptation of Saturday Night Live, airing on network Cuatro, didn’t have enough time to establish itself properly. One reason could be its perplexing branding – despite inheriting the “Saturday Night” moniker from its American predecessor, the show aired on Thursdays instead. Additionally, it mirrored the original’s format, structure, and name, as well as using the ideas behind many of its classic sketches. For instance, their adaptation of “More Cowbell” replaced the original’s Blue Öyster Cult with Spanish heavy-metal band Baron Rojo to appeal to local audiences.
South Korea
Title: SNL 코리아 (Saturday Night Live Korea)
Aired: December 2011–November 2017; September 2021–present
https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=vKSwqr5yPLU&ab_channel=DescubretuCorea
Among all international adaptations of Saturday Night Live (SNL), none have enjoyed as much airtime success as Saturday Night Live Korea. This longevity is understandable considering South Korea’s vibrant entertainment industry, which offers a fertile ground for celebrity hosts and musicians similar to SNL. It has even attracted high-profile guest stars like Tom Hiddleston and Chloë Grace Moretz. However, the adaptation’s journey hasn’t always been smooth. It faced a four-year hiatus and a change of networks from tvN to Coupang Play, and it frequently finds itself in controversy due to sketches that spark online discussions and backstage turmoil. The most significant controversy occurred in 2016 when staff members were caught on camera groping members of the K-pop group B1A4 during an alleged “initiation” tradition. In terms of format, it incorporates elements from the original, featuring sketches, “Weekend Update,” and digital shorts. One might wonder: When will we see a Saturday Night Live Korea spin-off like the Seth Meyers and Lonely Island Podcast?
Brazil
Title: Saturday Night Live
Aired: May 2012–October 2012
Fans of Saturday Night Live (SNL) in South America didn’t need to ask for the show to come to Brazil; it already established a local presence. The Brazilian iteration of the sketch series, airing on Sundays at 8:30 p.m on TV network RedeTV!, had a brief run but boasted some well-known cast members like Rudy Landucci, a popular social media comedian, and Carol “Brocoli” Zoccoli, a trailblazer in Brazilian stand-up comedy. Portuguese readers curious about the humor of the Brazilian SNL can sample it through this sketch where several individuals attempt to create an advertisement for a cream cheese brand, only to find out that it tastes awful.
Japan
Title: サタデーナイトライブ JPN (Saturday Night Live Japan)
Aired: June 2011–March 2013
Picture a scenario where instead of rotating celebrity guest hosts, every episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL) features Kenan Thompson and Mikey Day as co-hosts. This is reminiscent of SNL Japan, which had one celebrity host alongside two permanent co-hosts, Koji Imada and Sanma Akashiya. The show initially aired on terrestrial television network Fuji TV before moving to satellite channel Fuji TV NEXT Live Premium in 2012. Unlike its American counterpart, it was less politically charged, with Imada stating that the connection between comedy and news is distinctly different in Japan, and Japanese comedians tend to create their own characters and worlds as a contrast to reality. However, SNL Japan mirrored the original show in one key aspect: fans often questioned whether it was live, according to Imada.
Russia
Title: Суббота. Вечер. Шоу (Saturday Night Show)
Aired: September 2013–January 2014
https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=PxHKVHoD9tM&ab_channel=WeiTMedia
In 16 years after Ronald Reagan’s famous command to Mikhail Gorbachev to “break down this barrier,” Russia’s comedic output didn’t fully emulate it, as evident in their version of Saturday Night Live (SNL) which was pre-recorded rather than live and ran for only six episodes on local network NTV. The full episodes can be found on YouTube, but if you don’t understand Russian, understanding the content might be aided by revisiting the reports of Russian correspondent Olya Povlatsky on the American original SNL.
Canada
Title: SNL Québec
Aired: February 2014–March 2015
https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=DmE7IAAcs6Q&ab_channel=T%C3%A9l%C3%A9-Qu%C3%A9bec
In the year 2014, the beloved Québécois comedy series “Just for Laughs Gags” faced competition from a revamped French version of Saturday Night Live (SNL). This new show mixed unique Canadian skits, such as satirical takes on hockey commentary shows, with reinterpretations of classic SNL sketches like “Schweddy Balls”. The series ran for nine episodes on Télé-Québec but was eventually axed due to budget constraints. However, it was revived in 2018 for a special episode hosted by French Canadian actress Magalie Lépine-Blondeau.
Finland
Title: Saturday Night Live Suomi
Aired: February 2016–April 2016
https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=AojgIMaJ47c&ab_channel=SNLSuomi
The Finnish version of Saturday Night Live (SNL) wasn’t well received initially, possibly leading to its short run consisting of only 12 episodes. This MTV3 show had merely four main cast members, and it seems their humor was heavily based on replicating popular American sketches. Unfortunately, the original content they produced didn’t seem to resonate. One critic went as far as saying that it watered down the essence of SNL so much that it became “early evening family entertainment,” felt like a copycat of the nation’s more successful sketch-comedy series Putous, and even suggested that live sketch comedy as a whole was outdated and unnecessary. It’s quite challenging to recover from such harsh criticism.
Egypt
Title: ساترداي نايت لايف بالعربي (Saturday Night Live Arabia)
Aired: February 2016–January 2018
Unlike numerous adaptations of Saturday Night Live I’ve seen, the Egyptian spin-off didn’t get axed due to low ratings or financial issues. Instead, it had an expansive market with the entire Arabic-speaking world as potential viewers, providing a larger audience than many other versions. However, catering to this diverse and sensitive audience meant it couldn’t delve into explicit and boundary-pushing humor. Regrettably, its run was cut short in 2018 when an Egyptian regulatory council halted the show’s broadcast due to “sexual implications” in its content. In a perfect world, this censorship would have been a stepping stone for the show’s growth, not its demise. It’s disappointing that even Saturday Night Live can be shut down if the government isn’t pleased with it.
France
Title: Le Saturday Night Live
Aired: January 2017
https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=e0r1T3oFUQo&ab_channel=LateNighter
Originally planned as standalone specials instead of a regular show, France’s equivalent to Saturday Night Live didn’t survive beyond its debut episode. The pilot, featuring comedian Gad Elmaleh (best known in America for his failed attempt to expand his massive French fame into Hollywood stand-up and acting), offered a glimpse into what the series might have become had it persisted. It premiered on Thursday on television network M6, and like the Spanish SNL before it, remade the iconic “More Cowbell” sketch for a fresh audience. It seems that international adaptations of Saturday Night Live are catching on, and the only cure for this fever appears to be more renditions of “More Cowbell.
Poland
Title: SNL Polska
Aired: December 2017–March 2018
The TV show SNL is part of a series of television projects that started with strong network backing but ultimately failed. Before the debut of SNL Poland, Maciej Sojka, Showmax’s managing director, stated in an interview that the network wasn’t worried about viewership. He emphasized that the show had to be funny and viewers should appreciate the novelty it brought. According to Sojka, the audience would grow over time. However, the show borrowed several elements from the American version, which made it less “new” or “fresh.”
To attract viewers, Sojka released the first four episodes for free on YouTube, hoping people would subscribe to Showmax to watch the rest of the season. Unfortunately, this strategy didn’t work, and SNL Poland was terminated after its initial 15-episode run.
China
Title: 周六夜现场 (Saturday Night Live)
Aired: June 2018–September 2018
In 2025, there’s uncertainty about whether a Chinese version of Saturday Night Live (SNL) could take flight amidst the reduced interaction between the United States and China. However, during the first term of the Trump administration, this seemed less of an issue. The challenge back then was how a nation with strict government censorship regulations would handle a show known for political satire. After airing only three episodes in 2018, none containing overtly political content, the show was taken offline by its network Youku. An employee of Youku anonymously told the New York Times that the episodes were removed at the production team’s request, pending “adjustments and enhancement of its content.” They didn’t know when or if it would return. This turn of events wasn’t a major letdown for Chinese viewers, who, according to the report, found the humor in the Chinese version less appealing compared to the original.
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2025-05-16 21:55