Don Francisco, host of “Sábado Gigante”, thanks “Saturday Night Live” for parodying the variety show

The Spanish-language series ended in 2015.

The latest episode of Saturday Night Live featured a hilarious parody of the former Spanish-language game show Sábado Gigante, in which a tourist who doesn't know the language is called up to the stage.

SNL's host this week, comedian Nate Bargatze, played the terrified man, who said, "I don't know what any of this means. I think I'm having a panic attack." No matter how flustered or freaked out he gets, the host — cast member Marcello Hernández, in the role of Chilean TV star Don Francisco — continues to delight, smiling widely or doing something unexpected like putting a hat decorated like a soccer field atop his head. The tourist knows he's the butt of the joke, but he's trapped on live TV.

Turns out, the actual TV legend caught it, and he was a fan.

He thanked both the sketch show and Hernández for remembering the beloved variety series, which aired from 1962 to 2015, on social media.

"I thank SNL for bringing back memories of our Sábado Gigante, which was not only a great television program, but was also very important as a meeting point for the family and our Hispanic community," Francisco wrote on social media. "Thanks to the public, we closed our story almost 10 years ago, but we still feel the affection and respect for what we were able to build together."

Related: Every Saturday Night Live season 50 host and musical guest

Like Sábado Gigante, which became a TV staple, the Lorne Michaels created series is long-running, having kicked off its 50th season Sept. 28 with Hacks actress Jean Smart hosting.

Ariana Grande is set to host the Oct. 12 episode, while the legendary singer Stevie Nicks will provide the tunes.

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