'SNL50' docuseries looks back on nerve-racking cast auditions, writers and 'more cowbell'

NBC's archetypal comedy program "Saturday Night Live" should have died in 1985, a decade after a volcanic debut that launched stars such as John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner. And yet a half-century later, producer Lorne Michaels and his merry maniacs are still at it. What gives?

Explaining aspects of that improbable run is the mission of a new Peacock docuseries, "SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night" (now streaming). The four-part series is executive produced by Morgan Neville (Oscar winner for 2014's "20 Feet From Stardom" doc about backup singers), who grew up watching his father's Betamax (look it up) tape recordings of the first season.

"People think of 'SNL' as the post office; in other words, as a public utility that everyone both complains about and depends on, and want to be there forever," Neville tells USA TODAY. "'SNL' will live on after Lorne leaves, but it’ll never be quite the same."

Neville says he tasked the director of the documentary with drilling down on unique storylines, much like Jason Reitman did with his 2024 feature film "Saturday Night," which retells a slightly fictionalized version of the 90 minutes leading up to the very first episode on Oct. 11, 1975. "That big overarching story has been told many times, but getting specific is where you find the truly unique stories," Neville says.

Episode 1: 'Five Minutes,' or what's it like to audition for 'Saturday Night Live'

"I don't know what Lorne saw in me," says Tracy Morgan in this first episode of "SNL50." So starts a fascinating look at the process of trying out for the show, which is centered on a harrowing five-minute audition in front of mostly unemotional producers.

"There are so many now-famous people who didn't make it onto a cast, it's insane," Neville says. It's true: the names of rejects include Stephen Colbert, Jennifer Coolidge, Mindy Kaling, Kevin Hart and Jordan Peele, all glimpsed in "Five Minutes."

Other auditions are nearly mythical, such as Will Ferrell's take on an executive who puts off business calls so that he can play with an imaginary ball of yarn as if he were a cat. Among the documentary's highlights are cast members watching their own audition tapes, some for the first time. Amy Poehler literally grimaces and then abruptly asks producers to turn it off. Honestly, it's fun to watch superstars cringe.

Episode 2: 'Written By: A Week Inside the 'SNL' Writer's Room,' or you think your job is hard?

This episode shows how the 'SNL' sausage is made and it's not pretty. After an episode is put to bed at 1 a.m. on a Sunday, the cast and staff have one meager day to recuperate before coming to the office at 30 Rockefeller Plaza to do it all over again at a pace that would make a sweatshop owner wince.

On Monday, sketch ideas are due as that week's host learns what sorts of sketches might be in store from the writers, an eclectic mix of standup comedians, poets and even folks who didn't make the cast audition cut (including John Mulaney and Bowen Yang).

The next day is a full-staff table read with Michaels presiding. "You're in a delusional bubble then," Mulaney says in the doc, referring to the false hopes raised when sketches get laughs only to die later in the week. What's next is a manic sprint. After a dress rehearsal at 8 p.m. on Saturday, a few more sketches are cut at the last minute. What airs also has drama: will it flop, or become an overnight meme?

Episode 3: 'More Cowbell,' and we need not say more

Yes, this is an hour of TV dedicated to the famous Will Ferrell-led sketch from April 8, 2000, which explores how the Blue Oyster Cult song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" came to be known for its clanging cowbell beat.

The episode is a gem that includes Ferrell's personal reflections, including that he loved the song as a kid and kept the cowbell-question notion germinating for decades. Ferrell also reveals that he changed into an even tighter shirt for the live show, which made fellow sketch member Jimmy Fallon "break" character and guffaw uncontrollably. The episode also features priceless interviews with Blue Oyster Cult members who, perhaps predictably, argue over which of them actually played the cowbell.

But most insightful of all is the role played by that show's host, Christopher Walken. Playing the would-be producer of "Reaper," his signature staccato voice is the key to the laughs on the line, "Fellas, I think you've got a hit, but I need ... more cowbell." Ferrell recalls Walken's low-energy performance in the sketch during dress rehearsal, which made him worry it would bomb. Don't fear the Walken, Will.

Episode 4: 'Season 11: The Weird Year,' or truly the year 'SNL' should have died

For those who aren't students of "SNL," it might come as news that Season 11, in 1985-86, should have been the show's demise. Michaels had left in 1980 but was coaxed back by then-NBC president Brandon Tartikoff. Michaels fired everyone from Season 10 (stunningly, the likes of Billy Crystal, Martin Short and Christopher Guest) and brought in an entirely new cast including Anthony Michael Hall, Randy Quaid, Robert Downey Jr., Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller.

That lineup in hindsight might seem great, but the season proved a disaster. The only highlight was one of the weirdest episodes of "SNL" ever, directed by Francis Ford Coppola with music by avant-garde composer Philip Glass.

"Lorne was trying to reinvent the show, but this is the season that he realized it’s not about getting a bunch of Brat Pack actors to come in, but rather finding amazing improv performers who can do sketch comedy," Neville says. "And who came in Season 12? Phil Hartman (and) Dana Carvey, and essentially the show took off." The rest, truly, is history.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'SNL' documentary: Long nights, tense auditions and 'worst season'