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"Saturday Night Live, " like rock 'n' roll, is perpetually dying.

Key points

• But the newest crop of cast members has supported energize this season of "Saturday Night Live, " which continues Saturday (11: 30 p.m.
• Throughout the 31 seasons of the NBC sketch comedy show, on a near annual basis, critics have written off "SNL" for not being "what it once was."
• When the immensely popular Chevy Chase left the show early in the second season, his replacement was derided.
• "It's been dying since the second season, " notes Lorne Michaels, the creator and executive producer of the long-running show.

When the immensely popular Chevy Chase left the show early in the second season, his replacement was derided. Three decades afterwards, Bill Murray remains one of our most celebrated comics.

"It's been dying since the second season, " notes Lorne Michaels, the creator and executive producer of the long-running show. "It's always about reinvention."

With it four years since Will Ferrell was a cast member and two years since Jimmy Fallon departed, the present incarnation of "SNL" has been one, Michaels says, of "transition."

But the newest crop of cast members has supported energize this season of "Saturday Night Live, " which continues Saturday (11: 30 p.m. EST) with old-time "SNL" favorite Steve Martin hosting, with Prince the musical guest. This year's four newbies Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis have all created notable contributions.

For now, snl cast samberg wiig hader sudeikis 00000194fb70d399a5f4fbfea53e0000 remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.