From its unorthodox beginnings as a late night variety show on Saturdays to becoming a pop culture tour de force, “Saturday Night Live” has been entertaining people for the past 40 years. In honor of celebrating its 40 years on television, NBC will be airing a three hour special featuring everyone’s favorite alumni cast members and guest stars.

Perhaps the biggest news to come out of the upcoming special is that Eddie Murphy will be returning to “Saturday Night Live” for the first time since 1984. Considered to be one of the biggest stars to have their beginnings at “SNL,” Murphy has been offered the chance to return and host the show multiple times. Widely credited for saving the show from cancellation after the original cast left, Murphy is one of the few alumni members to never come back once they have left the show. When interviewed by News One, Murphy explained his reasoning for coming back.

“It’s just timing. It just never worked out where the timing was right for me to do it,” Murphy said.

In addition to Murphy, many other previous cast members will be returning such as Fred Armisen, Dan Aykroyd, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Bill Hader, Mike Myers, Chris Rock, Amy Poehler, Adam Sandler, Maya Rudolph, Bill Murray, and Kristen Wiig. Joining the current and past cast members will be an impressive roster of guest stars: Alec Baldwin, Robert De Niro, James Franco, Jon Hamm, Zack Galifiankis, Tom Hanks, Paul McCartney, Jack Nicholson, Jerry Seinfeld, Emma Stone, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Kerry Washington, Kanye West, Betty White, and even Sarah Palin.

Fans can expect to see clips of some of the best skits throughout the show’s history, the return of several fan-favorite characters within new skits, a tribute to the cast members lost over the years, and lastly performances from several musicians.

As one of the longest lasting shows on television, “Saturday Night Live” had its noble beginnings back in 1975. NBC was looking to create a show to fill the late-night Saturday time slot and was presented with the concept of a variety show featuring sketches, political satire, and music performances.

Lorne Michaels, who created the program and has supervised every season (with the exception of a five-season stretch in the 1980s), saw the show become an instant hit as soon as it aired. Sending the cast into stardom, the show created a venue for new talent with the addition of new members over the years. As the show continued over the years it still upholds the reputation for being a springboard towards fame for many aspiring comedians.

Throughout its history, “SNL” has upheld many traditions in its tentative schedule. Shooting 20 episodes every season, each episode usually has a week of preparation. Along with developing a series of sketches, the writers and cast members work alongside the host of the week. Usually being the one person to appear in every sketch, the host is announced several weeks before airing.

Often working on the show until the very last minute, the show goes live for everyone as soon as it’s 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. Typically beginning with a cold opening that ends with someone proclaiming, “Live from New York, It’s Saturday Night!” After the cast members are introduced, the episode continues with the host of the night doing a monologue followed by a series of skits, the first musical performance by the musical guest of the week, Weekend Update, more skits, the second musical performance, one or two more skits, and then everyone on stage saying goodbye.

The following day, preparation the next episode will begin. Lorne Michaels who has been through this entire experience for 35 years, spoke to how the show defined itself over the years.

“When there are events like 9/11, or the elections, there are so many people who’ve been such a big part of it. You look at what Steve Martin did for us in the ’70s, or Tom Hanks in the ’80s, or Justin Timberlake recently, Candice Bergen at the beginning. There are a lot of people who helped define the show, and had the same sensibility and sense of humor, and added something,” Michaels said.

Thanks to Lorne, in addition to the show several successful sketches have seen life outside of the show in the form of feature films such as The Blue Brothers (1980) and Wayne’s World (1992). Lorne has also gone on to produce Tina Fey’s 30 Rock and both Jimmy Fallon’s and Seth Meyer’s late night shows. Of the many people to have worked with Lorne, Tina Fey has firsthand appreciated him for everything he does.

“Lorne Michaels put me on TV, and no one else would have done that. Lorne created a show that’s impacted culture for over 35 years. No one has ever really successfully been able to replicate it,” Tina Fey stated.

Obtaining over 36 Primetime Emmy Awards throughout its history, SNL has been a significant part of television, comedy, politics, and American media. In addition to the “SNL 40” special, NBC will be airing the debut 1975 episode on Feb. 14th. The following night will begin with a red carpet special beforehand followed by the 40th anniversary of “SNL,” where Gusties and anyone else can witness all the generations coming together for this important part of American culture.

-Dan Vruno