This Is Who ‘SNL’ Is Looking to Cast for Season 51

It’s after August 1st, which means that the news of who will be in Season 51 of Saturday Night Live could start trickling out any day now. That’s because August 1st is the official deadline for contracts of returning cast to be signed, which means that those who aren’t renewing or being asked back will start announcing their departures from the show. And they, of course, will then need to be replaced with someone new.

There’s been major speculation about who will be staying on the show after the end of the historic 50th season. Is Michael Che leaving? Is Bowen Yang heading to the big screen full time after Wicked? There’s been no clear information on if any of the show’s big hitters are staying or going.

But the absence of official information doesn’t mean there are no leads to follow. According to Late Nighter, SNL is currently on the hunt for a few additions to the cast. The show is looking for people of color, particularly women, for Season 51. To find them, the show is currently scoping out “improv hubs” across the country, according to Late Nighter. This might indicate what direction the show is looking to head in, or who SNL is looking to replace. 

Reporting from Deadline revealed that Lorne Michaels expects casting to take another couple of weeks, and that he wants more “character-driven performers” instead of stand-up comedians, though time will tell if that’s true. 

The cast currently comprises Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Devon Walker and Bowen Yang. The featured players are Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline.

Without the major hullabaloo of the 50th season, will this season lean so heavily on nostalgia? It is too soon to say. In addition to waiting for any major casting announcements, it will also be a while until we find out who is going to be the first musical guest and host for Season 51. That information typically comes out about two weeks before the show premieres. 

What will be most interesting to see is if the show tries to maintain a balance of guests and hosts that will appeal to a broader cross-section of America. Last year, musical guest Morgan Wallen — a country music star and the “Shane Gillis of musicians” — walked off the show during the farewell, later posting “Get Me to God’s Country,” seeming to imply that NYC and Studio 8H are quite the opposite. While everyone had a good laugh at Wallen’s expense, it’s clear that the show is going to have an interesting time trying to find its footing in Trumpland. 

Will it go the Jimmy Fallon route and bring in popular right-wing voices? Or the Seth Meyers scorched earth route and bring in every Trump enemy that’s been blasted on Truth Social? 

Or maybe they’ll split the difference and get a hosting lineup that includes Stephen Colbert and Sydney Sweeney.