"Saturday Night Live" in overdrive for election

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The presidential election will mean extended duty for NBC's "Saturday Night Live."

The show's 34th season will kick off on September 13, allowing it to have seven live outings before Election Day on November 4. That, in turn, will result in a season order of 22 episodes, two more than usual.

In addition, NBC will schedule three half-hour episodes of "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" at 9:30 p.m. on October 9, 16 and 23. Also, the night before the election, there will be a 90-minute "Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash 2008" to give the campaign a last-minute satirical spin.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter