The “Saturday Night Live” episode featuring host Aubrey Plaza and musical guest Sam Smith scored a ratings win for the NBC late-night sketch show, becoming the second highest-rated episode of the season.
The January 21 show scored a 0.98 in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen data. It was also the second most watched episode of the season in early December 2022 behind Steve Martin and the Martin Short-hosted episode with 4.8 million viewers.
That episode featured surprise appearances from musical guest Brandi Carlile, as well as “Only Murders in the Building” co-stars Selena Gomez and “Succession” Kieran Culkin, and garnered 5.1 million viewers.
According to the network, the episode was up 30% in the demo and 13% in total viewers, above the fourth quarter average. On Peacock, the episode was second only to Dave Chappelle’s show on November 12, but the Plaza won in conjunction with the digital platform.
Overall, Season 48 of “SNL” is currently the No. 1 broadcast entertainment program in the 18-49 demo for live plus three-day viewing. The show also won the 2022 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series, and is the most Emmy-nominated series in television history. It currently holds 93 Emmy Awards (including awards for its specials and short-form series).
“Saturday Night Live,” which airs at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, is produced by creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels in association with Broadway Video. Michael B Jordan and musical performer Lil Baby will be seen in its upcoming episodes.
