How to Stream Lorne, the Documentary About Iconic SNL Creator Lorne Michaels
The film features interviews with those who found success thanks to Michaels, including Kristen Wiig, John Mulaney, and Tina Fey alongside writers and past hosts.
So many careers have been launched by Lorne Michaels, the legendary creator and executive producer of Saturday Night Live — including his own. His career spanning more than half a century, and his famously inscrutable persona, are the subject of Lorne, a feature-length documentary directed by Morgan Neville.
How to Watch
Watch Saturday Night Live Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and next day on Peacock.
Released on April 17, 2026, the documentary is now streaming on Peacock. Count Michaels among the many who've enjoyed Lorne: he admitted he "kind of liked it" during an April 14 Q&A with NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios chairman Donna Langley.
"I watched it in New York for the first time and I had been completely dreading it. And then I kind of liked it," he revealed (quotes via The Hollywood Reporter). "Lot of memories, a lot of history there."
"Also, I really prefer the parts where I’m much younger," he quipped to Langley, adding, "but you sort of see just the growth of both the show and certainly my growth, and just how the times changed. But the essential thing we do, turns out, it still matters. And that’s the surprising thing."
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For 51 years and counting, SNL has been more than just be a late-night comedy show that "matters" — it's become an American institution and a launching pad for some of comedy's brightest stars. Michaels holds the record for the most individual nominations in Emmy history (112, per the Television Academy) and he's even won two Tony Awards. His most recent Tony win in 2026, for producing the Best Musical-winning Schmigadoon!, is arguably a testimony to Michaels' investment in talent he admires: The original Apple TV series starred longtime cast member Cicely Strong, while the musical's headliner, Ana Gasteyer, is another beloved Saturday Night Live alum.
In many ways, Lorne is a love letter to the man who's made so much entertainment possible for over five decades.
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Lorne is directed by Beyond Saturday Night EP Morgan Neville
The doc is helmed by Morgan Neville, who executive produced the four-part SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night docuseries in 2025. He also directed the Mister Rogers doc Won't You Be My Neighbor? and Paul McCartney documentary Man on the Run, which overlapped with the making of Lorne.
From tackling the often-harrowing SNL audition process to examining the state of the show when Michaels first returned after a years-long absence, the series shed new light on some of the sketch show's most talked-about stories. Also available to stream on Peacock, Beyond Saturday Night is the perfect follow-up after viewing Lorne, as it dedicates entire episodes to those auditions and the "weird year" that was Season 11.
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During an April 22 visit to The Tonight Show, Neville admitted to Jimmy Fallon that creating Lorne was more challenging than he expected.
"It's incredibly hard," he confessed to the SNL alum. "I mean, it's like trying to make a film about The Wizard of Oz. He's an inscrutable character, and I had to scrut him somehow."
Neville explained that he and his team filmed the documentary in 30 Rock for a "couple of years" after Michaels first brought up the idea of a documentary based around his life three years prior.
Which celebrities are in the Lorne Michaels documentary?
The trailer for the doc reveals the deep bench of talent eager to discuss Michaels' impact on entertainment and their own lives. Lorne includes appearances from music icons like Paul Simon, and former cast members and writers including Kristen Wiig, Chris Rock, Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, Martin Short, Conan O'Brien, and Paula Pell.
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And as it turns out, everyone wanted to give Michaels his flowers.
"They love talking about Lorne," Neville revealed during his April 22 Tonight Show appearance. "You know, they're not talking about themselves. They're talking about somebody who, for most of them, completely changed their life."
