Eddie Murphy and Lizzo wrap up SNL (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC)
Featuring host Eddie Murphy and musical guest Lizzo, the December 21 edition of “Saturday Night Live” drew a massive live+same-day audience. For that metric, it ranked as the most-watched episode since May 2017.
As strong as it was live, “SNL” fared proportionately better on the delayed viewership front.
According to a press blast from NBC, the show drew 16.29 million viewers on a live+7 basis (live + 7 nights of DVR). It meanwhile scored a strong 4.4 adults 18-49 rating in live+7.
The live+7 viewership mark is the show’s best since the October 18, 2008 episode with host Josh Brolin and musical guest Adele (which also featured a cameo from Sarah Palin). The adults 18-49 rating is the show’s best since the February 11, 2017 episode with host Alec Baldwin and musical guest Ed Sheeran.
NBC adds that the live+7 viewership lift is the biggest ever for a “Saturday Night Live” episode — and the best for any broadcast network TV show since the November 5, 2018 edition of “Manifest.”
The adults 18-49 lift is the best posted by a network show since the November 20, 2018 “This Is Us.”
The broadcast additionally delivered all-time “SNL” highs for episodic streaming on NBC Digital and Hulu as well as YouTube views.