LIVE from New York it’s . . . Thursday night?
The late-night comedy show that – thanks to the whackiest election campaign in a generation – is getting unprecedented attention and will air three weekly primetime specials starting next week.
But don’t bother asking honcho Lorne Michaels what will be on them.
“Who can think that far ahead?” Michaels told The Post yesterday.
“I’m mean, last week was very hard for us. The debates were on, then they were off, then they were on again. And then we had to write [sketches] off of that.”
All Michaels knows for sure is that “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday” will star Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers with some other “SNL” regulars swinging for the political fences.
“We will go with whatever it is that we think is funny,” he says.
Fueled by the return of Tina Fey as Gov. Sarah Palin, the ratings for “SNL” are up a whopping 52 percent over last season, according to Nielsen.
Michaels says he will keep trying to talk Fey into coming back as Palin for as long as he can.
“I think the audience sort of cast her in that part,” he says.
Will three primetime shows suck material from the regular Saturday night telecasts?
“It’s absolutely a danger,” says Michaels. “It’s not like we were sitting around thinking, ‘Hey can we do even more shows?’ ”
The three Thursday shows (which will air at 9:30 p.m.) will take “SNL” right up to the week before the election, Nov. 4.
Not enough sketch comedy for you?
NBC slated a 90-minute “SNL” election special to air Monday, the night before Election Day.
That show is expected to feature a mix of original and best-of content.