Lorne

● Lorne tracks the staggering highs and lows of the career of Lorne Michaels – the legendary producer of Saturday Night Live.

● The one-off documentary features interviews with those who credit Saturday Night Live as one of the biggest launchpads for their career – with Tina Fey, Andy Samberg, Maya Rudolph and John Mulaney among those sharing their memories of Lorne.

● The special will be available from 5 September on Sky Documentaries and NOW.

After decades spent shaping some of comedy's biggest stars from behind the scenes, Lorne Michaels finally takes centre stage in Lorne, a revealing new documentary from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville.

Now best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, the future Saturday Night Live creator began his career on Canadian television on The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour before moving to New York to create Saturday Night Live – a move that would define the rest of his career.

In this eye-opening new documentary, the highs and lows of Michaels’ career are dissected as the filmmakers lift the lid on who exactly Michaels is and what makes him tick, using a combination of archival footage and new material.

Through rare access, archive footage and candid interviews with those who know him best, Lorne reveals how one quiet Canadian became the most influential figure in American television comedy.

Lorne Michaels is a Canadian comedian and producer, who is best known for being the creator and producer of the long-running sketch series Saturday Night Live.

Born Lorne David Lipowitz in Toronto Ontario, Canada, in 1944, he was the eldest of three children. His grandparents owned a movie theatre, which gave him the launchpad into his love of the entertainment industry.

Lorne moved to Los Angeles in 1968 and began working on TV and radio alongside writing partner Hart Pomerantz. During this period, he adopted the professional name Lorne Michaels, which he later made his legal name.

In the 1970s, Lorne and Hart returned to Canada to star in a series of TV specials called The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour, before Lorne returned to the US to write for The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour in 1973. During this time, he was introduced and worked with actress Lily Tomlin, and through connections began new associations which laid the groundwork for Saturday Night Live.

Saturday Night Live officially launched in 1975 and immediately gained attention for its live broadcast and its unpredictable nature.

The series has launched the careers of dozens of stars including Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Bill Murray, Andy Samberg, Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.

Lorne has worked as a producer, executive producer and writer throughout his time on the show and is widely regarded as the show’s figurehead. With the exception of Seasons 6 to 10, when he stepped away from the show, Michaels has remained at the helm of SNL for much of its history.

The show is still running to this day – and in 2026, Michaels also helped launch Saturday Night Live UK as an executive producer.

On top of this, Lorne has been executive producer and producer of films and television shows including talk shows Late Night (currently with Seth Meyers) and The Tonight Show (currently with Jimmy Fallon), Wayne’s World, Mean Girls, 30 Rock and Up All Night.

Lorne features a string of guest stars, all of whom have appeared on, or even launched their careers on Saturday Night Live.

The most prominent names who appear on the show include:

● Tina Fey

● Maya Rudolph

● John Mulaney

● Andy Samberg

● Conan O'Brien

● Chris Rock

Lorne will be showing on Sky Documentaries from 5 September.

It will also be available to watch on our streaming service, NOW.

The film was released by Focus Features in the US.