Peacock Docuseries ‘SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night’ Adds Little to a Long-Established Legacy: TV Review

variety.com:

Alison Herman TV Critic To mark the 50th season of “Saturday Night Live,” putting together 90 minutes of live TV in six days — already a herculean feat — is not enough.

In addition, the venerable variety show is flooding the zone with shows of its pop cultural might. On the heels of Jason Reitman’s hagiographic film “Saturday Night” and ahead of next month’s three-hour telecast from Studio 8H comes the four-part docuseries “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.” Executive produced by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville (“20 Feet from Stardom,” “Roadrunner”), the show is the latest prong in NBC’s full-court marketing press to celebrate the anarchic experiment turned established institution.

But 50 years in, the legend of Lorne Michaels’ merry circus has already been celebrated, many times over. (Season 40, too, got a star-studded anniversary fete, giving this round of toasts a distinct sense of déjà vu.) “SNL50” adds little to this half-century of anecdotes, oral histories and archival footage.

Instead, it embellishes around the edges, making use of gimmicky formats and the access that comes with aiding a corporate PR push to dress up old chestnuts.