Saturday marked the 40th season of ‘Saturday Night Live’ with Chris Pratt as host and Ariana Grande as musical guest. For the past 40 years, ‘SNL’ has brought many laughs and tears to viewers for its iconic sketches and witty jokes. It has given us some of our favorite comedians who went on to be in other famous shows and movies. As the 40th season begins, here is a look back at how ‘SNL’ has changed pop culture.

“Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”

The show is filmed live in New York City, which many shows don’t do. Yes, there are pre filmed sketches, but the cast members perform live in front of an audience. In past years, NYC wasn’t the place to film tv shows but that has since changed. Now shows such as “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Girls” film there.

Cast members turned movie stars

What do Bill Murray, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell all have in common? They once were cast members who have since gone off to star in movies and tv shows. There are so many more members who have become big names, but these are just a few.

‘SNL’ movies

Some people may not realize it but many movies have been based on ‘SNL’ skits. These skits turned movies include The Blues Brothers, Wayne’s World, and MacGruber. They may not have been Oscar worthy but the films did hit home to their original skits. As well, many cast member alums have starred in movies together.

Digital Shorts

Ever heard of the Lonely Island? They are the comedy troupe that has made many viral video sketches that premiered on ‘SNL’. Their digital shorts became a Web sensation starting with “Lazy Sunday” and recently with “YOLO.”

Tune in to NBC at 10 p.m. to watch reruns of classic ‘SNL’ episodes and then at 11:30 p.m. for the regular show. Later on in the season, there will be a three-hour live special looking back at how far the show has come.