John Oliver says a U.K. version of ‘SNL’ is a ‘terrible idea’

John Oliver isn’t so sure that a U.K. version of Saturday Night Live would be as big a hit as its American counterpart.

When asked for his thoughts on the forthcoming London-set sketch comedy series during Monday’s episode of Late Night, the comedian and Last Week Tonight host simply responded, “It sounds like a terrible idea.”

Host Seth Meyers then, naturally, asked Oliver to shed some light on why he felt that way. “Well, it just sounds like a bad — we have had sketch comedy before,” Oliver explained, to which Meyers agreed. “And it just feels like Saturday Night Live is such a unique group. It’s a cult. I’m trying to not say the word. It’s a cult. And so I don’t know how you can impose that cult onto the U.K.”

Meyers, who was a cast member on the series from 2001 until 2014, followed up by asking Oliver to identify the most “cult-like thing” about the show from an outsider’s perspective. 

“What night is it that you stay up all night?” Oliver asked. Meyers replied, “Tuesday night. You stay up all night on Tuesday.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Oliver said. “I’m saying that’s the kind of a thing a cult leader would make you do. ‘Uh, we stay up all night on Tuesdays, by the way.’”

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Meyers then teased that a lot of sketch comedy famously comes from places where its writers don’t stay up all night. 

“I think it’s been proven that SNL is the outlier,” Oliver joked. “You don’t need — it doesn’t have to be dictated to the day that you must not sleep on that day or the great leader will be irritated.” 

Last month, NBC and U.K. broadcaster Sky announced in a joint statement that a U.K. version of Saturday Night Live will premiere on Sky Max and its streaming service NOW next year. The series, which will be executive produced by SNL creator Lorne Michaels, will follow a similar structure to its American counterpart and feature celebrity hosts, musical guests, and a cast of British comedians. 

“For over 50 years, Saturday Night Live has held a unique position in TV and in our collective culture, reflecting and creating the global conversation all under the masterful comedic guidance of Lorne Michaels,” Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios and its chief content officer, said in a press release.

She continued, “The show has discovered and nurtured countless comedy and musical talents over the years, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Lorne and the SNL team to bring an all-British version of the show to U.K. audiences next year — all live from London on Saturday night!”