Studio 8H has some competition because a new sketch comedy show has come to UF. But instead of it airing on Saturday night, it’s Sunday night.
The creative spin on the most successful late night television show “Saturday Night Live” is open to all majors at UF.
“Sunday Night Live at UF” was founded by Sarah Husney, a 20-year-old UF media production third-year. Inspired by her love of the comedy sketch show “Saturday Night Live,” Husney started the club in the summer.
Husney said she made YouTube videos when she was young and has always loved making people laugh.
“As cliche as it sounds, I wanted to do something that would add good into the world,” she said.
That’s what she hopes to create with this club: a positive form of entertainment for viewers to see.
She said she was influenced by the original setup of “Saturday Night Live” when creating “Sunday Night Live at UF,” with elements like having a different member host every episode.
“I just really loved that kind of structure that they had,” she said. “It kind of brings in both theatre components and telecom television components.”
While the show is not live, Husney said she hopes to make “Sunday Night Live at UF” more like an actual show instead of only comedy skits. Episodes will consist of an opening monologue, segments that are informative of what’s going on in the world in addition to the traditional sketch comedy of “Saturday Night Live.”.
The club has released one episode, and they are working on their second, scheduled to come out in mid-to-late October.
Steeve Africain, a 19-year-old UF psychology second-year, stumbled upon the club through their Instagram page. He then went to the first meeting, where he pitched some ideas for the first episode and became its host.
“For me, that gave me a chance to explore different areas even though I don't see going into the entertainment business as my major right now,” Africain said. “It gave me a chance to see something brand new.”
Africain said he enjoys being in front of the camera because he loves to entertain people.
“That's something I really do love at the moment. It gives me a chance to have something fun, where I can also explore other passions with people,” he said.
Africain said in future episodes, he wants the “weekend update” segments to showcase important world issues, similar to how “Saturday Night Live” does with hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che.
“We're a diverse group of people, so it’s important to bring attention to a diverse area of topics,” he said.
Husney said she hopes to add an interview segment to “Sunday Night Live at UF” in the future. She also wants to add a Jimmy Kimmel-style segment where members film themselves going up to students on campus asking them questions.
“I want us to be like people would know if they saw us on the street with a camera and everything. They'd be like, ‘Oh, that's “Sunday Night Live,”’ and they would run away in fear or want to come talk to us. Either one works,” she said.
The club produces shows on a tri-weekly basis, with the first week consisting of members pitching their ideas for skits. Next week, the cast will do a table read and rehearse, and then members will film and edit the show.
All episodes will be released at 10 p.m. on their Youtube channel Sunday nights.
Contact Alexis at acarson@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @alexis_carson99
Alexis Carson is a third-year journalism major and staff writer with the Avenue. In her free time, she loves watching horror movies and going to concerts.
