Lorne Michaels Documentary Heads to Peacock After Theatrical Release

Morgan Neville’s documentary Lorne, centered on Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, is set to stream on Peacock after its theatrical release through Focus Features in mid-April. The film will arrive on Peacock on Friday, June 5, bringing the career-spanning portrait to a wider audience and extending its life beyond theaters.

Directed and produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville, whose previous work includes 20 Feet from Stardom and Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Lorne traces Michaels’ long and influential career in television comedy. The documentary begins with his early work in Canadian television and follows his path to creating Saturday Night Live, one of the most enduring and influential programs in American television history. It also covers Michaels’ brief departure from the show, the failure of The New Show, and his eventual return to Studio 8H, where he continued shaping late-night and sketch comedy for decades.

The film combines newly filmed material and archival behind-the-scenes footage from Saturday Night Live, giving viewers a close look at Michaels both in the present day and throughout his career. It also features interviews with a wide range of comedians, writers, cast members, hosts, and longtime collaborators associated with the show. Among those appearing are Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Conan O’Brien, John Mulaney, Maya Rudolph, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, Michael Che, Colin Jost, Dana Carvey, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Candice Bergen, and Paul Simon.

Additional behind-the-scenes footage includes episodes hosted by Timothée Chalamet, Kate McKinnon, Ayo Edebiri, Shane Gillis, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone, offering a contemporary lens on the continuing evolution of the show Michaels built. The documentary is narrated by Chris Parnell, while Robert Smigel contributed new TV Funhouse shorts to help connect different parts of the story.

The move to Peacock is fitting, as the streamer already hosts episodes from across Saturday Night Live’s 51-year history and has been expanding its library of documentary projects tied to the franchise. That collection includes SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, a four-part docuseries also produced by Neville, as well as the recently released Downey Wrote That!, which focuses on legendary SNL writer Jim Downey.

By landing on Peacock, Lorne joins a broader effort to preserve and spotlight the legacy of Saturday Night Live and the key figures behind it. The documentary positions Lorne Michaels not only as the architect of a landmark comedy institution, but also as a central force in shaping the careers, voices, and sensibilities of multiple generations of performers and writers.