NBC's archetypal comedy program "Saturday Night Live" should have died in 1985, a decade after a volcanic debut that launched stars such as John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner. And yet a half-century later, producer Lorne Michaels and his merry maniacs are still at it. What gives?

Get ready to kick, and stretch, and kick! Saturday Night Live is turning 50! The legendary sketch show, which premiered on Oct. 11, 1975, is celebrating its anniversary early by serving SNL fans a feast of abundance that even Debbie Downer would be hard-pressed to refuse.