Viewership for the U.K. version of Saturday Night Live has taken a nosedive in the sketch comedy series' third week on the air.
The British version of the legendary NBC sketch comedy series debuted on Sky One in the U.K. on March 21. SNL UK's inaugural episode, hosted by Tina Fey, attracted 230,000 viewers in its debut, in which the former SNL cast member and head writer was joined by Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlin, The Running Man star Michael Cera and Graham Norton, the stalwart host of the U.K.'s The Graham Norton Show.
SNL: UK's second episode, hosted by Belfast and Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy star Jamie Dornan, dropped 9% in viewership with 226,000 views, according to several published reports.
Viewership for SNL: UK's third episode went into a freefall on Saturday, however, with only 130,950 viewers -- a 42% dive from the comedy series' debut episode, according to Variety. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Bait star Riz Ahmed hosted the episode with the rock band Kasabian as the show's musical guest.
Meanwhile, Jack Black hosted the stateside version of SNL on Saturday night to help promote The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
While SNL: UK is only available to watch across the pond on Saturday nights, U.S. viewers can stream new episodes on Sundays on NBC Universal's Peacock streaming platform.
Like the U.S. version of SNL, SNL: UK -- at least in its cold open segments -- skews toward political humor as the show has not only lampooned President Donald Trump, but British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the former Prince Andrew.
How Are Critics Receiving 'Saturday Night Live: UK'?
Saturday Night Live: UK to date has earned a 93% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews.
The RT Critics Consensus for SNL: UK reads, "Without overthinking the formula, Saturday Night Live UK keeps things loose, confident, and more often funny than not, carving out a strong identity early on."
Created by Lorne Michaels, SNL: UK hasn't been as enthusiastically embraced by audiences on RT. The series to date has received a 58% "rotten" rating on RT based on fewer than 50 verified user ratings. The RT Audience Summary for SNL: UK is still pending.
SNL: UK returns on April 11 with Jack Whitehall (Peacock's The 'Burbs and the BBC's Bad Education) slated to host. The sketch comedy will then go on a one-week hiatus.
SNL: UK's ensemble cast includes Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi and Paddy Young.