From our living rooms, "Saturday Night Live" cuts from cold open to monologue with no more than a brief opening sequence in between.
But that seamless switch looks more like a race against the clock if you're in the audience at Studio 8H.
A new behind-the-scenes clip from last week's show reveals just how much happened after we heard those familiar words: "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!"
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The cold open kicked off with a scene set in a mock-up of President-elect Donald Trump's New York penthouse, complete with faux marble walls, an ornate fireplace and guided pillars. But two minutes later, you would have never known it was there at all.
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The end result looks like small-screen magic, but the transformation really comes courtesy of a well-managed control room and a team of stagehands working in sync — without a second to spare!
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