They throw you in a lake," says Silverman, who was a 22-year-old standup comic when she joined the cast as a writer and featured player, "and you just have to learn to swim.”

Live” is having a 50th anniversary, and things are happening. Jason Reitman’s backstage dramedy “Saturday Night,” released last year, is

Kenan Thompson has the honor of being Saturday Night Live’s longest-tenured cast member, with 22 seasons under his belt. In this week’s PEOPLE issue, the comedian, 46, calls working on NBC's late-night sketch variety series “hands down” the best job in television.

The highly entertaining Ladies and Gentlemen gets into the best and most controversial musical moments from 50 years of SNL history. But what about the dregs?