NEW YORK (AP) — “Saturday Night Live” was built with a cast of young no-names performing countercultural comedy. Fifty years later, it is firmly part of the culture, dictating mainstream comedy instead of throwing spitballs from the margins.

If you wanted to succeed in comedy, performing at Studio 8H was a rite of passage. As the iconic variety show turns fifty, is that still the case?

SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” delves into cast auditions, “More Cowbell,” and a fateful season in which Lorne Michaels almost lost the show with new experiments.

“Saturday Night Live” will celebrate 50 years of live comedy with the three-hour “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” on Sunday, Feb. 16, but there won’t be a new episode of “SNL” on Saturday, Feb. 8, or Saturday, Feb. 15.

Do you know who lives in a van down by the river and what snack combo 'equals crazy delicious'? Then you just might be an 'SNL' superfan. Take this quiz to find out.

There have been 11 movies based on "Saturday Night Live" sketches over its 50 years, including 'Wayne's World" and "The Blues Brothers."