John J. O’Connor, a television critic for The New York Times, missed the first half-hour of “Saturday Night” when it premiered live on NBC at 11:30 on Oct. 11, 1975.

“An unusually good dinner on Long Island and a steady rain during the 100-mile drive back to the city thwarted thoroughly noble intentions,” he wrote in the newspaper that month.

But “Saturday Night,” a late-night sketch comedy series that changed its name to “Saturday Night Live” in 1977, had his attention. And quickly, “S.N.L.” became a fixture of The Times’s media and cultural coverage.

Half a century later, “S.N.L.” is still going strong, and The Times publishes a recap of each episode, reviewing the host’s monologue and noteworthy sketches.

In the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of “S.N.L.,” which NBC is honoring with a special broadcast on Sunday, The Times’s Culture desk has published a deeper look into the history and influence of the show. Articles in a series, “S.N.L.” at 50, have appeared in newspapers since last fall, exploring topics such as popular political sketches, five decades of musical guests and the subjective eye its viewers tend to develop.

Times Insider asked four Culture journalists to explain their own personal histories with the show. Read their accounts below. TERENCE McGINLEY