From Saturday Night to Sunday Night: My Forty Years of Laughter, Tears, and Touchdowns in TV

by Dick Ebersol

A memoir by the legendary television executive detailing his pioneering work on Saturday Night Live , Sunday Night Football, the Olympics, the NBA, music videos, late night, and more.

Think of an important moment in live TV over the last half-century. Dick Ebersol was likely involved.

Dropping out of college to join the crew of ABC’s Wide World of Sports , Ebersol worked the Mexico City Olympics during the famous protest by John Carlos and Tommie Smith as well as the Munich Olympics during the tragic hostage standoff. He went on to cocreate Saturday Night Live with Lorne Michaels and later produced the show for four seasons, helping launch Eddie Murphy to stardom. After creating Friday Night Videos and partnering with Vince McMahon to bring professional wrestling to network TV, he next took over NBC Sports, which helped turn basketball into a global phenomenon and made history as the first broadcaster to host the World Series, the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, and the Summer Olympics in the same year; it was Ebersol who was responsible for Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame in Atlanta. Then, following a plane crash that took the life of his fourteen-year-old son Teddy and nearly killed him, he determinedly undertook perhaps his greatest career achievement: creating NBC’s Sunday Night Football , still the #1 primetime show in America. The Today show’s headline-making hosting changes, the so-called “Late-Night Wars,” O.J. Simpson’s Bronco chase—Ebersol had a front-row seat to it all.

From Saturday Night to Sunday Night is filled with entertaining and illuminating stories featuring such boldface names as Billy Crystal, Michael Jordan, Bill Clinton, Jay Leno, Peyton Manning, Michael Phelps, and Larry David. (Ebersol even inspired the famous Seinfeld episode in which George Costanza pretends he didn’t quit his job.) More than that, the book offers an insightful history and analysis of TV’s evolution from broadcast to cable and beyond—a must-read for casual binge-watchers and small-screen aficionados alike.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Sports, Memoir, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, History

384 pages, Hardcover

Published September 13, 2022

Reviews

[Matt Woodward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dick Ebersol loves Dick Ebersol. If you can get beyond that reoccurring theme, where the author uses some select stories and celebrities to give himself an ego boost, then you'll enjoy a unique perspective of running the entertainment and sports departments of a network. Lots of interesting stories about SNL, Sunday Night Football and the Olympics.

[Susana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many sports, not enough SNL, but still an interesting look into the world of TV

[MookNana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting read! Or, at least, it was for me, who finds the machinations of the entertainment industry fascinating and happens to love both SNL and SNF. The tone is very easy and conversational, so it sounds like a friend shooting the breeze over a couple of drinks on the back deck. The tragedy of his son's death (and his own near-death) was related sensitively and movingly.

Mr. Ebersol seems like an all-right guy who certainly accomplished a lot and had some great ideas, but it's hard to read this and not be floored by the sheer amount of white male privilege he benefited from. So many opportunities came his way from mentoring from other white men, from being accepted and included into the old boy's club, etc. that it winds up being kind of depressing. How many women and POC who were at least as capable as he was did he leapfrog? Has he ever done anything to address this or mentor people who may not have had the doors opened that he has? In some ways, this is at least as valuable as a conversation-starter on this topic as it is as a memoir of a television producer.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

[William (Bill) Fluke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I this book was more about author Dick Ebersol’s time producing Saturday Night Live, but soon realized his tenure with that show was a sliver of his 40 plus working years. This book is more about his impact on NBC Sports coverage -particularly NFL and Olympic coverage. Most of the back stories about the NFL held my interest but way too much detail and bragging about deals made for Olympic coverage. It was also very unnecessary for the author to recount Olympic performances by the likes of athletes like Michael Phelps. Overall, Ebersol comes across as being a bit full of himself. While he does credit and compliment others in his rise and time at the top, he credits himself (“I did this”) more than anyone else. He also makes his family life and marriage to actress Susan Saint James seem “normal”, when the reality is that he lived apart from his family for a large chunk of their lives. It was sad to read of the plane crash that nearly killed him and did result in the death of his 14 year old son Teddy. I would only recommend this book to someone with interest in Sports TV broadcasting.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had heard of Dick Ebersol before, but really didn't know anything about him.

I chose to read this because I enjoyed watching SNL reruns as a kid and wanted to to learn about his contribution to it. It turns out that SNL was only a small part of his very successful career. I enjoyed learning about some of the behind-the-scenes workings of both the Olympic Games and Sunday Night Football.

A bit of his personal life was sprinkled into the book as well, and the author remained on task and focused on the work stories.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. Thanks to Net Galley for the digital copy.

[C.G. Twiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded to 4

Entertaining if rather shallow account of TV executive Dick Ebersol's rise to the top of his profession. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how much of his career had to do with sports and I'm not interested in sports much, so after Ebersol's Saturday Night Live years, the book lost a lot of its spark for me. I really wish he'd had more about SNL. He was there for 5 years and had some of the most exciting seasons, but he only runs down some of the highlights—Eddie Murphy becoming a star, Billy Crystal returning to the show—and then dispenses with his time there as if it wasn't really interesting to him.

As with most of these memoirs of successful white male show biz types, I'm always left slack-jawed by how much of their success was just handed to them because another white male liked them. Not to say that men like Ebersol didn't work hard, or weren't smart or innovative—but it's truly astonishing how much their big breaks came quickly and easily because at some point another white male simply took them under their wing and escorted them to the top of their profession. I never get the sense that these guys realize how much women and people of color had completely different experiences. Anyway...

Ebersol also had a tragedy involving his youngest son, who died in a private plane crash that also almost killed Ebersol.

A decent read if you like sports. I just reviewed From Saturday Night to Sunday Night by Dick Ebersol. #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley, Dick Ebersol, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Mo Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.

A truly fascinating memoir by an innovative person. I knew of Dick Ebersol, but did not know just how many things he accomplished during his career. The sheer amount of truly famous people that he crossed paths with and became good friends with is astounding. My jaw literally dropped several times while reading this book (especially the Frank Sinatra story - oh my god). Dick Ebersol forever changed the landscape of sports and entertainment as we know it, and this is the proof. SUCH an interesting read and I would HIGHLY recommend this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

[Madison Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

ily dick ebersol 🫶🏻

[Emily Kennard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes look at his producing career; although the chapters about negotiations seemed to drag and did not have a lot of "personal color." It seems most of his life was a series of fortunate events, so buckle up for that ride. Overall, I'm glad I read this book and would recommended to any other TV-production nerds, but probably not the general public.

Thanks #netgalley for the advanced copy!

[Richard Propes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to chuckle as I read legendary television executive Dick Ebersol's "From Saturday Night to Sunday Night," a journey through Ebersol's 40 years of laughter, tears, and touchdowns in television.

It happened when I realized that Ebersol's Olympic work had included the Mexico City Olympics during the famous protest by John Carlos, the tragic 1972 Munich Olympics where Israeli athletes were held hostage and killed, and even the infamous Atlanta Olympics with its bombing.

So, basically. We need to keep Ebersol away from the Olympics.

Seriously, though. "From Saturday Night to Sunday Night" is a low-key, fascinating read about one of contemporary television's most familiar names. Ebersol dropped out of college to join the crew of ABC's Wide World of Sports. He never really looked back. He co-created "Saturday Night Live" with Lorne Michaels and produced the show for four years during the period that launched Eddie Murphy to stardom. He created "Friday Night Videos" and partnered with Vince McMahon to bring professional wrestling to network television before taking over NBC Sports and helping to turn basketball into a global phenomenon. He made history as the first broadcaster to host the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and Summer Olympics all in one year. While he was there for the tragic bombing in Atlanta, he was also responsible for Muhammad Ali's poignant and powerful lighting of the Olympic Flame in that same Olympics.

"From Saturday Night to Sunday Night" is a fairly matter-of-fact journey through Ebersol's professional journey. While it's certainly autobiographical, there's little denying that Ebersol spends a good majority of his time taking us through his career with light-hearted stories along the way and honest observations about those situations, circumstances, and people with whom things didn't always end up so well.

"From Saturday Night to Sunday Night" is at its most powerful, however, when Ebersol recounts the story of the plane crash that claimed the life of his fourteen-year-old Son Teddy and nearly killed him. After months of recovery, Ebersol undertook what may very well be his greatest professional achievement - creating NBC's Sunday Night Football, a program that became the #1 primetime show in America and continues to be so.

Much of "From Saturday Night to Sunday Night" feels like we've sat down with a storyteller and given him the room needed to tell his stories. If there's a slight problem with "From Saturday Night to Sunday Night," it's that there's very little tonal variation throughout the book with the exception, unsurprisingly, of Ebersol's brief intro and the chapter about Ebersol's plane crash.

How you already feel about Ebersol and the projects he's led will likely determine your appreciation for "From Saturday Night to Sunday Night," a book with several chapters centered around Ebersol's extensive sports background and some truly engaging material around Ebersol's history with "Saturday Night Live." Not surprisingly, I found myself much more engaged with the "Saturday Night Live" material and less engaged with but still appreciating Ebersol's masterful work in professional sports and how to effectively broadcast it and make it more meaningful.

Ebersol shares a myriad of stories involving the likes of Billy Crystal, Michael Jordan, Bill Clinton, Jay Leno, Peyton Manning, Michael Phelps and Larry David and includes a delightful little tale about the day Eddie Murphy met the real-life Mister Rogers.

Informative and engaging, "From Saturday Night to Sunday Night" takes us behind the scenes with one of television's true icons and gives us insight into how he helped create some of television's most memorable moments and the relationships he built along the way. Fans of television history and/or Ebersol himself will find much to love inside the pages of "From Saturday Night to Sunday Night."

[Maine Colonial · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free e-ARC from the publisher, via Netgalley.

When I was a kid, my family looked forward to watching Wide World of Sports every week. I can still hear the theme and the promise of seeing “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” Dick Ebersol was still a teenager when he got to work as a research assistant on the show, traveling all over the world for material. The job also got him into working on the Olympics, which he continued to work on for many years. He was there for so many iconic moments. Learning for several years from the legendary Roone Arledge gave his career a huge lift.

He moved from ABC to NBC and for a few years, from sports to entertainment, which is how he worked on the early years of SNL—and that is where he met his wife, Susan Saint James, an actress I used to enjoy watching on Macmillan and Wife. While little of this book is about Ebersol’s personal life, he does write a bit about his family with Saint James and about the tragic plane crash that killed their youngest son and seriously injured Ebersol and another of his sons.

But this book is mostly about Ebersol’s years in sports. In fact, once you get past the beginning of the book and the short amount that is about Ebersol’s days with SNL and entertainment TV, early in his career, the book is all about televised sports.

Ebersol brings the reader deep inside the business of televised sports in this book. It’s interesting, but it quickly gets to be too much detail about things like contract negotiations, especially in football, on and on. And that comment comes from somebody who is a football obsessive, who reads and watches football content every single day, including in the offseason. But what I quickly came to realize is that a guy whose work is in TV production isn’t one who likely has a lot of time to spend on the sports he’s working to televise. So I would say that this book is best suited to somebody who is deeply interested in the business side of sports on TV.

The book reveals just what a boys’ club the world of broadcast TV, especially sports TV, is. Here’s this guy, who as a very young man was taken under the wing of powerful men, ushered into the world of televised sports and made a great career, which is not how a woman would ever have been able to make her way. In this whole book about Ebersol’s 40-year career, I don’t recall him doing business with women. The few times women are even mentioned, it is almost always as wives.

The state of the world he entered was hardly of Ebersol’s making, but his writing does reflect some pretty antiquated attitudes, as when he remarks that his NBC Football Night in America isn’t just for men who’ve been watching football all day but also for the women who joined the men to see the show’s storytelling—which includes cooking segments. Boy, how galling, that blanket assumption about women not watching football but settling down with their mates to watch some “storytelling” that includes domestic and fluffy stuff. I’m female and on Sunday I watch football all day, as do quite a few other women I know. Oh, and I rarely watch Football Night in America, because I’d rather watch games I recorded and more analytical shows. I had to wonder with a stereotyped attitude like that toward women, would Ebersol ever have been open to bringing more young women into the world of television sports?

Something more positive that struck me while reading is that most of Ebersol’s career was spent at a time when sports on TV was a huge shared experience in this country. You had to turn on the TV and watch, period. No time-shifting, so streaming, no hundreds of options. What Ebersol had a hand in producing was very visible to a huge percentage of the American public. What an exhilarating—but daunting—feeling that must have been.

[Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

In From Saturday Night to Sunday Night, Dick Ebersol touches the many bases of his life in televised sports and entertainment where he was a featured player, an actor, not just an observer. If you have watched popular TV during the past 40 years, you’ll probably enjoy hearing from Ebersol on sports like the NFL coming to prime time, the failure to start a new pro football league, the NBA’s huge growth in popularity, and the Olympics held in multiple places around the globe. You will also hear from him on entertainment, especially the creation of Saturday Night Live with Lorne Michaels, including the subsequent ups and downs of the show over the years.

Throughout the book, Ebersol chronicles the events, the competition with other networks, and the deal making as well as his personal joys and ambitions. He also describes many famous personalities, mostly his friends like the comedians, the play-by-play announcers, the color commentators, the producers, and the businessmen making the deals (yes, they were all men) at NBC and its parent company General Electric. From Saturday Night to Sunday Night is a comprehensive tale bursting with anecdotes and personal encounters with the sports and entertainment greats of the era.

Ebersol’s story is generally well told; it’s thorough and mostly chronological with detailed stopping points on various topics like Saturday Night Live, the Olympics, and Sunday Night Football. However, Ebersol includes no soaring prose or eye-catching writing. Though he goes well beyond just the facts with plenty of stories clearly told and you-are-there dialogue, it’s clear Ebersol is a TV guy, not a creative writer.

So, the book is interesting, even fascinating at times, because Ebersol had a front row seat during a lifetime of important entertainment and sports moments, but his story telling never rises above the routine. That said, it’s enjoyable, easy reading if you find the subject appealing.

Sad Note: I’ve focused on the sports and entertainment aspects of From Saturday Night to Sunday Night, which comprise the bulk of the book. However, Ebersol does describe the tragic plane crash where he was severely injured and his son Teddy lost his life at age 14. It’s a story that will break your heart, and that story is all the more touching because Ebersol devotes portions of the book to his wife of 40 years, Susan Saint James, whom he adores. After the crash, their grief over Teddy's death is almost unbearable.

[W. Whalin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of Stories and Broadcasting History

I grew up watching ABC’s Wide World of Sports. In FROM SATURDAY NIGHT TO SUNDAY NIGHT, Dick Ebersol gives listeners the background on this program and much more in the ABC sports world. I heard the audiobook cover to cover and enjoyed this experience. This book contains interesting storytelling about well-known broadcasters like Jim McKay, a journalist turned master storyteller, Howard Cosell, broadcasting legend and Roone Arledge, who became the head of ABC news. The background and details were fascinating.

Ebersol spent the first part of his career in ABC sports, then he went to NBC in the Entertainment division. He was tasked to fill the Saturday night slot where Johnny Carson reruns were playing. Ebersol shows the creative process of making something which didn’t exist but has become a television classic called Saturday Night Live.

In the later part of his career, Ebersol started Sunday Night Football which has led the primetime ratings for the last dozen years—the number one rated show on television. That’s the explanation for the title of this book. It contains many lessons about life and persistence, negotiations and relationships. I highly recommend this audiobook.

W. Terry Whalin is an editor and the author of more than 60 books including his recent 10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed .

[Lea Columbus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I have heard about , and read about , Dick Ebersol for many years. I have read a number of books about the early days of Saturday Night Live, in which he is a prominent figure. I am also a big sports fan, and this is truly where he made his mark in Television. He writes of his triumphs and failures, with an equal hand. ( although to be fair, he had a lot more triumphs). He has interacted with almost all of the big names in TV and Sports. He was, for many of the big sports events, in the room where it happened.It starts with his childhood, and continues up to the present time.He also talks about his family, notably his courtship and marriage to his wife, Susan St. James.He includes a chapter about the devastating plane crash that killed his youngest son and left Dick seriously injured. It is a good book, and moving in parts. I had one question, however. He speaks openly of his love for his wife, and his son's death, but , curiously, does not mention an early first marriage. He is so open about everything else, I found it curious that this was omitted. All in all, however, I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the world of big time network sports, and the people who bring it to our televisions .

[Charles A · Rating 3 out of 5]

On one hand, Dick Ebersol has had a major impact on my TV watching life, especially in the sports world. On the other hand, this book is 100 pages too long and Dick Ebersol is absolutely Dick Ebersol's biggest fan. There is real human tragedy in this book, and real triumph also, but he doesnt really have anything bad to say about anyone (with the exception of a business rival near the end). Ebersol has professional relationships with some of history's biggest monsters (OJ Simpson, Keith Olbermann, Juan Antonio Samaranch) and they get away without criticism.

The main reason I'm posting a review for this book though is one of the most un-selfaware passages I've ever read. About half way through, he talks about instituting a 'no assholes' policy at NBC Sports. A bunch of people are fired (not named of course), and the author gives himself a huge pat on the back (something that happens fairly often in this book). And then, 2 pages later, he describes an incident where he was unhappy with a tray of food which he threw against a wall and then forbad anyone from cleaning it up for a few days just to make his point. I am 100 % sure that the poor minimum wage guy who had to clean up Dick Ebersol's food knew that there was at least one asshole still at NBC Sports.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating peek behind the curtain of entertainment production - the creativity, the high dollar deals, the who's who of sports and media. Dick Ebersol helped create Saturday Night Live, WrestleMania, and Sunday Night Football. He was also instrumental in making the NBA the juggernaut it is today, and he was the force behind the extraordinary broadcasts of numerous Olympic games.

But this is not a book about sports or even about producing TV. This is a book about building relationships, being in the right place at the right time, working harder than everyone else in the room, paying attention to details but also having vision. Every person who is in management should read this. Every high school and college graduate should read this. Every person who wants to live his or her best life should read it.

Not family friendly due to mild language.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy. My opinion is my own.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ebersol’s career timeline begins just before I was born. I was unaware of his involvement in SNL and enjoyed that history, but my reason for picking up the book was because his name is synonymous with the Olympics and NBC sports — especially the NBA on NBC during the best time ever in the NBA: watching the GOAT lead the 6-time World Champion Chicago Bulls. Ebersol has led a life that I’ll never know, and that’s ok, His career illustrates how significant timing is — sometimes, you’re just in the right place at the right time. I almost rated this 5 stars because of the content around his son, Teddy. The chapter, “Follow the Living,” caught me totally by surprise and certainly impacted me. Ebersol started his career researching Olympic athletes and tell their stories, and he learned the importance of how to tell a story. That skill came through to me. Overall, a very fun memoir and great behind-the-scenes into many of my favorite sports memories.

[Denise Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Saturday Night to Sunday Night is the perfect memoir for sports and television fans. Dick Ebersol has been on the front line of some of the most important sports stories of the past 3 decades as well as was one of the originators of Saturday Night Live. The memoir is full of behind the scenes details, stories, name dropping of some of the biggest people in the field, and surprisingly touching. I really enjoyed learning the behind the scenes details of the Olympics especially although nothing goes too deep or in depth including touching on the Munich hostage crisis and Atlanta bombing, he was a witness but not the focus. The most touching and detailed chapters are those surrounding his personal life and trauma, the plane crash that took the life of his son and altered his life. I really enjoyed reading this and learned a lot about the field.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting and informative read, especially for someone who enjoys the inner-workings of television.

Throughout the book Dick Ebersol chronicles how he got his start in television, through stories of his childhood and his love of sports to working as an Olympic researcher. He takes you on a journey through his life in television, giving an in-depth account of what it takes to get the job done.

There is a chunk focusing on how Saturday Night Live came about, and those first five seasons are absolutely iconic. It's interesting to hear how it cam about and why. The need for something to fill a late night time-slot turned into a show that has been on for nearly 50 years.

As with a lot of memoirs like this, there is some self-congratulatory parts, but overall this was such an interesting read. Besides SNL, I've always loved watching the Olympics and it was so fascinating to learn about the intricacies of how the broadcasts come together. He specifically mentions the 2000 Sydney games and how difficult the time difference was to try to figure out the best way to broadcast. It's so much more complicated than we realize watching at home.

I would definitely recommend this if you're a fan of the Olympics or even football, to see how everything comes together behind this scenes. There were also some really heart-wrenching moments that I was prepared for given how the memoir was being told with the focus on television and his career. I'm really glad I took a chance on this.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this behind the scenes look at Dick Ebersol's life and his work in television. Especially interesting to me were his sections on the early days of Saturday Night Live and his time with the Olympics. I always enjoyed Ebersol's friendly on air presence so it was interesting to read about the man behind the scenes. Ebersol is also the product of time of white male privilege and the reader does see that play out too. All in all in good read about one man's life and his adventures along the way.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. Dick Ebersol is as responsible as anyone else alive for the incredible wealth and production values of sports on TV today. And oh yeah, he and Lorne Michaels started Saturday Night Live, too. Quite a career. Knows everybody, has been everywhere, has seen everything. And now he's recorded it all in a mostly cheerful (except for one family tragedy) memoir. It at times reads like a highlight reel, ironically enough--Ebersol could probably be harder on himself and make his life seem less like a fantasy! Or maybe he just as "lucky" as he seems to think. If so, at least he recognizes it.

[Jamie Shum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit: I don't watch football much. That said, I've heard of Dick Ebersol, plus am an avid watcher of the Olympic Games and, as of a few years ago, SNL. I was intrigued when I discovered (and bought a copy!) at my local indie bookstore that he released a memoir about his decades-long career and life stories.

Overall, I enjoyed reading on how he got his start in the business, and getting his behind-the-scenes POV on what he did, from the Olympics to NFL TV broadcasts, and his accomplishments. There were several times where my eyes "lit up" reading moments like, for example, when he described about his and the audiences' reaction to Muhammad Ali lighting up the Olympic torch at the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics.

I definitely recommend this memoir for anyone interested in the sports and entertainment industries - whether you work in the actual business, or just a general enthusiast or TV watcher.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just happened to see this book on display at my library and picked it up on a lark. The longtime head of NBC Sports, details his early days with ABC and his first job as an Olympic researcher and working his way up in ABC Sports, only to move to NBC and do the same (with a brief respite of running "Saturday Night Live" and producing some other shows.)

If you're a fan of sports journalism, with lots of behind the scenes details it's worth the time!

One thing I really like he credits his success to two things: what he had no control over, an insane amount of luck and what he did -- hard work and the great professional relationships he forged along the way.

[Lauryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this because of Ebersol’s role in the very first days of SNL getting on the air, but I unexpectedly ending up loving the whole thing! Dick Ebersol has been instrumental in so many iconic sports moments and traditions over the years - from the popularization of the NBA to Sunday Night Football on NBC to many rounds of exciting Olympic negotiations and incredible storytelling. Overall a really interesting, fast read, though there is a surprising gut punch of a twist that’s really sad too. That made the story feel overall more grounded and more rooted in what’s actually important at the end of the day. Highly recommend - I listened and really liked the audio format.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am stating to believe that I need an intervention, audible memoirs are starting to be an obsession. I saw Dick Ebersol interviewed, along with his wife Susan St James, on the Today show and thought that his book sounded interesting. He really has lived a fascinating life, working with Loren Michaels to create SNL, producing it for a time and working the Olympics from the 1960's. He also must have kept a meticulous diary, he seems to have total recall of every meeting and friendship that he ever had. A very enjoyable listen.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly since NBC is my network of choice, and fond of SNL I was familiar with the name Dick Ebersol. This is an engrossing memoir of his almost 45 years behind the scenes arranging some of the most visible and lucrative sporting events such as Sunday Night Football and the Olympics. It seems that Ebersol had an enchanted career with most of his superiors allowing him to do his job the way he saw fit.
He does start the book focusing on his son Teddy. I already knew Teddy's story, and Ebersol's recollection just about brought me to tears.

[Josh S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick read that is more a meandering collection of stories of rooms on which Dick Ebersol was in. Perhaps I wanted a bit more drama or more detail on specific topics (SNL, the Olympics), but it’s also understandable that for someone with a career like his, you need to be brief to cover it all. That said - the best chapter was when he recounted the plane crash that took the life of his young son. It was stripped down and focused more on story than who was on the other side of the table. Overall, I’d recommend but come with low expectations.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A behind the scenes look on the life of Dick Ebersol, someone who proves time and time again to be a prominent force in television. Never in a million years would I have guessed that someone in his position would immerse themselves in the job the way Ebersol did. This is a man who was born to be in the entertainment industry, especially in the sports department. He provides a well written story of passion, triumphs and unfortunate losses, both personally and professionally. It’s amazing that his legacy still is visible on NBC programs today.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed From Saturday Night to Sunday Night. Dick Ebersol’s life story is amazing with all the people he met along they way to the deals he made. The book does mostly focus on the Sports aspect of his career. I felt it only touched a little bit on his days at Saturday Night Life especially since he was there in the beginning. If you enjoy behind the scenes story, then you will enjoy this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

[Vanessa Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great read. Good storytelling. The author has truly lived an incredible adventure of a life. He explains a lot about how his position and tv deals worked without getting bogged down with unnecessary details. The timeline did jump back and forth a bit in the second half, but remained pretty clear.

No spoilers, but have the tissues ready. Did not expect that part!

Great read.