Saturday Night Live kicks off its 30th season this weekend (NBC, 11:30 ET/PT). And Lorne Michaels, the executive producer who created the show, is feeling the three decades.  

"I wish there was a point I could say this thing runs itself," says Michaels, who added that he's "just as nervous" as he was when the series began.

SNL said goodbye to Jimmy Fallon at the end of last season. But losing talent never seems to faze the show; it remains the highest-rated late night offering. Last season, it averaged 7.6 million viewers.

The big question is: Will Tina Fey anchor Weekend Update alone with Fallon gone? Michaels says she'll have a co-host, but he wouldn't say who.

On Saturday, Ben Affleck will host; Nelly will be the musical guest. "SNL is the most fun to be had in this business," says Affleck. "I love the comedy. It's a talented cast, and live television is thrilling. If you bomb, you bomb right there in front of a million people."

The October host and guest lineup: Queen Latifah, Oct. 9; Jude Law and Ashlee Simpson, Oct. 23; Eminem, Oct. 30. Rob Riggle, a U.S. Marine turned actor and comic, joins the cast.

And, of course, SNL will be thick with political humor this season. After playing President Clinton for years, Darrell Hammond has taken over most of the Bush administration; Seth Meyers does John Kerry.

Oct. 8: Comedian Darrell Hammond ("Saturday Night Live") is 49.