Lorne Michaels gifts his Saturday Night Live archives to the UT Austin, offering researchers and fans unprecedented access to the show's history.

Lorne Michaels donates his "Saturday Night Live" archive to UT Austin's Harry Ransom Center, showcasing nearly 50 years of TV history.

Lorne Michaels, creator of NBC's “Saturday Night Live", has donated his archive to UT Austin's Harry Ransom Center.

Michaels has no official ties to UT or Texas, but he's the latest of a group of entertainment bigwigs to select the Ransom Center to host personal archives. Robert De Niro donated his archive in 2006, and Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner also donated the show's archive in 2017 .

Shelley Duvall, from left, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Lorne Michaels and Laraine Newman pose backstage at "Saturday Night Live" in 1977. The image is among the items in the Lorne Michaels Collection, an archive the series creator has donated to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

The archive offers a deep dive into the creative and production processes behind SNL, which has shaped American culture since its debut in 1975. MORE | #TBT: Robert De Niro iconic archives, including his two Oscars,

This year "Saturday Night Live" is celebrating its 50th anniversary and now the University of Texas at Austin will play a part in that TV history. The iconic show's creator and executive producer, Lorne Michaels,

Live" celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and Michaels' collection includes materials from across the show's history.

The Harry Ransom Center at UT Austin received a collection donation from “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels.

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