Who is Tom McCarthy? Saturday Night Live airs title card tribute

Who is Tom McCarthy? Following tonight’s Saturday Night Live premiere, you may have seen the title card dedicating the 90 minutes to him. He is someone who had an important role within the world of the show; however, it is also not one that may be abundantly clear.

After all, McCarthy is someone who worked behind the scenes at NBCUniversal, beyond just SNL in the role of NBCUniversal Global Chief Security Officer. Prior to that, he worked as a part of the United States Secret Service. This is a role that does allow you to form close bonds with many people, especially in a world like 30 Rock new New York City where you do tend to see a lot of the same cast and crew members for a number of years. He may have also loved the show behind the scenes. We know that in addition to his role at 30 Rock, he had a role in a lot of the large-scale events that NBC and its parent company planned.

McCarthy passed away over the summer, and the premiere marked the first opportunity that the show had to pay tribute. For those unaware, these title cards are the best way that a show can honor someone affiliated with it. They air in all subsequent repeats, and they allow people to gather information about who someone was and the impact that they had on the show in question.

With SNL in general, the impact is perhaps even greater than almost any show. One of the things that comes from being on the air a half-century is that there are so many wonderful people who come and go, and almost everyone around 30 Rock becomes a tight-knit community — almost a home away from home. We know that this is why many people (especially crew members) keep their jobs there for several decades, and there are even some cast members these days staying for longer periods of time.

Our thoughts go out to McCarthy and his family during this difficult time. We hope that the title card does serve as a fitting tribute to all who knew him.