In 1976, a stiff young producer looked into the camera and offered the Beatles a grand total of 3,000 dollars to reunite on his show. The audacity was staggering, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney, watching together that night, nearly hailed a cab to call his bluff.

This episode explores the life and legacy of Lorne Michaels, the kid from Toronto who built the defining American comedy empire. We trace his turning points, the myths surrounding him, and how he became less a comedy writer than a master architect who built the entire stadium where modern comedy is played.

• His real name, Lorne Lipowitz, and the false kibbutz birth myth that Paul Simon invented as a joke
• The advice that led him to change his name and the Emmy-winning Lily Tomlin specials that gave him leverage
• How NBC's need for cheap weekend programmi ...