Ten Best SNL Cast Members
By Disco
Stu - Editor in Chief : 07.26.01
It's
Saturday Night and I'm Feelin' All Right
In
the fall of 1975, the atmosphere was charged and a
little New York-based show, Saturday Night Live,
made its debut. Then, it was cancelled one year
later.
I'm
talking of course about ABC's long-forgotten Saturday
Night Live With Howard Cosell, a variety show
hosted by the famous sports broadcaster. But,
also in 1975, another variety show premiered a couple
of weeks after Cosell's show. There was no
fanfare or anticipation. It just snuck in there
below the radar for most people, much like a Dennis
Miller punchline.
The
ironic thing is NBC's Saturday Night (as it was
called when it premiered), is still going strong more
than 25 years after its original premiere. It's
produced more than its share of stars over those
years. In short, it's America's most enduring
and most influential comedy show ever.
But,
it's gone through nearly 80 cast members over the
years with lots of success stories (and failures) once
they left the show. Here, I'll rate the 10 best
cast members to ever appear on Saturday Night Live
based on the characters they played (several will be
listed), the success they had after leaving SNL,
and their overall performance during their tenure.
Admittedly,
this will raise lots of argument and debate. For
example, you won't see heavy weights like Chris Rock,
Ben Stiller, and Billy Crystal on the top ten: Rock
never made a huge impact as a cast member and both
Stiller and Crystal were in the cast for only one
season. Others like Bill Murray and David Spade
(who both had good success in and out of SNL)
barely miss the cut. Finally, funnyman Steve
Martin won't be making the list. Why? Because
contrary to popular belief, he was never actually a
regular cast member--he just hosted tons of times.
And
now, live from New York, it's Saturday Night!
 10.
Tim Meadows (1991-2000)
Characters:
The Ladies Man
Success
Out of SNL: Um, none yet.
Overall
Performance: Being in the cast longer than anyone
else has to be worth something! Although he only
had a few recurring characters, he provided a constant
presence for all his years on SNL.
Certainly not as talented as Eddie Murphy or as edgy
as Chris Rock, but Meadows held his own and remains a
popular former cast member.
 9.
Adam Sandler (1991-1995)
Characters:
the Herlihy Boy, Cajun Man, Opera Man
Success
Out of SNL: Tons: his movies have all made
huge amounts of money--The Wedding Singer (his
best work), Big Daddy, Little Nicky, Happy Gilmore,
Billy Madison, The Waterboy
Overall
Performance: While at SNL, he was either really
good... or just the opposite. The songs he wrote
and performed for the show were always funny, but he
wasn't as versatile a sketch performer as Dana Carvey
or Mike Myers. His career out of SNL is a
big reason he is on the list.
 8.
Dennis Miller (1985-1991)
Characters:
Weekend Update anchor (1985-1991)
Success
Out of SNL: Appeared in tons of movies, has
his own cuss-filled and esoteric talk show, and
current color commentator on ABC's Monday Night
Football.
Overall
Performance: It almost seems like Dennis was hired
specifically for the Weekend Update spot on SNL.
During the horrendous 1980-1984 seasons (seasons which
Lorne Michaels did not produce), there were a total of
7 Weekend Update hosts. None of them were
funny. When Miller joined the cast, he remained
the anchor for the next 6 years; while on the anchor's
seat, he honed his archaic brand of comedy and keen
wit, making him the second best WU anchor ever.
 7.
Dana Carvey (1986-1993)
Characters:
Ross Perot, The Church Lady, George Bush, Bob
Dylan, Garth, Hans, Lyle the Effeminate Heterosexual
Success
Out of SNL: Has been in tons of
movies. Had his own show for a while in 1996,
but it was abruptly cancelled by ABC (it shouldn't
have been, though).
Overall
Performance: Carvey enjoyed tons of success on SNL.
He had lots of recurring characters (the most popular
of which was the Church Lady) and played minor roles
when needed. Both his Ross Perot and George Bush
impressions are some of the best parodies of public
figures ever seen on television.
 6.
Mike Myers (1989-1995)
Characters:
Wayne, Ron Wood, Dieter, Simon
Success
Out of SNL: Played Austin Powers in the
wildly popular Austin Powers movies. Currently, he is
the voice of Shrek, another wildly popular movie.
Overall
Performance: Mike Myers had less of an impact on
the show than did Dana Carvey, but his huge success
outside of SNL puts him higher. His
Wayne's World sketch helped jumpstart SNL's comedy
explosion of the early-90's.
 5.
Norm MacDonald (1993-1998)
Characters:
Weekend Update anchor (1994-1997), Bob Dole, David
Letterman, Larry King
Success
Out of SNL: Had his own show on ABC.
Overall
Performance: Out of any cast member during SNL's
26 years, Norm MacDonald was the most cynical,
sarcastic, and certainly one of the funniest.
His Weekend Update stint edges out Dennis Miller's run
as the best ever mainly because of his sarcastic,
I-Don't-Give-A-Shit attitude. In regular
sketches, he carried over his personality to a tee
(SEE: impressions of David Letterman, Bob Dole, and
Larry King).
 4.
Dan Akroyd (1975-1979)
Characters:
Weekend Update co-anchor (1977-1978), Beldar
Conehead, Blues Brother, Spokesman for Super Bass-O-Matic
Success
Out of SNL: Has been in lots of movies and
television shows. Also a successful non-comedic
actor.
Overall
Performance: Akroyd was the first of the
"writer's favorites" (as Lorne Michaels
refers to them) on SNL. The writers loved
him because he could play the main character or
perform a minor role with ease. In every sketch
he was in, he was always amusing and would often steal
a scene even when playing a minor role. The
Blues Brothers, which he created with John Belushi,
also spawned a very successful tour and record.
 3.
Will Ferrell (1995-Present)
Characters:
Alex Trebeck, Craig the Spartan, George W. Bush,
Robert Goulet, Neil Diamond
Success
Out of SNL: Not out of the cast yet.
Overall
Performance: Another "writer's favorite"
(in fact, the top 4 all are), Ferrell exhibited his
ability to be funny immediately in his first
season. Like Akroyd, Ferrell can be funny in
nearly every sketch he is in, simply by the way he
performs his characters. He's a definite
scene-stealer that writers count on to save
below-average sketches.
 2.
Eddie Murphy (1980-1984)
Characters:
Gumby, Buckwheat, Mr. Robinson, Stevie Wonder
Success
Out of SNL: Murphy is probably the most successful
ex-cast member appearing in the Beverly Hills Cop
movies, the Nutty Professor movies, and
the Dr. Doolittle movies.
Overall
Performance: Murphy was the lone bright spot
during the 1980-1984 seasons. When it was
acknowledged that he was the funniest on the show (and
that the show was terrible without Lorne Michaels
producing), Murphy appeared in nearly every
sketch. From 1980 to 1984, SNL might as well
have been called The Eddie Murphy Show. Murphy,
though is responsible for single-handedly keeping SNL
afloat during tough and unfunny times.
 1.
Phil Hartman (1986-1994)
Characters:
Bill Clinton, Anal Retentive Chef, Qerock the
Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, Frankenstein
Success
Out of SNL: Starred in underrated show Newsradio,
did lots of voices on The Simpsons, appeared in
lots of movies.
Overall
Performance: Here's the best writer's
favorite. Hartman was the most versatile cast
member on all the years of SNL. He could
play hilarious characters like the Anal Retentive Chef
and the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer with the right mix of
seriousness and humor. But, he could also play a
minor role in order to carry along a sketch and
provide a foil for other recurring characters.
His career out of SNL is also
noteworthy: he played great characters in The
Simpsons and Newsradio.
I
gave you a topic. Now talk amongst yourselves.
Oh yeah, there's more where this came from.
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