Hosts
1. Alec Baldwin
2. Tom Hanks
3. Christopher Walken
4. Justin Timberlake
5. John Goodman
Alec Baldwin has reached the point where he is essentially a cast member. Even when he’s not hosting, he’s swinging by and appearing in sketches. The fact that he was a star of “30 Rock,” a show based on “Saturday Night Live” and written by Tina Fey, only makes his relationship with the show stronger. His most memorable moment might be as Pete Schweddy, who makes the best “Schweddy Balls,” but do not discount his performance in “Canteen Boy” and his impressions of Charles Nelson Reilly, Tony Bennett and Saddam Hussein.
Characters
1. Wayne and Garth (Mike Meyers and Dana Carvery)
2. Matt Foley (Chris Farley)
3. Stefon (Bill Hader)
4. Mr. Robinson (Eddie Murphy)
5. Nick the Lounge Singer (Bill Murray)
Stefon is the most relevant to this generation and definitely the most beloved Weekend Update guest. His rise is pretty inexplicable considering how bizarre the character is. This is a character that easily could have bombed, but much of his success stems from the likability of Hader. Hader and writer John Mulaney cooked this character up from their ridiculous conversations referencing obscure pop culture members. The best part of Stefon, by far, is how Mulaney would add new parts to the cue cards right before the show without telling Hader. That is when Hader would break on air and have to cover his face because he was laughing so hard.
Short films
1. D*** in a Box
2. Lazy Sunday
3. Synchronized Swimming
4. SNL Funhouse
5. Andy’s Dad
Though most people think of the Lonely Island’s “SNL” digital shorts, and rightfully so, “Synchronized Swimming” is a classic that is often forgotten. At the time, cast member and eventual “mockumentary” filmmaker Christopher Guest directed this 1980’s pre-filmed sketch starring Martin Short and Harry Shearer as synchronized swimmers. The payoff moment was when Shearer’s character says, “I am not a strong swimmer.” This short film planted the seeds for Guest’s career and is definitely worth looking up and watching.
Current Cast Members
Okay, it is too difficult and would take 2,000 words to discuss the best cast members of all time. To compromise, I decided it would be fitting to shed some light on the current class and who stands out among the group.
1. Kate McKinnon
2. Taran Killan
3. Aidy Bryant
4. Bobby Moynihan
5. Vanessa Bayer
Kate McKinnon is a force of nature and the perfect person to take the reins as the elite female cast member now that Kristen Wiig is gone. Olya Povlatsky, the Russian woman who discusses how awful her life is in her village, is an instant classic. It is her impressions, though, that take it to the next level. Her Justin Bieber is the most well known, but her Ellen DeGeneres is a personal favorite. Her Angela Merkel led me to not be able to take any news story about the German chancellor seriously. Her presence this season has oddly subsided, but I would imagine that is temporary. She seems to dominate certain episodes when she and a host, like Jimmy Fallon, hit it off.
