Top 10 SNL Cast Members

You'll NEVER BELIEVE No. 5!

Saturday Night Live - the highest high of many a career while being just the launching pad for many others. Despite the fact that it's been cool to hate on the show for about 46 of its 48 seasons, the cultural impact cannot be denied. Its cast members and their repertory of characters have given us everything from iconic frat boy dorm room posters to family-fun Christmas favorites. They've gone on to sell out arenas and ink megadeals with Netflix and take over long-running late-night shows and blow up box offices. They've taken down politicians while helping others get elected.

The show has produced countless stars of the nearly 200 to join the roster. Here are the my personal, but also totally objective Top 10:

10. Chevy Chase

I love Chevy Chase and you can't stop me.

This is probably a controversial pick for a few reasons, chief among them the fact that Chevy's a giant asshole whose debauchery has gone so far as to get him supposedly banned from the show - Will Ferrell said that he had “never seen Lorne so embarrassed and red” as when Chevy returned to host in the ‘90s and mucked up the vibe at Rockefeller Plaza for six days.

That, among his other nonsense, is what lands him in the 10th spot, because he must be represented here. He was the first to do so many things on "NBC's Saturday Night": appeared in the first sketch, first to say, "Live from New York!", first to host Weekend Update, first to play a President, and first to move on to stardom. Yes, he was only on the show for the first season-and-a-half, but he made his mark and that can't be denied.

My favorite sketch: Word Association

9. Bill Hader

A few people on this list are not only regarded for their work in the sketch or their uncanny impressions or their writing talents above all, but also for their ability to carry a sketch. Yes, Bill gave us Stefon and Vincent Price and Al Pacino and a personal favorite of mine, Keith Morrison. But Bill also had a unique control over pacing, vibe, and all-around silliness. Sure, some of that came from his crippling fear of messing up and then the nervous giggles when it inevitably happened, but whatever it was - it worked. A bridge between the millennium era cast and the 2010's crew, he was able to play in both lands of make-believe memorably.

My favorite sketch: What’s That Name?

8. Chris Farley

Farley was like no other, except for when he wanted nothing more than to be John Belushi. Picasso once said, "Bad artists copy, great artists steal" and that's just what Farley did. Taking from his comedic idol, he found his success in being the life of the party, making fun of himself before anyone else could, and giving every character, whether it was a Chicago Bears fan or a teenage girl or Roger Ebert or motivational speaker Matt Foley, a charm so sweet it's usually only found in a bowl of cereal.

Perhaps he took those things a little far sometimes (he went to rehab 17 times according to Jim Belushi), but it's no secret that Farley's life was one of excess. For us, that meant an overabundance of laughter, the kind that makes you squeal, or choke.

My favorite thing: His on-screen/off-screen friendship with David Spade

7. Kristen Wiig

Kristen Wiig was at her best when, just like the spelling of her last name, she was just freaking weird. This is the era of SNL that gave us the funny and funky Fred Armisen, Will Forte, Amy Poehler, and Andy Samberg, so yeah, it was a weird era. But so often it felt like everyone was just playing opposite Kristen, as she deliriously became the Target Lady or Paula Deen or Kathie Lee Gifford or Gilly or Dooneese. Maybe a few of those were overplayed, but that was a casualty of SNL finding success on YouTube, never because Wiig didn't give it her zaniest best. Toning it down a bit after she left the show (though not completely, see Barb and Star or Wonder Woman 1984) showed that she can do it all. 

My favorite sketch: The Lawrence Welk Show

6. Will Ferrell

Those watching the show in the late '90s would probably be surprised to hear that Will Ferrell would go on to be far and away the most successful cast member post-SNL. That's not because Will wasn't funny on the show, he very much was, but instead because many of his most famous moments are the result of his great collaboration with his castmates. What would Celebrity Jeopardy be without Norm MacDonald or More Cowbell without Christopher Walken or Spartan Cheerleaders without Cheri Oteri or George W. without Darrell Hammond's Al Gore? Adept at both being the focus and deferring to the ensemble, Ferrell's tenure is a testament to the show's ability to be the minor leagues, training and practicing, to someone's major league career.

My favorite sketch: The Mark Jensen Family Christmas

5. John Belushi

John Belushi made the mold of SNL. He was there to work out the kinks with sketches like The Wolverine (the first ever) or The Bees, finding what the show would be in homemade characters (Samurai Futaba), castmate collaboration (The Blues Brothers), the cast's relationship to the musical guest (Joe Cocker), or the cast's relationship to the host (nearly decapitating Buck Henry). There have been many people to carry the torch and keep the show alive over its nearly 50 years, but the show wouldn't be what we know today, if still around at all, if it weren't for Belushi.

My favorite sketch: Superhero Party

4. Tina Fey

This one's for the writers.

I mean, seriously, Tina's most famous character was Sarah Palin, whom she played years after she departed from the cast. An uncanny impression that played a decent part in destroying the Governor's chances of the vice presidency, sure. But one struggles to think of another Tina character.

But that wasn't her strength. Writing, including her seven-season tenure as Head Writer, is where Tina really shined. This also included her occupancy of one of the Weekend Update chairs, where her sardonic wit and clever social awareness made it so that pre-teens fall asleep after Update now and not before. When Jimmy left and she hired Amy Poehler for the other chair, she fully oversaw the best time for women in the history of the show. 

My favorite line: I can see Russia from my house!

3. Eddie Murphy

Live from New York, it's the Eddie Murphy Show!

If it wasn't for a nineteen-year-old Eddie Murphy, SNL would have been canned in the early '80s. Not only did Eddie keep the show alive, but he also made it must-see television. He also created a roster of characters and impressions that looks like a one-man All-Star team. And if you didn't believe that before (perhaps you thought that Eddie's sketches were only highlights because they played in the show's Dark Ages), his 2019 return to host, after 35 years, is proof enough. Featuring the return of Gumby, Mr. Robinson, and Velvet Jones, not only did it show that Eddie's stuff still plays, but it also showed his impact on the franchise - every writer and cast member wanted to play in the sandbox that he shaped.

My favorite line: WHO IS IT?

2. Kate McKinnon

Some may call this recency bias, but those who tuned in regularly to Kate's run know that there was something magical happening in Studio 8H when she was fully on. There was absolutely nothing she couldn't do. From playing politicians (Hilary Clinton or Jeff Sessions) to creating loony characters (Colleen Rafferty or Barbara DeDrew) to her ridiculous impressions (Justin Bieber or Ellen DeGeneres) to her consistent Weekend Update appearances (Olya Pavlotsky or Dr. Wenowdis). She could appear anywhere in the show, do anything, and get a laugh out of everything. Despite the fact that she was on the show for a decade, nobody seemed to want her to go. The show will now forever need a "Kate McKinnon type", someone you can plug in anywhere you need her at any point in the show.

Favorite sketch: This has 55M views for a reason

1. Kenan Thompson

For over 20 seasons, Kenan has embodied all of the things that make SNL great - and no, not because he plays the game show or talk show host better than anyone. After honing these exact skills on Nickelodeon, Kenan is the ultimate team player. Yes, he can bust through in a sketch (Lorenzo McIntosh in the Scared Straight parodies), he can bring his trademark smile to any impression (David Ortiz or Charles Barkley or Al Sharpton), or, I'll say it again, play the tv host (something they need in every single episode) better than anyone, like his Steve Harvey or Black Jeopardy's Alex Treblack, Darnell Hayes. But what he really does is make every sketch better. You're happy to see him. He can bail water out of a sketch's sinking ship better than most, and that's a skill that they need on some nights more than others. Not to mention he can work in any style, he's been through about four or five eras of the show alone. He can do it all and has done it all for a long time - we wondered if he would stick around for the show's 40 Anniversary, now it looks like he'll be a guest of honor at the 50th.

My favorite sketch: Black Jeopardy

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Photos: NBC Universal

Special thanks to Tom Shales’ and James Andrew Miller’s Live From New York, one of the best oral histories out there.