Top Ten SNL Not Ready For Prime Time Players?

[Chief Rum]

Considering all the hubbub over SNL's 40th anniversary celebration, I thought I would throw out my Top 10 all time of SNL performers. This is just off the top of my head and I am not a consistent watcher of the show (I probably catch 2-3 shows per season at best, and then watch an additional skit or two that gets a lot of pub on youtube/FB).

Conceptually, I am just talking the NRFPTP, not hosts. And only for what they did on SNL, not in other ventures.

My top ten:

1. Dana Carvey
2. Steve Martin
3. Chris Farley
4. Will Ferrell
5. Chevy Chase
6. Mike Myers
7. Dan Aykroyd
8. Eddie Murphy
9. Phil Hartman
10. Jon Lovitz

Obviously, I tend more towards the men on the show...

[QuikSand]

See also:

2011: Pick your SNL Cast - Front Office Football Central (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=81060)

2005: Your All-time SNL Cast - Front Office Football Central (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=44089)

[Chief Rum]

Well, shoot.

[QuikSand]

Still fun, have at it.

[tarcone]

No John Belushi? List invalid.

[cartman]

Also, I don't think Steve Martin was ever a cast member, I think he was just a frequent host.

[timmae]

1. Will Farrell
2. Andy Samberg
3. Tina Fey
4. Chris Farley
5. Bobby Moynihan
6. Bill Hader
7. Norm MacDonald
8. Amy Poehler
9. Adam Sandler
10. Dana Carvey

Honorable Mention
David Spade
Phil Hartman
Dan Akroyd
Rachel Dratch
Al Franken

[Chief Rum]

Also, I don't think Steve Martin was ever a cast member, I think he was just a frequent host.

I believe you're right. That's nuts. I wasn't allowed to watch those old ones as a kid, so most of my original SNL cast viewing was best of skits types of stuff. Martin appeared so often, I just assumed he was a cast member.

Okay drop Martin and add in Tina Fey at the bottom.

As for Belushi, I love Belushi, but see above, my recollection of that cast is purely in retrospect and most of the Belushi stuff I saw wasn't enough for me to put him in my top ten.

[molson]

Ya, Steve Martin was kind of the Justin Timberlake of SNL in the 70s. And it's crazy to think that Martin was actually younger than Timberlake is now during that initial hosting run of seasons 2 through 5.

[molson]

I'd have to look at cast lists to try to make a top 10 list, but mine would look similar to timmae's, but probably without Andy Samberg. The old stuff was groundbreaking, but hasn't aged very well, especially when you try to watch entire episodes. But that's maybe not a fair way to judge comedy. Though it's also true that the 70s stuff, even when seen today, is a million times better than the dark ages of the early-to-mid 80s.

[VPI97]

1. John Belushi
2. Eddie Murphy
3. Phil Hartman
4. Dana Carvey
5. Jon Lovitz
6. Jan Hooks
7. Chris Farley
8. Molly Shannon
9. Will Ferrell

10. Weekend Update: Norm MacDonald

[Warhammer]

1. John Belushi
2. Eddie Murphy
3. Phil Hartman
4. Dana Carvey
5. Jon Lovitz
6. Jan Hooks
7. Chris Farley
8. Molly Shannon
9. Will Ferrell

10. Weekend Update: Norm MacDonald

This is pretty much my list with Dennis Miller as the anchor and Gilda Radner in for Molly Shannon.

[QuikSand]

Regulars:
John Belushi
Eddie Murphy
Mike Myers
Phil Hartman
Darrell Hammond
Dana Carvey
Gilda Radner
Nora Dunn

Featured:
Don Novello
Chris Rock
Al Franken
Kevin Nealon

Anchor:
Dennis Miller

Musical Guests:
Paul Simon
The J. Geils Band

Guest Host:
Alec Baldwin

This list seems to hold up fairly well 10 years later. I think you now have to put in Will Ferrell (likely for Hammond), and maybe I'd sub in a different woman among my top tier to replace Nora Dunn.

[Pyser]

1-will ferrell
2-eddie murphy
3-dana carvey
4-phil hartman
5-john belushi
6-kristin wiig
7-chris farley
8-amy poehler
9-mike myers
10-bill murray

ferrell and murphy are the top 2 to me - easily - because they had NO support. just awful casts around them.

also, it's hard not to have people's careers after they left the show not taint the list, but i tried to keep it to snl career only.

would love to get fey in there, but aside from weekend update and sarah palin, i dont think she did much as a cast member. far more important as a writer.

[nol]

See also:

2011: Pick your SNL Cast - Front Office Football Central (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=81060)

2005: Your All-time SNL Cast - Front Office Football Central (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=44089)

I don't know what's more impressive - that SNL is so good at drumming up nostalgia for its multiple of 5 year anniversaries or that it's so irrelevant in the interim that people forget having those discussions in the first place :)

[Neon_Chaos]

Grantland had a big bracketed tournament regarding this last year.

Grantland Celebrates ‘Saturday Night Live’ at 40 « (http://grantland.com/snl/)

[Comey]

1. Will Ferrell
2. Phil Hartman
3. Chris Farley
4. Eddie Murphy
5. Bill Murray
6. Dana Carvey
7. Mike Meyers
8. Bill Hader
9. Kristen Wiig
10. John Belushi

Honorable Mention:
Norm MacDonald
Adam Sandler
Darrell Hammond
Fred Armisen
Cheri Oteri

[stevew]

Dunno who's at the top but Tarran Killem(so) is near last place.

[CU Tiger]

Not in order.

Farley
Chevy chase
Belushi
Chris Rock
Adam Sandler
Dana Carvey
David Spade
Eddie Murphy
Phil Hartman
Mike Myers

[stevew]

Armisen
Wiig
Farrell
Sandler
Kate McKinnon
Kevin Nealon
Hartman
Samberg
carvey
Bill Hader

[Vince, Pt. II]

Grantland had a big bracketed tournament regarding this last year.

Grantland Celebrates ‘Saturday Night Live’ at 40 « (http://grantland.com/snl/)

It's insane to me how much more talent is in the left half of that bracket.

[korme]

Dunno who's at the top but Tarran Killem(so) is near last place.

What's wrong with Taran Killam?

[korme]

Of the current cast, Bobby Moynihan's characters on Weekend Update might be the best thing going for the show right now.

[AENeuman]

SNL Ready for prime time players:

1. Julia Louis-Dreyfus

[stevew]

What's wrong with Taran Killam?

I feel like he was ok as a bit player but wildly miscast as a front on the show. I I tend to FF thru 95% of his skits.

[LastWhiteSoxFanStanding]

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I think Phil Hartman is insanely overrated. He is the Billy Joel of SNL.

*ducks*

[molson]

I think the present cast is always going to be a little underrated at the time they're on TV. Kate McKinnon is one of the most talented female cast members they've ever had. She doesn't have a lot of "best of" skits she's carried yet, but she kills with just about every little spot she gets. And Jay Pharaoh has to be one of the best impressionists they've ever had.

[molson]

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I think Phil Hartman is insanely overrated. He is the Billy Joel of SNL.

*ducks*

Ya, I never found him super funny on his own, but he was a super-valuable straight man like Chris Parnell and Jason Sudeikis after him. They made people around them more funny.

[stevew]

I think the present cast is always going to be a little underrated at the time they're on TV. Kate McKinnon is one of the most talented female cast members they've ever had. She doesn't have a lot of "best of" skits she's carried yet, but she kills with just about every little spot she gets. And Jay Pharaoh has to be one of the best impressionists they've ever had.

agreed.

[britrock88]

No love for Kenan Thompson? Even without necessarily being the best cast member at any given time, he's been a rock for the last decade-plus.

Sometimes, all it takes is his delivery...

"I am Reece (beat) deWHAT"

[Comey]

The cast of Wiig, Hader, et al is arguably the most talented they've ever had. The issue with the show, and they've said this for a few years now, is that they are off filming other things during the week. Hader outlined a schedule during a movie, and he would literally just show up to read through things on Friday, after shooting all week, then do dress and go live. The cue cards are so valuable anymore because they don't even get to learn their part.

The casts have been so spread thin, it's hurt the show. It isn't for lack of talent, but lack of time. Lorne used to forbid the cast to do anything outside of the show until the summer. He lifted that several years ago, and the quality has suffered.

(I'm a *major* SNL nerd. I read everything about the show.)

[PurdueBrad]

Been thinking about this and here's a group that I think could work some magic:

Dana Carvey
Chris Farley
Phil Hartman
Jane Curtain
Cecily Strong
Don Aykroyd
Tina Fey
Eddie Murphy
Chris Rock
Norm McDonald

I don't think they're necessarily the 10 best, but I do think they could work very well together.

[Lathum]

It has been so long since I have found the show funny I'm not sure it ever was.

[timmae]

Cecily Strong is solid...

[Scarecrow]

not sure I agree with #s 141-11, but their top 10 is pretty solid...

'Saturday Night Live': All 141 Cast Members Ranked | Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/lists/saturday-night-live-all-141-cast-members-ranked-20150211)

[molson]

No love for Kenan Thompson? Even without necessarily being the best cast member at any given time, he's been a rock for the last decade-plus.

Sometimes, all it takes is his delivery...

"I am Reece (beat) deWHAT"

I've read that whenever the writers think they need an extra laugh in a sketch, they just add a line, "Keenan reacts." It works every time.

[Pyser]

not sure I agree with #s 141-11, but their top 10 is pretty solid...

'Saturday Night Live': All 141 Cast Members Ranked | Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/lists/saturday-night-live-all-141-cast-members-ranked-20150211)

its all subjective but i think thats a terrible top 10.

fey at 3 is ludicrous, for starters.

[PurdueBrad]

Cecily Strong is solid...

As bad as the show is and as much as I would like to see her anchor Weekend Update, I love her "Girl at a Party" character when she is a guest on Weekend Update. Frankly, I wish she had a twin so one could anchor and one could guest!

[britrock88]

As bad as the show is and as much as I would like to see her anchor Weekend Update, I love her "Girl at a Party" character when she is a guest on Weekend Update. Frankly, I wish she had a twin so one could anchor and one could guest!

Her "One-Dimensional Girl in a Male-Driven Comedy" is also pretty terrific.