The Ringer’s Bill Simmons had it right: When it comes to roster construction, Saturday Night Live should be like a basketball team. That’s 7 or 8 players in the rotation who keep you in the game every night, with another 3 to 5 on the bench for talent development and injury replacement.
Today’s SNL cast stands at an astounding 21, not counting the dudes in Please Don’t Destroy who bring the number to 24. It’s a problem.
Imagine a basketball team that employs 10 players who never see the floor. Are they any good? Can they ever be any good? Who knows? Why are we paying these guys? Wouldn’t they be better off in the G League getting some playing time?
SNL in recent years has made a habit of bringing new cast members in as featured players, only to cut bait at the end of the year when they don’t “pop.” Take Lauren Holt, for example. Who’s Lauren Holt? Someone ostensibly in last year’s cast. Is she funny? Does she have a knack for memorable characters? It’s not her fault that we don’t know.
As we’ve said before, the SNL cast is too damn big. So instead of continuing to complain, ComedyNerd is going to do something about it.
We’re going to cut down the current SNL cast from 24 to 10. Not because the current cast isn’t talented. But because we want new blood. Because we want interesting performers doing comedy we haven’t seen before. And because we want people who actually want to be on the show, not something to do on the occasional weekend when they’re not filming a sitcom or starring on Broadway.
So let’s get those pink slips ready as we decide who’s in and who’s out in our new, improved, streamlined cast.
We’ll take some more of this absurdity, as well as additional appearances by Athari’s stand-up robot, Laughingtosh 3000.
Verdict: In.
Verdict: Out.
Verdict: Out.
Verdict: Out.
Verdict: Out.
Verdict: In.
We’d prefer fewer impressions that plenty of people do (Britney, Drew Barrymore) and more characters like Iceland’s only social media star.
Verdict: In.
Can we put some of those misfits into regular sketches as well? Though Gardner gets extra points for playing the straight woman as well as anyone.
Verdict: In.
Broadway Video
Verdict: In.
Broadway Video
Verdict: In.
Verdict: Out.
Verdict: Out.
Verdict: Out.
Broadway Video
Verdict: In.
Verdict: In.
When given a chance to shine -- he stole every scene in Andy Samberg’s Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping -- Redd can carry an entire show by himself. Put him out front, Lorne.
Verdict: In.
Verdict: In.
Verdict: Out.
Verdict: Out.
Verdict: Out.
Verdict: In.
Verdict: Out.
And there’s our new cast: Aristotle Athari, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Punkie Johnson, Chris Redd, Ego Nwodim, Kyle Mooney, Sarah Sherman, and Bowen Yang. Young and diverse, low on proven star power, long on potential. As Lorne rides off into the sunset, we’ll take this group to launch the next fifty years of laughs.
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Top image: Broadway Video