Posted in: NBC, Preview, TV | Tagged: gail simone, nbc, preview, saturday night live, snl

Saturday Night Live: So Who's YOUR Most Underrated SNL Member Ever?

We've entered that weird limbo period when we have a clearer picture of who isn't returning for Lorne Michaels & NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 48 (Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, and Aristotle Athari) than we do who actually will be part of the newest edition of the cast. And with it now hitting September, thoughts have turned to when the long-running late-night sketch comedy/music series will return and who the host & musical guest will be for it. So when legendary comics creator and pop culture icon Gail Simone took to Twitter for a "Question of the Day" involving who the most underrated SNL cast member was during its run. And that's just too fun of a topic for us not to pass along, and it got us thinking. First, out of the entire past 47 seasons? I would need some serious time for that. But from the current cast? It's nothing personal for the ones who don't make the list, but I would go with Chris Redd, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Punkie Johnson, and the trio from Please Don't Destroy (Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy)

Here's a look at Simone's tweets, initially listing three SNL cast members (Jay Pharoah, Cheri Oteri & Nwodim) and her reasoning before also adding Nasim Pedrad and Villaseñor, and make sure to let us know who you think deserved more screen time in the comments section below. Oh, and definitely follow Simone on Twitter (here) because it's a never-boring, always thought-provoking experience:

"Is that the rumor? All right, well, I need to start planning," Thompson joked to Charlamagne the God during the latter's show Hell of a Week on Comedy Central regarding the rumor that Michaels may retire with the 50th season. For Thompson, the concern is what (and who) will fill the void left by Michaels' departure when it comes to doing right by the show. "He's [Michaels] the one that's had his touch on the whole thing. It opens the opportunity for a lot of bulls— to come into the game because he's such a legend that he keeps off those corporate wolves," he explained. And that's especially true when it comes to the show's budget, an issue that Michaels has fought the network and corporate owners over since before the show hit screens in the '70s. "At that point, you can't really do the same kind of show," Thompson continued. "They spend a lot of money on that show every week. It's an expensive show, but it's a one-of-a-kind thing. It's the only one. You know, 'Live from New York.'"

During a tour behind-the-scenes of SNL's show night with CBS Mornings host Gayle King for his Kennedy Center honor before the end of 2021, Michaels revealed that he had been thinking of retiring and thought it was a "really good time to leave." But first and foremost, his commitment is to see the show make it to that milestone. "I think I'm committed to doing this show until its 50th anniversary, which is in three years. I'd like to see that through, and I have a feeling that'd be a really good time to leave," Michaels explained. "I won't want the show ever to be bad. I care too deeply about it. It's been my life's work. So I'm going to do everything I can to see it carry on and carry on well," he continued. And while Michaels was loathed to discuss details on something that wouldn't happen for three more years, he did admit when it comes to who would take on the role next that they had "a sense of where we're headed with that."

NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 47 cast included Aidy Bryant, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney, Ego Nwodim, Chris Redd, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Melissa Villaseñor, and Bowen Yang; feature players include the returning Andrew Dismukes and Punkie Johnson, as well as new players Aristotle Athari (Future Man, All Rise), James Austin Johnson (Silicon Valley), and Sarah Sherman (The Eric Andre Show).

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