Posted in: Current News, NBC, Opinion, Peacock, TV, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl

SNL 51: Thoughts on Who's Staying, Who's Returning & "Weekend Update"

With SNL EP Lorne Michaels signaling Season 51 news on the way, we're taking a look at who could be staying, who could be leaving, and more.

With NBC's Saturday Night Live set to kick off Season 51 on October 4th, SNL EP Lorne Michaels had some interesting things to share with Puck's Matt Belloni regarding what viewers can expect. After scouting new cast members in Los Angeles and Chicago, auditions were reportedly held in Studio 8H last week. Michaels noted that an announcement on returning cast members, new cast members, and even "Weekend Update" anchors, adding, "It'll be announced in a week or so." The report referred to the changes as being a "significant shake-up," with Michaels noting that Season 51 comes with the pressure to reinvent. At one point, it was reported that "several current cast members expected to exit." With that in mind, we're taking a look at last season's cast and offering some thoughts on who we think is staying, who we believe might be departing, who were on the fence about, and what might happen with "Weekend Update" (with the understanding that as much as we would like everyone to stay because they're f***ing killing it, that's just not realistic).

WHO'S RETURNING? Mikey Day and Kenan Thompson have both said that they're sticking with SNL for however long Michaels will have them, and I don't see Michaels looking to say goodbye to either anytime soon. Day's never had a bad run, and yet he's still had a bit of a "renaissance" over the past few seasons. As for Thompson, what can I say other than the dude's as hysterical now as he's ever been. Thompson saves sketches. Best compliment that I could give. Based on what Michaels had to share in his Puck interview, it doesn't sound like James Austin Johnson is going anywhere – and nor should he, unless it's his call. Along with offering the most well-rounded Trump out of anyone who's played the role for SNL (sorry, Alec Baldwin), his sketch game has been strong the last couple of seasons. In addition, I could see Andrew Dismukes, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker stay for another go-around, each having offered some of their best work yet during the anniversary season.

WHO'S NOT RETURNING? As much as we hate to write this, we could see Bowen Yang parting ways with SNL. I hate having to write that, but Yang's run has gotten Hollywood's attention, and it's come calling. In addition, it seems that Yang and Matt Rogers' Las Culturistas is moving from podcast to multimedia brand. I feel like the same could be said for Chloe Fineman and Heidi Gardner, two modern icons of the show who we've been reading more and more about regarding non-SNL projects.

WHO STILL HAS US SCRATCHING OUR HEADS? Marcello Hernández, Ego Nwodim, and Sarah Sherman have us on the fence more than anyone else in the cast. Hernández's SNL work has been hitting hard the past few seasons, Sherman's creative style has had a profound impact on SNL's sketch work, and Nwodim continues rolling out characters that leave us wanting more. Seriously, I'm at double-digits when it comes to watching her "Miss Eggy" runs on "Weekend Update." Ironically, those are also the very reasons why I could see them looking to broaden their artistic horizons.

FEATURED PLAYERS: Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline each bring something unique and distinct to the cast, and I would love to see all three get promoted to the main cast. Padilla brings some serious singing skills and reminds me of a cross between Kristin Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Molly Shannon. Wickline gives off so many Gilda Radner vibes that it's scary sometimes, while Wakim has shown an amazing ease at making his presence known in a sketch even when not the focus (and had some killer "Weekend Update" moments).

"WEEKEND UPDATE": This is brutal because I don't want to see Colin Jost and Michael Che leave the "Weekend Update" anchor desk, especially with Trump still in the White House. But they've had a helluva run, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them step away (possibly midseason) and hand the reins to someone else. As for who could be at the anchor desk, I could see Dismukes, Longfellow, Walker, Padilla, and Dismukes as possibilities. My only issue with looking at anyone else is that working "Weekend Update" could pull them from other sketches – and I definitely don't want to lose out on seeing folks like Sherman and Nwodim in other sketches.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!