Saturday Night Live: Which Cast Members were the Best, and Why???

Saturday Night Live has certainly been a staple of American culture.  Incredibly, it is now into its 44th season on the air.    Being 53 years old , I have grown up with the show.  I was a fan right from the start in 1975.   Over the years the show has had its ups and downs.  Literally hundreds of cast members have come and gone over the 44 year history of Saturday Night Live.   But who was the best, and why?

Well, I think the only way to answer this question is to categorize.    There is too much comedic material from too many different individuals to try to lock it all into one box.   The best way is to come up with different categories and apply them as you see fit.  This is what I have come up with.   My answers are based on the entire history of the show and every cast member that has performed.  Here goes:


Best Male Impressionist:  Tough one as there have been so many.   I will go with Dana Carvey.

Best Female Impressionist:  Tough on this one as well.   I will go with Kristen Wiig.

All time Funniest Male Character: "Matt Foley" by Chris Farley.

All time Funniest Female Character:  "Roseanne Roseannadanna" by Gilda Radner.    

Best Actor:  Have to go with Bill Murray here.  He's coming up on 40 years in the movies.  No other cast member has had nearly as much long term success cinematically.

Best Actress:  There haven't been any SNL female cast members whom have had long term success in the movies.   Tina Fey crossed my mind.  So did Kristen Wiig.  I have seen both Wiig (Hateship Loveship) and Molly Shannon (The Year of the Dog) show some decent dramatic range.    Neither of them stands out though.   In fact, no one does so I'll leave this category to personal interpretation.

The Absolute Funniest Male Performer:  In his prime, there is no doubt, Eddie Murphy.

The Absolute Funniest Female Performer:  This is difficult but I will go with Gilda Radner.   I found the characters she created (Roseanne Roseanneadanna, Baba Wawa, Lisa Loopner) to be the funniest.

The Most Supremely Talented Male Cast Member:   Considering his acting, writing and comedic abilities, Dan Aykroyd.

The Most Supremely Talented Female Cast Member:  Tina Fey without question.  

And finally, just for fun - what is the all time funniest SNL sketch???  For me it's the Cowbell sketch with Will Ferrell.

And there you have it.  For SNL to have been around for as long as it has - it obviously has a lot of fans.    I'm sure there a lot of people that don't feel as I do regarding which cast members are the best and why.  However, I encourage other viewpoints... 



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