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If you read my column about SNL40, then you know that Saturday Night Live is my favorite show that has ever been on television. I’ve watched every episode spanning all 40 years, and I think about its historical impact all the time. So after reflecting on the 40th Anniversary Special and wondering what happens with Lorne Michaels and the current cast, I had some thoughts on how the show would end. I’m not sure how much longer the show will continue, or if Michaels is even thinking about retirement, but I do know the one thing that Lorne will not do is let the show struggle to the finish line.
Eventually the show will right the ship, and eventually there will be a plan on ending the show when that time comes. What will the end look like, and how much of a tribute will the last season be when it comes to reflection on the entire run of the program? When that planning process starts, there will be people much smarter than I am that will ensure the show ends on a high note, but that’s not going to stop me from offering up my idea of how the show should ride off into the sunset.
My idea is simple; the final season of Saturday Night Live should be an “All-Star” season for the cast and hosts. Yes, Lorne prides himself on finding new talent, but what if some of the best cast members came back for one more season? If we learned anything from SNL40, it is that everyone who has spent any amount of time with Lorne Michaels has a tremendous amount of respect for him, which is the basis for my idea. Sure, there are some former cast members who have careers too big to stop for an entire year to come back, but with so many to choose from, I think we can put together a cast that would be a dream for any and all SNL fans.
Here are the ground rules I followed when assembling the cast:
- Does the person still have enough left in the comedy tank to perform at a high level for 20 episodes?
- Is the person at a point in their career where it would be plausible that they would take a year to be on the show for the final season?
- Does the person fill a specific role in the cast and are they willing to play background characters to fill out a sketch?
The third rule is the most important to me, because if you had a final season with a 20-person cast, then several would get lost during the season, either by wearing down towards the end of the season, or being difficult to work with to the point that writers ignore them. Each and every person on the cast needs to be willing to play smaller roles in other’s sketches because the cast needs to be smaller for this to work, so cast members who are nice and willing to help are going to fit best from a chemistry standpoint.
We need to fill out 8 spots for cast members, and if someone doesn’t make the cast, then they will be moved to a hosting spot in one of the 20 episodes. The entire season is about the best cast members, the best hosts in SNL history coming back, and musical guests who resonate with the show. Most importantly, the material is going to be all new, so there will be no video tributes that take up a third of each show. So let’s run through the cast and then decide on the perfect hosts to go along with them. Remember there are only 8 cast spots available, so there are going to be some great people left off of this list.
The Cast:
Bill Hader
I know that he just left the show and that he is having success in movies, and will soon have much more when Trainwreck comes out this summer, but if asked, he is definitely coming back to the show. He has spoken many times about how much he loved the show growing up, and he is also one of the nicest people on the planet, so there is no chance he turns down this chance. Plus, he is one of the best character actors that has ever been on stage in 8H. Also, he fills any role that is needed, from lead character, to a father/doctor type, to a weird guy walking through a scene, and he is happy to play all of them. Bill Hader is the type of performer who will hold a cast like this together, and he has to be the first phone call.
Tina Fey
She might be the hardest to get, but with her writing ability and how she killed it on Weekend Update, she needs to be there. She is writing and filming movies, and has had a great career post SNL, but to be the last anchor and head writer for the final season is something that she would feel is too important to pass on. Having a woman in those positions would carry a certain weight, for sure, but Tina is also the most qualified person for the job. Lorne knows this and would do anything possible to make it happen.
Dana Carvey
If Bill Hader isn’t the best character actor in the history of the show, then it is Dana Carvey. He did so many characters on SNL and knows that drill as well as anyone. He might be the most flexible person of our entire All Star cast. It would be great to have Mike Myers, too, but I don’t see him coming back for an entire season after the billions he has made. Could he be talked into hosting though…
Maya Rudolph
Kristen Wiig would be the dream here, but she is going hard after a movie career and probably couldn’t be talked into coming back. That doesn’t matter though because Maya Rudolph was and still is one of the funniest women on the planet. She is as underappreciated now as she was during her time on the show. There are only so many spots to fill and she is the most versatile woman here. She can fill out the Diva role as quickly as she can fill out the nerdy girl pining for Randy through the homeroom window.
Chris Parnell
Parnell is the ultimate straight-man for this cast. My favorite Parnell is the Parnell who is having insane stuff happening to him that he just doesn’t understand. Plus, if you are going to have a straight-man with a hidden talent, why not have that talent be amazing rapping skills?
Jon Lovitz
I’m not sure that there is a more unique voice in the history of the show than Lovitz. Sure, he has gotten a reputation recently for being very difficult, but he would behave in the middle of this amount of talent, and even if he didn’t, at least there would be some great behind-the-scenes drama.
Kenan Thompson
Kenan has to be a part of this cast and you will never convince me otherwise. I’ll never understand why he isn’t recognized more for his ridiculous talent and timing. He can carry a sketch, be a key player, or just have one line that he kills time and time again. Kenan Thompson for life, bitches!
Will Ferrell
This might be the biggest stretch of anyone on my list, but he might also be the one that is the easiest to get if it came down to it. Ferrell left SNL and went on to be the face of comedy in movies, which made him one of the biggest stars in the world, but that flame has dimmed in recent years, and he’s not hitting grand slams at the box office anymore. On top of that, Will Ferrell is so incredibly nice that if Lorne asked him, I don’t see any way he says no. Having Will Ferrell means you have someone who carries the cast week in and week out, since he is either one or two on everyone’s list of best cast members. This does not work without that top guy, and nobody has the chops to pull it off more than he does.
The hosts and musical guests:
I’m not going to list out week by week who I think should host and be the musical guest, but I do want to list a group of people who need to be on the final season, without exception.
Paul Simon and Justin Timberlake both need to fill both roles during the course of the season, and you could make an argument that JT should be on the show as much as possible. You could even make the case that he could be a member of this cast. That guy has so much talent, and it would be great to see him attempt a season as a full-time cast member. As for Paul Simon, he was the host and musical guest for the second show ever and has been a staple of the show ever since.
As far as the hosts, there is a list of people that have become an important part of the history of the show. Tom Hanks was the first person that hosted twice in one season, Alec Baldwin has hosted more than anyone, and Christopher Walken has killed it as host in 3 different decades. As for the rest, Martin Short, John Goodman, and Steve Martin are on the list for what they have meant, and for still having what it takes to knock it out of the park.
The other hosts are going to be a tribute to the best cast members in SNL history who are not a part of the full All Star cast. Jimmy Fallon, Mike Myers, Kristen Wiig, Adam Sandler, and Andy Samberg have all had huge success and need to make a victory lap during the final season. Any of them can carry a show by themselves and would be great teamed up with Pearl Jam, Paul McCartney, or especially Timberlake with Fallon or Samberg.
The one host that Lorne has to go hard for is Eddie Murphy, and Lorne has to be the one to do it since he is the main reason Eddie hasn’t been back in a sketch since leaving the show. Eddie is the greatest cast member in the history of the show, and single-handedly saved the show from being cancelled. The problem though, is that Lorne was absent during those years and doesn’t have the connection to him that others feel. This is a huge problem. It HAS to be resolved though because the show would not be on the air
today without Eddie Murphy putting it on his back. Nobody has meant more to the show, and yet nobody is appreciated less than him, and that needs to be corrected before the end of the final season.
That is my entire list and plan for the farewell season of SNL, and for my money you cannot do any better as far as a send-off. Sure, it would be great to have Mike Myers and Adam Sandler, but realistically that is not happening. The best thing about this list is that it is very plausible and combines the best group for chemistry purposes…and Lovitz.
Stephen Balding is the Entertainment Badass for The Scoop. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenB_41.
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