The Most Underrated ‘SNL’ Cast Member, According to Former ‘SNL’ Cast Members
Of all the questions that Vulture asked Saturday Night Live alums — 65 former cast members and writers participated in a state-of-the-show survey — none got a larger variety of responses than “Who is the most underrated cast member of all time?” Forty-two different comedians got at least one vote, but two tied for the most: Will Forte and Tim Robinson.
The two comics exemplify the Thai concept of “same same but different.” On the one hand, both Forte and Robinson are outlier weirdos, specializing in characters that are bizarre even by sketch comedy standards. Forte is one of the kings of the 10-to-1 sketch, that “everyone has gone to sleep” slot reserved for bits that are potentially hilarious but so strange that they might scare off viewers earlier in the show. Case in point: “Potato Chip.”
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Robinson showed off his freak flag when he played John Tesh’s vocalist brother Dave.
That’s the same-same, but the different part is their success on the show. Forte lasted for eight seasons, long enough to establish characters like MacGruber who were spun off into movies and TV shows. Robinson, on the other hand, only had one season as a featured player before exiting the cast for the writers’ room. Vulture speculates that Robinson’s future success with I Think You Should Leave earned him underrated votes, although “underutilized” might be the more appropriate term.
Chris Parnell placed third in this category, a cast member so underrated that Lorne Michaels had to fire him twice.
Here are some of the other categories and winners in what amounts to Vulture’s SNL yearbook:
- Funniest SNL Sketch of All Time: “James Brown’s Celebrity Hot Tub Party,” followed by “Matt Foley: Van Down By the River” and “More Cowbell.”
- Best SNL Host of All Time: Steve Martin by a wide margin, followed by Alec Baldwin and Tom Hanks.
- Most Quotable SNL Sketch of All Time: “More Cowbell” comes out on top in a landslide, followed by “Church Chat” and “Matt Foley: Van Down By the River.”
- Cast Member or Writer You Wish You Could Have Worked With But You Didn’t: There’s a big bunch at the top so let’s go with a top five — Eddie Murphy, closely followed by Phil Hartman, Gilda Radner, Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph.
- Who Should Take Over the Show If and When Lorne Michaels Ever Retires? Many responded that no one will get the job as that retirement could signal the end of the show. But if someone has to do it, Tina Fey seems to be the favorite. “I feel like Tina Fey’s name has been brought up a bunch when people ask this question, and I agree that seems like a smart move,” said Sasheer Zamata. “She’d have the confidence and preparedness to keep the soul of SNL alive.”
