Saturday Night Live Season 36 Reviews - Cast Rankings

SNL Season 36

The Cast

From Best to Worst and who would I save for next season

Bill Hader

MVP

Paul Rudd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake

Best Moment

I remember watching this season as it was airing and anticipating a Stefon appearance.  Bill was without a doubt my MVP of this season, especially with Kristen and Fred dropping the ball so often.   He’s able to play to the rafters with characters like James Carville and in sketches like Royal Taster or he can be a perfect straight man to Jim Carrey dancing the Black Swan.  You need a game show host for What’s That Name?  He can even brighten up a repetitive sketch like Secret Word.  This season saw the debut of his Alan Alda impression and Herb Welch, everyone’s favorite octogenarian news reporter.

Worst Moment

Not a lot to choose from for a bad Bill moment.  A few gay stereotypes that don’t hold up in hindsight and the time he played Cher on Weekend Update.

Would I Save Him From A Fire?

Heck yeah.  He’s six seasons in but he also just keeps getting better.

Andy Samberg

MVP

Bryan Cranston, Jane Lynch, Robert DeNiro, Helen Mirren

Best Moment

Another memory from watching this season live was waiting for a new Digital Short.  This wasn’t a super strong season of the show but Andy and The Lonely Island made up for that by bringing us bangers like Jack Sparrow, 3-Way (The Golden Rule), and I Just Had Sex.  At times it felt like shameless self promotion for their new album but when one of their music videos is the best part of the show, who’s to complain?

Worst Moment

Not all the Digital Shorts were winners.  What Was That? was a waste and had the honor of following the worst sketch of all time.  I wasn’t a fan of The Creep either but the one I found the most annoying was I Broke My Arm where Emma Stone keeps falling down and Andy plays a rapping grape jelly. 

Would I Save Him From A Fire?

Knowing that the Digital Shorts really start to lose steam next season he could leave now and end on a high note.  But next year gives us Lazy Sunday 2 and The 100th Digital Short so go ahead and hang for one more.

Jason Sudeikis

MVP

Jeff Bridges, Jim Carrey, Ed Helms

Best Moment

Jason took a bit of a backseat this season, sometimes barely showing up in an episode but always delivered when he did.  Joe Biden, The Devil, Mike Underballs, Billy Ray Cyrus, DJ Supersoak, and always providing great straight man roles like in The New Boyfriend Talk Show or as Herb Welch’s adversary.  My favorite Jason moment was Finding Your Power from the Jim Carey episode, a low-key sketch where Jason’s host takes delight in tormenting his guests.

Worst Moment

I could have easily went with Highway Cops, a pointless sketch that seemed to only exist so Jason could make out with Jon Hamm.  Instead I picked his final appearance as George W. Bush on Weekend Update.  After a two year absence (and two cameos from Will Ferrell) they trotted it out for a weak bit with Jay as Kanye West.

Would I Save Him From A Fire?

Yeah.  One of the best straight men in the business.  Even in a limited capacity he’s worth a spot on the team.

Bobby Moynihan

MVP

Anne Hathaway

Best Moment

Nobody looked like they had more fun on SNL than Bobby.  Always a delight even in small roles, I almost went with his bit part as the judge ogling some bouncy boobs in Party At Mr. Bernard’s.  This season gave us Anthony Crispino, Snooki, Guy Fieri, and his soon to be recurring role on Fox And Friends where he gets laughs with just a look of blissful ignorance.

Worst Moment

Similar to Bill, I couldn’t really find a Bobby moment I disliked but also similar to Bill he showed up once on Weekend Update for a transphobic jab at Chaz Bono.

Would I Save Him From A Fire?

Hell yeah.  I’m not gonna lie, I’m getting to the point where I only have modern seasons to watch and I’m not excited about it.  I’m super happy I have a few more Bobby seasons.

Taran Killam

MVP

Russell Brand, Miley Cyrus

Best Moment

A dynamite rookie year for Taran.  He showed off some good impressions like Michael Cera, Gilbert Gottfried, Brad Pitt, and Eminem and displayed his gifts for physical comedy in Les Jeunes de Paris and Merryville Trolley Ride.

Worst Moment

I get it, it was 2011 and two dudes kissing was the funniest thing.  And that was the only joke in The Silver Screen from the Elton John episode.

Would I Save Him From A Fire?

Yep.  Out of all the newbies he proved himself to be the most versatile.

Nasim Pedrad

MVP

Zach Galifianakis

Best Moment

I love Nasim Pedrad.  Whether she’s leading a sketch like Basement Karate or Mr. Wizard’s World or just showing up backstage to hide in Helen Mirren’s titties.  Her best performance this season was when she told off Kristen in Corn Syrup Producers Of America but we also got plenty of Kim Kardashian, Lil Blaster, and the return of Bedelia.  Another strong contender was her role in Noodles as the quizzical child who has more questions about the family dog.

Worst Moment

Couldn’t really find a Nasim sketch that didn’t work for me.  The closest to a whiff was the cold open Ask Gloria Allred but that’s more because it’s a straight to camera monologue cold open and nothing to do with her performance.

Would I Save Her From A Fire?

Yeah.  We got 5 seasons of Nasim but I never felt like we got enough of her.  She should have been the star of the show.

Vanessa Bayer

MVP

Scarlett Johansson

Best Moment

I’ll always want to visit the universe where Vanessa held on to the Hilary Clinton role.  She got two brief shots this season and I laughed at both of them.  It wasn’t quite a breakout rookie year but we got enough to know that she deserves a spot in the cast.  Favorite roles include the host of Living Single, the contestant on Millionaire Matchmaker, one of the Fox And Friends, and of course the debut of one of my favorite characters Laura Parsons in Stars Of Tomorrow.

Worst Moment

The Miley Cyrus Show was fun the first time, then the second added Jason as Billy Ray so I’ll accept it but we started to hit diminishing returns.  But if it gives Vanessa more airtime it’s hard to complain too much.

Would I Save Her From A Fire?

Heck yeah.  Vanessa quickly cemented herself as one of my favorites and things are just gonna get better.

Kristen Wiig

MVP

Amy Poehler, Jon Hamm

Best Moment

It’s so hard to determine where Kristen belongs on these rankings because when I love Kristen I adore Kristen.  I still have a soft spot for Penelope, Shana, and Hollywood Dish.  We also got two very fun Kristen showcases in Ann-Margret Tries To Throw A Wad Of Paper Into A Trashcan and Audition where she lays out her dos and don’ts for a director…

Worst Moment

…but when she strikes out it can almost tank a show.  Garth & Kat and Secret Word are such momentum killers that an episode has to work extra hard to come back after them.  And we’re still trying to make Gilly work?  Even after Will Forte is long gone?  Then there’s the all energy no content Update pieces like Angela Dixon the disco meteorologist and Janet Judy Tran the coked up aerobics instructor.  And complete duds like Spa Talk from the Jesse Eisenberg episode where she rubs doodoo on people’s faces.

Would I Save Her From A Fire?

Only one more season for Kristen but it’s more of the same.  A lot more Dooneese, Mindy Grayson, Garth & Kat, they even recreate the Ann-Margret sketch with Liza Minnelli.  Plus we get the start of The Californians, so you can head out now if you want.  We got Nasim and Vanessa, we’ll be okay.

Seth Meyers

MVP

None

Best Moment

I always like when Seth randomly shows up in a sketch like with Boston Powers or as himself a proud client of Perspective Photo Studios.  It’s almost like a Lorne cameo at this point.

Worst Moment

I guess by default it’s Weekend Update.  You could (and have) do much worse but I tend to zone out during this segment.

Would I Save Him From A Fire?

Again, you could do worse.  He’s fine, I guess.

Jay Pharoah

MVP

None

Best Moment

He’s the impression guy, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, Chris Tucker, Jay-Z, Li'l Wayne.  It’s impressive if not all that funny.  My favorite Jay moment came from a sketch where he wasn’t inhabiting a celebrity, the season finale cold open Strauss-Kahn's Cell where he discussed the economic turmoil in Greece in prison.

Worst Moment

There was that weak Update bit that felt like a hack 80s comic doing impressions in a night club “I think it would go a little something like this”.  I almost went with the Reid Rally cold open where he had to silently stand behind Fred’s Obama but I selected his gay stereotype in Pregnant In Heels that he looked like he was playing against his will.

Would I Save Him From A Fire?

On the condition that you dump Fred and give Jay the Obama role next year.  Other than that I kinda feel like we’ve seen all he can do already.  But he’s a capable actor so give him another season.

Abby Elliott

MVP

Dana Carvey

Best Moment

She got two late in the night pre-filmed pieces but was mostly used for impressions like Joan Cusack, Rachel Maddow, Meryl Streep, Anna Faris, and Leah Remini but I’m a bit ashamed to say that my favorite moment came from The Roosevelts for…reasons.

Worst Moment

Abby joins Casey Wilson in having her worst moment come from a Katy Perry impression, hers in the terrible Bar Mitzvah sketch from the Gwyneth Paltrow show.

Would I Save Her From A Fire?

It’s gonna be about the same for Abby next season so it wouldn’t be a huge loss if she left now but in my universe where Kristen leaves maybe she’d get a little something to do.

Paul Brittain

MVP

Emma Stone

Best Moment

Things were looking promising for Paul early on with "Sex" Ed Vincent's Sex Symposium and getting to namecheck himself in the Paul Rudd Monologue but it didn’t get much bigger than that sadly.  We did get Goran “Funky Boy” Bogdan and, a strong contender for best moment, his news reporter in Knights Of The Realm who broke the story of Sting jizzing on a dragon.

Worst Moment

Way to bring out that silver tray in A Spot Of Tea and I loved the way you led Dominique Strauss-Kahn into his prison cell.  This guy seems to be taking roles that Andy Murphy is too busy for.  He did have a couple of fumbles like the Harry Reid cold open, an awkward mistimed cue in The Roosevelts, and the ESPN Deportes sketch which seemed like it should have been a showcase for him but fell flat.

Would I Save Him From A Fire?

My decision is probably clouded by the knowledge that he ducks out early next season but I could totally see him as a one and done.  We are getting my beloved Lord Wyndemere next season so I’m glad he stuck around for a bit.  He was actually just hitting his stride before he left.  It wasn’t the best debut season but I do want to see more from him which is more than I can say for the next two on this list.

Kenan Thompson

MVP

None

Best Moment

8th season for Kenan and we seem to be winding down.  We’ve almost seen the last Scared Straight, Grady Wilson and Googie Rene made their final appearances this season, and What Up With That? seemed to have a send off sketch.  These sketches started to turn my opinion of Kenan around…

Worst Moment

…but I can’t forgive St. Kat's Middle.  I don’t have many reservations about calling this the worst sketch in the show’s history.  Plus we’re still getting Jean K. Jean and stuff like Pageant Preview and Our Time! hosted by The Black Eyed Peas.  Jimmy McMillan was fun once then you try to wring every last bit of joy out of it by bringing it back long after the reference is current (see David Ortiz commentaries long after he’s retired).

Would I Save Him From A Fire?

No.  8 is enough.  I enjoy Kenan about half the time but I can’t think of anything I would miss from the past decade plus if he left here.

Fred Armisen

MVP

None

Best Moment

At the bottom of the barrel is Fred who seems to delight in being as punishingly unfunny as he can be.  While I enjoyed a few of his 10-1 sketches like Sports Bar and A Taste Of New York, I’ll give best honors to Gublin & Green the law firm specializing in Spider-Man musical related mishaps where I actually really enjoyed his performance.

Worst Moment

Of course there’s Obama or Garth & Kat or all the foreign dictators and lifeless cold opens.  There’s the Vogelchecks, Mike’s Busteria, and The Manuel Ortiz Show.  But there’s also the two times we put annoying Fred characters in classic movies like The Sound Of Music and The Wizard Of Oz as part of The Essentials.

Would I Save Him From A Fire?

No way.  9 seasons of Fred is way too much and we still got 2 more to go?  Plus, need I remind you that next season brings us The Californians so if we could please burn his contract now.

Up Next

I’ll be back in the new year where it all started.  It’s finally time for Season 1.  After that I’ll be trading off old and new with 38, 2, 40, 4, 41, then it will be the long slog of the Pete Davidson era.