Saturday Night Live Season 16 Reviews - Cast Rankings

 

Phil Hartman

MVP: George Steinbrenner, Joe Mantegna, Sting, Jeremy Irons, Catherine O'Hara, Steven Seagal

In my mind, Phil Hartman is the greatest SNL cast member of all time.  He could not only steal a scene but he could make you look better at the same time.  He was just a naturally funny guy who seemed to love what he was doing.  This season had a lot of new people which resulted in a lot of people fighting for airtime but Phil was always at the center.  Even when he wasn't the center of attention he could take a thankless role and make it stand out.
Best Moment: There are a lot of moments I could pick to showcase Phil's skills but if I was submitting one sketch for Emmy consideration I would send in Dr. Frankenstein where Sting plays Dr. Victor Frankenstein teaching his monster manners.  The scene where Hartman's monosyllabic creature sips tea and enjoys speaking the four words he has learned is one of the hardest I laughed all season.

Worst Moment: It was hard for me to find a sketch that I didn't like Phil and Cellmate from the Jeremy Irons episode features a great performance from Hartman but the sketch didn't rise to its potential.  Hartman plays Mace, a criminal character he's played before who shares a cell with Hannibal Lecter, played by Irons.  This sketch seems like a home run on paper but Hartman's and Iron's comedic style just didn't mesh at all.
Would I save him from a fire?: Absolutely.  No question.  Keep him around as long as you can.

Dana Carvey

MVP: Jimmy Smits, John Goodman, Tom Hanks

I recently watched the Hulu documentary about the short life of The Dana Carvey Show and Stephen Colbert summed up Carvey's impression skills best when he called him the ultimate hook finder.  Carvey not only emulated a person's voice but was able to find some subtle nuance that he could turn into a catchphrase.  It never seemed forced, he would just take what he found funny about that person and amplify and do it louder and bigger until it made him laugh.  His George Bush impression wasn't accurate at all but you weren't able to look at the real Bush and not think 'nagada'.
Best Moment: Nothing made me laugh more than The McLaughlin Group.  Carvey took a single word 'Wrong!' and turned that into a sketch that kept amplifying in absurdity.  What started off as a political round table quickly turned into a discussion about our place in the universe or what number the host was thinking of.
Worst Moment: You just had to bring Ching Change back, didn't you?  In a sketch about Manhattan Mobile Homes where the gag was simply a mobile home turned sideways, Carvey's Chinese stereotype comes with a hot bag of 'derivery'.
Would I save him from a fire?: Yes.  He's the biggest star the show had.  You could tell when the writers didn't have much that week and they would just put a wig on Dana and let him open the show.  And it would almost always work.  That's a powerful asset to have.

Chris Farley

MVP: Patrick Swayze, Roseanne Barr, Michael J. Fox, Delta Burke

What a terrific debut.  I'm sure if I didn't know that this was Farley's first season I would have guessed he had already been on the show for a year or two.  I am constantly amazed that Chippendales came from his 4th episode.  I couldn't imagine someone breaking out like that today.  The closest person that compares is maybe Kate McKinnon who got 2 headlining sketches on in her first show but still had a grace period after that.  Farley was just too big not to be a star.
Best Moment: Obviously I gotta go with Chippendales from the Patrick Swayze episode.  This sketch is looked on as a classic for obvious reasons but I feel like it could easily be dismissed as fat guy doing a silly fat guy dance when it's so much more than that.  The sketch is perfect because in this reality Farley is just as good as Swayze and the people making the decisions see them as equal.  If the sketch ended after the dance and they immediately jump to Swayze, it doesn't work.  This sketch has a heart to it because Farley is dancing his ass off not just because it's funny but because his character truly has a shot at getting this job.

Worst Moment: Much like Hartman, it was impossible for me to find a moment where Farley didn't excel but due to no fault from him, Daddy's Girl from the Steven Seagal episode was a clunker and try as he might he just couldn't save it.  There are some objects even Superman can't lift, there are some sketches even Farley can't make great.

Would I save him from a fire?: Yes.  I think the show knew what they had and how to use him to their advantage.

Jan Hooks

MVP: George Wendt

Between Gilda Radner and Jan Hooks there was truly a large gap of funny women on SNL.  Robin Duke and Mary Gross are two that I could see making the list but you couldn't build an entire sketch show around them.  Jan Hooks was good enough to have her own show and after she left SNL there was another gap for a few seasons.  Jan was not only naturally funny but also a fantastic actress who committed to her characters whether they were the lead or a one line role.
Best Moment: Her chemistry with Phil Hartman was incredible and when you put the two of them in a sketch together it was magical to watch.  None prove that point more than Affair where she played Nancy Reagan sneaking around with Phil's Frank Sinatra while Ronald Reagan gave a speech on live TV.

Worst Moment: Not everything is going to work though as Shouting Mothers where she and Delta Burke yelled at their children from their back porch was a weak way to end a weak episode.

Would I save her from a fire?: This was her last season and she had her time on the show so if she wants to leave I wouldn't stop her but she will definitely be missed and the show had nobody to replace her.  So I would strongly encourage her to stick around a little longer.

Kevin Nealon

MVP: Dennis Hopper, Dennis Quaid, Kevin Bacon

Nealon was always a dependable player.  He's the tall, good looking guy that can fit into most sketches.  He played a good straight man which will benefit him in the next few seasons when he has to deal with crazy Weekend Update correspondents and his dry sense of humor worked well in pieces where he talked directly to camera like his Mr. Subliminal pieces.

Best Moment: One of his straight to camera pieces came late in the Dennis Hopper episode with Stan Duffy's Gambling To Win where he plays a gambling addict who slips further and further into despair while still staying optimistic that he'll hit it big.
Worst Moment: When Nealon tried to play a crazy character is when he floundered a bit.  Such was the case with High School Reunion from the Michael J. Fox episode.  He played a guy who kept hinting that he would murder people but it never felt real nor did it feel funny.  This sketch may have worked with a host like Christopher Walken or Joe Mantegna but Nealon doing it just felt silly, and not in a good way.
Would I save him from a fire?: Yeah, sure.  This was his 5th season and we have kind of seen what he can do.  He didn't really get any better in his next 4 seasons but he didn't get any worse either.  He can stick around.

Mike Myers

MVP: Kyle MacLachlan

Mike Myers is everything I dislike about SNL but I can't say he wasn't good.  Everything with Myers was repetition and catchphrases.  He would come up with a character (usually they would have some kind of European accent) and that character would have a line that would be repeated ("You lookin' at my bum?", "If it's not Scottish it's crap", "Touch my monkey").  When they worked, they worked.  When they didn't, they were mildly annoying.

Best Moment: Myers was able to grab a hold of the youth culture and embrace it while mocking it at the same time with Wayne's World and the Madonna dream sequence from the Delta Burke episode was a highlight.
Worst Moment: The good thing about I Will Not Cry from the Susan Lucci episode is that we only saw it once.  The same can't be said for Sprockets and Coffee Talk.  This was a big stinker and it didn't help matters much that it was near the end of a crappy episode.  Myers keeps holding back tears until he shoots himself and holds back tears in front of Jesus.  If you love when Linda Richman gets all verklempt and wanted to see that repeated for 5 minutes then this is the sketch for you.
Would I save him from a fire?: Yeah but if he wanted to leave I wouldn't stop him.  Much like Nealon, we got some exciting new blood and we've already seen what we're gonna get from Myers.  All he's doing at this point is playing the hits.

Chris Rock

MVP: Susan Lucci

I always heard Rock was unhappy at SNL but watching his first season, he got a lot of good stuff on the air and he provided a contrast to the usual comedic voices we got on the show.  I'm basically saying that it was nice to have a non-white guy on the show.  Seeing as how he's the first black performer on the show since Damon Wayans and Danitra Vance in season 11 and the first black man to be in the main cast since Eddie Murphy.
Best Moment: Rock could be really funny in sketches but his voice was truly heard when he brought his comedy to Weekend Update several times this season.  He was always funny, original and came at comedy from a different angle than anyone else.
Worst Moment: I never got the joke of I'm Chillin'.  Rock and Farley play two guys who speak in rhymes, tell mother jokes and drink malt liquor.  Are they supposed to be silly or serious?  It was also the most repetitive of recurring sketches.  Each incarnation was a carbon copy of the last.
Would I save him from a fire?: Yes.  While not the greatest sketch player he held his own when he needed to and he's just a naturally funny guy.

Tim Meadows

MVP: Alec Baldwin

Bringing Tim Meadows on to the show mid-season was a good call.  I've said this before but I see Tim Meadows as a great utility infielder.  He's not gonna hit a lot of home runs but he can play every position and will fit nicely wherever you put him.  Plus the show was so white for so long and Rock needed some backup.
Best Moment: My favorite Tim Meadows sketch came from his 3rd episode where he played Cyrano De Bergerac and helped Alec Baldwin get funky.  The joke of him having the widest nose in all of France is probably a bit tasteless in retrospect but it didn't come from hate so it's still funny.  I enjoyed his performance in this one so much I gave him the MVP for that episode.

Worst Moment: Impressions were never his strong suit so having him put on a wig to play Lenny Kravitz in Musicians For Free Range Chickens was just for a sight gag.
Would I save him from a fire?: Yes.  Did he need to stick around for 10 years?  Probably not.  But he's a great guy to have on the bench.

Julia Sweeney

MVP: None

They needed someone to replace Nora Dunn and they did so with an actually funny performer.  Julia's bubbly personality worked well in the standard 'girlfriend' characters that the show calls for and she got 4 appearances for her Pat Riley character, the annoying and sexually ambiguous co-worker who continuously flummoxes everyone that sees him or her.

Best Moment: My favorite Sweeney performances of the season came when she was playing overly flirty.  I liked how she played sexually repressed and that was on display in Reconciliation where she went all goo goo ga ga over Alec Baldwin's handsome priest.

Worst Moment: Her first episode had the misfortune of being hosted by the painfully unfunny Jimmy Smits who she went on a First Date with.  She annoyed him until she agreed to have sex with him and left.  It may have worked better with a more capable scene partner but as it played on air, it stunk.
Would I save her from a fire?: Yes.  While she didn't really impress me, the cast is light on women so it's good to keep a funny lady around.

Dennis Miller

MVP: None

Miller stayed behind the Weekend Update desk for the whole season only making one appearance outside of that segment when he appeared in the cold open of the season finale to say goodbye.

Best Moment: By default it would have to be Weekend Update where his wit and comedic voice kept the segment interesting for the most part.

Worst Moment: Also by default it would have to be Weekend Update where sometimes it felt like he was running out the clock.

Would I save him from a fire?: He was already on his way out so I'm not gonna stop him.  He did a good job while he was there but it was probably time to move on.

Rob Schneider

MVP: None

Out of all the featured players who would only be announced by Don Pardo if they were actually on the show, Schneider was probably the one I liked most in sketches.  He had a smarmy delivery that worked well for characters who just came in for one line.

Best Moment: I really liked him as a hack comedian in Comedy Killers a game show from the Roseanne Barr episode.  He nailed the insincerity when he softly said that birth defects are not funny and then quickly switched to plugging his appearance at the Chuckle Hut.
Worst Moment: I generally dislike recurring characters and I especially dislike recurring characters where the same joke gets repeated every time.  One day I'll make a list of most annoying recurring characters and I'm sure Richmeister will be on there somewhere.  It was the same every single sketch.  Someone walks near the copy machine and Rich gives them a nickname.
Would I save him from a fire?: Meh.  He had his moments but I probably wouldn't miss him if he was a one season wonder.

Victoria Jackson

MVP: None

I kept forgetting that Victoria Jackson was still on the show.  Then she would pop up in a sketch and I would go, oh yeah, she's still here.

Best Moment: One such moment that reminded me of how she was kind of a one trick pony was Victoria's Secrets from the Roseanne Barr episode.  It was funny but it was another instance of her playing the ditsy blonde which she's played for the past 5 years.

Worst Moment: Her impression of Cyndi Lauper in Musicians For Free Range Chickens not only didn't sound much like Cyndi Lauper but was also mildly annoying as she decided to scream all her lines incoherently.
Would I save her from a fire?: Probably not.  She had her time on the show but routinely got overshadowed by the other women.  It was probably time for someone else to fill her role.

Al Franken

MVP: None

A writer who liked to get on the show when he could.  This season gave us the premiere of Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley which would grow into one of my favorites.  The first couple outings were a little undefined.

Best Moment: The two times he showed up on Weekend Update as a mobile satellite uplink complete with a giant satellite dish on his back reporting on the war in Iraq were very funny.
Worst Moment: Stuart Smalley was fine when he's hosting his little show but when he appeared in Weight Watchers Meeting in the Delta Burke episode I immediately got tired of the character.
Would I save him from a fire?: I mean, the guy's been there since the beginning so, who am I to tell him to leave?  He only appeared in things he obviously wrote so at least he's not stealing characters from other actors.

David Spade

MVP: None

I never thought David Spade was the greatest fit for the show.  He was a standup with a limited range when it came to characters.  He was only briefly seen in this season, a couple of times at the Weekend Update desk, half of which were really funny.  His sketch appearances were few and far between mostly playing one line characters.

Best Moment: He did prove to be a capable impressionist in America's Most Wanted where he walks in as Michael J. Fox only to get shot by Danny Bonaduce, played by the real Michael J. Fox.

Worst Moment: In the same episode he played one of the hapless virgins complaining about how he's Not Gettin' Any.  I can't blame him for the weakness of this sketch but his inclusion certainly didn't help matters much.

Would I save him from a fire?: He's still new so I'll give him another season but nothing from this particular season put him high on the "must come back" list.

Adam Sandler

MVP: None

We only got a few appearances from the young Sandman in his first season.  He played a lot of young kids who come running into sketches.  The only times we got to see anything that looks like it came from Sandler were his two appearances on Weekend Update.

Best Moment: Which leads me to his second appearance on Weekend Update in the Delta Burke episode.  Upset that he won't be with his mother on Mother's Day he acts out his half of their conversation so she can watch it at a restaurant.
Worst Moment: Much like David Spade, I don't particularly blame Sandler for the Not Gettin' Any sketch in the Michael J. Fox episode but it was still a bad sketch that he was in.

Would I save him from a fire?: Again, he's new so you might as well keep him around but if he didn't make it to season 17 I probably would have forgotten all about him.

A. Whitney Brown

MVP: None

One good thing you can say about A. Whitney Brown, he knew his place.  He didn't try to create recurring characters he just stayed behind the Update desk to give topical political comedic commentary.  Pete Davidson, take a page from the A. Whitney Brown playbook.
Best Moment: The one time he wasn't behind the Update desk was his Christmas Message from the Tom Hanks episode.  He ended the show by giving a monologue about how he likes to torture his tree by cutting it down, giving it barely enough water to live and dressing it up like a big dork.

Worst Moment: By default it would have to be his The Big Picture segments on Weekend Update.  They weren't bad they just haven't aged well 30 years later.  He has a good comic timing but I continuously found myself zoning out every time he appeared.
Would I save him from a fire?:   I'm really curious as to whether his name was ever brought up as a replacement for Miller.  The audience already knew him and he seemed to actually care about politics.  The segment could have been a precursor to The Daily Show rather than Dennis Miller showing pictures of George Bush with his hand in front of his face and saying things like "Here we see the president enjoying an invisible hamburger".  But to answer the question.  No, not really.  He's been on the show a while now and I wouldn't miss him.

Up Next: I'm thinking season 17 just to see how all the newbies adjust to more screen time but I may need some more Norm in my life so I'm thinking of doing his last season, 23.  One day I will tackle season 6 but that will probably have to be in the summer.  I'll probably need to go on long walks in between episodes to clear my head.