10 best Saturday Night Live alumni who have never hosted

Last season was the first since 2009-10 in which no Saturday Night Live alumni were invited back for their first hosting stint. Kristen Wiig (Nov. 19) and Jimmy Fallon (April 15) had each done it before.

While it is natural and advisable to enlist outside talent for the majority of its episodes, SNL always does itself a favor when its bar-setters meet its dreamers. There is an added element of novelty when a performer from a prior reemerges as a first-time nucleus of the week.

It gives incumbent cast members a crack at a supporting part in a classic recurring sketch they likely watched in admiration before their audition. It also gives the alum a chance to experience firsthand some new routines and characters their successors have whipped out to prolong the program’s prowess.

Based on a combination of their own SNL legacy and subsequent careers, here are the 10 alums most worthy of a chance to join the all-time roster of hosts.

10. David Koechner

Koechner’s one-year run at SNL in 1995-96 started his inadvertent tradition of performing under Will Ferrell’s shadow. From their respective imprints on the show to their parts in such films as Anchorman and Semi-Pro, that is just how the distribution of recognition has shaken out.

Currently, though, Koechner and the rest of the cast of CBS’ Superior Donuts are poised for their first full year after a successful midseason launch. In the last 21 years, he has made brief appearances on nearly 60 programs, but his returns to SNL have been confined to unannounced guest spots. He has long paid his dues for an upgrade on that front.

9. Horatio Sanz

Four months ago, Sanz returned to NBC as part of the ensemble cast of Great News. With that show’s first full season slated to open in another month, the network can capitalize by bringing Fallon’s old breaking batterymate back to his launching pad.

8. Rob Riggle

A one-year wonder from 2004-05, Riggle started to draw more attention to his comical exuberance upon turning to The Daily Show. He has since put it on repeated display through a slew of small movie parts (e.g. The Hangover), recurring or one-off TV guest spots (e.g. Modern Family) and endorsements (e.g. Holiday Inn).

In terms of getting him back to Rockefeller Plaza, the chief drawback is Riggle’s lack of genuine centerpiece roles. But that is not an automatic disqualifier. And if there is any way to spin sufficient relevance, his caffeinated presence would keep the audience alert right through the 1 a.m. curtain call.

7. Jenny Slate

Coming off a change of pace in the largely acclaimed movie, Gifted, Slate has sculpted a strong decade since being a one-and-done SNLer in 2009-10.

In terms of cumulative appearances, her voice role as Tammy on Bob’s Burgers has now exceeded her time at SNL for the largest piece of her TV pie. That leaves her with more or less the same complication as Riggle.

But Sarah Silverman, who also lasted one year on the cast (1993-94), was not plugging much in particular when she hosted a 2014 episode. Slate should have her own chance to return to her old haunts and make them a measuring pole for her career.

6. Nasim Pedrad

A supporting regular on People of Earth (more on that to come), Pedrad is also confirmed for a prominent role in the underway Aladdin film. According to the Hollywood Reporter, she will be banked on specifically for her comedic competence in the live-action adaptation.

Those who saw her fifth and final SNL season would hardly be shocked to hear that. Pedrad left after that year with viewers wishing there could have been more of the Shallon character she had just broken out. And there could still be more, provided Lorne Michaels picks up the phone and dials the right buttons.

5. Micaela Watkins

Due to its Hulu home base, Casual has reached a slimmer audience than any network or basic cable program could. With that said, it has drawn an appreciative following through its first two seasons.

As the centerpiece of the series, Watkins is proudly representing the Saturday Night Live alumni among those in the “Oh, yeah” category. She was a midseason addition in 2008-09, and was done by that summer.

But there is plenty of precedent for those who did not leave on the highest of notes to return as a host. And since SNL also archives itself on Hulu, there is the extra perk of potential for cross-promotion.

4. Will Forte

The Last Man on Earth had a premise that logically was not meant to grow legs. Yet it is coming back for a fourth season, a monumental credit to Forte, who has logged six award nominations alone for his part.

Meanwhile, with Bobby Moynihan’s departure, Kenan Thompson is the only holdover from Forte’s SNL tenure, which ended in 2010. Isn’t anyone curious to see how Kate McKinnon or Leslie Jones, two Ghostbusters co-stars whose talent will soon outgrow the show, could fit into a “MacGruber” sketch?

3. Jason Sudeikis

Forte’s onscreen brother on Last Man, Sudeikis had less success with his Fox sitcom, Son of Zorn. Nonetheless, he remains a prolific movie star who has impressively broadened his horizons to the dramatic sphere.

Among the major cast departures dating back to 2012, Sudeikis is a glaring omission in that Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg and Wiig have all returned to host. Those who followed his eight-year run know he is worth much more than a short-order guest cameo as Mitt Romney.

“Maine Justice,” in particular, was cut off as a recurring sketch when it still had a nearly full tank. It has also been a while since we have seen any “Song Memories,” where his presence is not necessarily essential, though his SNL tenure did envelope every installment.

2. Ana Gasteyer

Her TBS sitcom, People of Earth, has taken flight, currently at the halfway mark of its second season. The last episode of that season will premiere around the same time that SNL goes live again.

Those overlapping occasions call for a celebration, maybe with something from “Delicious Dish.” Gasteyer’s costar from that sketch, Molly Shannon, has hosted once, but it has been a decade since then. They both guest starred and brought back the bit when Betty White hosted, but it has been seven years since.

Long underrated, both during and after her SNL stretch, Gastayer is finally scoring as a sitcom star. It is time her comedy alma mater gave her an equivalent opportunity for one week.

1. Seth Meyers

The Weekend Update record-holder never went far after leaving at midseason in the winter of 2014. As the host of Late Night, Meyers has built on his established forte as a deskbound topical humorist. Likewise, his new genre reaffirms that he could deliver a top-notch monologue.

But as hard as it may be to forget, in his first five seasons on the cast, Meyers performed in actual sketches as well. With the ample attention on the cable news that is not inclined to recede in the slightest, any time would be a good time for him to bring back his Anderson Cooper impression.

And who wouldn’t like to see a revival of the “Appalachian Emergency Room,” a sketch that ended six years before any current cast members other than Thompson joined?

Ex-sitcom stars who should follow Jennifer Aniston back to TV

 

Jennifer Aniston is reportedly the next A-lister seeking seconds on the small screen. The Hollywood Reporter’s Lesley Goldberg wrote last week that the former Friends ensemble staple is teaming with fellow movie mainstay Reese Witherspoon for a series revolving around a fictitious morning talk show.

The finer details of the show, and whether anyone will even pick it up, remain to be seen. But assuming Aniston returns to sitcom acting, in addition to executive producing, her perceived success will hinge on the angle a given viewer takes.

As long as no one is holding it too high up the Friends measuring pole, it ought to have a fair shot at achieving respectability. What it does to live up to that standard is, well, up to its own creative minds.

Regardless, Aniston’s former castmate, Courteney Cox, mustered six seasons as both the protagonist and co-executive producer on Cougar Town. Elsewhere, Seinfeld alum Julia Louis Dreyfus cracked the old show’s supposed “curse” via The New Adventures of Old Christine, and is still shattering it with Veep. Former Seinfeld executive producer Larry David later proved his mettle as a lead actor on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Ed O’Neill went from 11 years of Married…with Children to 12 years of minor film credits to (so far) eight years of Modern Family. Rashida Jones has reeled off her supporting success on Parks and Recreation to land the title part on Angie Tribeca.

Aniston may have garnered more movie fame than each of the aforementioned, but those other track records prove that this reported move is far from daring.

In that spirit, the Pucks and Rec writers have selected their own handful of former sitcom staples who would make top-shelf candidates for another go-round, whether that’s behind the scenes, before the camera or both.

Steve Carell

Carell has been focusing on movies since leaving The Office after eight years in 2013, he has been focusing on movies. But his sense of humor and sarcasm is well-suited for television, as he can display his personality more.

In The Office, he often had the opportunity to chime in on events happening in the world and country while the show was being filmed. He also would make numerous references to pop culture, sports and different fads of the time.

In his movie roles, he has not enjoyed as much free reign, so a return to TV would be welcomed by those who enjoy his type of humor. – Andrew Wisneski

Mila Kunis

It has been nearly three years since Kunis cofounded Orchard Farm Productions in association with ABC Studios. But while the former That ’70s Show standout has continued acting in movies and as a voice regular on Family Guy, nothing definitive with her executive-production imprint has come to life yet.

ABC could have an easy sparkplug to the solution in Sarah Hyland, who as Haley Dunphy emitted a mild Jackie Burkhart vibe in Modern Family’s formative years. In multiple interviews over this decade, Hyland has been apt to embrace the comparisons to Kunis.

While Modern Family still has at least two seasons yet to come, it will end eventually. When it does, a new show with Kunis and Hyland as sisters is all but obligatory.

If the two were both full-timers in front of the camera, it may be hard to ward off comparisons to Frasier and its old dynamic of Kelsey Grammer and deuteragonist David Hyde Pierce. But that would be a small price to pay. – Al Daniel

Jerry Seinfeld

Since his eponymous NBC show ended, Seinfeld has tried a few other projects, such as the stand-up documentary, Comedian. He was also the star in the animated Bee Movie, where he reunited with several former Seinfeld mainstays, including Michael Richards and Patrick Warburton.

Despite continuing his stand-up career, Seinfeld could benefit more by bringing his observational comedy back to a wider audience. With his web-based talk series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, now on Netflix, he could think about using that opportunity to parlay back to the small screen, perhaps with a mix of some fellow Seinfeld alums and a new cast of characters. – John Morton

Will Smith

Smith broke into the acting scene with the title role on Fresh Prince of Bel Air. He spent six seasons on the show, and was nominated for two Golden Globes during his tenure. 

As the ’90s rolled along, Smith’s performance spring-boarded him from being known as a rapper into someone who is now more well known for his acting. He has since starred in movies like Men in Black, I am Legend and Suicide Squad. 

In order to attract Smith to return to the small screen, a role would likely have to be made just for him, and he would probably want to direct the program as well. This would likely make money for the network, though, as the Fresh Prince was a hit, and plenty of people will want to watch Smith for the nostalgia. – Zach Green