Saturday Night Live's 10 Greatest One-Season Wonders
With news this morning that single-season Saturday Night Live cast member Jenny Slate may be out of a job in the fall, Movieline is taking the time to relish those who made a lasting impact with a one-year gig on Lorne Michaels' mothership. Here are ten SNL performers -- some successful and some forgotten -- who had only one season to shine.
10. Morwenna Banks
There have been cast members who served shorter tenures (Laurie Metcalf, for example, was only a cast member during the final episode of the '80-'81 season), but Morwenna Banks represents the woebegone featured players who are forever enshrouded in intrigue. As a cast member for four episodes in 1995, British-born Banks was the most impermanent addition during SNL's most tumultuous season -- in fact, Don Pardo's anguished pronunciation of "Morweena" may have been more memorable than anything Banks actually got to do. In recent years she has developed her talents as a voice actress and released a series of web videos for BBC Comedy where she impersonates the likes of Lady Gaga, Susan Boyle, and Noel Gallagher.
9. Michael McKean
No one was a stranger part of the joyless bacchanal that was SNL's '94-'95 season than Michael McKean, one of comedy's most established veterans (with Laverne & Shirley and This is Spinal Tap in his extensive list of credits). He remains the only person to serve as an SNL musical guest and host before beginning a tenure as a cast member, but he'd go on to rebound as a fixture in Christopher Guest's coterie and as a Celebrity Jeopardy! grand champion.
8. Casey Wilson
Female cast members are notorious for their one-season runs, but '08-'09 cast member Casey Wilson was one of the first cast members to receive her walking papers in the era of Funny Or Die. And we're more enlightened thanks to it!
7. Joan Cusack
Two-time Academy Award nominee Joan Cusack joined SNL's cast during Lorne Michaels' return season in 1985, and she even worked up a couple signature characters including "Salena," an awkward girlfriend to Jon Lovitz's "Biff," and Brooke Shields. Though her run on the show ended in 1986, it took Cusack almost no time at all to land a significant role in one of the decade's defining comedies, Broadcast News.
6. Gilbert Gottfried
The beloved comedian barely earned screen time during his '80-'81 stint, and he rarely employed the loud, wheezy voice that became his trademark. He once claimed that his lowest point was when he was forced to play a corpse in a sketch, and I assume he used the resentment from this season to fuel his masterful vocal performance as Iago in Aladdin.
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And what of Chris Elliot?
Robert Downey Jr. was only on for one season, right? Too obvious?
Um, Eddie Murphy or Billy Crystal anyone?
CHEVY CHASE for crying out loud.
Eddie was on for three seasons. But Billy's exclusion is odd indeed.
Yes, Billy Crystal was a sensation for one season only - as was Chevy Chase.
uhh...LARRY DAVID
No Chevy Chase? No Billy Crystal? Billy Crystal was freakin amazing on SNL that year, some of the best work I ever saw on SNL. But even with Billy Crystals great year Martin Short should easily be #1. And how the hell is Anthony Michael Hall #1, I love AMH but he was terrible on this show and so was Janeane Garofalo & Silverman. This list is terrible.
The Martin Short/Billy Crystal/Christopher Guest season will always go down as my personal favorite. The men's synchronized swimming skit is legendary!
The inclusion of McKeon and Short (as well as Crystal and the rest of the one year cast members) really shouldn't be included in this list. They were all experienced comedians who were hired for one year only to revamp the program. They weren't ever supposed to be in the cast any longer than one year.
Umm, CHEVY CHASE, hello?????
Ummm...Ed Grimley was created on SCTV and not Saturday Night Live where the character achieved popluarity.
Damon Wayans? Hello?
Chevy Chase did one and a half seasons. I left midway through the second season and then Bill Murray was brought in.
Chevy Chase did one and a half seasons. He left midway through the second season and then Bill Murray was brought in.
Article is pointless without a picture of each, so we know who the fu** they are talking about...come on
"Casey Wilson
Female cast members are notorious for their one-season runs, but ‘08-‘09 cast member Casey Wilson was one of the first cast members to receive her walking papers in the era of Funny Or Die"
I didn't get the firing of Casey Wilson. She wasn't amazing but I thought she had more potential than Slate.
"Longtime head writer Fred Wolf didn’t do much to refute Garofalo’s claims with his quotes in Live from New York, an oral history of SNL, when he said that he believed men were genetically funnier. "
God what a douche. Has he seen Glee? Most of the funniest cast members are the women.
I thought Casey Wilson was hilarious, way funnier than that obnoxious Kristen Wiig. I thought she was really cute too, I was sad when she didn't return to the show last year.
That sketch is the best moment of SNL in the '80s, no doubt about it.
harry shearer and short. harry was also on one season... who researched this?
Who do you think is gonig to win the most awards at the video music awards tonight?
How many people plan on watching the video music awards tonight?
Whoa, Lady Gaga won eight VMA prizes last night! I am really happy for her achievements and I love that Born This Way song she sung too!
I agree 84-85 SNL season was the most talented group assembled, but also there were a lot of "hired guns" to bring SNL back up. I think SNL works better with a mix of established veterans and newcomers.
Casey Wilson was on for 2 seasons, not one.
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