Now that Season 51 is over. Rather than focusing on who they should cut, who do you think they should HIRE for season 52?
After every season there’s a lot of speculation about who they should let go. Rather than focus on the negatives regarding who is and isn’t returning (I imagine most of the cast will be back next season). A more interesting thought experiment might be to look at who you think SNL should hire next season.
One of the interesting aspects of modern media is how much more exposure comedians get through alternative media. This season alone you had Jeremy, Veronika, Ben, and Kam all having some sort of existing fan base prior to being hired. I’m sure a lot of us are comedy nerds who might be familiar with up-and-coming comedians.
Who do you think would be a great fit? I’ll give some of mine. Rather than thinking specifically of comics I like, my thought process is to fill holes in the cast. Right now the show is super heavy on white dudes who are all battling for screen time, but the cast is lacking in women and, well, any kind of diversity.
- Angela Giarratana - Known for Smosh, Dropout, and the Artists on Artists on Artists podcast, she’s seemingly everywhere at the moment. Her comedy style would be fairly similar to someone like Cheri Oteri. She'd mesh super well with Jeremy Culhane as they’ve been working together for a number of years.
- Anna Garcia - Known for Dropout. Probably the most “theater kid” person I would ever suggest, but would be an excellent fit for the show. Her appearances on Dropout’s Very Important People showcase her talent for oddball characters. She’d be an absolute monster on Weekend Update. Would mesh well with Jeremy, Veronika, and Marcello.
- Cart Tart - He's most known for his appearances on Comedy Bang Bang. Incredibly seasoned improv/sketch performer that would bring a lot to the show. He’s been a writer for SNL for two seasons now. He’s even appeared briefly in a few sketches as background characters. Would mesh well with Kam as they’ve been writing together in season 51.
I should note that I lean pretty heavily towards seasoned Improv and sketch performers as I find them to be more consistent than stand ups as they come in with a lot of character work under their belt (kind of evident by how strong Ashley and Jeremy were this season).
I’ll also note that the Ego Nwodim leaving the show was a huge loss for SNL. The show has famously struggled at hiring black women. This season they added Rachel Pegram to the writer’s room. I’m only familiar with her from looking into some of her work, but she’s a pretty seasoned comedy writer and a UCB alum. Curious as to everyone’s thoughts on her and if she’d be a good fit for the show or if SNL should look elsewhere.