u/Sinister_Legend

This is the first true season of SNL. I felt like I was watching the past 2 years waiting for the show to find its voice and now I've been rewarded. While it had its rocky moments, like every year, I can say this season is brilliant and a contender for best season. This year gave us some big hits and plenty of classic episodes I'd recommend (that's a post for another time). Even weak episodes, like the one Chevy hosted, had sketches to recommend, like the last sketch that had many endings. I'd also recommend Josh Ramsey, V.D. Caseworker. It's 11 minutes long and somehow brilliant.

I've yet to do the hypothetical "would I bring them back" because the answer is still yes, despite some issues I have, which I'll get to in a bit, so I might have to ask that when I get to Season 4 due to some cast changes. I love the cast but I didn't love how the cast was used this year. Let's get into that now!

Bill Murray
(MVP - Madeline Kahn, Hugh Hefner, Art Garfunkel, Jill Clayburgh, Richard Dreyfuss, Buck Henry (2))
Looks like Billy The Kid shook off the newbie nerves and became THE Bill Fucking Murray that we all know and love. And boy, do I love the guy.
Best - out of all of his best moments, and there were many, the bestest was him saying “boy my penis sure hurts when I urinate”. I’ll also shout out X Police and Nick The Lounge Singer.
Worst - I knew I loved Bill because there wasn’t a moment I disliked him. His “knucklehead” Update bits were repetitive but that doesn’t feel right to put in the worst place. 

Dan Aykroyd
(MVP - Steve Martin (1 & 3), Robert Klein, Chevy Chase, Art Garfunkel)
Aykroyd has chemistry with everyone and is a valuable character actor. I’ve always loved the guy but this rewatch has me thinking he was the most talented cast member at the time.
Best - He gave us some great hits with Wild and Crazy Guys, Irwin Mainway, X Police, and Tom Snyder.
Worst - his delivery on Update was just not it. Aside from his great News for the Silent Movie Buff bit and calling Jane an ignorant slut, I’m genuinely surprised at how much he stunk. 

Gilda Radner
(MVP - Charles Grodin, Art Garfunkel, Michael Sarrazin)
Another pretty good year for Gilda. Sometimes there was a sense of sameness from her, but I still love watching her.
Best - I knew about Judy Miller and I was fully prepared to hate it. She made me love it. It’s just a wound up child being cutesy, which isn’t something I would normally like. In fact, with anyone else, I might’ve hated it, but only Gilda can make that brilliant. I liked her Roseanne Rosannadanna debut in Hire The Competent, Total Woman, The Gift of the Magi, her good chemistry with Chevy (not an easy task), answering audience questions at the beginning of the OJ episode, Charlie Chaplin, dancing crazy with Steve Martin, and the beautifully done Schiller’s Reel “La Dolce Gilda”.
Worst - I’m not sure I got the joke of Hey You. It was brilliantly performed and edited, but it’s a perfume for one night stands. That’s it? What am I missing? I also don’t love how often Roseanne Rosannadanna appeared, but I’ll take it over Emily Litella. 

John Belushi aka Kevin Scott
(MVP - Buck Henry (1), Mary Kay Place, Miskel Spillman, Steve Martin (2), Art Garfunkel)
I “got” Belushi this year. He had some of his best performances here with some great acting and I thought this was his best season so far.
Best - Roy Orbison, Little Chocolate Donuts, The Gift of the Magi, Don’t Look Back In Anger, and one of my favorites, CHEESEBURGER CHEESEBURGER CHEESEBURGER.
Worst - I kinda cringed when he said he planned on being dead by 30, for obvious reasons. 

Laraine Newman
(MVP - Hugh Hefner, Christopher Lee, Michael Sarrazin)
The underuse of Laraine Newman baffles me. She’s such a versatile performer yet, because she was used the least and had the least successful post-SNL career of her fellow cast members, she’s considered a weak link. It’s unfair. This binge has made me love Laraine more than ever.
Best - an excellent Katharine Hepburn, she was also doing the voice of a baby in a Buck Henry sketch but obviously didn’t get credit for that, Mr. Mike’s Coral Waters Cafe, E. Buzz Miller’s giggly co-host, she was really good in the Gary Weis short The Voice, getting a Nutrifix injection in the ass, and her Update piece where she was the leading lady of American Hot Wax.
Worst - I never disliked Laraine. I didn’t understand the Hugh Hefner opener but her performance was great. And how great did she look in that Playboy bunny regalia? 

Garrett Morris
(MVP - OJ Simpson)
Garrett was pretty hard to find. He was still giving some good performances, but he was used sparingly, sometimes not appearing till later in a show.
Best - Is it bad that my favorite moment of his was his Tina Turner impression? He also gave us Reverse Discrimination, Great Moments in Sports, and he did a funny sports Update report where he made a mistake and then changed the subject by saying “what are you gonna do about it? Oppress me for another 400 years for an honest mistake, huh? Jive crackers!”
Worst - he really didn’t have a good enough Richard Pryor impression. 

Jane Curtin
Jane was ranked lower by default in the past two seasons, but this year, she was someone I was very close to considering a weak link. I’m sure I’d be nicer about Jane if Update was better. Someone described her tenure like it was Jane Pauley reading headlines from The Onion, but that concept is actually funny. Maybe I’m too removed from the material, but it even seemed like the audience didn’t enjoy it like they used to.
Best - I enjoyed her being a Croatian babe with Laraine next to the Festrunk brothers, I found her hilarious screaming in the horror film parodies in Christopher Lee’s monologue, I liked her Pythonesque accent in The Forgotten Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, and I just loved her playing Tom Snyder’s mom who sounds exactly like him.
Worst - the answer is Update. It made me so bored. There also was barely any chemistry between Jane and Dan. 

Al Franken & Tom Davis
I guess Franken & Davis are considered cast members, even though they felt more like guests. Franken obviously has made his mark on the show and Tom Davis slept with someone I know. Oh sorry, wrong place for that.
Best - when Franken had a brain tumor.
Worst - the one where they admitted to having a sexual relationship. Because two men doing it in the 70s is funny. 

Non-cast MVP’s - Ray Charles, Michael Palin

This might be my least controversial ranking to date! Maybe?

This is the first true season of SNL. I felt like I was watching the past 2 years waiting for the show to find its voice and now I've been rewarded. While it had its rocky moments, like every year, I can say this season is brilliant and a contender for best season. This year gave us some big hits and plenty of classic episodes I'd recommend (that's a post for another time). Even weak episodes, like the one Chevy hosted, had sketches to recommend, like the last sketch that had many endings. I'd also recommend Josh Ramsey, V.D. Caseworker. It's 11 minutes long and somehow brilliant.

I've yet to do the hypothetical "would I bring them back" because the answer is still yes, despite some issues I have, which I'll get to in a bit, so I might have to ask that when I get to Season 4 due to some cast changes. I love the cast but I didn't love how the cast was used this year. Let's get into that now!

Bill Murray
(MVP - Madeline Kahn, Hugh Hefner, Art Garfunkel, Jill Clayburgh, Richard Dreyfuss, Buck Henry (2))
Looks like Billy The Kid shook off the newbie nerves and became THE Bill Fucking Murray that we all know and love. And boy, do I love the guy.
Best - out of all of his best moments, and there were many, the bestest was him saying “boy my penis sure hurts when I urinate”. I’ll also shout out X Police and Nick The Lounge Singer.
Worst - I knew I loved Bill because there wasn’t a moment I disliked him. His “knucklehead” Update bits were repetitive but that doesn’t feel right to put in the worst place. 

Dan Aykroyd
(MVP - Steve Martin (1 & 3), Robert Klein, Chevy Chase, Art Garfunkel)
Aykroyd has chemistry with everyone and is a valuable character actor. I’ve always loved the guy but this rewatch has me thinking he was the most talented cast member at the time.
Best - He gave us some great hits with Wild and Crazy Guys, Irwin Mainway, X Police, and Tom Snyder.
Worst - his delivery on Update was just not it. Aside from his great News for the Silent Movie Buff bit and calling Jane an ignorant slut, I’m genuinely surprised at how much he stunk. 

Gilda Radner
(MVP - Charles Grodin, Art Garfunkel, Michael Sarrazin)
Another pretty good year for Gilda. Sometimes there was a sense of sameness from her, but I still love watching her.
Best - I knew about Judy Miller and I was fully prepared to hate it. She made me love it. It’s just a wound up child being cutesy, which isn’t something I would normally like. In fact, with anyone else, I might’ve hated it, but only Gilda can make that brilliant. I liked her Roseanne Rosannadanna debut in Hire The Competent, Total Woman, The Gift of the Magi, her good chemistry with Chevy (not an easy task), answering audience questions at the beginning of the OJ episode, Charlie Chaplin, dancing crazy with Steve Martin, and the beautifully done Schiller’s Reel “La Dolce Gilda”.
Worst - I’m not sure I got the joke of Hey You. It was brilliantly performed and edited, but it’s a perfume for one night stands. That’s it? What am I missing? I also don’t love how often Roseanne Rosannadanna appeared, but I’ll take it over Emily Litella. 

John Belushi aka Kevin Scott
(MVP - Buck Henry (1), Mary Kay Place, Miskel Spillman, Steve Martin (2), Art Garfunkel)
I “got” Belushi this year. He had some of his best performances here with some great acting and I thought this was his best season so far.
Best - Roy Orbison, Little Chocolate Donuts, The Gift of the Magi, Don’t Look Back In Anger, and one of my favorites, CHEESEBURGER CHEESEBURGER CHEESEBURGER.
Worst - I kinda cringed when he said he planned on being dead by 30, for obvious reasons. 

Laraine Newman
(MVP - Hugh Hefner, Christopher Lee, Michael Sarrazin)
The underuse of Laraine Newman baffles me. She’s such a versatile performer yet, because she was used the least and had the least successful post-SNL career of her fellow cast members, she’s considered a weak link. It’s unfair. This binge has made me love Laraine more than ever.
Best - an excellent Katharine Hepburn, she was also doing the voice of a baby in a Buck Henry sketch but obviously didn’t get credit for that, Mr. Mike’s Coral Waters Cafe, E. Buzz Miller’s giggly co-host, she was really good in the Gary Weis short The Voice, getting a Nutrifix injection in the ass, and her Update piece where she was the leading lady of American Hot Wax.
Worst - I never disliked Laraine. I didn’t understand the Hugh Hefner opener but her performance was great. And how great did she look in that Playboy bunny regalia? 

Garrett Morris
(MVP - OJ Simpson)
Garrett was pretty hard to find. He was still giving some good performances, but he was used sparingly, sometimes not appearing till later in a show.
Best - Is it bad that my favorite moment of his was his Tina Turner impression? He also gave us Reverse Discrimination, Great Moments in Sports, and he did a funny sports Update report where he made a mistake and then changed the subject by saying “what are you gonna do about it? Oppress me for another 400 years for an honest mistake, huh? Jive crackers!”
Worst - he really didn’t have a good enough Richard Pryor impression. 

Jane Curtin
Jane was ranked lower by default in the past two seasons, but this year, she was someone I was very close to considering a weak link. I’m sure I’d be nicer about Jane if Update was better. Someone described her tenure like it was Jane Pauley reading headlines from The Onion, but that concept is actually funny. Maybe I’m too removed from the material, but it even seemed like the audience didn’t enjoy it like they used to.
Best - I enjoyed her being a Croatian babe with Laraine next to the Festrunk brothers, I found her hilarious screaming in the horror film parodies in Christopher Lee’s monologue, I liked her Pythonesque accent in The Forgotten Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, and I just loved her playing Tom Snyder’s mom who sounds exactly like him.
Worst - the answer is Update. It made me so bored. There also was barely any chemistry between Jane and Dan. 

Al Franken & Tom Davis
I guess Franken & Davis are considered cast members, even though they felt more like guests. Franken obviously has made his mark on the show and Tom Davis slept with someone I know. Oh sorry, wrong place for that.
Best - when Franken had a brain tumor.
Worst - the one where they admitted to having a sexual relationship. Because two men doing it in the 70s is funny. 

Non-cast MVP’s - Ray Charles, Michael Palin

This might be my least controversial ranking to date! Maybe?

The show is beginning to actually feel like the show now and they're starting to hit a sweet spot, which I think will get even better in Season 3. I'm often feeling a little bored with the stuff I don't fully get, but the best episodes are better than the previous year.

I like how non-traditional and creative the show was. Transitioning between sketches and doing follow ups shouldn't feel groundbreaking, but because SNL has become so mediocre, predictable, and formulaic that when the show just puts in a little effort, I'm so incredibly enticed. I also wish I got to see the Mardi Gras episode but couldn't find a copy.

I wanna single out one of the greatest sketches I've ever seen - If you have Peacock, go to the Fran Tarkenton episode and skip to 24:10. The Alsatian Restaurant sketch is so great and it can work in any era of the show. The cast nails it and the awkward and zany humor is just perfect. I hate that you can't find it on YouTube or the snlreelz instagram. I highly recommend it.

Dan Aykroyd
(MVP - Norman Lear, Eric Idle (1 & 2), Karen Black, Jodie Foster, Candice Bergen, Ruth Gordon, Jack Burns)
Danny wasted no time becoming my favorite cast member. He has that ability to be a team player and make everyone look good while delivering top notch performances. With 9 MVP’s (including one for the whole cast in the Fran Tarkenton show), I think this is the most I’ve awarded any cast member during these reviews. Not bad for a mustached canuck.
Best - It’s hard to argue with Irwin Mainway. He also had a good Jimmy Carter, which was best used in the Ask Jimmy Carter sketch in the Sissy Spacek episode. He can play great anchor roles like Rod Serling, Tom Snyder, the announcer of Don Pardo: The First 50 Years, and the host of You’ve Come A Long Way Buddy. My favorite was probably AM-FM.
Worst - I didn’t dislike any performance he did. He tried really hard in the reunion sketch with Jane but it was long and kinda irritating in an unfunny way. Also, if I’m nitpicking, I wish that his Vincent Price impression was more creepy. 

Laraine Newman
(MVP - Steve Martin (1), Jodie Foster)
It’s hard to rank Laraine because she doesn’t get a lot of airtime but she constantly delivers and is someone who I want to see more from. It might be a bit risky to rank her 2nd, but also, if you’ve seen my reviews before, you know shit like this happens all the time.
Best - she had some great pipes with a German accent in Behind The Lines that when the camera panned to Dan and Eric Idle, I wanted to see more of her character. Then we get wacky stuff like “I AM A LEAF” and playing the melodica (or recorder) awkwardly in Alsatian Restaurant. Her little talent feature in the Jodie Foster episode is probably one of her bigger moments on the show and it made me love her even more.
Worst - I also didn't dislike Laraine, but why have her play Howard Hughes? She also had a late appearance in Bad Cinema, which was covered up well with her and Aykroyd improvising. 

Gilda Radner
(MVP - Dick Cavett, Steve Martin (2), Shelley Duvall, Buck Henry (2))
She was the first dominant woman on the show. I’ve reviewed seasons with Molly Shannon, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and more recently Ashley Padilla, and they all take a page from the book of Gilda. When I love Gilda, she’s the best. She can be adorable, outgoing, laid back, wacky, or gross when the sketch calls for it and she can do it better than most.
Best - getting to say the first LFNY after Chevy left, plus Puppy Uppers, Right To Extreme Stupidity League, Debbie Doody, Charo in Hollywood Bingo, and Jackie Kennedy in a weight lifting competition (who writes this stuff?)
Worst - what else does she have in common with the other women I mentioned? Overuse. Some of her characters don’t work for me and it doesn’t help matters when you repeat them as often as she  did with Emily Litella or Baba Wawa. I know, it was groundbreaking to make fun of journalists in the 70s and you could only tune in to see this every week live, but it was still too frequent. I also did not get her playing a Native American in Billy Paul but I also didn’t get anything about that sketch. 

Bill Murray
(MVP - Ralph Nader, Broderick Crawford, Elliott Gould)
I fucking love Bill Murray. His first episode was just filling in for Belushi and it didn’t make me miss him or Chevy, it made me excited to see the new guy. Sometimes he was a bit reserved, but this is the beginning of one of my idols becoming the legend he is.
Best - he came in strong with the one-two punch of Long Distance and TV Execution, followed by plenty of funny Update commentaries, the debut of Nick The Lounge Singer, being the play-by-play commentator in Frank Tarkenton’s monologue, and failing to chug a bottle of grape juice. I can’t mention this season without his straight to camera bit about how he’s not doing well on the show. It was a funny plea and helped him get the audience on his side, but honestly, I didn’t think he had that rough of a start. Maybe the audience was so head over heels about Chevy that they’d just hate anyone who replaced him, but I thought Bill was great. Any doubt I had for Bill was fully gone by the end of the year when he did his classic shower bit.
Worst - there’s the infamous “quintlexia” sketch in the Sissy Spacek episode that probably led to him having that straight to camera bit, but honestly, I didn’t think it was as bad as people said. His delivery was stumbly in You’ve Come A Long Way Buddy, but he more than made up for it when he debuted Nick The Lounge Singer later in the episode. 

John Belushi
(MVP - Sissy Spacek, Julian Bond, Elliott Gould)
This season mostly warranted Belushi’s legacy. I saw a star. The strange thing about him is when he was really on point, he's a genius, but then there are times when he’s either too loud or too reserved.
Best - he gave us The Snakehandling O’Sheas, his Joe Cocker opposite the real Joe Cocker, a drunk Santa in Santi-Wrap, doing the Samurai with Frank Zappa, playing the coach in the Fran Tarkenton show, and taunting us in the beginning of the Jack Burns show about saying LFNY.
Worst - I loved The Bees until Bee History where I was desperate to clock out. I also didn’t get Dino De Laurentiis but maybe his injury got in the way of his performance. Just like his Jack Nicholson last year, I was excited to see him play Elvis but was very underwhelmed. 

Garrett Morris
(MVP - Buck Henry (1))
For a guy who wasn’t much of an actor, Garrett could really deliver in pieces that call for it. I noticed that, later in the year, his performances became a little rough and his delivery was a bit stumbly.
Best - the best part of Peace Talks, reporting from Houdini’s grave, yelling at the TV in Chroma-Trak, saying “all white people are crazyyyy.” I didn’t understand why The King Kong Dirge existed because he’s just singing about King Kong and there’s no humor, BUT it’s a hauntingly excellent song and Garrett sang the hell out of it. Once again, I just love when Garrett sings anything.
Worst - Roots was performed really well but went on for a very long time. I also don’t believe Garrett should play a kid in school like he did in that Amy Carter sketch. Then he played Amy Carter’s nanny and I was surprised it took Garrett this long to play a role in drag.

Jane Curtin
(MVP - Paul Simon)
I like Jane. I think she is a great actor and can be dependable in sketches. I was honestly surprised that she didn’t have much of an acting background before the show. I’m stalling my opinions about Update for a reason.
Best - Quarry was a fun performance and it showcased her acting skills. Same goes for her playing the bearded wife in Steroids. I don’t know who Rose Marie is but apparently she nailed the laugh and I enjoyed it. I especially liked her in Gidget Goes To Shock Therapy.
Worst - did the writers purposefully give Jane bad jokes for Update? I don’t want to fully blame Jane for the decline but she didn’t help matters. She’s someone who can really nail a part and deliver a line, but there wasn’t anything in Update that brought out her best talents. As she reminded us when she flashed her bra, Jane is better than this. 

Chevy Chase
(MVP - Lily Tomlin)
The first star who was the first to do many things, including leave. I admitted to liking Chevy in his first season. When he left, I didn’t miss him. They made it practically hard to miss him because they kept bringing him back. I just kept wanting to see the others get more airtime. Put it this way - the show needed Chevy but also needed him to leave.
Best - when he injured his schmeckle in Debate ‘76
Worst - every time they felt the need to bring him back

Non-cast MVP’s - Eric Idle (both times), the whole cast (in the Fran Tarkenton episode)

Best musical guests - The Band, Frank Zappa, Ron Nasty

Worst musical guests - Leo Sayer, Richard Baskin