Today, I’m asking you who is your all-time favorite recurring character from Saturday Night Live?
Pop Culture Theme Time is a feature where I put a question to you to see what you think about a particular theme. I might later revisit the theme for a future Drawing Crazy Patterns or Top Five.
Obviously, with its weekly format, Saturday Night Live quickly realized that having recurring characters was the way to go (I mean, it’s not like that wasn’t already an obvious thing from previous sketch comedy shows, of course, but still, it’s important to note that the show didn’t INITIALLY kick off with recurring characters), and now, the show is probably best remembered FOR its many recurring characters, a number of which have gone on to have films based on them.
So, with that in mind, who do you think was the show’s BEST recurring character?
It’s such a tough question, but I am going to go with Bill Hader’s Stefon (SNL’s “city correspondent,” who recommends fun places to go in New York City. Of course, the issue is that everything he recommends is incredibly inappropriate), as the character, in and of himself, was very funny in the absurd nightclubs that he recommends, but writer John Mulaney (who co-created the character with Hader) took the fascinating approach of altering the jokes right before Hader would go on the air, so Hader would have to read some of the jokes for the very first time LIVE on national TV. It took an already funny bit and made it appointment viewing to see Hader fight through the jokes, as you would see his eyes light up when he read ahead and saw the incoming new joke), and he tried not to break, but Mulaney made it so, so hard.
Chris Farley’s ersatz motivational speaker, Matt Foley, was almost my pick. A Bob Odenkirk creation, Farley threw himself into the character with such gusto that he would literally injure himself doing some of Foley’s pratfalls (in his very first appearance, he falls on to a coffee table, something that was NOT in the script, shocking David Spade and Christina Applegate, playing the kids he was giving a motivational speech to).
Okay, so that’s my pick. What’s yours?
Also, feel free to suggest future Pop Culture Theme Time topics to me at my new, much shorter e-mail, brian@poprefs.com!
It’s tough to pick one because there have been so many great ones over the years–Gilda Radner’s Lisa Loopner; Eddie Murphys Mr. Robinson; Martin Short’s Jackie Rogers, Jr.; Dana Carvey’s Church Lady; Mike Myers’s Dieter; Chris Rock’s Nat X….I could go on, but honestly, the one who made me laugh the hardest was Chris Farley’s Matt Foley. Farley’s commitment was dangerous and brilliant.
I would say either Tracy Morgan as Brian Fellow from Brian Fellow’s Safari Planet, or Darrel Hammond as Sean Connery on Celebrity Jeopardy.
Kate McKinnon as Miss Rafferty (the UFO lady).
Dooneese
Linda Richman/Coffee Talk
Church Lady
I’ll offer my wife’s favorite character. Colleen Rafferty who is Kate McKinnon’s trailer park lady that often abducted by aliens or moved through time. And always loses her pants.
Bill Murray’s Nick the Lounge singer. Best of its kind and defined his persona.
Stefon is a great choice. Not only because he didn’t have a single bad appearance, but there was also that subtle plot line throughout that ended with him marrying Seth Meyers at a wedding attended by all of the weird characters he’d described through the years.
I’m just a simple man, and this magic box frightens and confuses me! My primitive mind can’t grasp where the pictures and the words are coming from. But there’s one thing I DO know: Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer is a great dark horse candidate for best recurring character because he works as straight comedy and as deeper social satire, and because Phil Hartman managed to make him completely unlikeable and yet always entertaining.
OLD SCHOOL SNL Faves:
Father Guido Sarducci
Joe Piscapo’s Sinatra
Roseanne Rosannadanna
Mary Katherine Gallagher
Mr Robinson’s neighborhood
it would probably change if you asked me again tomorrow. Stefon is pretty great, maybe a close second. but right now I’m thinking either “Drunk Uncle” or “The Girl at a Party You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With”.
Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer is just a silly idea that Hartman made so amazing, much like his Anal Retentive Chef. I love Deandre Cole from “What Up with That?” for the same reason – same joke each time, but always delivered perfectly (with Bill Hader’s Lindsey Buckingham and Jason Sudeikis’s b-boy dancer to add to it). Farley’s Matt Foley is up there too for his all-in delivery, as is Kristen Wiig’s fast-talking Judy Grimes. I also loved Tracy Morgan’s Astronaut Jones more for the timing of it (the long theme song, the childlike start, the sudden shift, and then the credits).
I dunno. I would say that the joy I get from another appearance from Deandre Cole probably makes him my favorite.
Wayne and Garth. They were just cool, likeable and funny guys who liked to talk about music and goof around. Always a fun sketch.
The Kate McKinnon character who was abducted by aliens hands down. When she put her face in Ryan Gosling’s ass… Gets me every time.