While Saturday Night Live’s entertainment value has hardly bottomed out in recent memory, it could stand to pursue more consistency. The key to that consistency could not be less complicated.
It is all in the humor, and even when there is a celestial cast in place, the host must be the humorous centerpiece in any given week.
Granted, non-comedic performers can be a hit in this capacity, but percentage-wise, they are akin to National League baseball pitchers with respectable batting prowess. There are few musicians, athletes, dramatic acting specialists and other public figures who can bring SNL’s quintessential trait to the stage.
Yes, big names turn heads. But in order to sustain enough eyeballs from 11:29 to the second hour of Sunday morning, SNL needs to focus on the big names in its own field, i.e. comedy. And besides the bevy of former hosts who have a right to a return invitation, there is an embarrassment of untapped potential as well.
Based on a combination of comedic expertise and current relevance, here are the 10 individuals who warrant their first turn on the SNL platform the most.
1. Jim Gaffigan
He has been a New York City resident for more than half of his life. He is a seasoned standup artist, which means he could not help but deliver a memorable monologue if given the chance. He reaffirmed his acting aptitude through his recent, two-season sitcom and has parlayed that into multiple mainstream product endorsements.
In simple summation, Gaffigan has more than earned his stripes. There would be no better untapped tone-setter for Season 42.
2. Allison Janney
Mom costar Anna Faris has already hosted twice, which matches the number of Emmys Janney has garnered for her role in the fourth-year CBS sitcom. She is up for a potential three-peat as the top supporting sitcom actress this year.
As the Inquisitr recently noted, a win would give Janney a share of the individual record for most primetime Emmys. But win or lose on that stage, her presence on SNL in the near future would quench plenty of comedy cravings.
Jordan Peele (left) and Keegan-Michael Key pose for photos at a meet-and-great in April (Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images)
3-4. Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele
Consider this a two-in-one recommendation.
One of last autumn’s more noteworthy SNL episodes had another Comedy Central sketch-show star, Amy Schumer, have her first hosting turn. Another was a first-time-in-a-long-time case of co-hosts in alumnae Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
What better way to follow up on those moments this year than by inviting the title tandem behind Key & Peele? Anyone who has sampled that series knows both men are standup and sketch scholars.
5. Kristen Bell
There is no telling whether her new NBC sitcom, The Good Place, will gain any traction. But as long as Bell is starring on one of the network’s upstart programs, planting her in the Comcast Building around the time of the show’s premiere would be a can’t-miss plug.
At least, that is the logic one would think the network’s powers that be must have a grasp on.
Ty Burrell has stood out in the comedy crowd long enough to warrant a weeklong invitation to the Comcast Building. (Photo by Noel Vazquez/Getty Images)
6. Ty Burrell
If common sense prevails, 2016-17 will mark the eighth and final season of Modern Family. The show cannot realistically hold up for much longer, but is still capable of finishing strong.
On that note, at least one cast member deserves to mark its impressive run by temporarily transferring from ABC midweek to NBC mid-weekend. Sofia Vergara and Ed O’Neill (during his Married…with Children days) have already done it. Of the remainders, if we must settle on one, Burrell is the best choice, ahead of close runners-up Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Sarah Hyland.
7. Rashida Jones
To date, Jones’ lone glimpse at SNL has been a fleeting cameo on Feb. 24, 2007. The intervening near-decade calls for a little more recognition in the approaching season.
Coming off the second season of Angie Tribeca, and knowing that it will return for a third next summer, the Parks and Recreation and The Office veteran is due for a return to NBC’s airwaves.
8. Will Forte
Forte is one of the few former cast veterans yet to return in a hosting capacity. But through the surprising longevity of The Last Man on Earth, he has resurfaced as a mainstream celebrity.
Add the fact that an election is fast approaching, which means Sen. Tim Calhoun is surely itching to make his case for a write-in vote. Just because he cannot debate does not mean he can never come back to whisper on Weekend Update again.
Jason Sudeikis signs autographs at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 9. (George Pimentel/Getty Images)
9. Jason Sudeikis
Like Forte, Sudeikis was an SNL staple within the past decade, but is in sparse company among recent alumni who have not hosted. In fact, between the springs of 2012 and 2013, he was one of five cast members to depart after at least five seasons on the show. The other four (Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader and Fred Armisen) have each enjoyed a hosting gig since.
Need we say more? Well, we can. Besides co-starring with Forte on Last Man and starring in his own upcoming FOX series, Son of Zorn, Sudeikis has been prolific with his recent film credits. His full-episode presence back in Studio 8H would only deliver energizing nostalgia.
10. Aziz Ansari
Another proficient standup comic and another Parks and Rec alum who somehow has not had this privilege yet. While Ansari has not done much to nab mainstream attention in the last year-plus (he has mostly been accessible to Netflix buffs), his track record is unchanged.
Ansari has already delighted at one top-shelf Manhattan entertainment entity, Madison Square Garden. Seven or eight minutes of the same down at Rockefeller Plaza could not hurt. If nothing else, it would surely mean a respite from the overdone wave of musical monologues.
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