Fall is officially upon us, meaning the return of cooler weather, pumpkin spice flavored everything and our favorite television shows. This Saturday, one of my favorite television shows, Saturday Night Live, is returning for its 40th season on NBC. Each season of SNL always brings a few new cast members, which gives the Emmy-winning show plenty of opportunities to create new comical characters for their viewers. So, on this Funny Friday, I’ll be sharing my ten favorite SNL characters.
10. Betty Caruso and Jodi Dietz (Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph)
On their “Bronx Beat” talk show, disgruntled housewives Betty and Jodi complain about their husbands, share their opinions on pop culture and often fawn over their attractive male guests. Between the aggressive gum chewing and the spot-on accents, Amy and Maya play perfect impressions of Bronx ladies.
To watch Betty and Jodi interview (and flirt with) a local author, click here.
9. Drunk Uncle (Bobby Moynihan)
Drunk Uncle has always had a few too many before appearing on Weekend Update, which always makes for a hilarious rambling monologue on how much he hates the culture of the day. Always reminiscing about what things were like for him “back in the day,” he doesn’t think Millennials are tough enough since they always want to know if “the wifi is organic” and if “there’s any pomegranate in this soymilk.”
To watch drunk uncle discuss college graduation, click here.
8. Jebidiah Atkinson (Taran Killam)
There’s no pleasing this 1860s newspaper critic, because he has something hilariously negative to say about everything. Inspired by the The Patriot-News’ retraction of a negative review of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address for the 150th anniversary of the speech, the character was created to defend the opinion of the original author. However, Jebidiah doesn’t just review speeches–he also will gladly give you his scathing opinion plays, movies and actors.
To hear Jebidiah’s take on The Gettsyburg Address (and a few other speeches), click here.
(A little bit off topic, but if you haven’t seen Taran Killam’s impersonation of Robyn’s “Call Your Girlfriend” music video, I recommend you check it out here).
7. Debbie Downer (Rachel Dratch)
Debbie Downer never delivered any good news, but this character always brought laughs–not just from the audience, but from the cast members on stage. During Debbie’s very first appearance in a skit set at DisneyWorld, almost every cast member on stage broke down laughing during the sketch. Between the constant “wah-wah” sound effect whenever she made a negative comment and the discussion of the rate of feline AIDS, I probably would have too.
To watch Debbie bring everyone down on the family trip to DisneyWorld, click here.
6. The Festrunk Brothers (Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd)
In my opinion, Yortuk and Georg Festrunk are the original bros. The two Czechoslovakian “wild and crazy guys” always tried so hard to get with attractive American “foxes,” but their obnoxious and egotistical behavior often worked against them (shocker!). However, there is something slightly endearing about their shiny unbuttoned shirts, plaid pants and constant shimmying.
To see Yortuk and Georg get themselves ready for the arrival of some American foxes, click here.
5. Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar (Mike Myers and Dana Carvey)
Everyone’s favorite metal-loving, public access television hosts! Although Wayne and Garth never strayed far beyond the topics of hard rock bands and “babes” in these sketches, the much-loved “Wayne’s World” sketches spawned two movies and several famous catchphrases (can you say, “party on?”). One of the most memorable moments of the sketch was when Aerosmith was able to join the Aurora, IL natives for a jam session.
To watch the jam session, click here.
4. Mary Katherine Gallagher (Molly Shannon)
An unpopular Catholic schoolgirl, Mary Katherine Gallagher wanted desperately to be a “superstar,” and had the ego and hyper-competitive edge to get there. She had only one problem: her crippling stage fright. She had monologues committed to memory (which she often used to describe her current emotional state), but her clumsiness and tendency to accidentally flash her underwear made making friends and auditioning rather difficult for Mary Katherine. However, Mary Katherine was a popular character, which led to the making of the 1999 movie, “Superstar.”
To see Mary Katherine take on Whitney Houston, click here.
3. DeAndre Cole (Kenan Thompson)
Although the recurring “What Up With That” sketch received mixed reviews, it was always one of my favorites. DeAndre Cole is a television host on BET attempts to take on the “issues of today with soul.” Although he always has the best intentions to interview the celebrity guests on his show, he can’t ever seem to stop singing his show’s catchy theme song. Luckily, recurring guest Lindsey Buckingham is always a good sport about it.
To see DeAndre Cole try to discuss movies, click here.
2. Gilly (Kristen Wiig)
From her outrageous hair to her ridiculous dancing, everything about Kristen Wiig’s most iconic character is hilarious. Gilly is definitely not the most well-behaved girl in school, but at least she always says her signature “sorry” after she is reprimanded by her teacher (although she may not really mean it). This character became so popular that she was given her own Christmas special, “A Very Gilly Christmas,” in 2009.
To see the trouble Gilly gets into at her school’s science fair, click here.
1. Stefon Zolesky (Bill Hader)
It’s pretty amazing that Bill Hader and Seth Meyers were ever able to keep a straight face during Stefon’s “City Correspondent” segments on Weekend Update. Thanks to Stefon, I am extremely educated on all the New York City club life has to offer and next time I’m in the area hopefully I will be able to check out some of his recommendations.
To hear Stefon’s recommendations for what to do in New York City on Halloween, click here.
Did I miss any of your favorite SNL characters? Tell us who your favorites are in the comments section.
Cover Photo Source: igor.stevanovic
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://wpmaster.sjadv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Our-Space-The-San-Jose-Group.png[/author_image] [author_info]Jenny is a Junior Executive at SJG. She earned her BA in Psychology and a minor in Educational Studies in 2014 from Colgate University. Outside the office, Jenny loves to travel (usually to Disney World), bake and watch copious amounts of TLC.[/author_info] [/author]