After seven-and-a-half years at Saturday Night Live, Amy Poehler has made "The Leap." With tonight’s premiere of NBC’s Parks and Recreation, the funny-lady now has 22 minutes to fill with laughs each week and will face the inevitable comparisons to Thursday-night neighbor Tina Fey.
If Poehler’s show succeeds, other SNL regulars could be up for television shows of their own. But which cast members really have the chops?
Kristin Wiig could simultaneously carry three weekly sitcoms, but after her hilarious cameos in Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Adventureland (plus her role in the upcoming Mike Judge comedy Extract), she’s probably destined for success on the big-screen.
Jason Sudeikis (pictured), though, is perfectly positioned for sitcom stardom. The handsome comic is reminiscent of a young Dan Aykroyd, and he was excellent as Liz Lemon’s affable beau, Floyd, on 30 Rock. If NBC ever needs a spin-off, I’m sold on one about his “Michael Clayton of Cleveland” character. Maybe Floyd quits the law firm to open the city’s first IKEA…and hilarity ensues.
Bill Hader would make a freaky high school chemistry teacher, with or without a Breaking Bad-esque crystal meth angle, and Casey Wilson and Michaela Watkins could team-up in a Cagney & Lacey-like farce. So, which SNL cast member are you hoping gets the next sitcom showcase?
More ‘Parks and Recreation’, ‘SNL’:
TV Spotlight: Amy Poehler’s ‘Parks’ department
Ken Tucker: TV Review: ‘Parks and Recreation’
Zac Efron’s ‘SNL’ promos: Comedy gold?
Fred Armisen fills in for Joy Behar on ‘The View’
Comments (1-17) of 17 Add your comment
Darell Hammond. It’s not like they use him anymore anyway.
Considering I have the world’s hugest crush on Jason Sudeikis, I would be fine with him getting his own sitcom. I could see him playing a really good Michael-Bluth-type caharacter who plays the straight man but is still hilarious.
I also would love to see Jason Sudeikis in a sitcom. I thought he was great on 30 Rock. I think Michaela Watkins could do well on a sitcom too. She’s already had a recurring role on the New Adventures of Old Christine.
I’d also would like to see Will Forte on a tv show. Maybe not in a leading role though.
I think Bill Hader is the one who will do well in movies.
I fell in love with Jason Sudekis on 30 Rock. I’ve always wished that he and wacky Liz Lemon could have worked it out, and started a new spin-off of 30 Rock a la Britney & K-Fed, full of handheld cameras and night shoots. But I’d cry if Bill Hader wasn’t on SNL. He makes my life! (Also, he needs to star in his own Judd Apatow-produced film. He’s a comedy goldmine!)
My favorite cast member right now is Bill Hader. He seems to be branching out in movies, but he could totally be in a single-camera comedy show.
I would go with an alum – Maya Rudolph.
i don’t think poehler will pale in comparison to fey, b/c as much as i like fey, poehler can actually act whereas fey can just say funny lines, that she brilliantly writes.
Can we give Jimmy Fallon a sitcom just to get him off of Late Night? That way, he’d only destroy a half hour a week rather than 5 full hours.
ummmm, kristen wiig is AMAZING! especially when she was bjork a few weeks ago on ‘weekend update’. this is probably the best song ever…
“welcome to iceland, there is no sunlight. you are on fire, a demon takes your face! come to iceland and give us your eye!”
Hmmmmmm. Hard question. I say no to the Cagney and Lacey with Watkins and Wilson. Watkins I like but Wilson isn’t very good.
Hader and Wiig seem to be branching out into movies so they’ve got that all set up.
Thompson I like, but not in a starring role. I kinda just like him in skit shows to be honest.
Sudeikis could work, but I think he’s funnier not as the straight man, but as a crazy character. So I don’t know.
You know what? This is going to sound weird, but let’s give Andy Samberg a sitcom show. But not like as like a normal sitcom. Let’s give him a show that has a storyline with characters, but let him control it and let it run as crazy as possible. I’d watch that.
So final answer: Give Andy Samberg his own show.
I think you’re bang on here. Wiig is obviously the MVP of SNL, but I think she’s destined for bigscreen stardom.
Jason Sudeikis seems like a perfect sitcom star.
Two words: MAYA RUDOLPH.
She’s incredibly hilarious, and has her starring big screen debut coming with the Sam Mendes film “Away We Go”.
I think you’re bang on here. Wiig is obviously the MVP of SNL, but I think she’s destined for bigscreen stardom.
Jason Sudeikis seems like a perfect sitcom star.
The problem I have wih Wiig is that it looks as if her comedic talent is forced. I do believe that she is a good actress so maybe she can do a movie but not a sitcom.
Jason Sudekis, absolutely, and Will Forte. Forte is not as strong of a movie actor as Bill Hader (Brothers Solomon anyone??), but if you put him in a sitcom with a strong comedic cast, I guarentee that he will be hillarious.
Floyd needs his own show. I’d watch it! Sudekis was so adorable as Floyd! The Lonely Island should have their own show on Comedy Central. Kristen Wigg could have a show like Tracey Ullman. BILL HADER can do whatever he wants! He should stick with the Apatow gang so we get a lot more hottness on screen.
Andy Samberg. Not ‘hilarious’ but witty and wise (like Adam Sandler and Chris Rock before him.) I think he’s gonna be a star.
I have a big old crush on both Jason Sudekis and Bill Heder, but I think Kenan is underrated. I loved him back in the day on All That, love him on SNL now, and I think he would be decent on a sitcom.
And I love, love, loooove, Kristin Wiig. Love her!!!