Image Credit: NBC
Mick Jagger has managed to stay both incredibly famous and beloved for half a century. Considering the modern era’s notoriously short attention span, that’s no small feat. But despite Jagger’s celebrity magnetism, SNL viewers might find their minds wandering when he hosts tonight’s season finale. Instead of focusing on Jagger, we’ll be focusing on Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, and Andy Samberg — three veterans who might be leaving the show once Season 37 ends. And if any of them goes, SNL as we know it will change significantly.
Cast members depart at the end of every season — but these three have particularly strong legacies. Or, at least, two of them do. Samberg’s Digital Shorts — created with the help of his Lonely Island cohorts Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer — kept SNL relevant in the digital age and drove the show to start posting its own sketches online. For years, it seemed like Kristen Wiig single-handedly played all of Saturday Night Live‘s female speaking roles — and though cast mates like Vanessa Bayer and Abby Elliott have started picking up her slack, she’s still SNL‘s MVP. Sudeikis hasn’t had as much of an impact as Samberg or Wiig, but he’s always been a solid supporting player; nobody plays a handsome, likeable goof quite like he does.
Even so, I hope the writers don’t use these potential exits to justify bringing back tired old characters — especially Wiig’s one-upper Penelope, or any of the old-fashioned broads she plays in various recurring sketches. READ FULL STORY »
