10 Great Forgotten ‘SNL’ Characters
A swing through the SNL store reveals copious merch featuring all of the show’s iconic characters, from Gilly to the More Cowbell guy to Stefon. But not all hilarious SNL characters are immortalized on overpriced coffee mugs and baseball caps. Here are 10 more classic comedy creations you won’t find in the official shop, but darned if they’re not worth remembering.
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Todd and Casey from ‘Inside SoCal’
We loved it when Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett brought their jittery YouTube energy to SNL, and the guys on the Inside SoCal sketches were unfailingly baller, fool.
The Anal Retentive Chef
Phil Hartman in just about anything was a guaranteed riot, but we hold a special place in our comedy hearts for Eugene, the chef with a heart of gold and immaculately sanitized hands. Long before OCD became part of the national lexicon, good ol’ Gene demonstrated the finer points of being persnickety.
Fr. Guido Sarducci
Would it blow your mind to learn the gossip columnist for the Vatican newspaper made 31 appearances on SNL, making him one of the show’s most frequently recurring characters? He even hosted! Don Novello’s chain-smoking priest was so popular that he recorded two standalone comedy albums, including one recorded at a convent full of Catholic nuns.
Kaitlyn and Rick
It’s easy to heap praise on Amy Poehler’s Kaitlyn, the 10-year-old dynamo practically bursting at the seams with tween enthusiasm. But let’s give a little love to Horatio Sanz — when he wasn’t cracking up with Jimmy Fallon, he was surprisingly effective as Rick, Kaitlyn’s long-suffering but sweetly indulgent stepfather.
The Sweeney Sisters
We’ll say it — the Sweeney Sisters were a better parody of over-the-top entertainers than Bill Murray’s Nick the Lounge Singer. The sisters are in danger of being forgotten altogether since music medleys courtesy of Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn aren’t available on YouTube (music rights are the biggest impediment to SNL archivists), but here’s TikTok to the rescue.
@rickskye
Megan and Sheldon
We’re not entirely sure why the Wake Up Wakefield series of sketches are impossible to find online, although rumor has it that music rights are the issue once again (the sketches often began with the Average White Band’s “Pick Up the Pieces”). Maya Rudolph perfectly captures the unrequited yearning of a high school freshman, but it’s Rachel Dratch who truly kills as the inhibited Sheldon. Here’s a place to check out the madness.
Greg Stink
The most obvious joke of these sketches, episodes of ESPN Classic covering women’s sporting events, is Pete Twinkle (Jason Sudeikis) spouting off-color advertisements for tampons and vaginal cream. But the real comic gem here is Greg Stink, the color commentator who knows absolutely nothing about the sports he covers. Will Forte’s Stink is in the running for dumbest character ever on SNL.
Cinder Calhoun
It’s hard to think of an SNL recurring character slyer or dryer than Cinder Calhoun (Ana Gasteyer), who considers herself not so much a comedian as a “funny wordsmith folkist who came out of the singer-songwriter tradition.” Calhoun is the only comic we can imagine headlining at Lilith Fair, exchanging gentle jokes with Tracy Chapman and Tori Amos between empowering affirmations.
The Minkmans
Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest are Herb and Al Minkman, titans of the novelty prank industry protecting their empire from low-rent scam artists trying to get a piece of their turf. Who wants a dribble glass with a sharp edge that can slice a lip in two? “This is no longer ‘amaze and delight your friends.’ This is a lawsuit.”
T-Bone
The hilarious David Koechner only lasted one season on SNL and it’s hard to understand why, given standout characters like T-Bone. The combover king seemingly had a lot of occupations, but here he’s employed by the state as the guy who pulls the switch on the electric chair. It’s a tough job, so can you blame a guy for trying to lighten the mood?
