13 Frequent Guests Who Should Have Been Made Cast Members

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13 Frequent Guests Who Should Have Been Made Cast Members

Because of his heavy involvement in their studio albums, Sir George Henry Martin has been called “The Fifth Beatle.” And that got us thinking… Who are other notable auxiliary members out there? The Ninja Turtles had Casey Jones, Charlie’s Angels had Bosely, but who did SNL have? Who did Parks & Rec have? Find out more on next week’s episode of… Just kidding, you can just keep reading. 

The show wanted these performers to be as involved as possible, and luckily enough, they couldn’t be more thrilled to keep appearing. It was a match made in heaven and fans were more than happy to benefit. So why didn’t they (to quote Buddy’s kid brother in Elf) “stop dragging their feet and commit already?! Maybe their precious movie career was all too important. Maybe there was already a solid core of an ensemble, and they were always destined to be “The Fifth Beatle.” Either way, here are 13 frequent guests who should’ve been made cast members.

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His live act was basically a one man sketch show anyway!

CRACKED onder mon Steve Martin on SNL. His first of (currently) 16 hosting stints and 19 appearances was in 1976 and it took him less than 2 years to host 5 times. With the popularity of his Two Wild And Crazy Guys, most people thought he was a full cast member.

Fandom / Fandom 

Paul Rudd got a lot of great moments near the end of the show.

CRACKED Paul Rudd on Friends. As Phoebe's love interest Mike Hannigan, he said it felt strange coming on so late in the show (Seasons 9 & 10). Не had 16 appearances, including the finale, where they were all emotional, and he just kind of sat back and watched.

CNN / Independent 

Why couldn’t they just find a way to get him in every episode?!

CRACKED Nick Swardson as Terry Bernadino on Reno 911. As a recidivist sex worker on roller blades, he became a fan favorite, appearing in 28 episodes, and the short A Very Terry Christmas.

Fandom / Comedy Central 

His stint as Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock sort of counts, right?

CRACKED Alec Baldwin on SNL. The current leader in the times hosted category with 17, he was also basically a cast member during the Trump administration with 46 appearances as the Donald. Just sign him to a contract and get him in every episode already!

Fandom / Deadline 

We suspect this was a jab at Cobie Smulders’ Canadian heritage.

CRACKED rdR CAFE MONT James Van Der Beek on How I Met Your Mother. Не made 3 appearances as Robin's high school boyfriend Simon Tremblay, but as an ex-member of the Canadian band Foreskin and current employee of Ottawa's Splish Splash Water Slide Park, fans wanted so much more.

Fandom / Pop Series 

A ton of honorable mentions for Nathan Lane’s character.

CRACKED Nathan Lane on Modern Family. As Pepper Saltzman, he's mentioned as early as the pilot, he makes 10 appearances, and gets 17 more mentions throughout the show's run. Не even gets a major storyline of adopting children with his husband, Ronaldo.

Fandom / Attitude 

He would’ve had more appearances if stupid Mad Men didn’t get in the way.

CRACKED Jon Hamm on 30 Rock. In 2006, he lost the role of Jack Donaghy to Alec Baldwin, but don't worry, he booked Mad Men shortly after. We got to see his legitimate comedy chops with 7 appearances as Dr. Drew Baird.

Cheatsheet / TV VCR 

We get it, Tom. Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan were probably better career moves.

CRACKED Tom Hanks on SNL. His fifth appearance as host in 1990 was the moment that spawned the Five-Timers Club. With his comedy chops in '80s movies, he could've really helped the show thrive in that decade. He's since hosted 10 times in total.

Goldderby / EW 

What a gem of a find for this show.

CRACKED Ben Schwartz as Jean-Ralphio in Parks & Rec. Introduced as Tom's choice as Ron's assistant, Jean-Ralphio was hilarious off the top, and appeared in 20 episodes between 2010 and 2015. We wished that he got a job in the Parks Dept., but that's just not his style.

Fandom / Ranker 

If his SNL audition went better, he definitely would’ve been a cast member.

CRACKED John Goodman on SNL. Although he calls his SNL audition in 1980 the worst thing he's ever done in front of people, he luckily got to be heavily involved since. He's hosted 13 times, and proved himself as a hilarious live performer with great impressions and memorable sketches.

Youtube / Variety 

Kenneth on 30 Rock was definitely a much bigger opportunity though.

CRACKED Jack McBrayer on Conan. Не had multiple minor roles on Conan's Late Night show, and after booking 30 Rock, came back for a ton of interviews, sketches, and street segments (including a ton of spots with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.

​​Pajiba / The Interrobang 

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