SNL: The Current Cast Discussion

[VCRTracking]

Edited September 4, 2019 by VCRTracking

[vb68]

36 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

I just wish this protection extended to leaving more of his personal life offcamera (I know that this is his main role on the show, but the Ariana Grande stuff was just way too much). 

I think everyone feels that way. 

And for the show itself, it basically meant cutting ties with Ariana for the foreseeable future. Too bad. I think they really liked her and vice versa.   

[izabella]

1 hour ago, Pete Martell said:

I just wish this protection extended to leaving more of his personal life offcamera (I know that this is his main role on the show, but the Ariana Grande stuff was just way too much). 

I just wish he were actually funny.  Being Lorne's pet safety blanket project means I flip to other channels when Pete is on.

[possibilities]

I think the show got very stale last season. With Leslie leaving, they don't really have any unique voices, it's becoming kind of a bland cast of utility players. I like most of them, but they are being used kind of interchangeably at this point. They really need to freshen things up, and I hope if they hire new people they will actually look for ones that don't blend into the background, but who actually bring some new perspectives and energy to their roles.

Edited September 4, 2019 by possibilities

[helenamonster]

I think Pete needs to do whatever's best for him, but I don't know whether that's leaving or staying. His outburst at that comedy show the other week seemed like a cry for help. Maybe getting back into the rhythm of the show and being around a cast and crew that clearly care about and support him will be good for him, but I can't help shaking the feeling that he needs professional intervention sooner rather than later. I hate to play armchair psychologist but the image of himself that he is putting forward is not a good one.

[Pete Martell]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

I think the show got very stale last season. With Leslie leaving, they don't really have any unique voices, it's becoming kind of a bland cast of utility players. I like most of them, but they are being used kind of interchangeably at this point. They really need to freshen things up, and I hope if they hire new people they will actually look for ones that don't blend into the background, but who actually bring some new perspectives and energy to their roles.

I think that there's a pretty good chance some combination of Beck, Kyle, Kate, Cecily, Aidy and Kenan will be leaving after this coming season, so that leaves the show with a big dilemma. Try to bring in a few new people this season to further the changing of the guard, or just double down with this cast (and Leslie's replacement) and then just bring in a bunch of new people in 2020-2021? 

I like the current cast (although most of them struggle to do impressions, which makes the focus on impressions...even more questionable to me), but I think the writing has really let them down and misused their talents. It's also helped stifle any sort of cast chemistry. 

I wish they were making some big changes in the writing, but so far the only departures are people I wouldn't have even gotten rid of. I guess as long as Jost, Che, Sublette, etc. are heavily involved in the writing, nothing will change.

[Irlandesa]

21 hours ago, vb68 said:

Hmm. I'm a little surprised he didn't leave for greener pastures like Leslie.

Aren't the contracts 7 years?  I'm not surprised he's staying.  He's only 25.  He has plenty of time.  Leslie Jones is 51.  I can see why she feels like she needs to jump on opportunities presenting themselves which would allow her to diversify her entertainment portfolio.

If anything, I'm a little surprised Lorne is letting her walk away before her seven years are up. 

Quote

Ironically (I guess), I thought Leslie Jones was at her best when she wasn't trying to be funny at all. There was some dinner party sketch late in the season where she seemed to approach her character as an acting role and she was damned convincing.

Are you thinking of the Weezer sketch where she and Matt Damon get into it over which Weezer was better? 

Edited September 5, 2019 by Irlandesa

[Pete Martell]

A very good Bill Hader interview. Nothing new here, really, but it's a much more relaxed format and he doesn't seem like he wants to kick the interviewer's ass or run out of the room.

[ajsnaves]

https://tvline.com/2019/09/12/snl-bowen-yang-first-asian-cast-season-45/

Three new Featured Players. Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman, and Shane Gillis.

[Milburn Stone]

On 9/4/2019 at 9:06 PM, Irlandesa said:

Are you thinking of the Weezer sketch where she and Matt Damon get into it over which Weezer was better? 

Yes!

[vb68]

1 hour ago, ajsnaves said:

Three new Featured Players. Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman, and Shane Gillis.

Wow, my antenna was right for once. I had a feeling Bowen Yang would join the cast.  

[Pete Martell]

I'm happy for Bowen, although he's going to be under a lot of pressure, particularly since the show chose not to go for diversity beyond him. I don't actually know that much about his writing or performing style so we'll see what happens. 

I haven't heard of either of the new hires, although many comedians seem to be thrilled for Chloe. She seems to be an impressionist. Given the likely departures of Kate and Cecily this season, that makes sense. 

Shane Gillis is a Louis CK supporter, which isn't a surprise, as many people adore CK. I'd say this will negatively affect my opinion of him, but I get the feeling he is just a dudebro comedian anyway, a last-ditch attempt by Lorne to reach the men who loved Farley and Sandler and have left SNL for good (especially since Trump's election). Good luck with that. 

https://www.philadelphianeighborhoods.com/2018/06/11/comedy-laughing-matters/

Presumably due to the need to bring in more bodies before the likely exodus of 6-7 players, this will be SNL's largest cast ever, I think beating 1991-1992. I have a major soft spot for 91-92, as I watched a lot of it at the time, so I can only hope this season comes anywhere close. 

And please have them do their own version of "Not Gonna Phone It In Tonight."

Trivia note no one cares about - Woody Harrelson has now hosted in both seasons with the largest casts.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Pete Martell

[vb68]

Uh Oh.

That didn't even take the whole afternoon for the internet to dig up. I wonder if they knew about it.   Either way, not a terrific way to introduce yourself.

I agree about Chloe Fineman. Her instagram is full of impressions. I particularly like her Marianne Williamson, and she does a better Timothee Chalamet than Pete. (Not that that would be too difficult).  I do see her taking over most of the impressions from Kate and Cecily in a year or two. 

Edited September 12, 2019 by vb68

[Pete Martell]

31 minutes ago, vb68 said:

Uh Oh.

That didn't even take the whole afternoon for the internet to dig up. I wonder if they knew about it.   Either way, not a terrific way to introduce yourself.

I agree about Chloe Fineman. Her instagram is full of impressions. I particularly like her Marianne Williamson, and she does a better Timothee Chalamet than Pete. (Not that that would be too difficult).  I do see her taking over most of the impressions from Kate and Cecily in a year or two. 

I just saw that. I know some fans believe SNL deliberately casts people who make these types of ugly comments to drum up attention. I don't know if that is the case - I assume it's just that the comedy world is full of "edgy" people and when you have such a large cast, unless you work very very hard, you will end up hiring someone who has said and done something they shouldn't have - but I'm sorry that for the third time in five seasons SNL has decided to overshadow all the hard work of their cast and crew and the potential of most of the new hires by bringing in someone who can't stop saying stupid shit. 

This means we're heading toward yet another toxic premiere as well. And it means Bowen Yang is going to probably be expected to say something, which he shouldn't be. 

Disappointing all around. At least it gave me the reminder I needed not to get my hopes up about this season.

[SoMuchTV]

54 minutes ago, vb68 said:

Uh Oh.

That didn't even take the whole afternoon for the internet to dig up. I wonder if they knew about it.   Either way, not a terrific way to introduce yourself.

I agree about Chloe Fineman. Her instagram is full of impressions. I particularly like her Marianne Williamson, and she does a better Timothee Chalamet than Pete. (Not that that would be too difficult).  I do see her taking over most of the impressions from Kate and Cecily in a year or two. 

Can someone recap? I don't always want to follow links, and in this case, even when I did, it wasn't clear what was going on.

[Pete Martell]

13 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Can someone recap? I don't always want to follow links, and in this case, even when I did, it wasn't clear what was going on.

Here's more:

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/shane-gillis-snl-racial-slur-saturday-night-live-nbc-1203334216/

[SoMuchTV]

2 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

Here's more:

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/shane-gillis-snl-racial-slur-saturday-night-live-nbc-1203334216/

Thanks, but that wasn't exactly my point. This isn't directed just at you, but on a lot of boards people will post a link with no context. If they could say something like, hey so-and-so said such -and-such, details at this link... Then I could decide if I want to investigate further. But the reason I follow this topic is to get a recap of what's going on without having to go down the twitterhole, so to speak.

hope that makes sense and I haven't caused (too much) offense 🙂

[vb68]

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

Thanks, but that wasn't exactly my point. This isn't directed just at you, but on a lot of boards people will post a link with no context. If they could say something like, hey so-and-so said such -and-such, details at this link... Then I could decide if I want to investigate further. But the reason I follow this topic is to get a recap of what's going on without having to go down the twitterhole, so to speak.

Apologies. I was taking the easy way out without having to write out some offensive statements and racist words. But I'll provide better context next time.

Edited September 13, 2019 by vb68

[Pete Martell]

44 minutes ago, vb68 said:

Apologies. I was taking the easy way out without having to write out some offensive statements and racist words. But I'll provide better context next time.

That's also what I was doing. Some of what he seems to have said I wasn't even sure could be posted on here, to be honest.

[helenamonster]

Somebody at NBC wanna teach Lorne how to use The Google, please?

What pisses me off the most about this sort of thing, at least in relation to the show, is what a waste of time it ends up being. They hire the "edgy, non-PC" comedian, either because of their material or despite it, it's always unclear. That person comes in on the defensive and then struggles to mesh with the rest of the staff or endear any goodwill from the audience. They therefore don't get written for or have anybody in their corner pushing for them to get more material/screentime. Then they either become one-season wonders (Jon Rudnitsky) or just completely languish on the sidelines for their entire tenures (Melissa). What is the point? Is it really just to drum up buzz for the season and get eyeballs on the premiere?

I hope Bowen and Chloe absolutely crush it and leave this Shane doofus in the dust. Jesus Christ, Show. Do better.

[possibilities]

Was Melissa offensive? I hadn't heard anything about that. Nor about Jon R, either.

[helenamonster]

1 minute ago, possibilities said:

Was Melissa offensive? I hadn't heard anything about that. Nor about Jon R, either.

Melissa: https://www.indiewire.com/2016/09/snl-cast-member-melissa-villasenor-deleted-racist-tweets-controversy-1201730304/

Set her Twitter to private just before the announcement of her being added as a cast member and deleted approximately 2000 tweets, many of which were racist.

Jon: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2015/09/93295/saturday-night-live-jon-rudnitsky-twitter

Homophobic, sexist, and racist tweets and vines.

[possibilities]

Thanks for the info. I had no idea.

[lou ann b]

Just a thought..Eddie Murphy is slated to host this year, and his stand-up in the 80's was full of what would be labeled homophobic,sexist,and racist,now.Delirious and Raw are both pretty rough. Should Lorne univite him to host? Please understand,not my intent to start a fight,I'm honestly trying to understand where we go from here.

[vb68]

I think this is too a big a story for Shane Gillis to keep the job now. It's not going to blow over.

Presidential candidate Andrew Yang has weighed in on it as well as Elizabeth Warren's chief of staff. So this story is now in the political sphere.  Yang is very careful to say he's not calling for Gillis to be fired, but it's pretty clear he thinks Gillis shouldn't have been hired in the first place.

"Shane - I prefer comedy that makes people think and doesn’t take cheap shots."

Other comedians condemn the remarks and think Shane should be fired.

Edited September 15, 2019 by vb68

[WendyCR72]

54 minutes ago, lou ann b said:

Just a thought..Eddie Murphy is slated to host this year, and his stand-up in the 80's was full of what would be labeled homophobic,sexist,and racist,now.Delirious and Raw are both pretty rough. Should Lorne univite him to host? Please understand,not my intent to start a fight,I'm honestly trying to understand where we go from here.

I get where you're coming from, and on some level, I agree. However, like it or not, I think cultural context does play a role. Look at the bodice-ripping (read: glorified rape) romance novels that were so huge back then in the 1970s and 1980s. They were popular but would never fly in today's climate. Hell, the soap opera General Hospital had enormous ratings in 1981 when Luke and Laura married - a romance between a rapist and his victim!

Also consider back in that time frame, to put taboo subjects in the spotlight, marital rape wasn't considered such/a real crime until the '80s or so. Appalling, but true.

So in the end, however, like it or not, whatever Eddie Murphy did back then was deemed acceptable while similar "jokes" from Shane Gillis were made in a totally different cultural climate. There is hypocrisy for sure, but it does not change that when Murphy did his schtick, it was the norm. Times change. So should such commentary. Time will tell how this rolls.

[lou ann b]

I was a bit afraid to comment,but I just wanted to share my thoughts. I agree,we will see.

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, lou ann b said:

I was a bit afraid to comment,but I just wanted to share my thoughts. I agree,we will see.

Oh, don't be afraid. If my post sounds like a lecture, I didn't mean for it to be. Tone is hard on the internet. But I do think, either way, the cultural timing thing is in play. I am rather surprised nothing has happened yet. But who knows what Lorne Michaels will do in the end...

[ajsnaves]

If you want to be the offensive, take no prisoners comic who tells it like it is, you gotta be one more thing too. Funny. All of these comics everyone is pointing too as people who got away with being offensive, got away with it because they were funny. And they used they’re offensive routines to as a comment on society. They were attacked for it then too. But we remember them today, because they were funny. This guy kinda minds me of Andrew Dice Clay. Who was not funny, and few people remember now. Even when talking about stuff like this. 

[vb68]

1 hour ago, ajsnaves said:

If you want to be the offensive, take no prisoners comic who tells it like it is, you gotta be one more thing too. Funny.

Exactly. That's it in a nutshell. Eddie Murphy was always, above anything else, funny.

I do believe Eddie himself has more or less denounced his younger self's shtick anyway.   I distinctly remember him saying somewhere that "Y'all knew I wasn't right and y'all laughed anyway."

I certainly don't want to lead anyone down a twitter hole if they don't want to go but this tweet from Ego Nwodim  looks pretty on-point even if it's indirect. She uses some choice language of her own to make a point.  It makes me question even more if he's staying.

Edited September 15, 2019 by vb68

[Pete Martell]

5 hours ago, lou ann b said:

Just a thought..Eddie Murphy is slated to host this year, and his stand-up in the 80's was full of what would be labeled homophobic,sexist,and racist,now.Delirious and Raw are both pretty rough. Should Lorne univite him to host? Please understand,not my intent to start a fight,I'm honestly trying to understand where we go from here.

I don't think Lorne cares much either way. It's all business for him. The main question is what NBC would do. They don't seem to have much of an opinion on the matter. I have a feeling they are going to try to wait it out. 

[Irlandesa]

16 hours ago, vb68 said:

I certainly don't want to lead anyone down a twitter hole if they don't want to go but this tweet from Ego Nwodim  looks pretty on-point even if it's indirect.

I don't think that's about the new guy.  Fuckboy is a pretty specific concept to men who are players and/or dishonest towards women.

[Cornhusker12]

Here's something that seems like it's being lost in this discussion throughout the internet I think: There isn't just "safe PC comedy" and "edgy non-PC comedy." There is a giant spectrum which includes PLENTY of "edgy non-PC comedians" out there who subvert norms and make uncomfortable points or whatever it is that people are looking for. Good "edgy" comedians might make people mad, and Shane Gillis makes people mad, but that doesn't make them the same thing. Shane Gillis just says racist/homophobic/sexist shit on podcasts. There's no underlying point to the countless examples that are coming out. It's just garbage that an angry/unfunny 11 year old would say. There's no pointed commentary that comes from calling people "Jew ch*nks" and "f*gs" and saying his cohost should've "socked his bitch" for nagging him while driving.

Shane Gillis doesn't get to cloak himself in the "edgy comedian" label and be a martyr. He just seems like a shitty guy and I have no idea why SNL would want that anywhere near their show. Like seriously, in their best case scenario, did they really expect him to bring in an alt-right audience and start featuring sketches of Shane Gillis doing hacky Asian accent bits or something??

Edited September 16, 2019 by huskerj12

[BetterButter]

Shane Gillis Out From ‘Saturday Night Live’

[vb68]

I could tell that's the way it was going, and I have to say I'm pretty relieved. It was going to cast a pall over the whole season.  I appreciate the apology from Lorne and the acknowledgement that their vetting process needs some work.

And Shane Gillis' statement in the article above that he " was always a Mad TV guy anyway" just shows to me that it really was the right decision. As well as his "apology" to anyone was actually offended. Guy just seems like an ass. Don't let the door hit ya on the way out.

[Was-MArsenault]

I knew that Shane would get fired.

[VCRTracking]

Good riddance but part of me wishes he stayed so he could suffer like past cast members who didn't make it. Not getting enough airtime, being relegating to one line in sketches, barely appearing in an episode at all and when they do get a chance to have a character like on Weekend Update, and completely bombing. Then after being fired after one season dealing with knowing they totally blew it on SNL and living with that failure for the rest of their career. Instead Shane will go on with the delusion that he could have been the next big star to come out of SNL "if it weren't for those SJWs!".

Edited September 16, 2019 by VCRTracking

[DXD526]

Yeah, he comes across as a total smug, arrogant, bigoted jerk. And not funny. Which should be the first test for a comedian. If someone is actually funny, but some of their material might be considered offensive, then it must be scrutinized as to whether it might possibly be offensive to some, but still have some merit. Many comedians over the years fall into this category, arguably beginning with Lenny Bruce. But if the material isn't funny, it can be dismissed out of hand, and Gillis's stupid rants aren't funny. So, 'bye Felicia. I doubt your contributions will be missed. 

[helenamonster]

Good. Now Bowen and Chloe can thrive without being under the shadow this controversy has caused.

Also, besides being a bad look externally, I imagine this whole thing could have created a pretty tense/hostile work environment. The rest of the cast, as well as the writers and crew, deserve better than that.

Agree that it's nice of SNL to acknowledge that they need a better vetting process. Most companies google prospective new employees during the interview stage, so that might be a good place to start. It took random internet people barely any time to dig this all up, I'm sure HR at NBC could do the same.

[lou ann b]

Well,good call. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt,but..he's an ass. BUH BYE

[Pete Martell]

3 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Good. Now Bowen and Chloe can thrive without being under the shadow this controversy has caused.

Also, besides being a bad look externally, I imagine this whole thing could have created a pretty tense/hostile work environment. The rest of the cast, as well as the writers and crew, deserve better than that.

Agree that it's nice of SNL to acknowledge that they need a better vetting process. Most companies google prospective new employees during the interview stage, so that might be a good place to start. It took random internet people barely any time to dig this all up, I'm sure HR at NBC could do the same.

I tend to believe the worst with many people, so I'd wondered if they knew how bad this guy was and just wanted the publicity (at least until the really horrible stuff started coming out), but I saw some tweets from a Vulture reporter that flat out said SNL just doesn't really vet. 

I hope there are going to be real changes now because this was so unfair to everyone who works there. It's cast a real pall over the season, at a time when they were already having to deal with the usual pressures. 

I also think it's time to start easing Lorne out of the show, to be honest. This was all completely unnecessary.  

I'm glad they fired him (and now he can go make money being a "free speech" martyr) and I just hope they ignore his existence from this point on. No cute references by Pete or Che on Update, nothing. 

I'd also like to see them add another new featured player, for more diversity, but I have a feeling they will just stick with the (already very large) cast they have. 

As it is it's kind of sapped most of my enjoyment ahead of the premiere, but at least now I know not to expect much and just like what I like. It's just that I realized the last few days that I didn't even think Lorne would fire him, even after everything that came out. That I was watching something I had such a low level of expectations for made me pause. 

Thankfully I was wrong, and hopefully this is a path forward for the show. 

Edited September 17, 2019 by Pete Martell

[vb68]

47 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

I'd also like to see them add another new featured player, for more diversity, but I have a feeling they will just stick with the (already very large) cast they have. 

I think they will.  Obviously not immediately as the next person will be properly vetted (hopefully), but yeah by Christmas/ January, I bet they hire another newbie.

47 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

I also think it's time to start easing Lorne out of the show, to be honest. This was all completely unnecessary.  

Moved my response to this to the Complaints thread.   

Edited September 17, 2019 by vb68

[helenamonster]

The biggest thing I've learned from this is that it appears that cast members are hired solely on their performances at their auditions. I could understand that being unavoidable in the pre-Web 2.0 era, but nowadays it doesn't make sense. Comedians, especially those still trying to break out, post so much of their content online. It really wouldn't take that long to do a little searching and get a more holistic view of the candidates. This extends beyond just seeing if they like using racial slurs on their podcast--you'd just have a broader range of the type of comedy the person does.

This is kind of a problem that extends over the whole show, though--doing things the same way they've been done since 1975 because that's just how they do them. They still cram most of the writing into one night, for god's sakes. At what point does it stop being a hallowed tradition and become a relic of a bygone era?

[Irlandesa]

I guess I'll be the voice who understands how this can happen. Yes, all the content is out there but some things are easier to find than others.  There are ways to search social media for specific terms but some of the stuff that is posted is hidden in context.

And podcasts can be hours and hours of content. 

I know NBC/SNL probably would have preferred it going down in a different way as perhaps there was more they could have done but I actually don't see as it as some kind of grand failure (other than I doubt this dude was funny) or that Lorne as show runner needs to be reconsidered over this.

[vb68]

Here's  basically a summary of a live interview/appearance by Kenan.

If there's video or a transcript, I haven't found it.  Obviously Kenan is going to keep to the company line and isn't going to sway from the Lorne/network approved lines.   I have to say that I'm disappointed with the answer on Shane Gillis.   What Gillis said was racist. Full Stop. It wasn't a joke and wasn't about being "woke" or being on one side of an argument. Just say "we should had vetted better."    

Edited October 14, 2019 by vb68

[helenamonster]

11 minutes ago, vb68 said:

Here's  basically a summary of a live interview/appearance by Kenan.

If there's video or a transcript, i haven't found it.  Obviously Kenan is going to keep to the company line and isn't going to sway from the Lorne/network approved lines.   I have to say that I'm disappointed with the answer on Shane Gillis.   What Gillis said was racist. Full Stop. It wasn't a joke and wasn't about being "woke" or being on one side of an argument. Just say "we should had vetted better."    

But even the show/network owned up to their mistake--they admitted they have next to no vetting process and would rectify that in the future, so I don't know why Kenan couldn't say the same thing.

Michael Che, in one of his infamous Instagram story bitch sessions, also had a weird comment on it, something along the lines of "why do we have to judge people based on past actions, give people a chance, etc." He did also seem to resent that Seth Simons, a frequent critic of his at Slate, was the one leading the internet dig-up.

On a somewhat unrelated note, I thought of Kenan this past week when the Dan Schneider murmurs started up again with him deleting a bunch of old tweets (for those unfamiliar, Dan Schneider was a producer at Nickelodeon responsible for most of their live-action programming over the past 25+ years, including All That where Kenan got his start--disturbing allegations of him sexually abusing his young stars have been out there for a while, and he was quietly fired from Nickelodeon last March). Kind of curious what Kenan will have to say when all that eventually hits the fan, since he's one of the biggest stars to come out of the network.

And finally, I know we joke about Kenan being on the show forever, but his mention of being there for the Ashlee Simpson thing really hammered it home for me. I was 10 years old then...now I pay rent and taxes and have a 401k. To reference Tina Fey's SNL/high school comparison: graduate, my guy.

[vb68]

2 hours ago, helenamonster said:

And finally, I know we joke about Kenan being on the show forever, but his mention of being there for the Ashlee Simpson thing really hammered it home for me. I was 10 years old then...now I pay rent and taxes and have a 401k. To reference Tina Fey's SNL/high school comparison: graduate, my guy.

Kenan seems to delight in his role as  the acknowledged Senior Castmember. More so than anyone I remember. It's such a thing that it has started leaking onto the show, like the monologue this past weekend.

Don't get me wrong. I do like him.  It's just kinda interesting that he likes it known he's the big man on campus.

Edited October 15, 2019 by vb68

[Peace 47]

I don’t necessarily think that Kenan has to abide by any unwritten rule regarding getting out after a certain period of time if he’s enjoying his work and doing it at the high level he always has.  But I just don’t know how he has kept up what I assume to be the punishing pace of the show for such a long time (with the late nights and the all-nighters and stress of live performance during show weeks).  Maybe it’s helped by the long summer breaks and weeks-long breaks during the season, though.

[izabella]

Maybe Keenan can take over for Lorne after Lorne steps down, if there is a show after that.

[Irlandesa]

57 minutes ago, izabella said:

Maybe Keenan can take over for Lorne after Lorne steps down, if there is a show after that.

I don't see Kenan taking over for Lorne when Lorne eventually retires.  He might have been on the show the longest but he hasn't taken on a show runner-type role or a head writing role on shows he has worked on.  I think he's talented and it's possible he could take on those roles but I would think Lorne's successor would have the experience of polishing/choosing skits, auditioning talent and being in charge of multiple departments.

That's why I think, of the potential alum successors I've heard tossed around, people like Tina Fey or Seth Meyers make sense.