Ben Franklin once said, “In this world, there is nothing certain in life except death and taxes.” Franklin obviously never heard of Saturday Night Live. The show is in its 47th (!) season on NBC and is continuing to chug on with a deal in place to stay around through its 50th installment. Even though the show has been on for close to half a century, Saturday Night Live is at a major turning point. With many veteran cast members perhaps leaning towards moving onto greener pastures, Lorne Michales, creator and producer of the show, is reportedly making his pitch for them to stay.
According to sources close to Variety, Michaels has already begun the process of filling out the cast list for the new season. This development leads many to believe he is doing it in the hopes of bringing back many of the cast members on the fence. The list is long this year as Kenan Thompson (Kenan), Cecily Strong (Schmigadoon!), Kate McKinnon (The Spy Who Dumped Me), Aidy Bryant (Shrill), and Pete Davidson (The Suicide Squad) are all rumored to be wondering about moving on.
All five have been on the show for at least seven seasons and three have been tenured for over a decade. These cast members were an integral part of the inner workings of the show for the entire 2010’s. As actors moved in and out over the years, these members kept a sense of normalcy for viewers, not to mention chemistry with the other actors.
One major qualm that has led to many veteran actors of the cast to wonder if they should stay is the inability to work on other projects. With a season of the show spanning over most of the year, there is very little time for actors to find other work. Michaels has become more and more willing to allow castmates to take time away from the show to make time for their new projects. This past year both Strong and Bryant missed a few weeks to film their respective shows. It seems that the boss will expand this even more, allowing for veterans to work out time away from the show.
Time will only tell if Michaels will be able to bring back some stellar members of the cast with his new pitch, but it is worth a shot. If any of these members make it to the landmark 50th season, it will be a miracle, but Michaels has succeeded with worse odds. Stay tuned this summer as the cast list for Saturday Night Live comes to fruition.