The 10 Most Underrated SNL Cast Members From The 2010s, According To Reddit

As Saturday Night Live prepares to conclude season 47, many of the show’s cast members who began their tenures in the previous decade are speculated to potentially be leaving the show (including Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, and Kate McKinnon). Although they would certainly be missed if they decided to leave, some fans might find a silver lining and argue that it would at least allow other comedians to step up and have their moments in the spotlight as well.

If someone takes a look on Reddit, they’ll be able to find lots of threads dedicated to certain stars on SNL. These pages tend to be full of love, with many users putting forward arguments as to why their favorite performers or sketches should be highly rated. They definitely put forward so valid arguments too.

Bobby Moynihan

Bobby Moynihan dazzled audiences with hysterical characters, ranging from a drunken uncle to a friend of Weekend Update co-host Michael Che, who is able to present himself as mature and professional while behind the news desk, despite his normally boyish and rambunctious behavior.

Redditor Bcp299 acknowledged Moynihan’s excellence while theorizing why his reputation is not comparable to it, saying he is “Immensely talented and could punch up an average sketch, but because he was surrounded by much bigger names he didn’t get to shine as bright.”

Nasim Pedrad

Nasim Pedrad was added to the SNL lineup at the end of the 2000s and established herself as a formidable player in the following decade. She was adept at both impressions – portraying Kim Kardashian with expert precision – and original characters, such as a teenage girl who would prefer to socialize with her mother than with her peers at a party.

While Pedrad never achieved the iconic status held by co-stars, such as Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg, her performances continued to be valued by certain committed fans of the show. Referring to an iconic member of the original SNL cast, AirPirate83 wrote, “Nassim (sic) Pedrad is the closest to recreating Gilda Radner the show ever got!”

Beck Bennett

SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels welcomed an unusually-wide array of new cast members for the show’s 2013-2014 season (likely in an attempt to compensate for the vacancies left by recently-departed heavyweights Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis).

Perhaps the most impactful among these additions was Beck Bennett, who remained an integral member of the cast for the rest of the 2010s. Offtherailspcast holds Bennett in high regard despite his unjustly-low name recognition, saying that they “firmly believe that Beck Bennett is a top 5 male cast member of all time.”

Jay Pharoah

While all SNL cast members are required to perform celebrity impressions as part of their job description, many are simply serviceable at doing so and have not perfected the craft.

Jay Pharoah, who starred on the iconic program from 2010 until 2016, is one of the best celebrity impersonators from SNL and his portrayals of figures, such as Barack Obama and Kanye West, made for some of the most memorable material. zoitberg is one of the SNL viewers who champions Pharoah despite his relatively low profile, saying, “His impressions are spot on and he seems super likable.”

Taran Killam

Taran Killam failed to attain the undeniable levels of fame enjoyed by contemporaries, such as Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon, but many comedy aficionados would argue that his SNL tenure in the early- and mid-2010s cemented him as a giant of the franchise.

Killam charmed audiences with his biting impression of Ted Cruz and his recurring Weekend Update character Jebediah Atkinson (one of the best recurring Weekend Update characters in SNL history), along with several other roles that displayed his competence and range as a performer. Diligent-Bed9413 testified to his brilliance, saying, “He rarely broke and sold a great punchline. His charisma is endless, too.”

Tim Robinson

Although Tim Robinson is a certifiable comedy legend at present – thanks to the Netflix sketch comedy series I Think You Should Leave, which has enjoyed sensational success throughout its two seasons – he went largely unnoticed as a Saturday Night Live cast member in the early 2010s, leading to his dismissal from the cast after only one season.

Some recall Robinson’s brief tenure on the show fondly and argue that his early work should be given more consideration. One Reddit user wrote, “Tim Robinson was a legitimately good cast member. He’s now held in high regard, but his work specifically on SNL is overlooked.”

Vanessa Bayer

Vanessa Bayer served as one of the most reliably-effective SNL cast members in the early 2010s, despite co-stars, such as Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong, commanding a larger share of the public’s attention. Dedicated fans of the sketch comedy series often recognize Bayer’s unusual comedic talent despite her lower profile, often identifying her character acting as her greatest strength.

Acknowledging the recognition that she has received since leaving the cast, tesshasopinions wrote that Bayer “Has got he[r] dues now and got a proper send-off but is truly a god who can never be appreciated enough.”

Mike O’Brien

Mike O’Brien (who ultimately established himself as a writer rather than as a performer, finding his greatest success post-SNL as the creator of the cult sitcom A.P. Bio) only served as a cast member for one season of Saturday Night Live, not being given the screen time necessary to cultivate broad name recognition.

Despite this, some fans fondly recall the short films which O’Brien wrote and starred in during his tenure and argue that they render him the best recent SNL cast member who only lasted one season. Mattalamode believed he “produc[ed] some of the best post-Samberg digital shorts.”

Sasheer Zamata

It is widely believed that Sasheer Zamata was underutilized by SNL‘s writers and producers and that her talent as a comedic performer deemed her worthy of greater success and popularity than that which she received during her time on the series.

Zamata performed exceptional impressions of public figures, such as Rihanna and Michelle Obama, in addition to her extensive character work (contributions to SNL that certain fans remember fondly well into the subsequent decade). turtlebellbundy affectionately wrote, “Sasheer Zamata is so funny and sweet and never really got her big moment on SNL unfortunately.”

Paul Brittain

Saturday Night Live is notable for providing nascent cast members with few opportunities to prove their worth (one of the things SNL needs to change) and many performers with sufficient potential fail to gain traction as a result. Many dedicated SNL viewers would include Paul Brittain in this category.

Brittain’s unconventional comedic style likely confused certain audiences, but his equal knack for characters and impressions was valuable regardless. Taking note of one of his most notable performances, marklarberries wrote, “Not sure why he was only there a season or two, but I liked his Ron Paul impression.”