Beck Bennett out at SNL; three new cast members

[Steve Timko]

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/27/1040968013/beck-bennett-is-leaving-snl-but-three-new-cast-members-are-joining-the-lineup

[Marti Lawrence]

I enjoyed his performances on SNL, but I am not sure he has the "star quality" to make it as a leading man. 

So many former SNL cast members left with dreams of becoming TV/movie stars, but very few have made it. 

~Marti

On Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 12:13:01 AM UTC-5 steve...@gmail.com wrote:

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/27/1040968013/beck-bennett-is-leaving-snl-but-three-new-cast-members-are-joining-the-lineup

[Tom Wolper]

On Tue, Sep 28, 2021 at 1:25 PM Marti Lawrence <martil...@gmail.com> wrote:

I enjoyed his performances on SNL, but I am not sure he has the "star quality" to make it as a leading man. 

So many former SNL cast members left with dreams of becoming TV/movie stars, but very few have made it.

All of the SNL alumni talk about how hard a grind it is to turn out shows weekly during the season especially with the schedule Lorne refuses to change. After 8 years Bennett might simply be sick of it. He might feel creatively exhausted and want to try something new even if it doesn't mean becoming a superstar. In the current environment of a thousand streamers and a million shows it won't be hard for him to find steady work.

Sasheer Zamata was on Marc Maron's podcast recently. She left SNL after only three and a half years and says she has been working steadily ever since.

I don't think SNL cast members are as naive as they might have been a generation ago. They get agents immediately and can spend off weeks and summers talking to media companies and seeing what else is available. Maybe when they first get hired they might imagine themselves to be Belushi or Sandler. After a few years they should have a good idea of where their post-SNL career will take them.

[David Bruggeman]

I also see a lot more cast members in outside projects while still on the show.  Now I suppose Lorne could be involved in all of these things, but does he really want to work *that* much?

David

[PGage]

The article (or, at least one of the articles on this I read today) mentions that there is less turnover than many observers expected, and one reason is that Lorne has become more flexible about allowing cast members to take time off in season to work on other projects. 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tvornottv+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/1076395740.1458689.1632864913077%40mail.yahoo.com.

--

Sent from Gmail Mobile

[Jim M]

A good book to compare and contrast w the early days is “Wild and Crazy Guys’.  Shows how many of the early cast (Belushi, Murray, Chase, Murphy) went on to have major movie careers.  Very entertaining, and in paperback.

[Steve Timko]

If Bennett left voluntarily, why would he make the announcement when they announced the new cast? I liked his work, but he was never a lynchpin. 

It's interesting how some cast members find work after SNL and others don't. Tina Fey seemed to be shilling to get someone, anyone, to hire Cheri Oteri. Rachel Dratch seemed to have rough years but suddenly got busy a few years ago. 

Then there's all those who just disappear.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tvornottv+...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/c53acbbd-13c7-4993-8ee6-25eb1640f3e6n%40googlegroups.com.

[Kevin M.]

On Tue, Sep 28, 2021 at 10:38 PM Steve Timko <steve...@gmail.com> wrote:

If Bennett left voluntarily, why would he make the announcement when they announced the new cast? I liked his work, but he was never a lynchpin. 

It's interesting how some cast members find work after SNL and others don't. Tina Fey seemed to be shilling to get someone, anyone, to hire Cheri Oteri. Rachel Dratch seemed to have rough years but suddenly got busy a few years ago. 

Then there's all those who just disappear.

Poor Charles Rocket 

On Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 8:42 PM Jim M <jmar...@gmail.com> wrote:

A good book to compare and contrast w the early days is “Wild and Crazy Guys’.  Shows how many of the early cast (Belushi, Murray, Chase, Murphy) went on to have major movie careers.  Very entertaining, and in paperback.

On Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 1:25:33 PM UTC-4 martil...@gmail.com wrote:

I enjoyed his performances on SNL, but I am not sure he has the "star quality" to make it as a leading man. 

So many former SNL cast members left with dreams of becoming TV/movie stars, but very few have made it. 

~Marti

On Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 12:13:01 AM UTC-5 steve...@gmail.com wrote:

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/27/1040968013/beck-bennett-is-leaving-snl-but-three-new-cast-members-are-joining-the-lineup

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tvornottv+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/c53acbbd-13c7-4993-8ee6-25eb1640f3e6n%40googlegroups.com.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tvornottv+...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAH5J8ywe9PZzBH0z%3Da7Bwbz2AasvL7pxxc0-QnmsLPBes%3Dn4SA%40mail.gmail.com.

--

Kevin M. (RPCV)

[PGage]

I suspect the Hit Rate for cast members after SNL is higher than the average hit rate for cast members after they leave an average successful Primetime show. I guess we would need to agree on an operational definition of “Hit”, but it doesn’t have to be a string of box office blockbuster films.

If given a choice between 16 years on SNL or 8 years + 8 years doing a couple of other moderately successful, lower profile projects, I guess it is a personal preference, but I would not criticize those who made the second choice.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAH5J8ywe9PZzBH0z%3Da7Bwbz2AasvL7pxxc0-QnmsLPBes%3Dn4SA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Tom Wolper]

On Wed, Sep 29, 2021 at 9:41 AM PGage <pga...@gmail.com> wrote:

I suspect the Hit Rate for cast members after SNL is higher than the average hit rate for cast members after they leave an average successful Primetime show. I guess we would need to agree on an operational definition of “Hit”, but it doesn’t have to be a string of box office blockbuster films.

If given a choice between 16 years on SNL or 8 years + 8 years doing a couple of other moderately successful, lower profile projects, I guess it is a personal preference, but I would not criticize those who made the second choice.

It was an SNL rule years ago that a cast member would have to be young to join the cast and they would be encouraged to move on after the end of their seven year contract. Leslie Jones was older when she joined the cast, though she came from the writing staff, and Kenan seems likely to stay through retirement, so I don't know if the rule still holds.

The SNL schedule is tough on its cast and the physical capacity to deal with it may wane after 8 years with natural aging and some degree of burnout. Kenan deals with it just fine so that may not be universal. Still the schedule of a movie or sitcom, especially a 10 episode series, could look easy by comparison.