Pop Culture Power Rankings: 2000s SNL Alumni!

Eligibility Rules: Alumnus / alumna must have been a main cast member of Saturday Night Live during this current century, which began on January 1, 2000 and is scheduled to end on December 31, 2099, barring unforeseen circumstances.

Thus, writers such as John Mulaney, Akiva Schaffer, Michael Schur, J.B. Smoove and Jorma Taccone, as well as featured cast members such as Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate, Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson are not eligible.

Other Notes: The rankings are not based on how much success each person has had in their careers outside of SNL, but by how much enjoyment (i.e. smiles, giggles, great big belly-laughs, etc.) I have derived from their non-SNL career.

Tier Seven was originally the Fred Armisen tier, but I realized that I have not seen enough Portlandia to make any reasonable statements about Armisen’s non-SNL career. 

The following were also considered but ultimately left out due to a lack of space: Will Forte, Ana Gasteyer, Chris Kattan, Tim Meadows, Chris Parnell, Maya Rudolph, Horatio Sanz, Molly Shannon

#1: Tina Fey

Any conversation about today’s best comedy talents is wholly incomplete without mentioning Tina Fey. Gifted comedy writers can go a whole career without penning something as funny, popular and influential as Mean Girls or 30 Rock. Not only did Fey create both of these critically acclaimed works of comedy gold, she also appeared in both of them, starring in 30 Rock.

Fey also shined in the underrated and surprisingly hilarious Baby Mama, wrote the #1 best seller Bossypants, hosted the Golden Globes with pal Amy Poehler (and will be back again in 2014! Look out Taylor Swift!), and is set to star in the new Muppets movie. 

With contributions like that, I can forgive her for Date Night. 

#2: Will Ferrell

If this list were of the funniest SNL actors of the century, Ferrell would likely top the list, but there is no shame in being second to the national treasure that is Tina Fey.

Ferrell’s movies have become hit-or-miss over the years, but when they hit, they produce more laughs than just about anything else on the market. Regardless of whatever else he does in his career, Ferrell has already made a lasting mark on the comedy landscape; in twenty years, people will still be quoting Ron Burgundy and watching Old School on Comedy Central (or whatever Comedy Central is called in 2033).

#3: Andy Samberg

Andy Samberg is one of those polarizing comedy actors that you either love or hate. Put me firmly in the former category. For years, he was consistently one of the funniest people on SNL and his digital shorts were always the best three minutes of every episode.

Outside of SNL, he has had major success in films such as the underrated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and I Love You, Man. His parody rap group The Lonely Island has been a monster success, producing six top-100 songs, including the karaoke favorite “I’m on a Boat.”

Most recently, he has appeared on the British sit-com Cuckoo (which might still be going? British TV is confusing) as well as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which is the best new show on television.

Seriously, watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

#4: Amy Poehler

For reasons I do not fully understand, there was a time when many people I respected could not stand Amy Poehler.  Luckily, those opinions can now be firmly and conclusively proven false.

Anyone with a brain who watches NBC’s Parks and Recreation (read: anyone with a brain) knows that Amy Poehler has turned into one of the best and most endearing comedy actors on television. Some argue that she can be annoying, but that is also one of her strengths (#BossBitch); she excels at an annoying style of comedy without crossing the line or becoming cringe-worthy, a very delicate balance that even Steve Carell’s Michael Scott occasionally stumbled over.

She was at her annoying-but-lovable best in Baby Mama, which, I have already established, you should watch.  And while Poehler was not the highlight of Wet Hot American Summer or Mean Girls, but both of those movies are so good that you can get some mileage just from having your names attached to them.

#5: Kristen Wiig

After years of carrying SNL with her versatile MVP performances, Wiig has made the jump to full-blown movie star.  Her star-turn occurred when she co-wrote and starred in Bridesmaids, but she had long been stealing scenes in movies such as Knocked Up, Walk Hard and Adventureland.

She has since appeared in season four of Arrested Development as “Young Lucille” (A+ for the casting director on that one), and will be playing Brick’s love interest in Anchorman 2, which may be worth the price of admission alone (especially if you download the movie illegally).

#6: Jason Sudeikis

Possibly the person on this list whose star is most on the rise, Sudekis experienced significant box-office success during his final seasons on SNL.  His breakout came in the form of a starring role in Horrible Bosses, and he has since gone on to star in Hall Pass, The Campaign and We’re The Millers, all of which experienced varying levels of success.  He had recurring roles in 30 Rock and Eastbound and Down, as well as appearing in what might be the year’s best music video and commercial.

As if that’s not enough, he is also engaged to Olivia Wilde.

#7: Bill Hader

Bill Hader is one of the best impressionists SNL has ever had, and his hilariously malleable face is a big reason why he was such a versatile and integral member of the show for so long. 

His jump to movies culminated in a starring role in the laugh-machine known as Superbad, but also included some other excellent movies like Knocked Up (he had a minuscule part, but he delivered one of my favorite lines: she looks like she just realized that she’s pregnant), Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Adventureland and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

He is also in those funny T-Mobile commercials.

#8: Jimmy Fallon

On SNL, Fallon’s two biggest contributions were as the Weekend Update anchor and portraying the guy who couldn’t help but laugh in every sketch he was in.

Since then, he has gone on to take over for Conan O’Brien on Late Night, and will soon be replacing Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. He has managed to work his way towards the top of the talk show pyramid with smart decisions (hiring The Roots as his house band, starting a fake rivalry with Stephen Colbert) and internet-ready bits and sketches.

#9: Tracy Morgan

I probably have Morgan ranked lower than most people and lower than I would have ranked him several years ago.  I was impressed with how he adeptly portrayed a character that was clearly poking fun at his real-life personality.  Now I am pretty sure that he can only really play that one character and that he may not be acting at all.  It doesn’t help that I shelled out good money to see him performing stand-up comedy a few years ago and he arrived a drunken mess.

At least we’ll always have Brian Fellow’s Safari Planet…

#10: Darrell Hammond

Hammond will go down as an SNL Hall of Famer, as he currently holds the longevity record with fourteen seasons as a cast-member.  He is most well known for his brilliant impressions, especially Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Donald Trump and, of course, Sean Connery in Celebrity Jeopardy.

Unfortunately, his career outside of SNL has not been nearly as eventful, with credits like Scary Movie 3, Scary Movie 5 and Epic Movie. He also guest-starred in seven episodes of Damages, but I won’t blame you if you stopped reading once I mentioned that he was in Epic Movie.

#11: Rachel Dratch

Rachel Dratch seems like a very nice woman, but her post-SNL career thus far has consisted of bit-roles in Adam Sandler movies and a recurring character in 30 Rock who may go down as one of the worst television characters in recent memory.