Top 10 Greatest Women of SNL

by Ryan Creed
Sep 12th, 2009 | 9:09 AM | Comments 30

It sure is hard being a woman on Saturday Night Live. This week the sketch-comedy show announced that players Casey Wilson and Michaela Watkins will be replaced by Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad, leaving Kristen Wiig as the only female veteran left standing.

Could it be that the bar set too high for the ladies of SNL? Maybe. After all, the show has a long tradition of nurturing America’s most famous comediennes to mainstream success, but the silver-lining to the current XX switch-a-roo is that the notoriously testosterone-fueled boys club is making no secret of its commitment to developing female talent.

One look at cast members of the past 35 years makes clear why: SNL’s women have taken sketch comedy to heights often unmatched by their male peers.

We took this cast shake-up as a chance look at the top ten groundbreaking women of Saturday Night Live.

GILDA RADNER (1975 - 1980)

Gilda Radner (Gettty Images)

Watch a classic SNL clip of Gilda here.

The first and arguably best female breakthrough star in Saturday Night Live’s history, Radner’s obnoxious Roseanne Roseannadanna and misinformed Emily Litella defined the meaning of “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” for decades to come.

JANE CURTIN (1975 - 1980)

Jane Curtin

Watch Jane’s Weekend Update here.

Curtin’s uptight, straight-woman foil to Gilda’s unyielding exuberance, John Belushi’s insanity on Weekend Update and Dan Aykroyd’s ignorant slut proved to be the grounding needed to make the original cast comedy legends.

JAN HOOKS (1986 - 1991)

Jan Hooks (Getty Images)

Wide-grinned southern belle Jan Hooks led SNL into its “Second Golden Age” with spot-on impressions ranging from Sinéad O’Connor to Nancy Reagan and as a singing Sweeney Sister with Nora Dunn.

JULIA SWEENEY (1990 - 1994)

Julia Sweeney (Getty Images)

It’s Julia! Sweeney’s SNL career was defined by one character, but oh what a character - the famously off-beat, single, sniveling gender-bending, is-it-a-he-or-she Pat Riley.

MOLLY SHANNON (1994 - 2001)

Molly Shannon (Getty Images)

Watch Molly as Mary Katherine Gallagher.

Never afraid to take a pratfall, this high-kicking everything-goes comedienne rose to fame with Mary Katherine Gallagher, the Catholic student outcast, and self-proclaimed “joyologist” Hele Madden.

CHERI OTERI (1995 - 2000)

Cheri Oteri (Getty Images)

Watch Cheri do the perfect cheer.

This pint-sized sparkplug created one of SNL’s most costume-ready characters - Arianna the delusional Spartan cheerleader- and a Barbara Walters lampoon that rivaled even Gilda Radner’s epic portrayal of Baba Wawa.

ANA GASTEYER (1996 - 2002)

Ana Gasteyer (Getty Images)

Gasteyer could easily be remembered for her scarily precise impressions of Martha Stewart and Celine Dion were it not for her performances as one-half of two of SNL’s kookiest duos: Margaret Jo McCullen, co-host of the NPR radio show Delicious Dish, and Bobbie Mohan-Culp, the operatic high school music teacher with Will Ferrell.

TINA FEY (2000 - 2006)

Tina Fey (NBC)

Watch Tina take on Palin here.

As if being SNL’s first female head writer and co-anchor of Weekend Update weren’t enough, this dry-witted, four-eyed funny woman changed the course of an entire presidential election with a no holds barred send-up of Sarah Palin.

AMY POEHLER (2001 - 2008)

Amy Poehler (Getty Images)

Watch Amy address the nation as Hillary Clinton.

The first SNL cast member to be nominated for a supporting role in a comedy, Poehler was the ultimate utility player, able to transform into characters as different as Hillary Clinton and Dakota Fanning, to display cutting quips as the co-anchor of Weekend Update, and to gangsta rap when pregnant and about to pop.

KRISTEN WIIG (2005 - present)

Kristen Wiig (Getty Images)

Go on a hot air ballon ride with Kristen.

Now the most veteran SNL female player, this wide-eyed fan favorite became the show’s breakout star with oversized imitations of Suze Orman and Nancy Pelosi as well as a stable of unstable original characters such as fast-talking Judy Grimes, film critic Aunt Linda, and the kitsch collecting Target lady.