Saturday Night Live has been a mainstay of television since 1975 and continues to be a pop culture icon and even shapes American politics as we know it. This sketch comedy series truly did change the game when it comes to comedy on television, and the live premise of the show introduced a whole new concept when it debuted. The idea of a different celebrity host each week was also a fresh addition to television, even if some hosts were funnier than others. As with any show that has been on the air for forty plus years, SNL has gone through its ups and downs when it comes to popularity, with many saying that the best seasons of SNL are whichever ones aired when you were in college.
One highlight of the series is the use of reoccurring characters either played by cast members or various guest hosts. This concept allows the audience to experience a character they love in various situations, with this being the only real "linear" aspect of SNL. But which SNL character reigns supreme? Let's take a look.
10 Opera Man
Opera Man was introduced in 1992 and became a reoccurring character on the shows Weekend Update segment, essentially SNL's news. Played by the unknown actor at the time, Adam Sandler, Opera Man blew up into a fan favorite with his delightful operatic singing of news stories. The character would appear sporadically throughout Sandler's run on the show through the early '90s and also made a special appearance at SNL's 40th Anniversary in 2015.
9 Drunk Uncle
Another Weekend Update fan favorite is Drunk Uncle, played by Bobby Moynihan. Drunk Uncle was played up as a parody of the stereotypical older family member who is out of touch with where the world is at. Slurring his way through his disdain for young people, technology, and a whole laundry list of other topics, Moynihan delivers one of the funniest and most iconic SNL characters.
8 Hans and Franz
Some of the best characters featured on SNL are when a specific celebrity, musician, or athlete is being parodied. This is essentially what Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey did with their characters Hans and Franz, two European body builders in the style of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The cast members commitment to the bit and the over-the-top padded muscles and sweatsuits make the duo one of the best in SNL history.
7 Keyrock/The Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer
The late, great Phil Hartman had his share of classic SNL characters, but perhaps none more popular than Keyrock, The Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer. The premise being that this previously frozen caveman is now a lawyer trying to live and work in the modern world without fully understanding it. Hartman's delivery and commitment to the bit helped to ground the outrageous premise and make a classically funny SNL character.
6 Prince & Beyoncé
Long before their successes elsewhere, Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph had long and hilarious runs on Saturday Night Live. Perhaps some of their funniest work comes from their portrayal of the unlikely duo of Prince and Beyoncé on the fictional talk show "Prince Show". With Rudolph's bombastic take on the pop star and the coy nature and shyness that Armisen gives to Prince, the two deliver some of the funniest sketches in SNL history.
5 Bronx Beat
Two of the funniest women in SNL's history team up for the next great characters Betty Caruso and Jodi Deitz, hosts of a talk show Bronx Beat. The premise of the sketch revolved around Amy Poehler's Caruso and Maya Rudolph's Deitz, playing over-the-top Bronx-dwelling hosts of the talk show, fawning over whichever male guest they had on. The chemistry between Poehler and Rudolph was always strong on the show, but never as strong as their team-ups for Bronx Beat.
4 The Culps
The hilariousness of Will Ferrell can not be understated. He is known the world round today for his comedy and appearances in some of the best comedy films of the last two decades. But it was his time on SNL that produced some of the best and funniest characters he has ever played. Along with fellow cast member, Ana Gasteyer, the two played the married couple of Marty Culp and Bob Mohan-Culp. Working initially as the music teachers at the fictional Altadena Middle School, they were the personification of uncool, performing cleaned up and "proper" versions of rap and r&b songs.
3 The Church Lady
Some SNL cast members tenure on the show are defined by one specific character they may have played. In the case of Dana Carvey, his tenure could be remembered for several, one of them being The Church Lady. Playing the character of Enid Strict, The Church Lady was the host of a Christianity-based talk show featuring celebrity guests with whom she would typically pass judgment and condemnation upon for past acts. Carvey who is the man of a thousand characters, fell into the role so easily, making The Church Lady one of the best SNL characters of all time. Isn't that special?
2 Stefon
Stefon was a character brought to life by two of the funniest people working in Hollywood today. Long before his outstanding role on HBO's Barry, Bill Hader was an SNL cast member. While Hader played the character on screen, it was friend and writer John Mulaney who provided the outrageous dialogue that would spew forth from Stefon's mouth. Watching Hader struggle to deliver the lines while sheepishly covering his face, Stefon had more than one way to make the audience roll with laughter. Always ready to share New York's hottest new spots, Hader and Mulaney helped bring to life a memorable SNL character for the ages.
1 Wayne and Garth
Plenty of feature films have been made about SNL characters with varied degrees of success. One of the best films, however is based on the characters of Wayne and Garth, played by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey on the show throughout the '90s. The best friends and hosts of Wayne's World, a late night cable access show, the duo shared their love of all things rock and roll. When two cast members share a sketch, chemistry is everything and Carvey and Myers worked so well together in their time on the show and in the films. They are iconically associated with Saturday Night Live and the greatest character(s) in the history of the show.