Top 10 Saturday Night Live Cast Members Of All Time

Live from Jyväskylä, it's Thursday morning!

I'm on a roll here - last week I ranked the top 10 current cast members of Saturday Night Live (1975-Present), so today I'll be ranking my favorite cast members throughout the ages. I'm excluding current members of the cast as their legacy isn't finished yet (not to mention the fact that they got their own list), so this list is all about people who aren't in the cast anymore.

Cards on the table - I haven't actively followed the show before the last few years and the only full episode I've seen from the olden days is the very first one from 1975. That being said, SNL's YouTube channel is absolutely filled with clips from all ages of the series, and I think I've watched enough clips from different eras to get a pretty good picture on who my favorite cast members are. I'd also like to clarify that I'm ranking these people specifically based on how good they were on SNL, and not their overall comedy careers.

Here are my honorable mentions: Amy Poehler, Bill Murray, Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig, Norm MacDonald.

10. Maya Rudolph (2000-2007)

Sure, it might seem like Maya Rudolph still belongs to the SNL cast, as she guest stars as Vice President Kamala Harris so frequently. But she hasn't been a part of the official main cast for fourteen years, believe it or not. When she was, it was what I consider to be the ultimate "golden age" of the series, as so many of my all-time favorite comedians were in the cast throughout the early 2000's.

Rudolph certainly brought her own unique charm into the mix, and her charisma (not to mention her singing skill) has helped her tackle ambitious celebrity roles from Whitney Houston to Beyoncé. The skit of her absolutely butchering the Star-Spangled Banner at the World Series is so over-the-top that you can't help but laugh your eyes out.

9. Chevy Chase (1975-1976)

Here's a mind-boggling fact: despite his legendary status in the show's history, Chevy Chase was an official cast member for one season. While he came back many times afterwards to guest star, as well as hosting the show eight times before being banned due to behaving too much like his character Pierce Hawthorne in Community (2009-2015), Chase really was in the main cast only for the show's first season.

His appearance there was enough to build quite the legacy, though: in addition to appearing in many iconic skits and breaking through as a masterful comedy actor with his one-of-a-kind style, his largest contribution to the series is undoubtedly the creation of the Weekend Update segment, which he hosted in the first season. To this day, he remains one of the better Update hosts in the segment's impressive history, and his signature catchphrase "Good evening, I'm Chevy Chase and you're not" is one for the ages.

8. Fred Armisen (2002-2013)

What I really love about Fred Armisen's comedic style is just how genuinely weird he is. Many comedians are charming, charismatic people who do a good job acting weird when necessary, but Fred Armisen is just honestly, actually weird by nature. The way he plays any given role has a level of endearing awkwardness to it, and it works wonders as a contrast to the more straight-forward style of the more conventional comedians in the cast. No wonder that the series held on to him for so long; he is the fourth-longest tenured cast member in SNL history, and has appeared in the second-most sketches (856).

Whether he's playing an obvious casting choice like Michael Bloomberg or any number of his recurring Weekend Update characters, or a totally out-of-the-box character such as Queen Elizabeth II (no, really, Fred does a great Queen Elizabeth), he always seems to nail the roles he's given. My favorite SNL moment from him comes from the time after his tenure as cast member: his hilariously awkward appearance during Tina Fey's monologue when she hosted back in 2018.

7. Dan Aykroyd (1975-1979)

Dan Aykroyd's brand of comedy is intense, eccentric, expertly well-timed and thoroughly unique. When Eric Idle of Monty Python hosted SNL back in the day, he said that Aykroyd was the only cast member capable of being a Python, due to his comedic chops.

Aykroyd was the star of many recurring SNL bits, from the iconic "Coneheads" saga all the way to The Blues Brothers, a recurring sketch so popular that it turned into an actual performing musical act (and made for one hell of a movie). Aykroyd also belongs to SNL's U.S. Presidents Hall of Fame, for playing Jimmy Carter throughout his presidential tenure, not to mention his hilarious recurring Nixon impression.

6. Dana Carvey (1986-1993)

Due to the fact that my upbringing included Wayne's World (1992) and Wayne's World 2 (1993) but not Saturday Night Live, I always saw Dana Carvey as the sidekick to the more charismatic and iconic Mike Myers. And so, when I began to acquaint myself with SNL history in recent years, I was surprised to see that Carvey was by far the more influential and legendary comedian of the two in the context of this show (no offense to Mr. Myers, who wasn't far from making it onto the list himself).

Carvey is undoubtedly one the greatest celebrity impersonators I have ever witnessed, from his legendary tenure as SNL's George H.W. Bush throughout his presidency to his hilarious take on It's a Wonderful Life's George Bailey (James Stewart). He was also prolific in the creation of original sketch characters - who could forget the hysterical Church Lady, not to mention Garth Algar (like The Blues Brothers, Wayne's World also originated as an SNL sketch)?

5. Tina Fey (2000-2006)

I wanted to rank her even higher - between her work on this show, her writing, producing and starring in 30 Rock (2006) and her autobiography Bossypants (2011) being the hands-down funniest book I've ever read, I sincerely believe that Tina Fey is one of the most hilarious people on this earth. But when looking purely at her work on SNL, she's barely edged out by a few others - while still making it into the top five!

While her biggest SNL strength was as a writer, she did become a valuable and memorable castmember due to her tenure as Weekend Update co-host. When the segment was hosted by her and Jimmy Fallon, it was a delight to watch, but when Fallon left and was replaced by Fey's partner-in-crime Amy Poehler, the segment became a thing of perfection. While the dynamic duo complemented one another with their different strengths, I've always found Fey to be the funnier of the two with her well-written and perfectly timed jokes. She also gains extra points for everything she's done on SNL after her duration as an official cast member - not only has she returned to host several times with each monologue being greater than the last, but her recurring guest role as Sarah Palin is, in my opinion, the single greatest political impersonation in SNL history.

4. Seth Meyers (2001-2014)

Speaking of Weekend Update hosts - from Chase and MacDonald, through Fey and Poehler, all the way to Che and Jost, there have been many great hosts of this segment. But in my mind, there is only one right answer to who was the best of them all. After all, Meyers is one of the top 3 longest-tenured cast members of all time, and much of this can be credited to the fact that he became so synonymous with the Weekend Update segment that people didn't want to see anyone else in his place.

It makes such perfect sense that while many SNL stars get their own fictional TV series to produce and star in after leaving (ever wonder how 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation or Brooklyn Nine-Nine were born?), Meyers was given a deal for his own late night talk show when he left - after all, sitting behind a desk telling jokes was clearly his largest area of expertise, so why not continue doing it? Meyers may not be the best celebrity impersonator or character-creator of his SNL era, but he sure rocked Weekend Update like no other.

3. Andy Samberg (2005-2012)

There are so many things that Andy Samberg did right during his time on SNL. From chemistry with other castmembers (whenever he'd team up with Bill Hader or Seth Meyers, the results were amazing) to spicing the show up with his unique, chaotic and juvenile brand of humor (Andy going Full Andy in the "Smorgasboard" skit is a delight to fans of the comedian, as is every instance of him breaking out his purposefully terrible celebrity impressions), he made the show better in so many ways. I always crack up whenever I re-watch Seth Meyers's emotional final Weekend Update appearance, as Samberg (who had left the show two years prior) appears, only to remark "Wait, it's your last show??" when Meyers is moved by him showing up. And let's not forget the time Samberg played the role of Mark Zuckerberg, next to guest host and Social Network (2010) star Jesse Eisenberg doing his Zuckerberg impression, and the real Zuckerberg showing up to perfect the trio!

Also, Samberg was instrumental in the popularization of SNL digital shorts, which are modern classics in their own right. The Shooting AKA Dear Sister is not only a hilarious skit, but many experts see it as one of the most influential and game-changing pieces of media in the birth of "Millennial comedy" - while I'm generation Z myself, my cultural influences come more from the millennial generation, and I can definitely see how this skit helped shape the type of humor that has clicked the most with my generation.

2. Eddie Murphy (1980-1984)

At the turn of the decade from 70's to 80's, Saturday Night Live had passed its initial momentum and viewership was declining. The addition of a young, fresh and energetic Eddie Murphy to the main cast is seen as the largest individual reason for the show's subsequent revitalization and the new wave of fans that came in the 80's. Murphy brought something thoroughly new and fresh to the show, with his wild, erratic and charismatic comedy chops that sat very well with audiences while being properly edgy for the show that SNL has always strived to be.

Many of the clips from Murphy's heyday in Saturday Night Live are all-time classics - from individual skits like the surreal Oscar Statuettes and the expert-commentary-on-race-relations-in-America White Like Me, all the way to recurring characters such as Mr. Robinson (a fantastic twist on beloved television host Mr. Rogers) and the inexplicably hilarious Gumby, Eddie Murphy did it all. One of the show's highlights from the last few years was Murphy's long-awaited return as he finally hosted in 2019, and it was great to see him returning with all his firepower (both Mr. Robinson and Gumby returned in a hysterical fashion during the episode).

1. Bill Hader (2005-2013)

My all-time favorite comedians can be boiled down to a top three. And while Donald Glover has hosted SNL (not to mention the fact that he auditioned for the show but somehow didn't get in), and John Mulaney has worked as a writer on the show in addition to hosting several times, Bill Hader is the only member of this exclusive trio who has been a cast member on SNL. And while there are many reasons for Hader being my (possibly) favorite comedian of all time - his movie roles, his work on HBO's Barry (2018-Present) and his personality being authentically hilarious in its own right whenever he's interviewed - his work on SNL is the biggest individual reason for why I'm such a fan, and the biggest individual reason for why I see that particular era as the show's best.

Hader's style of comedy is one of a kind. As a mixture of his unfortunate dealing with anxiety, his genuine personality, and his bizarre creativity, his SNL moments always have a mixture of chaos, warmth and absurdity to them. He's an impression mastermind, ranging from a perfect Al Pacino and a hilarious John Malkovic to a legendary Clint Eastwood and a laugh-out-loud-worthy take on Snape (Alan Rickman) from the Harry Potter movies. It's hilarious to watch the Weekend Update clip from 2005 where young, largely unknown cast members Bill Hader and Andy Samberg are introduced, and they battle in impressions with Hader's work being perfection and Samberg's being purposefully sloppy - they even returned to this tradition in 2014 when Samberg hosted, as Hader made an amusing guest appearance to show off his actually good impressions.

Hader's work together with writer John Mulaney lead to the creation of the best-ever Saturday Night Live recurring character, Stefon. Stefon is a work of art, especially when knowing the behind-the-scenes concept: Hader would read his lines for the first time live on air, and Mulaney wrote the lines with the sole intention of trying to make him break on camera and burst out laughing. Re-watching all of Stefon's appearances with this in mind, and following Hader fighting to keep a straight face while reciting lines so absurdly hilarious that only a Mulaney-Hader combo could give birth to them, is comedy gold.

When Hader hosted the show in 2018, the bombastic amount of applause from the audience as he walked in was a touching testament to how beloved he remained for his time on the show. This was followed by one of the funniest monologues I've ever seen on the series, which in turn was followed by a myriad of funny sketches and a memorable Weekend Update segment where Stefon made his grand return.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I celebrate the 30th anniversary of Twin Peaks's original finale by doing something any ordinary fan would do - ranking every episode of the whole series.

Top 10 Current Saturday Night Live Cast Members

Live from Jyväskylä, it's Thursday morning!

Saturday Night Live (1975) is airing its 46th season finale this week, so I'm celebrating the show with two blog posts on back-to-back weeks: today I'm sharing my ranking of my ten favorite current cast members, and next week I'm sharing my list of the 10 greatest cast members of all time. I'm ranking these cast members purely based on how much I enjoy their work on SNL, and not based on their overall comedy careers.

Here are my honorable mentions: Aidy Bryant, Chris Redd, Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Kyle Mooney.

10. Mikey Day

I know that most likely Mikey Day is a smart guy in real life. But that's easy to forget and even feels hard to believe, because he does such an incredible job playing dumb characters. While there are many kinds of roles that he's capable of, Day absolutely excels when playing characters that are various degrees of clueless, confused or just plain stupid. He is best remembered for his over-confident and hysterical recurring role as Donald Trump. Jr., and that role alone earns him a spot in this top 10.

9. Melissa Villasenor

Melissa Villasenor is quite a unique comedian with her commanding, sort-of-purposefully-annoying style of speaking. Once you get used to her comedic chops, she's very endearing to watch. I'm a big fan of her Weekend Update appearances, as she often appears as an exaggerated version of herself, always with the same concept: she's supposed to be discussing a certain topic, but then makes everything about herself and goes way off topic. Whether it's a review of the Oscars that turns into a series of songs about white male rage, or a Christmas appearance where Colin Jost keeps asking questions unrelated to Dolly Parton but she insists on showing off her Dolly Parton impression, it's always a great laugh. She also did a confusingly great job playing Kevin from Home Alone (1990) in a memorable yuletide skit!

8. Alex Moffat

SNL has always been one for political satire, and it's a long-standing tradition that the sitting U.S. president is always played by the same comedian throughout their tenure. Whether it's Chevy Chase's Gerald Ford or Alec Baldwin's Donald Trump, these impressions are often quite legendary, which is why the hype was real for who would be SNL's official Joe Biden. Throughout the 2020 election campaign, several comedians played then-candidate Biden in individual episodes, but none of them were quite right - Jim Carrey overacted even by SNL standards, Woody Harrelson didn't feel natural in the role, and while John Mulaney was hilarious, that was just because he's John Mulaney, not because of the impression.

So I was very glad to hear that after a lot of deliberation, longtime castmember Alex Moffat was chosen as the official Joe Biden for the next four years. Based on his first few appearances in the role, Moffat is hilarious as Biden, as he is in all of his appearances, from Weekend Update mainstay "Guy Who Just Bought a Boat" to his unforgettable Eric Trump. Maybe his Biden impression will earn him a newfound fame that will stop people from mistaking him for the real Eric Trump on the street (this happens all the time, according to Moffat).

7. Beck Bennett

While most SNL castmembers are very versatile in their comedic chops, each individual often has one particular type of character they particularly shine as. Whereas Mikey Day is at his best when playing dumb characters, Beck Bennett's forte is without a doubt playing arrogant characters. This guy is a world champion at playing smug jerks who are more or less full of themselves - I don't know what it is about his style of acting, but it always makes for a pitch-perfect parody of such people. While he seems like a modest and likable person in real life, he almost always brings this well-built flair of smugness into his best impressions, which include modern classics from Vladimir Putin and Mike Pence to Wolf Blitzer and Tom Brady.

6. Cecily Strong

Cecily Strong is one of those comedians who can make any line of dialogue funny with her delivery. While she's great at playing the "normal person" in the room whose job is to react to whatever strange is going on, she's even better when she's in the spotlight and being all sorts of weird herself.

I absolutely love the several instances where she has played the role of generally unlikable people, making her own opinion of them clear with impressions so hideously over-the-top and caricature-like that they're actually magnificent - these include her recurring roles as Fox News's Jeanine Pirro, congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, and various members of the Kardashian/Jenner circles. Her recurring Weekend Update characters, such as The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party as well as The Woman Who's Always Yelling Outside Michael Che's window, are creative and quite spectacular.

5. Michael Che

Co-head writer of the series and co-host of the beloved Weekend Update segment, this guy is just pure gold. His sense of humor is probably darker than the rest of the cast combined, and I can't help but laugh at his absolutely shocking, right-on-the-verge-of-being-offensive-while-somehow-managing-to-never-actually-offend jokes on all sorts of hot-button issues. His style of comedy can be boiled down to the time where he revealed in an interview that when Avengers star Chris Hemsworth hosted, Che wanted to do a skit where the Avengers save New York City from space aliens but kill an unarmed Black teenager in the process. Somehow, the skit didn't make the final cut.

Che is the perfect counterpart to the more conventional and safe comedic style of his partner in crime, Colin Jost, and their dynamic is what has made Weekend Update the highlight of pretty much every episode in recent years. My favorite tradition of his has to be the special segment that comes at the end of each season, where he and Jost 'trade jokes' for the other one to read live on air without seeing it beforehand - each time this has occured, his pranks on Jost have been more brutal and hilarious than the last. Here's hoping this week's season finale continues the tradition!

4. Colin Jost

Choosing between Che and Jost is like naming your favorite Beatle - why compare elements that so clearly complement one another? But, when all is said and done, Jost very barely edges out his Update co-host and comes out on top. It's hard to describe what makes his comedic style tick so well - his jokes aren't as unique as Che's and could be told by anyone, but the precise manner in which he delivers them is just sheer perfection.

Take the time when he showed the clip of Donald Trump ranting about dishwashers at a rally of his on the day of his impeachment, after which the camera returns to Jost who says in a subtle yet dramatic manner: "Words that will echo through the ages". Or, even better, the Weekend Update segment from the first episode after President Biden's inauguration, in which Jost begins a joke about Trump with the introduction "Former social media influencer Donald J. Trump..." - I don't even remember what the punchline was, but that just might be my favorite beginning to a joke of all time.

3. Kenan Thompson

This magnificently talented comedian became a featured player on the show back in 2003, and an official cast member in 2005 - he broke the record for longest-ever tenure on SNL years ago, and he's still going strong. At this point, it's hard to imagine the modern Saturday Night Live without him. His greatest talent doesn't lie in creating quirky characters or doing spot-on impressions, but rather in the fact that his natural energy when just being himself is so tirelessly funny. His amusing way of speaking, and the overall tongue-in-cheek nature of everything he says and the way he fills a room with his warm and fuzzy presence, make all of his SNL moments feel like quality comedy no matter what role he's playing.

That being said, I don't want to downplay his roles - he shines whenever he plays a game show host, whether it's a Steve Harvey impression or the fictional Black Jeopardy host, and his range of dark humor really comes into its own when he takes on roles such as Bill Cosby or O.J. Simpson.

2. Pete Davidson

Lately, Pete Davidson has expanded his range on the series, doing some surprisingly decent impressions of people such as congressman Matt Gaetz, not to mention his rapping skill improving many musical skits and his recurring character "Chad" being amusing. But there's no escaping the fact that Davidson's best material on SNL has always been and will always be his Weekend Update appearances as (perhaps a slightly exaggerated version of) himself.

Whenever Staten Island's golden boy Colin Jost interviews Staten Island's more controversial product Pete Davidson, it makes for comedy gold. His statements are often prone to cause conflict due to his less-than-filtered dark humor, but at the end of the day, it's always clear that his heart is in the right place. Whether he's opening up about his mental health struggles in an inspiring way (still with a shockingly tongue-in-cheek style), telling hilarious anecdotes through his unique and chaotic lens on life, or saying stuff like "The Goblins in Harry Potter are Jewish caricatures! They're tiny little Jew Goblins! And I can say that, because as you know, Colin, I'm half goblin", his Update appearances are always the highlight of the episode. I can't decide a favorite clip of his between classics like "Pete Davidson & John Mulaney review Clint Eastwood's The Mule" and the unforgettable "Pete Davidson on Staten Island".

Speaking of his unlikely friendship with John Mulaney, I have to bring up my all-time favorite SNL skit: Lobster Diner, from Mulaney's first time hosting. While there are several factors to what makes this skit into a masterpiece, one of the funniest parts is Davidson repeatedly breaking character and failing to hold back his real-life laughter at the skit's absurdity. Can't blame the guy - the whole cast, including Mulaney himself who wrote the skit, had trouble keeping a straight face.

1. Kate McKinnon

Hillary Clinton. Elizabeth Warren. Nancy Pelosi. Kellyanne Conway. Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Jeff Sessions. Anthony Fauci. Lindsey Graham. Rudy Giuliani. Angela Merkel. Theresa May. Queen Elizabeth II. Ellen DeGeneres. Lisa Kudrow. Greta Thunberg. Justin Bieber.

These are just a fraction of the celebrities that Kate McKinnon has not only impersonated, but absolutely mastered on Saturday Night Live. She is comedy dynamite whenever she appears on screen, proving time and again that there's nothing in the world of sketch comedy she can't do (and certainly no one she can't play - if McKinnon had been chosen as the show's de facto Joe Biden, I wouldn't have questioned it at all). It's no wonder that she has gotten 7 Emmy nominations (of which she won two) in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on the show. Certainly one of SNL's all-time greats.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my list of the Top 10 Saturday Night Live cast members of all time!

Top 10 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Episodes

Nine-Nine!

A few weeks back, I asked my Instagram followers what television series I should do a 'Top 10 episodes" ranking about. The most request show by far was the insanely popular police sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-Present). After a lot of hard work, I got the job done. I'm excluding episodes from season 7, as it hasn't been released on Netflix yet so I haven't seen it.

SPOILER ALERT: As the list is aimed at people who have seen the show, spoilers from seasons 1-6 will ensue. You've been warned!

Here are my honorable mentions: Halloween II (Season 2 Episode 4), Johnny and Dora (Season 2 Episode 23), The Oolong Slayer (Season 3 Episode 4), Coral Palms, Parts 1-3 (Season 4 Episodes 1-3), Crime & Punishment (Season 4 Episode 22).

10. The Fugitive, Parts 1&2 (Season 4 Episodes 11-12)

"I sold a guy a fake Pekinese. 'Twas a cat"

"You will not win me over with your use of 'twas"

"'Twasn't trying to"

Doug Judy, a.k.a. the Pontiac Bandit, played by the wonderful Craig Robinson, is certainly one of the greatest recurring characters in sitcom history. He appears once every season, and there are always increasing layers to the thin line between good-guy and villain that he walks, while his enemy-friendship with Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) deepens every time.

If I counted the entire Pontiac Bandit saga as one, it would be much higher on the list, as the different instalments really complement one another. When counted individually, they're still pretty great - especially this two-part gem from season four. By this time, fans were very familiar with the character, so the show's expert writers really knew how to make the best of his delicious appearance and his top-notch chemistry with Jake and company.

9. Hitchcock & Scully (Season 6 Episode 2)

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but..."

"Meow!"

"No, that is not what I was gonna say, but, honestly? Yeah - meow!"

This fantastic episode begins with one of the coolest cold opens in a series full of awesome opening sequences. We flash back to the 80's, as we follow two young and handsome tough-guy cops making a drug bust. The viewer begins to wonder why we're seeing this, not to mention the peculiar fact that one of the two has a familiar-looking hairstyle...and just as you start to put one and one together, the dialogue hits you. It's a young Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller).

The rest of the episode follows present day, as the two old and goofy supporting characters return to an old case of theirs, and we get many more flashbacks to their youth. It's hilarious but also eye-opening to follow what those two were like back in their day, and how they became the chicken-wing-devouring house mouses they are in the present. Quite a treat to get an episode so focused on two characters who are so often in the sidelines.

8. Jake & Amy (Season 5 Episode 22)

"I've known you both for the last five years. And it has been a true pleasure to watch your distracting childish rivalry evolve into a distracting childish courtship and now into what I'm sure will be a distracting, childish marriage. I'm proud of you, and I love you both"

The love story of Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) is the second-greatest love story in all of television (number one is obviously Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) in The Office (2005-2013), and if you disagree, you clearly haven't seen The Office). So, naturally, I'm a big fan of the season finale where those two finally tied the knot. It's a delightful wedding episode, with a perfect balance of silly humor, genuinely heartwarming moments, and exciting subplots. The icing on the cake is the speech given by the wedding's officiator and the show's best character, Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher), which draws and expert combination of laughs and tears.

7. Halloween III (Season 3 Episode 5)

"Sergeant, are you familiar with the Hungarian fencing term Hossz Gorcs?"

"You must realize my answer is no"

Much like the Pontiac Bandit episodes, the Halloween Heist episodes are also a once-per-season tradition that are hard to look at individually - if I counted the chronicle as one, it would be in first place. But when looking at the individual Halloween Heists, there are a few that really stand out (although every single one would make my top twenty).

The first Halloween Heist was the best episode of season 1, the second Halloween Heist was even better, and the third one managed to keep the upward momentum going. By season 3, the tradition was familiar enough that the writers could have a blast by just making everything bigger and more dramatic. The episode is filled with twists, turns and shenanigans at an unprecedented rate, making for incredibly entertaining viewing and a final conclusion that once again manages to surprise.

6. Game Night (Season 5 Episode 10)

"Every time someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better, more interesting place"

Brooklyn Nine-Nine often makes statements about various social justice issues in its dialogue, but there are a few occasions when they have truly delved deep into some important and serious issue. Three episodes in particular come to mind, and all three have made it into this top 10 - that shows how well the series does with such themes.

In Game Night, Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) wants to come out as bisexual to her parents, after making the realization herself. The episode deals with homophobia in a heartbreaking manner, as we see the sheer pain that the character experiences when her parents aren't cool with who she is. While parts of the episode are gripping to watch, it will ultimately leave a smile on your face, as the main group of characters do such an incredible job being there for Rosa and making sure she has a loving family in them. Like all of the more serious B99 episodes, Game Night is an ultimately uplifting and hopeful viewing experience.

5. He Said, She Said (Season 6 Episode 8)

"Amy's just upset because the historically entrenched patriarchy has created a culture of victim-shaming that suppresses any power shift in our masculo-phallic system"

"Huh?"

"I couldn't sleep last night so I watched a documentary on Netflix about feminism"

"I love you"

Here's something that really bugs me: when season 4 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine featured a more serious episode centering on racism within the police, and when season 5 had a similarly serious episode revolving on homophobia, these episodes got mainly very positive reviews - but when season 6 featured a very similar episode on the topic of workplace sexual harassment, it got very poor reviews with many reviewers calling it "preachy". This reaction, compared to general opinions on the show's other more serious episodes, really shows how a lot of people still don't take the issue of sexual harassment seriously or believe in the scope of the problem, which is a sad thing to witness in the #metoo era.

Which is why it's a good thing that there are statements such as this episode, even though the message didn't come through for everyone. He Said, She Said is a brilliant and gripping episode (with nice moments of humor and levity sparkled throughout), in which this important issue is looked at from many angles. The cast does an amazing job, whether it's Melissa Fumero pouring her heart out as Amy recounts her own experiences, or Andy Samberg showing his less comical side as Jake starts to realize just how large and omnipresent the problem is. The episode was also the directorial debut for Rosa's actress Stephanie Beatriz, and she does a fantastic job!

4. The Box (Season 5 Episode 14)

"I just wanna bring this guy down"

"Yeah, that's all I want too. And to possibly say 'You can't handle the tooth!', you know, if it comes up naturally"

"It won't"

"It might"

"I actually think...it can't"

The recipe for Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a delicate mixture of situation comedy veering on slapstick and crime show with some actually interesting policework - with the balance leaning heavily on the comedic side. The Box is what happens when the crime show element takes over.

The setting of the episode alone makes it stick out, as pretty much all of it happens in the interrogation room, and instead of the usual ensemble cast we spend our time with just three characters - Jake, Holt, and murder suspect Philip Davidson, played in a jaw-dropping guest performance by Sterling K. Brown. The episode is full of laughs, yet it still retains a very real sense of intensity uncommon for the show, as the case in hand is so well-written. The dynamic between Jake and Holt is at its very best, the closed-room atmosphere does wonders in building the suspense, and the final resolution is brilliant. The final scene, where Jake and Holt step outside the building after a hard night's work, feels incredibly rewarding and humane after all that has gone down.

3. 99 (Season 5 Episode 9)

"I tried everything. I begged. I pleaded. I even told them that Scully was a make-a-wish-kid with a rare disease that makes him look like a giant old baby"

For this particular series, the 99th episode of the show was a bigger deal than the 100th episode - and what a payoff this 99th episode was. A trip to the funeral of a former captain takes a turn for the chaotic, when Holt finds out that he's being considered for the position of Chief Commissioner, and has to find his way back to New York in time for the interview. This leads to all sorts of hijinks, while several long-built storylines (Holt's desire to be Commissioner, Jake's obsession with Die Hard (1988), Holt's shady deal with mob boss Seamus Murphy (Paul Adelstein)) come to thrilling points of climax.

My favorite individual moment in the episode has to be the defining character moment of Amy Santiago, one of the show's better characters who really gets to shine in this instalment. After trying to prove that she has a less uptight, more easy-going side to her personality for most of the episode, there comes a moment where the group needs her to tap into her unparalleled organizational skills. This leads to a downright epic moment, as we see Amy in her truest form, unleashing her powers of planning and organization in a way that makes emotionally invested viewers feel proud and delighted, as well as amused by the scene's comedic value.

2. Moo Moo (Season 4 Episode 16)

"When I got stopped the other day, I wasn't a cop. I wasn't a guy in the neighborhood looking for his daughter's toy. I was a Black man - a dangerous Black man. That's all he could see - a threat. And I couldn't stop thinking about my daughters, and their future, and how years from now, they could be walking down the street, looking for their kid's Moo Moo, and get stopped by a bad cop. And they probably won't get to play the police card to get out of trouble. I don't like that thought"

Here we have the first and best out of the three next-level serious episodes that the series has done. For a show about police officers, taking place in this day and age, created by the social-justice-minded brain of Michael Schur, it was inevitable that the issue of police racism had to be tackled. It couldn't have been done any better, as the episode manages to feel organic and not "preachy", while still conveying an extremely powerful message. By season four, the show hadn't really done any especially serious episodes, which is why it feels extra-gripping when you realize what is going on as Sgt. Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) is unnecessarily stopped and questioned by another police officer due to the color of his skin.

The balance of dark and light (racial pun not intended) is done with perfection, as the individual moments of comedy help make the episode feel like B99 while remaining subtle enough that they don't take away from the episode's overall atmosphere of dealing with important real-life issues. It is powerful to see Terry and Holt, two proud Black men, arguing about the specifics about how to deal with what happened, while very much finding common ground in their passion to fight against injustice. The storyline where Jake and Amy try to explain what happened to Terry's kids is also great, drawing a sweet balance between heartbreaking and endearing.

1. HalloVeen (Season 5 Episode 4)

"And, it's midnight, so I guess I'm an amazing human/genius!"

"Yeah...although...you might want to read the inscription on the belt"

"Why?! Oh no...what does it say...'Amy Santiago will you marry me'?"

"...Surprise"

There was no other possibility for first place. Throughout every season, the Halloween Heist tradition had escalated onto a more grand scale, and even though it has gone on after season 5, I can't help but see this as the ultimate Halloween Heist. Even before the episode's main event (I'll get to that later), the extremely over-the-top nature of the heist shenanigans lifts this episode to greatness - the cold open where Amy and Jake wake up ready to beat each other in the heist, only to find Holt in their bedroom showing the level of his preparedness, is the stuff of legends. It only gets better from there, as the fiercely competitive nature of the participants (not to mention their cartoonish antics in trying to win the heist) is a thrill and a joy to follow.

But that's not the episode's best part. The highlight of HalloVeen, and of the entire series, is the heist's shock conclusion that moved me to tears - Jake's proposal to Amy. I can't believe that the writers not only had the genius idea to combine the beloved Halloween Heist tradition with this climactic moment to the show's best love story, but that they managed to pull it off with perfection - I certainly didn't see it coming beforehand, and the revelation that it had all built to this is a breathtaking payoff. All in all, one of my favorite sitcom episodes of all time.

Thank you for reading! Be sure to tune in as I continue on the comedy line next week with a post on the top 10 current Saturday Night Live (1975-Present) cast members, followed by a list on the following week of the top 10 SNL cast members of all time.

Ranking All DC Extended Universe Movies

Hello, reader!

Due to the recent release of Zack Snyder's Justice League cut (2021), I've decided to look back on the colorful bunch of movies in the DC Extended Universe. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, it is a cinematic universe of superhero movies by DC Comics, starting from 2013's Man of Steel. I'm ranking the two versions of Justice League (the 2017 original and the 2021 director's cut) separately, as they differ largely in quality. Without further ado, let's go!

10. Suicide Squad (2016)

Simply put, Suicide Squad is a mess. I don't completely hate it as many movie buffs do, as there are parts that I admit enjoying (Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, Will Smith's Deadshot, that's pretty much it). But oh boy, the movie should and could have been about a thousand times better than what we ended up with. The concept of DC Comics (the traditionally darker and grittier of the two superhero giants) doing a movie about a group of villains seemed perfect: what a glorious opportunity for anti-hero moral dilemmas with that trademark DC gloom! Instead, the filmmakers decided that their villain-based movie would be the perfect opportunity to channel Marvel and do a goofy popcorn flick - not a good call.

Between the forced humor at every turn, the extremely generic villain, the cliché "Let's spend too long of a time fighting CGI monsters while a blue beam shoots up into the sky" final act, and Jared Leto's Joker being written so horribly that it screams "We wanted to make more money by putting this famous character into the movie but we forgot to give him anything to work with or any reason to be there", there's not a whole lot to like in this screwed-up romp other than the two decent performances mentioned above.

9. Justice League (Original Version) (2017)

When I get to Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League later in the list, remember that the theatrical cut was at second-last place. I want to highlight the difference between the two, as it's absolutely insane what a difference editing choices can make when given the same material.

To be fair, I admit that the situation was impossible for Justice League - Zack Snyder had to drop out due to personal tragedy, and they had to finish the movie with a different director. All involved have my sympathies. But my understanding of the situation doesn't mean that I should pretend that 2017's Justice League wasn't the flop that it definitely was. After years of hype for DC's greatest superheroes coming together, we got a disjointed mix of Zack Snyder's grittiness and Joss Whedon's fun entertainment. Those two didn't play well together at all.

While I liked parts of the movie, it was infuriating how subpar it was for a film of DC's greatest heroes coming together. Seeing the Snyder cut highlighted just how much of a failure this theatrical cut was, and my opinion of the 2017 version has gone further down ever since. While Snyder intended Justice League to be a long movie directed at his core audience (nerds like me), where all of the heroes (as well as the villain) have their own interesting origins, motivations and archs, Joss Whedon switched the target audience into mainstream moviegoers, therefore cutting the runtime by half.

Gone were the interesting motivations. Gone were the unique character stories. Instead of being a villain with an interesting backstory, Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) becomes a generic video game villain. Instead of being a complex hero with his own fascinating struggles, Cyborg (Ray Fisher) becomes a one-dimensional archetype. If you want a fun film of DC's heroes coming together, a poor man's Avengers (2012) as it were, this film barely has you covered, but it is embarrassing how it destroys Zack Snyder's vision of telling an actually interesting Justice League story.

8. Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)

While far from being a great piece of cinema, Birds of Prey is entertaining and fun enough to be considered a success in what Suicide Squad failed at. On paper, it's dangerously similar to the generally reviled Suicide Squad - it's a film about anti-heroes and villains, lead by Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. The major difference making Birds of Prey much better than Suicide Squad is that it feels much less forced. While Suicide Squad's whole vibe is "Marvel is successful with their fun and zany style so let's copy that!", Birds of Prey feels like the filmmakers and actors were legitimately having fun when making the film, with a much less gun-to-the-head feel about it. Robbie continues to kill it in the chaotic role of Quinn, and Ewan McGregor's Black Mask makes for a fairly compelling (if not amazing) villain.

7. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Wonder Woman 1984 sure is a mixed bag if I ever saw one, with a lot to be disappointed in but a lot to like. First off, here are the top five reasons why it pales in comparison to the first Wonder Woman and belongs to the "not that great" end of DCEU films:

5. The two-and-a-half-hour runtime isn't exactly justified, as parts of the film drag on too long.

4. The 80's setting with all of the "80's setting" tropes feels a bit on the nose.

3. While Pedro Pascal is a remarkable actor, his villain character Maxwell Lord doesn't really work, over-the-top antics and half-assed Donald Trump -channelling and all.

2. The final act falls flat in a clichéd manner typical to this cinematic universe.

1. The way in which Chris Pine's Steve Trevor is brought back is weird, disturbing and poorly written.

But then again, here are the top five reasons why it still is a solid sequel and better than this list's bottom three:

5. The post-credit guest role is a delightful surprise!

4. The Themyscira opening sequence is spectacular.

3. I really enjoyed the secondary villain, Cheetah, played by surprising casting choice Kristen Wiig!

2. The film has important lessons about greed and truth.

1. Gal Gadot continues to be the best part of the DCEU in her role as Wonder Woman.

6. Man of Steel (2013)

The one that started it all. The DCEU kicked off in 2013 with Man of Steel, a dark and gritty Superman reboot directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan. Like many of the films on this list, it's a mixed bag, and this time I'll start with the positives. Based on the first two thirds of the movie, I was ready to give it an 8/10 rating and to put it on my list of the top 10 superhero movies of all time. Seriously, the movie starts off incredibly well: Henry Cavill is the perfect casting for a more brooding and serious take on Clark Kent, Michael Shannon's General Zod remains the DCEU's best villain to this day, and Zack Snyder's dark and smooth-flowing style of directing works wonders when coupled with Hans Zimmer's soundtrack.

I was ready to call this the perfect Superman film, with a balance between the hero's 'truth and justice' ideals remaining intact while taking a much darker, Snyder-Nolan-esque tone. But the final act of the film weighs it down by a lot. Unfortunately, Man of Steel fell into the trope of overly long and tedious action sequences that is quite common in superhero cinema and especially DC movies. The final fight drags on for so long, and the care-free destruction of buildings and use of explosions undercuts the more somber and down-to-earth feel that the film built. That keeps Man of Steel from being in my top five, while still being a decent film when focusing on its major positives.

5. Aquaman (2018)

To borrow a joke from YouTube channel Screen Junkies (although applied to a different movie); Aquaman may not be one of the best movies ever made, but it certainly is one of the most movies ever made. This movie is simply such a Movie with a capital 'M', with all of its blockbuster tropes and general atmosphere of being full of everything. Aquaman feels like modern Hollywood threw up a random assortment of cinematic elements, and I mean it in a good way - there's so much happening at the same time, that while this keeps the film from being thematically substantial, it makes it hellishly entertaining.

There is a lot to like in the film when looking for a fun watching experience: James Wan's expert action directing, the massive visuals, the star-studded cast and the intriguing aquatic lore will all pump you up. Aquaman is so filled to the brim with various elements that it is a lot to take, but it ends up being quite fun and refreshing when not taken too seriously.

4. Shazam! (2019)

Shazam! is the purest example of a modern DC film feeling fun and light in a Marvel-esque way. It's not forced, it's not copied, it's simply legitimate fun born out love for the superhero genre. My favorite part of the film is just how much of it is devoted to exploring two superhero-obsessed kids as they discover the joys of having super powers.

For anyone who enjoyed comic book movies at a young age and fantasized about having super powers as a kid, this film will bring that feeling back with a rush of blissful nostalgia. Shazam! is colored by the filmmakers' passion for comic books and the superhero genre, and it shows. Quite a breath of fresh air in the context of a cinematic universe that generally varies its moods between "dark and bleak" and "trying too hard to be funny".

3. Wonder Woman (2017)

Where to begin with this one! Patty Jenkins does an ace job directing, Gal Gadot is perfection in the lead role, and the World War I setting makes for a nice balance between period-piece-fun and a semi-serious DC vibe. While the film does have its flaws (the third act feels inescapably dull and generic when compared to how intriguingly everything was set up; although it's not as extreme here as it was with Man of Steel), it works wonders as a whole. The debut of Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman had left viewers curious, and this solo outing provides an in-depth look at the hero that exceeded expectations.

The lore surrounding Themyscira and the Amazons is fascinating as well, adding to the movie's memorability. Also, the scene where Wonder Woman emerges from the trenches and walks through the battlefield to the backdrop of Rupert Gregson-Williams's empowering soundtrack is easily one of the greatest moments in this entire cinematic universe.

2. Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

What a difference editing can make - remember when the original version of this film was on second-to-last place on this list? The same material, but finished by original director Zack Snyder according to his own vision, makes for one hell of a superhero epic. With its four-hour runtime, the Snyder Cut definitely isn't for everyone, but it very much is for viewers like myself, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

It's clear from the get-go that Snyder's take on the film isn't the "The Avengers but with DC heroes instead of Marvel heroes" flick that the theatrical cut ended up being. This wasn't just a bunch of popular characters coming together for the sake of entertainment, but rather an expertly told story where every character has their own arch and own set of motivations - something that a 2-hour team-up blockbuster wouldn't have time for. The long runtime of the Snyder Cut is completely justified, as it rewards the viewers by taking them on a journey where you actually care about the characters.

The biggest individual difference between the Justice League cuts is what scenes were used, as so many great scenes were left out of the 2017 version that the Snyder Cut ends up feeling like a totally different (and much better) story. But an equally important difference is what is done with the scenes that occur in both versions; from soundtrack and color scheme to the use of slow motion and visual effects, everything looks, sounds and feels better in the Snyder Cut. Whereas the 2017 version tried its best to be funny and light in a Marvel-esque way and ended up feeling forced, the 2021 version bathes in the trademark DC gloom that Snyder always aimed for with this franchise. This version of Justice League feels like the proper, climactic follow-up to Man of Steel and Batman v Superman that I felt cheated out of in 2017, and it was an amazing treat to get to see this version after all these years. Hats off to Zack Snyder for pulling this one off.

1. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

And here we arrive at one of my strangest and most controversial movie/TV opinions - right up there with the Kill Bill movies being my least favorite Tarantino films and the ending of Game of Thrones being fantastic in my opinion. I know that the general opinion of Batman v Superman is rather poor, and while I get where the negative criticism is coming from, I never felt any of it myself. I've always found this to be a remarkable movie, and one of the best in the entire superhero genre. Why, you ask? Let's dive right in.

First of all, it's one of those few franchise movies that truly succeed at being many things at once. Usually when a sequel or reboot dreams to big and tries too many things, it ends up feeling bloated, but not with this one; everything is balanced just right. Therefore, Batman v Superman succeeds a) as a sequel to Man of Steel (the atmosphere is very similar and the story of Henry Cavill's Superman continues in a compelling manner), b) as a Batman reboot (this was our introduction to this universe's version of Batman, played by Ben Affleck, and he immediately becomes one of the better cinematic versions of the character), c) as a hero vs. hero film (the parallel stories of Batman and Superman throughout the first act make for a gripping and believable rift between them and their ideologies, and the way they turn against each other is very well-written) and d) as a Justice League set-up (we get an amazing introduction to Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, as well for some cool cameos by the likes of Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and The Flash (Ezra Miller)). It's four movies rolled into one, and I love it.

Also, I was a fan of Zack Snyder's polarizing style from the beginning. While the final act of Man of Steel rubbed me the wrong way, the majority of it was top notch specifically thanks to the atmosphere created by Snyder: the serious and gloomy color scheme, the smooth flow from one moment to another that makes the whole film feel like one concise scene, all of which is colored further by Hans Zimmer's music, makes for a very unique milieu in comic book cinema. And the same atmosphere is turned to the max in Batman v Superman, making for an addicting viewing experience for my taste. There are scenes in the film, such as Wonder Woman's entrance into the big battle sequence as well as the very last moment before the end credits start to roll, that still send a chill down my spine when re-watching them, thanks to Zimmer's epic soundtrack and Snyder's sense-tingling style.

Lastly, and this may be the biggest individual factor for why I like the film so much: it has so much to say. The themes and lessons of superhero movies often range from "Literally nothing" to "Simple and generic feel-good stuff about teamwork and friendship", but Batman v Superman takes it to the next level. Whether it's Clark Kent being made into an infinitely more interesting character as he deals with a well-written god complex, or Bruce Wayne dealing with PTSD and the consequences of his violent methods, the film grapples with some very interesting philosophy that leaves one wondering. The scene towards the end where they show the graffiti saying "If you seek his monument, look around you" feels downright profound, on a level that no other superhero movie has quite reached.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I rank the top 10 episodes from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, due to popular demand.