SNL Features Female Comedy Pioneers and New York Cast Stories

Saturday Night Live has built its reputation through generations of performers who have shaped American television comedy, from pioneering female cast members to newer comedians navigating life in New York City. Two October 9, 2026, features from TVLine and Curbed examine different sides of the NBC sketch show's legacy, highlighting influential women and current cast member Ben Marshall's experiences in the city.

TVLine's retrospective ranks five female performers whose work helped define the program, focusing on their contributions to recurring characters, sketch comedy and the show's development. Curbed's interview with Marshall, meanwhile, explores his 13 years in New York City, his neighborhood experiences and the challenges of balancing everyday city life with his entertainment career.

TVLine identifies Cheri Oteri as an important figure in the show's recovery following a difficult 20th season in 1994. Joining the cast in 1995, Oteri developed memorable characters, including Spartans cheerleader Arianna and Cass Van Rye, the host of Morning Latte. Her tenure continued through 2000, and she later appeared in the 2000 comedy film Scary Movie.

Jane Curtin, one of the original female cast members, served from 1975 to 1980. TVLine highlights her deadpan delivery and ability to ground sketches as defining strengths. During the show's second year, Curtin also became the first female host of Weekend Update, establishing an important milestone in the program's history.

Molly Shannon joined the cast shortly before the end of the 1994 season and returned after the subsequent overhaul. She became a repertory performer and introduced Mary Katherine Gallagher in the 1995 season. The character became one of her best-known creations and later formed the basis of the 1999 film Superstar.

Kate McKinnon, whose tenure ran from 2012 to 2022, also appears among TVLine's leading female performers. The publication describes her as one of the modern faces of SNL, although the available source text ends before providing her full ranking rationale. The retrospective also acknowledges influential performers excluded from its five-person list, including Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, Laraine Newman, Maya Rudolph, Sasheer Zamata, Tina Fey, Leslie Jones and Vanessa Bayer.

Marshall's Curbed interview offers a different perspective on the show's performers, detailing the practical realities of living in New York. He said he had moved 10 times within the city and had lived in neighborhoods including the Village, Gramercy, the East Village, Clinton Hill, Bushwick and the Upper West Side.

Marshall also described the difficulties of navigating public transportation and interacting with strangers. Asked about subway etiquette, he identified one priority:

"Move out of the way of the door when you get to the station so people can get in and out."

His responses also revealed a cautious approach to everyday encounters. When asked what he would do if someone bumped into him on the subway, Marshall replied:

"Excuse me!"

He immediately clarified his actual response:

"No, I would definitely not say anything. You never know who's crazy."

Marshall said he would seek out tickets to Saturday Night Live for relatives visiting New York at short notice, even though arranging them so late could frustrate others. He also recalled meeting actor Michael Cera on the street during his first week in the city, describing the encounter as an instance when he talked to the actor for too long while Cera was with friends.

The interview further touched on Marshall's entertainment career and personal preferences. He named Knicks tickets as the last thing he used his celebrity status to obtain in New York and identified corporate events as the worst places to perform. He also said he had cried tears of joy over a New York sports team after OG hit a tip-in.

Together, the two features examine SNL through its performers' contributions and experiences, from the women whose characters and comedic styles helped shape the series to a current cast member's account of life in the city where the program is made.