The best 'Saturday Night Live' cast members of the 1990s

We ended our best of the ‘80s list with Hartman, and we begin our ‘90s list with him, both in honor of his tremendous “SNL” run. Sure, the abundance of odes to Hartman probably is bolstered by the tragic nature of his death, but what his untimely passing did was help clarify what we lost in him as a performer. While he was beyond his “SNL” time by a few years, he was still a comedic genius, and he was one of the best, maybe the best, “SNL” cast member.

Carvey, the other holdover from our ‘80s list, proved vital in the early ‘90s, as he played both George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot in the lead-up to the 1992 election. That alone would help him earn a spot on this list. However, “Wayne’s World” is basically a product of the ‘90s as well, as it was not until 1989 that the Wayne to Carvey’s Garth joined the show.

Speaking of which! It’s kind of surprising that Myers’ most-successful “Saturday Night Live” character is just, you know, kind of a guy, because he really likes to play out-there characters. On “SNL” he could be found playing Dieter or Linda Richman, and post-“SNL” he gained film fame as Austin Powers. Of course “broad” and “sketch comedy” often go hand in hand, so Myers fit on the show.

Farley was a force of nature, a comedic tornado. He joined “SNL” in 1990. He left the show in 1995, the same year “Tommy Boy” was released. The next year, he was in “Black Sheep.” The year after that, he was in “Beverly Hills Ninja.” Also, he died from a drug overdose at the age of 33. While subtlety was not the name of the game with Farley, comedy certainly was.

Sandler is something of a comedic Rorschach test. You see him do his thing and you either register it as absurdist genius or lowbrow nothingness. What is Opera Man? Or Cajun Man? Or Canteen Boy? Sandler had a style, and it worked for him. That was true on “SNL” and in his immensely successful movie career. Even if you can’t get on his wavelength, his success is undeniable.

Cleghorne was the first woman of color to be a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” for more than one season. It’s not ideal that it took until 1992 for that to occur, but Cleghorne did make it happen. Obviously, she shouldered a large load in terms of impressions. Not every role she was handed was within her skill set, but many of her parts she handled with aplomb.

Meadows would have had to be quite lousy as a cast member not to make this list, given that he was on the show for 10 seasons from 1991 until 2000. Basically, he’s synonymous with “SNL” in the ‘90s. Also, he was quite good as a cast member. Though “The Ladies Man” was the biggest stretch in terms of turning a sketch character into a movie this side of “It’s Pat,” in terms of his work on “Saturday Night Live” Meadows was quite good, both in silly roles and as a straight man.

MacDonald was the closest thing “SNL” had to Chevy Chase since the days of Chase. Sure, he’d do sketches, but he was always essentially “Norm MacDonald” in a sketch. Mostly he did “Weekend Update,” and even then, he was doing it in the most Norm way possible. Oh, and he’s as cultishly adored as anybody to ever appear on “SNL.” So yeah, it worked.

Oteri did a lot of broad characters, and a lot of broad impressions. Of course, we still laughed at her Barbara Walters, or the lady who always says “Simmer down now.” Even if she wasn’t the funniest part of a sketch, she usually was there contributing to funny sketches. Oteri was not a breakout “SNL” star, but she was a very good “SNL” cast member.

We had plenty of positive things to say about Oteri, but Shannon was essentially the best version of Oteri. She was just able to take things to a new level, through commitment or talent or some combination thereof. Shannon was so good some of her funny characters were driven into the ground until they became not funny, but that is a testament to how funny they were in the first place. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, we can overlook the repetitiveness and just appreciate Shannon’s comedic excellence.

Given that Ferrell emerged as one of the preeminent comedic forces of his generation, his inclusion on this list needs little justification or expansion. He’s Will Ferrell. You remember his best characters and his greatest moments. You remember “More cowbell.” Few people can make yelling as funny as he can. His seven-season run was legendary, and then he became the biggest comedy movie star in the world for a decade.

Gasteyer often played foil to Ferrell, and she was perfect for that. She wasn’t the straight woman, per se, but excelled at heightening absurdity without making it look obvious. Gasteyer turned up the heat on the comedy stove little by little until suddenly you were in the middle of a genius sketch. She’s done some good sitcom work in some little-seen sitcoms since “SNL,” but she was always a highlight in those shows.

If you take comedy seriously, and you picture a bad comedy sketch, the rubric for such a sketch does overlap with some of Kattan’s work. A sweaty premise delivered with over-the-top, too-frenetic energy. However, there were plenty of times when the tone was dialed in just right. Sure, there are Mr. Peepers and Mango sketches we aren’t fond of, but a few we do like, and plenty of other sketches that Kattan is in that work. Maybe Kattan’s style was a bit “extra,” but that’s not always a bad thing.

Other than Kenan Thompson, no “SNL” performer has gotten into Hammond territory in terms of time on the show. The only other people who have topped 11 seasons are guys who are effectively just “Weekend Update” hosts who also happen to have spent time as head writers (i.e. Seth Meyers and Colin Jost). Hammond, though, was in the cast for 14 seasons. He is probably the best impressionist in “SNL” history. Also, Hammond took over for Don Pardo as the show’s announcer, so in a way he’s been part of the show for well beyond his 14 years in the cast.