A staple of American comedy since its debut in 1975, Saturday Night Live has been a launching pad for some of the greatest comedy minds of the past few decades, be they cast members such as Bill Murray and Adam Sandler or staff writers such as Larry David and Bob Odenkirk.
While many members of SNL have enjoyed long and fruitful careers at the show, others struggled to find time to shine. With a total of 52 cast members that have only lasted one season or less, many of the more recent members were still able to prove their comedic talents during their short time on the show.
Luke Null
A cast member during the show's 43rd season, Null's most prominent moment was in his first sketch "Late For Class," where he portrayed a new kid that pretends to knows everyone in class, much to the chagrin of his teacher and classmates who he ends up stereotyping.
The sketch's intentionally long pauses between laughs left a bad taste with many viewers, something Null was never able to recover from. He was used very sparingly, appearing only a handful of times throughout the season before given the boot.
Jon Rudnitsky
SNL's lone newcomer during its 41st season, Rudnitsky's highest profile moment came when he impersonated Anderson Cooper in a skit spoofing the 2015 Democratic Primary, prompting criticism from Cooper himself.
Joining the cast in a year when the show was still trying to figure out what to do with other featured players such as Pete Davidson and Leslie Jones, as well as repertory players Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney, Rudnitsky was unable to make a name for himself and found himself out of SNL in less than a year, despite his comedic chops.
John Milhiser
SNL's second openly gay cast member, Milhiser actually had a few memorable moments during his brief run on the show. His performance of an inappropriate father in the sketch "4th Grade Talent Show," as well as his impressions of Billy Joe Armstrong and Jon Cryer, earned him goodwill from viewers.
Unfortunately, this was not enough to convince SNL's producers to renew Milhiser's contract, as he only lasted for one season along with fellow new featured players Noel Wells and Brooks Whelan.
Rob Riggle
Though his tenure at SNL is widely forgotten in favor of his performances afterward, Riggle's most notable moment in his SNL career was as loud street preacher Leviticus on Weekend Update, a one-shot character that nonetheless left a mark on viewers.
Riggle struggled with adapting to SNL's schedule, with writing sessions often lasting past midnight in order to get the show ready in one week. Riggle's short tenure seems to be for the best, as his post-SNL projects have established a name for himself in the comedy world.
Noel Wells
A buzz-y social media influencer by the time that she joined SNL, Wells' tenure at Studio 8H is mainly remembered through her impressions of various celebrities such as Zooey Deschanel and Emma Stone, as well her role in the "Girls Meet Blerta" parody skit.
Seeing as how two others who joined the show the same year as her also only lasted a singleseason, it's safe to say that Wells was a victim of SNL's struggle to adapt to a changing comedy landscape due to the advent of social media.
Michaela Watkins
SNL hired the Groundlings alum for the 2008-2009 season, with Watkins at that time being the oldest woman to be hired at I as a cast member. Her most memorable bits included the celebrity gossip-obsessed Angie Tempura and her impression of Ariana Huffington.
Interestingly, Watkins wasn't fired because of budgetary constraints or lack of talent, but because of SNL creator Lorne Michaels' belief that Watkins deserved her own show. Initially angered with the firing, Watkins would later go on to star in the critically-acclaimed show Casual.
Jenny Slate
Brought on during the 2009-2010 season, Jenny Slate's infamous accidental F-bomb during her first episode caused her to start off on a bad foot with Lorne Michaels. Slate struggled to recover, even with her somewhat memorable impressions and her character Tina Tina Cheneuse.
Slate's infamous flub is thought to be the reason that Michaels was quick to fire her after one season. Slate recovered, landing roles in TV shows such as Bojack Horseman and Parks and Recreation, as well as a breakout role in the indie film Problem Child.
Brooks Wheelan
Another victim of the Season 39 firings, Wheelan joined the sketch show as an up-and-coming comedian. While at SNL, his highlights included a recurring bit on Weekend Update where he performed stand-up bits disguised as PSAs, as well as a role in the controversial "E-Meth" sketch.
Wheelan was the most prominent newcomer of the season and showed a lot of promise, making his firing from the show somewhat confusing. Since then, Whelan has launched a podcast as well as continued his successful stand-up comedy career.
Tim Robinson
The second SNL cast member to transition from featured player to staff writer, the Detroit native was brought on during the 2012-2013 season. While his screen time on the show was limited, sketches such as "Roundball Rock" and "Barnes and Noble Firing" would become viral hits.
After leaving SNL after just one season as a staff writer, Robinson and his writing partner Zach Kanin would go on to create the Comedy Central show Detroiters, as well as Netflix's hit sketch comedy show I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson.
Mike O'Brien
Even though O'Brien started writing for SNL in 2009, he became a featured player for the show during the 2013-2014 season. Throughout his tenure at SNL, he various helped create skits such as "Puppet Class" and "The Jay-Z Story" which have become some of SNL's most popular recent skits.
After leaving the cast as a featured player, O'Brien continued to write for the show until he departed the writing staff after Season 41, making him possibly the most prolific SNL cast member to only ever last for one season.