Thoughts on the S51 Cast Members

With the 51st season of SNL coming fairly soon (and, I admit, I'm being a bit presumptuous by assuming no one else will quit/be fired before the season kicks off), I thought I'd start off by going through every cast member and just sort of giving my thoughts/hopes/fears on their performances. Chances are, I won't have much to say about some of these players. Still, let's go ahead and start with the featured player with the longest tenure:

• Kenan Thompson - Is there really much to say about him? He's been on this show for 22 years and shows no sign of stopping. He is a veteran, an absolute king of sketch comedy now, and it's fair to see he's going to continue being the reliable sketch performer he's been.
• Colin/Che - Fairly obvious why I lumped them together, I think. They've been at the desk for over a decade now, and they show no signs of stopping. I know some people have grown tired of their era of WU after 10+ years with it, but I still adore them at the desk, and unlike Seth (whom I love with my whole heart) they've yet to grow stale during their tenure. While I'm sure they won't last much longer, (I mean, Colin has been on the show only 2 years less than Kenan has) I still don't want them to go. They've become a staple of the show! I won't be surprised if we see them leave after this season, but I'm definitely not crossing my fingers, hoping it'll happen.
• Mikey Day - The cast member with the longest current tenure, if we don't count Kenan "Came-With-The-Studio" Thompson. I've always enjoyed Mikey Day on the show, and probably one of the players I'm most excited to see come back for another season. My thoughts on him leaving for potentially bigger things boils down to what a lot of people have been saying recently: the past tradition of strong SNL performer choosing not to renew their contracts to pursue other projects is a sort of bygone thing of the past. Nowadays, when you leave SNL, it seems all that awaits you is guest starring in a streaming show and maybe a movie with fairly middling returns. It's sad for it to be the case, and I do think it means we'll see more strong cast members choosing to simply stay if they're allowed, choosing the stability of this comedy job over the now very hectic and uncertain movie/TV show/comedy landscape that exists. Or maybe he'll leave next week, who knows.
• Ego Nwodim/Bowen Yang - My feelings for these two are basically the same. They're really good at what they do, I think they have a solid career ahead of them if they chose to leave the show before or after this season, and I would love for them to stay longer if possible.
• Chloe Fineman - She is a fine cast member whom I do not have strong feelings about. If Chloe announced her departure tomorrow, I'd feel nothing. If she stayed on for five more seasons, I would feel nothing. The True Neutral of current SNL cast members.
• Andrew Dismukes - I think Dismukes is fairly underrated, even with the fair amount of attention he's gotten. He always writes sketches that are right up my exact niche of comedy, and his performances in his own sketches are always his strongest. And still, he's really good out of his own writing. I'd be sad to see him leave the show if he does soon, but I don't see that happening. And even if he did, I can see him getting his own sketch show ala Tim Robinson.
• James Austin Johnson - The only cast member besides Kenan with full job security. This might be quite the statement, but to me, he's sort of a Bill Hader-esque performer, in the way that his impressions are spectacular (and probably the reason he was hired), but he's really shown himself to be a wonderful utility player in sketches. What can I say, he's a good performer and I'd love to see more from him.
• Sarah Sherman - Sarah Sherman! I love Sarah Sherman. Much like with Dismukes, her style of comedy is right up my alley and it's an absolute treat. I may also be in love with her. Either way, as I've said for many people before, she's amazing on the show.
• Marcello Hernandez - Personal favorite of mine, and also of people who exclusively know about SNL through TikTok clips. He's great! He's funny! He's one half of my favorite Weekend Update feature ever! Even with weaker material, he brings infectiously high energy that just makes me smile no matter what. And Domingo may just be the sketches that have connected most with Gen Z. I love Marcello, and I can see a very long SNL tenure ahead of him.
• Ashley Padilla - Not much thoughts on her, other then that I won't be surprised to see her next season with a bit more airtime. 
• Jane Wickline - Very controversial opinion incoming: I really love Jane Wickline. I get it, I do, I see her flaws and weaknesses as a live performer, but assuming SNL has learned from the mistake of keeping Pete Davidson as a live sketch performer for far too long, I wouldn't be surprised if next season had Jane almost solely getting airtime through Update features and pre-tapes. (And, as an aside, she is one-half of the aforementioned "favorite Weekend Update feature ever", Grant and Alyssa. No, they're not the funniest duo out there, but I do have a hyperfixation on them that has lasted a good few months, so I'll listen to the autism on this one.)
• Tommy Brennan/Veronika Slowikowska - My opinion on two of the newest cast members boils down to "they're funny from what I've seen," and that's about all the judgement/excitement I can share.
• Ben Marshall - Our technically not new cast member, Ben! Very funny to see the only non-nepo baby member of PDD be the one to remain as a sole cast member, and I do think Ben was easily the strongest performer of the PDD trio. Excited to see what he'll do on his own!
• Kam Patterson - I'll keep this frank. Kam Patterson is not funny, his comedy is the kind you would hear in a high school locker room, and I don't care for it.
• Jeremy Culhane - A guy I know! An absolute killer performer on Dropout who I have loved for a couple of years now. Easily the person I'm most excited to see go on the show this season, and I pray and hope SNL treats him well.

• Overall Verdict: We have a really stuffed cast this year. If I had to make any cuts to make it feel less bloated, I'd probably put Chloe, Ego, Bowen, and Kam on the chopping block. For ruthless cuts that hurt my soul, I'd have to choose Colin/Che and Jane Wickline as well. Overall, even with a bloated cast, I think Season 51 is fairly promising, and I'm looking forward to what it has in store. Goodnight and please keep Grant and Alyssa in your thoughts and prayers.