‘SNL’ Cast Exodus – A Who’s Who of … Who??

Chevy Chase needed less than two seasons on “Saturday Night Live” to become a star.

Chase left the show midway through its second season in 1976, quickly finding work in films like “Foul Play,” “Caddyshack” and “Seems Like Old Times.”

“SNL” became a movie star machine, jump-starting film careers for the likes of Bill Murray, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell and many more.

And then, over time, that machine slowed to a crawl.

It’s been years since “SNL” minted a major movie star. Sure, alums like Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader work consistently, but they’re not headlining films like their predecessors did. Bowen Yang, arguably the biggest “name” on the current case, finds work either in small roles (“Wicked”) or indie fare (“The Wedding Banquet”).

Lately, the show’s cultural impact has only grown smaller. Case in point – the recent exodus of current “SNL” players:

• Michael Longfellow
• Emil Wakim
• Devon Walker
• Heidi Gardner

Show creator Lorne Michaels promised a serious shakeup for season 51. We’re seeing that play out in real time.

For the vast majority of pop culture consumers, that list will generate a similar question.

Who are these people?

Gardner worked on the show for eight years, so she has a bit of face recognition at her disposal. She never became a key player on the showcase, nor did she parlay her “SNL” time into a sizable film career.

“SNL” once ruled pop culture, even without the benefit of sketches going viral. Its willingness to buck the system, tell bawdy jokes and satirize souls on both sides of the aisle made it appointment television … or at least TiVo worthy in an earlier era.

Now? The show’s hard-Left bias has chased away half the country. The other half stick around for progressive talking points, safe bits attacking the anticipated targets and political satire that’s more mean-spirited than funny.

Michaels may have lost his knack for finding comic gems in the rough. He did so for decades, a key reason he earned the Mark Twain Prize for Humor in 2004. 

Midas had nothing on his golden touch.

That gift may no longer reside in the 80-year-old producer. Or, the show’s diminished comic appeal isn’t giving comedians the platform to fully reveal their talents.

Either way, expect more cast departures in the weeks leading up to the Oct. 4 season premiere. And, along with them, a mad Google scramble to find out who they were again.