Weekend Update is the longest running Saturday Night Live sketch and we are here to find out who are 7 most successful Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchors.
Saturday Night Live is all about comedy and it’s giving laughs to Americans (and the world) from 1975. SNL was a launching track for many comedy talents, most of them becoming major comedy stars later. Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, John Belushi, Billy Crystal, Mike Myers, and Adam Sandler are just some of them.
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But’s Weekend Update is our main focus here, and somehow we got off the tracks. Weekend Update was created by Chevy Chase, one of the original cast members, and Herb Sargent, who was a writer for the show at the moment. Chevy Chase has been at the helm of Weekend Update just one season. The sketch revolved around a news anchor who delivered fake news about current events to the audience. Through the years, Weekend Update was constantly changing. In the 80’s it was renamed to SNL NewsBreak and Saturday Night News, before returning as a Weekend Update in 1985. Also solo anchor and dual anchors formats have been often changed during the run of the sketch, settling on dual anchors from 2013.
To determine 7 most successful Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchors we took two criteria that give a good insight into how successful Weekend Update Anchors were. The first criterion was the number of episodes each anchor was at the helm of Weekend Update because the ones that were not so successful didn’t stick too long. For every episode, the anchor was awarded 1 point. For the second criteria, we took IMDB’s top rated SNL episodes and gave points from 100 to 10 to anchors that anchored Weekend Update in that episode (Anchor could get only points for one episode and dual anchors split the points). We summed it all up and found out what we were looking for. To be included in the list, an anchor also had to have an episode among the top rated. If you are reading this out loud, check out if your accent is among the sexiest ones in the world in our 11 sexiest accents in the world.
7. Chevy Chase
Overall success: 91
The man who introduced Weekend Update to the world. Although he only served as an anchor one season with few guest appearances as a host, his influence is enormous, and without him the show wouldn’t be where it is now. After SNL, he embarked on a successful actor career.
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6. Kevin Nealon
Overall success: 100
During his 3 seasons as a Weekend Update anchor, Nealon left an important mark on the sketch and his catchphrase “That’s news to me” became familiar all across America. His most notable post-SNL appearance on TV was a role of Doug Wilson in “Weeds”.
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5. Jane Curtin
Overall success: 103
The ladies proved to be a major hit as Weekend Update anchors, and Jane Curtin was one to break the ice. She first worked as a solo anchor, but later was paired with Buck Henry, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray subsequently. After SNL, she continues working on TV, starring in numerous successful TV projects.
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4. Amy Poehler
Overall success: 106
Amy Poehler is the second lady among 7 Most Successful Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Anchors. She was co-anchor with Tina Fey, Horatio Sanz, and Seth Meyers. SNL proved as a good stepping stone for Poehler as she bagged a role of Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation, which gained her a Golden Globe.
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3. Norm Macdonald
Overall success:149
Norm Macdonald is among the highest rated Weekend Update anchors in the history of SNL. Many SNL casts referred him as their major influence and Chevy Chase quote of him being “best Weekend Update anchor since – well – Chevy Chase” speaks to itself.
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2. Dennis Miller
Overall success: 171
Vulture’s pool about the best Weekend Update’s anchor went to his favor, so it isn’t strange to see him in such a high place on our list. Unlike other SNL stars, he didn’t embarked on a film journey but decided to work on a numerous talk shows and radio programs.
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1. Seth Meyers
Overall success: 254
We came to the man of the hour. Seth Meyers is longest running Weekend Update Anchor and with every right on the top of 7 Most Successful Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Anchors. He spent 8 years as the anchor or 154 episodes, more than any other. Like Dennis Miller, he also wasn’t much interested in a film career, and succeeded Jimmy Fallon, another former SNL cast, as host of Late Night.
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