Consider this your ‘Saturday night’ cheat sheet

The ensemble casts are back, baby! Jason Reitman Saturday night follows the ninety minutes leading up to the first episode of Saturday night live!and includes more than thirty characters. I haven’t seen a cast this big since Barbie— and honestly, I was too distracted by Ken’s mojo-dojo house to keep up.

Not again! This time, I’m locked in. No one will pass me by and I’m here to guarantee you the same luck. For our sanity (and yours), we’re focusing on the twelve most important players. Below you will find a casting guide for Saturday night. Consider this a cheat sheet. The film premieres on October 11th, but don’t worry: there’s still time to study. Otherwise you run the risk of whispering, Who’s that?! every 10 seconds. Saturday night is less than two hours long and the plot moves faster than Lorne Michaels’ problem-solving skills. Don’t believe me? Skip forward to our Saturday night post-game guide. But enough barking. Here’s your guide to who’s who Saturday night.

Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels

Gabriel LaBelle (The Fabelmans) stars as Lorne Michaels, the creator of SNL. Michaels pitched the series without a pilot, meaning the first episode was essentially a test run. No one at NBC knew what to expect, but unfortunately, it was a success. The first episode of the program premiered in 1975 – and has been on the air for almost fifty years. (PS: Read our interview with LaBelle, who rocks the film.)

Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd

Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf, Ponyboi) plays comedian Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd was one of seven original cast members and began performing at Second City in Canada. Do yourself a favor and check out our recent interview with Aykroyd himself.

Matt Wood as John Belushi

Matt Wood (Instinct) bears a shocking resemblance to his character, John Belushi, who is another member of the original cast. Belushi came to SNL from the Second City Club of Chicago. His famous drone part is referenced (somewhat hilariously) in Saturday night.

Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase

CoreyMichael Smith (Gotham) plays Chevy Chase. NBC reports that Michaels recruited Chase after seeing his comedic talent in The Groove tube. Chase was hired to write sketches; So, he was asked to introduce himself. Fun fact: he’s the first person to say, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”

Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner

Ella Hunt (Dickinson) stars as Gilda Radner, the first comedian cast SNL. Michaels was a fan of his work at the Second City Improv Center in Canada. He once said The New York Times that Hunt had a “remarkable quality to her.” His instincts paid off. Radner is best known for her characters Roseanna Roseannadanna and Lisa Loopner. In 1978, she won an Emmy for her contributions to the program.

Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris

We know you’re wondering, but no, they’re not related. Lamorne Morris (New girl) plays Garrett Morris, the first black cast member in SNL. Before the sketch show, Morris was an accomplished singer who trained at Julliard.

Kim Matula as Jane Curtin

Kim Matula (Checking twice) plays Jane Curtin, who is the first female presenter of “Weekend Update”. Curtin was part of the original SNL cast and remained on the show for five seasons. If you are a fan of the film cone heads, you can go ahead and thank her for that. His alien sketches inspired the film.

Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman

Emily Fairn (Elicit) is Laraine Newman in Saturday night. Before starring SNLNewman founded the Groundlings comedy troupe in Los Angeles. Newman was also a cast member for five years before exploring other ventures. She eventually passed on her comedy genes to her daughter Hannah Einbinder, who stars in the Emmy-winning comedy. Hacks.

Cooper Hoffman as Dick Ebersol

Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) plays Dick Ebersol, an NBC producer. He helped launch SNL and – in the series’ later seasons – worked with Eddie Murphy and Billy Crystal.

JK Simmons as Milton Berle

JK Simmons (Whip) is comedian Milton Berle in Saturday night. Berle did not host an episode until season 4 of SNLbut he made his mark long before that. You know exactly what we’re talking about – and you can read more about it here.

Willem Dafoe as David Tebet

Willem Dafoe (Poor things) plays NBC executive David Tebet. When SNL debuted, Tebet was the vice president of talent relations — in other words, a dapper man for Michaels to impress.

Tommy Dewey as Michael O’Donoghue

Last but not least, Tommy Dewey (Your monster) plays Michael O’Donoghue, the first head writer of SNL. We can thank him for making audiences laugh enough to justify another season.

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