13 Vintage SNL Characters That Wouldn't Be Created Today

      Saturday Night Live has a remarkable legacy of memorable characters and sketches spanning five decades.

      However, the characters listed here are unlikely to make a comeback, and we can almost assure you of that.

      Let’s dive in.

      But First

      The original cast of SNL. NBC – Credit: NBC

      It’s a well-trodden notion that SNL characters have become more benign over time. Comedy evolves continuously, oscillating between sensitivity and edginess; what was once provocative, such as mocking the president, no longer raises eyebrows. Conversely, jokes based on broad stereotypes lose their humor when one starts to meet the real people behind the caricatures instead of viewing them as distant “others.”

      Moreover, SNL characters have shifted partly due to how audiences express their grievances. During the early decades of Saturday Night Live, complaints about characters or sketches were typically limited to the NBC switchboards and letters that remained unseen by the public.

      Today, criticism spreads rapidly across social media, with people tagging advertisers, triggering a snowball effect that many comedians—especially those involved in large corporate productions—prefer to avoid. Hence, the following SNL characters are likely not viable today, even if they retain some humor.

      Chico Escuela

      Credit: NBC

      “Weekend Update” often serves as a platform for SNL cast members to portray characters that may not fit well into traditional sketches. It was a space where Gilda Radner especially excelled.

      Garrett Morris, like Radner, was an original SNL cast member. One of his notable characters was Chico Escuela, a Dominican baseball player characterized by a heavy Latin accent and limited English proficiency.

      And... that was the punchline. While Chico remains a favorite among early fans of the show, it's hard to envision him appearing today.

      Uncle Roy

      Credit: NBC

      Before Christopher Walken and Alec Baldwin, there was Buck Henry. Primarily recognized as a writer (and an Oscar winner), Henry also dabbled in acting and hosted Saturday Night Live an impressive ten times between 1976 and 1980. His frequent appearances led to some recurring SNL characters.

      One such character was Uncle Roy. He embodies the National Lampoon style of unrestricted comedy, and one of the writers for Uncle Roy was Anne Beatts, who hailed from the magazine. The Lampoon philosophy allowed for darker themes.

      To sum it up, the premise of Uncle Roy sketches revolves around him being a pedophile babysitter. Even back then, the sketches walked a fine line, but today’s more sensitive viewers would likely reject the Uncle Roy humor. Nor would the conservative SNL writers of today entertain such jokes.

      Garrett Morris, Headmaster of the New York School for the Hard of Hearing

      Credit: NBC

      Garrett Morris would offer “News for the Hard of Hearing” by simply repeating what Chevy Chase said during Weekend Update, but at an amplified volume.

      Some might argue that he isn’t a true “character,” given that he shares a name with the SNL cast member Garrett Morris. Yet, Chase introduced him as the “headmaster of the New York School for the Hard of Hearing,” a title Morris did not actually hold, so we classify him as a character.

      Also See: SNL Gone Wild: 12 Behind the Scenes Stories of Saturday Night Live

      The Samurai

      Credit: NBC

      Contemporary SNL is more likely to critique cultural appropriation than to indulge in it, and the humor of John Belushi’s Samurai stems from his imitation of Toshiro Mifune’s character from Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo—while placing him in absurd scenarios like working as a hotel clerk or at a deli.

      Interestingly, the Samurai is portrayed with utmost seriousness and competence, and the comedy arises from the contrast between his skills and the mundane tasks he handles. Our favorite sketch is the surreal Samurai Night Fever, where Belushi manages to embody both the Samurai and John Travolta, with O.J. Simpson portraying his brother.

      Is there any chance this once-loved character could still appear on SNL? No, according to Lorne Michaels, SNL's executive producer.

      “There’s almost nothing we did in the seventies that we would do now,” Michaels is quoted as saying in Susan Morrison’s enlightening biography, Lorne. “We couldn’t do ‘News for the Hard of Hearing, the Samurai, Uncle Roy.”

      The Bel-Airabs

      Credit: NBC

      “The Bel-Airabs” made a brief return, primarily because all the involved cast members departed after the 1979-80 season, the same period the sketches aired. It was a parody of The Beverly Hillbillies, a show likely familiar to SNL’s primary audience through reruns.

      The concept of “The Bel-Airabs” indicates that the Californian newcomers have Arabic backgrounds—they’re depicted as “paranoid” Arabs, and are played by non-Arab cast members Don Novello, Bill Murray, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner