Following the recent announcement by long-time "Saturday Night Live" cast member Will Forte that he will not be returning to the NBC sketch comedy show next season, now comes word that two members of the Chicago improv scene will be added to the cast as featured players when the show returns in Sept.: iO performers Paul Brittain and Vanessa Bayer.
Photos: Meet the new members of the cast
Brittain, 33, is a Naperville, IL. native who is currently appearing at the iO Chicago Theater in two shows: "Jim Paul Jet Paul," and "Challenger," in addition to being a part of the improv troupe Mike Helicopter. He previously performed with the acclaimed iO teams Rattlesnake High School and Topaz. He also had his own iO solo show "Sex Ed" last year, and has made a few appearances on the NBC improv/mockumentary series "Sports Action Team."
*Watch a clip of Paul Brittain on "Sports Action Team" below, as style consultant "Markus."
Bayer, 28, is a stand-up comic and improviser from Cleveland who came to Chicago in 2004. Currently, she performs with the iO team Revolver, and appears in "Felt," an iO show where the cast is made up entirely of puppets. Bayer also understudies at Second City, and is part of the cast of the sketch show "Swear Jar" at the Annoyance Theater.
The other rumored new addition to the cast is Taran Killam, 28, a member of The Groundlings in L.A. Killam is a seasoned performer who has made appearances on "Mad TV," MTV's "Wild 'N Out," and "How I Met Your Mother" as the recurring character Blauman. He is also engaged to "HIMYR" star Cobie Smulders, who plays Robin, with whom he has daughter.
After recently scouting several Chicago comedy venues in search of new talent for "SNL's" 36th season, executive producer Lorne Michaels also recruited Tom Flanigan, a Second City performer currently starring in "The Absolute Best Friggin' Time of Your Life," to be on the show's writing staff. Shelly Gossman of The Second City Mainstage was also hired to be a writer last month.
This news comes just as Will Forte announced that he is exiting the program after eight seasons to pursue other projects. The move was described as "amicable and at the choosing of Mr. Forte," by a source close to the show. Forte is perhaps best known for his MacGruber character, which was given a feature-length film this past summer to poor box office results.
With one person leaving, hopefully these new additions will help give "Saturday Night Live" a much needed dose of humor and edge that it so desperately needs and has lacked the past few seasons.
"Saturday Night Live" returns Sept. 25, airing at 10:30pm here in the Chicago-area on NBC.
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