Matt Wood as John Belushi

Matt Wood.

John Belushi.

Matt Wood (instinct) bears a shocking resemblance to his character John Belushi, another original cast member. Belushi came to SNL from the Second City Club in Chicago. His famous Hummel piece is referenced (somewhat hilariously) in Saturday evening.

Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase

Cory Michael Smith.

Chevy Chase.

Corey Michael Smith (Gotham) plays Chevy Chase. NBC reports that Michaels recruited Chase after seeing his comedy acts achieve success The groove tube. Chase was commissioned to write sketches; then he was asked to perform. Fun fact: He’s the first person to say, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”

Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner

Ella Hunt.

Gilda Radner.

Ella Hunt (Dickinson) plays Gilda Radner, the first female comedian SNL. Michaels was a fan of her work with the Second City Improv Center in Canada. He told it once The New York Times that Hunt had a “remarkable quality for 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 show.

Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris

Lamorne Morris.

Garrett Morris (right).

We know you’re wondering this, but no, there’s no connection between them. Lamorne Morris (New girl) plays Garrett Morris, the first black actor in the series SNL. Before the sketch show, Morris was an accomplished singer who trained at Julliard.

Kim Matula as Jane Curtin

Kim Matula.

Jane Curtin (right).

Kim Matula (I checked it twice) plays Jane Curtin, the first female anchor of “Weekend Update.” Curtin was part of the original SNL and stayed on the series for five seasons. If you are a fan of the film cone heads, You can thank her for that. Her alien sketches inspired the film.

Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman

Emily Fairn.

Laraine Newman (right).

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

Cooper Hoffman as Dick Ebersol

Cooper Hoffmann.

Cooper Hoffman (Licorice pizza) plays Dick Ebersol, an NBC producer. He helped with the start SNL and worked with Eddie Murphy and Billy Crystal in the show’s later seasons.

JK Simmons as Milton Berle

JK Simmons.

Milton Berle.

JK Simmons (Whiplash) is the comedian Milton Berle Saturday evening. Berle only hosted one episode in season 4 SNLbut he left 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.

David Tebet.

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

Tommy Dewey as Michael O’Donoghue

Tommy Dewey.

Michael O’Donoghue.

Last but not least: Tommy Dewey (Your monster) plays Michael O’Donoghue, the first-ever lead author of SNL. We can thank him for making audiences laugh so hard that it warrants another season.