![be a player cast be a player cast](https://img.republicworld.com/republic-prod/stories/promolarge/xxhdpi/g3x4syjrt2d1pupn_1594028670.jpeg)
Previously, writers had played these parts uncredited, and indeed, most of the new credited featured players were long-time writers on the show.
![be a player cast be a player cast](https://static2.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Space-Jam-2-cast-every-basketball-player.jpg)
At the end of the previous season, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi had departed, and Michaels decided to also create a lower tier of cast members for bit parts.
![be a player cast be a player cast](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9rSxoWiwnF0/maxresdefault.jpg)
The separate grouping was created for season five. The Featured Players are the lower tier of cast members. The last cast members hired directly to repertory status were Ana Gasteyer and Tracy Morgan, both hired for season 22 (though Chris Parnell was fired after season 26 and rehired directly to repertory in the following season). As such, no new cast members are hired directly as repertory players- all repertory players are promoted from featured. "The Not Ready for Prime Time Players" would become reserved for the original cast, and the new top tier of Doumanian's cast became known as the Repertory Players, a name still used today.įew large turnovers have taken place since season 21. When Lorne Michaels and the original cast departed at the end of season five, new producer Jean Doumanian decided to retain the two-tier system that had been created the season before (see below). This designation was dropped for the show's fourth season. The original cast was called The Not Ready for Prime Time Players, a name intended to mock Howard Cosell's "Saturday Night Live", whose cast members were known as the "Prime Time Players". The Not Ready for Prime Time Players Main article: The Not Ready for Prime Time Players