Martin Short

Ebersole’s last gasp for the 1984-85 season was to hire a few notable faces, instead of trying to find future stars. He brought in Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and also Short. It was an interesting gambit, though it didn’t really work from a ratings and stability perspective. All three had their moments, but Short was the one, even as a one-season wonder, belongs on this list.

Short is built for sketch comedy. He loves to be broad, but he is so good at it. Plus, he had already done time working on SCTV, and brought some of those characters with him. Short already had Ed Grimley and Nathan Thurm. He’s a funny guy, but he’s not subtle. That’s ideal for sketch comedy.