‘Saturday Night Live’: Donald Glover, Nathan Fillion among dream hosts

It’s sad, but true — we’re in the midst of a major hiatus in terms of new “Saturday Night Live” episodes. So what should we do while we wait? Speculate about hosts!

With Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg both now gone from the show, producers need to come up with some new blood — both on the show and in the hosting department to get people excited. With that in mind, we’ve come up with a handy list of ten people who could have plenty of fun in New York City, and some of them already have some petitions out there to be host (hey, it worked for Betty White) along with some other interesting connections.

As for whether or not “SNL” will listen, that’s a different story — but these ten people at least have some epic potential for bringing something new and refreshing to the upcoming fall season.

Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones” – It shouldn’t be a surprise that there is already a Facebook campaign out there for Peter, as he suits the show perfectly. He’s an Emmy winner, has a devoted following thanks to “Game of Thrones,” and even has plenty of performing experience. Is there anyone on this list better prepared?

Jessica Pare, “Mad Men” – “SNL” and the AMC show have a lengthy history. Both Jon Hamm and January Jones have hosted to varying results, and Elisabeth Moss was married to cast member Fred Armisen for a time. With Jessica, she can do some of the skits, and then sing “Zou Bisou Bisou” as the musical guest!

Donald Glover, “Community” – There’s also a Facebook campaign out there for Donald, and he may somehow be even more perfect for this than Dinklage. He went to school at NYU, wrote on “30 Rock,” and even took part in their live episode earlier this year.

We were somewhat joking when we talked about Jessica Pare being the musical guest — but considering that Donald is also Childish Gambino, he could really pull double duty here without a problem.

Ryan Seacrest, “American Idol” – On the surface, this may look like a disaster, but there is some genuine potential for laughs here. Ryan has been known to be quick on his feet, and it could be funny in the same way that Brian Williams was as host. Plus, he recently inked a new deal with NBCUniversal and it would do him some good to laugh at himself after the whole Sacha Baron Cohen disaster earlier this year.

Nathan Fillion, “Castle” – Absolutely no one should be surprised that Fillion fans have a petition out there to get him on “SNL” as a host, even if it is not on Betty levels just yet. What could make this gig work out so well is that Nathan finds a way to bring comedy to everything that he does, and would also bring in some viewers who do not typically check out “SNL.” Bonus points to Lorne Michaels if he also finds a way to throw in Adam Baldwin and Summer Glau.

Giancarlo Esposito, “Breaking Bad” – Here’s a challenging gig that does not require Esposito to have someone melt off half his face. He’s one of the finest actors on TV, and if he for some reason is not funny he may be able to terrify the audience enough to force them to laugh.

Jennifer Carpenter, “Dexter” – We want to see Jennifer have a little bit more fun after being constantly in distress on “Dexter,” and there’s no better contrast to catching bad guys than potentially sitting down for a segment on “Weekend Update.”

Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory” – There’s a Twitter campaign out there for Jim, and there’s also already plenty of experience in live performance. “SNL” clearly does want some big-name TV stars on the show, and he would fall within the same vein as Melissa McCarthy, Neil Patrick Harris, or Sofia Vergara.

Heather Morris, “Glee” – You may not know it, but Morris was actually on “SNL” back before the launch of “Glee” in 2009 alongside Beyonce (who was serving as the musical guest). She was ultimately hired on the show in part to teach Chris Colfer and the cast the dance from “Single Ladies.”

From a comedy standpoint, Morris has already done a number of Funny or Die videos, and certainly has a desire for parody.

Jase Robertson, “Duck Dynasty” – We are convinced that Jase is the newest superstar of reality TV in between his epic beard, snappy wit, and impulsive decisions to turn work time into flooding his brother’s loading dock and turning it into a duck pond.  He is very quick on his feet and his sense of humor would go perfectly on a show like “SNL”

If nothing else, Jase would have the biggest beard in “SNL” history.

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While we wait for new episodes, who do you want to see as host? Be sure and share your comments below!

Photo: NBC