‘Saturday Night Live’: Why Bob Odenkirk, former writer and ‘Better Call Saul’ star, should host

Over the next several weeks, one of the features that we’re going to be focusing on here at CarterMatt are a series of articles doing our part to detail why certain people within the TV world should come to host “Saturday Night Live” — it doesn’t happen nearly as often as we’d like, and it’s a shame because there are so many great people out there who would do a great job.

No matter who you are, Bob Odenkirk should be somewhere near the top of your wishlist. The former “SNL” writer not only is a part of the excellent “Breaking Bad” – “Better Call Saul” universe, but “Mr. Show” is still one of the most underrated comedy series out there. Meanwhile, the Netflix series “With Bob and David” is also very funny, which makes a good case for him to host “SNL” in tandem with David Cross. We certainly wouldn’t mind it.

What he’d bring to the show – Let’s start with endless creativity. He’s a guy who would be the ultimate team player, and would go into sketches based first and foremost on what’s funny rather than just what’s going to give him the most camera time. He already knows he’s a comedy icon; there’s no need for him to force the issue. He’d be collaborative, smart, and it would be one of those shows where “SNL” didn’t have to worry so much about if their host would need to be propped up by the rest of the cast. He can play characters pretty close to himself, but he’s not afraid to go in wackier directions if need be.

Also, we think that Odenkirk would relish the opportunity. When he worked on the show during the era of Conan O’Brien and Al Franken (he rarely made appearances onscreen as a writer), he had a different mindset than the one that he has now towards it and also creator Lorne Michaels. Here’s what he had to say about it in an interview on Michael Ian Black’s podcast:

“When I was there, I treated Lorne like a boss, like the boss of some dumb job I had. Only after I left did I go: the guy’s a creative guy and he created that show and he oversees the creative side of it, and he does overall a pretty damn good job … But I was like, ‘Who the f— is this guy to tell me who’s funny? F— him.’ I was a d–k.”

Ultimately, this would mark a chance for Odenkirk to come full-circle and pay some of his widespread success forward on a show that he credits very much for some of his earlier days honing his comedy style.

Why “SNL” should want him – It’s Bob Odenkirk! Beyond the obvious of him being a really funny guy associated with its history who’d never hosted before (kind of like Larry David last year), he’s got a huge TV fan base behind him who’d watch. There’s a chance you can get people like former host Bryan Cranston or Aaron Paul to turn up for cameos (maybe you also get Cross in there), and his presence would allow you potentially to dive into some nostalgia and play to some of the fans of the show during that era. We do tend to get little nods to history here and there when former writers / cast members turn up, and this would be a good opportunity.

Also, Odenkirk as a host would enable the show to continue to bring in people from different walks of life. Sure, the movie stars and the performers offer some of that “how will they do in this environment?” flavor, but it’s nice here and there to get someone who you just know is going to be great. Like Aziz Ansari on this past episode, Bob brings that.

Do you think Odenkirk should host “SNL” at some point during season 42? Be sure to share in the comments, and head over here to get some other news courtesy of our SNL Wishlist series. (Photo: NBC.)