So, who are the three new cast members?

So, I know what you're thinking. Just who are these folks that SNL have hired for the upcoming 36th Season? Well, I'll tell you!

NAME - Vanessa Bayer

COMEDY BACKGROUND -Director of Bloomers sketch group at the University of Pennsylvania and has interned at Late Night With Conan O’Brien and Sesame Street. Vanessa now performs in Chicago with iO Theater’s Revolver, the puppet show FELT, Annoyance’s Splatter Theater and Lil Talent Show and does stand-up at Zanies.

STRAY OBSERVATIONS - She seems to be into puppets - puppet-oriented sketches, please! Also, another Late Night intern makes good! And finally, she's as cute as a button.

NAME - Paul Brittain

Comedy Background -  (Just For Laughs Chicago Profile) -

A native Illinoisan, Paul has been performing improv and sketch comedy in Chicago for the last 7 years. He has also performed at the LA Comedy Festival, the Los Angeles Improv Festival, and recently returned from a run in Miami with the Second City Theatrical, El Show Mas Funny. Paul received strong reviews from The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Reader for his solo show Sex Ed with “Sex” Ed Vincent at the iO Theater. Paul’s many other iO credits include beloved Harold team Rattlesnake High School, denim clad rowdies TOPAZ, acclaimed fake talk show The Late Night Late Show, The Pilot,Shotgun and Mike Helicopter. He’s also performed all around Chicago in productions including TAG at the Second City Unhinged, Mr. 1,000 Miles Per Hour at the Stage Left Theater, Jacoby’s Promise at The Annoyance, The Midnight Hellhouse at The Playground, and No Place Like Home at The Neo-Futurarium. Paul can also be seen in episodes of NBC’s Sports Action Team (yes that’s him behind that Prefontaine moustache.)

STRAY OBSERVATIONS - That's a helluva lot of credits and characters to bring to the SNL table, right?

NAME - Taran Killam

COMEDY BACKGROUND - Probably the most experienced of all three new cast members. Killam was a cast member on MadTV for 13 episodes between 2001 and 2002 and has since amassed credits in Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, Epic Movie and My Best Friend’s Girl. He was also part of this year’sFreshmen, Arianna Huffington’s pilot about Freshmen Congress representatives for ABC, which was not picked up to series. At present, he’s a performer with Groundlings. 

STRAY OBSERVATIONS - This guy seems like a keeper. 

What do you think of the new hires?