Over the span of five decades, Saturday Night Live has been entertained the masses and will continue to with Season 51 (which hits the 2025 TV guide in early October). Each SNL era has ushered in unforgettable sketches and characters, and Fred Armisen’s Californians is no exception. Now, Armisen is reflecting on how the fan-favorite segments came together, and he had some help putting it all together.
Highlighting some of the funniest reoccurring SNL characters, The Californians is a firm part of the sketch comedy's lore. The topic of how Armisen helped birth the west coast-birthed characters came up during an episode of Mike Bribiglia’s Working It Out podcast. The Wednesday actor explained that his goal was to come up with a sketch that would rely greatly on directions. Thankfully, James Anderson, who ultimately co-wrote the sketch with Armisen, gave him a great suggestion:
This sounds almost like something for, like, a book about SNL, but this really did happen for The Californians. I was like, 'I just want something with, like, directions, where people are talking to each other and they're talking about directions and that's, like, the crux of it.' And James Anderson, who I wrote it with, was like, right in the moment, was like, 'What if it's a soap opera?' It’s in front of my face, like ‘Oh man, damn it. That’s exactly right.’
On prior occasions, the Portlandia star has highlighted how The Californians got rolling but, in this case, I love the matter-of-fact way in which he mentions Anderson's note. Anderson isn't the only person who deserves some credit either. Armisen’s Stuart was even inspired by a character performed by fellow SNLer Dana Carvey.) When it comes to creative endeavors, two heads are certainly better than one, and I'm glad Armisen had people to look to for assistance whether intended or not.
The Studio 8H alum then expanded on why he wanted to create a sketch centered around people navigating California. As mentioned, it started as a running joke among cast members at the time of discussing just how they traveled from location to location. From there, it all took on a life of its own:
Sort of like, every time I go to LA, it’s always a lot of — there were many things that fell into it. I would always do – at the table, where we’d read the sketches, we would actually be like, ‘I was just in LA.’ And little by little [changes to California accent] ‘I was over on Barham [Boulevard].’ And Bill [Hader] would chime in and Andy [Samberg] and Keenan [Thompson]. So we would all do this as a kind of bit, and it just came from that.
It's ironic how such a casually silly idea could translate into a sketch that's become something of a pop culture staple. I’ve personally loved watching Armisen, Hader, Kristen Wiig and more don goofy wigs and try to keep straight faces while talking about the 101. Considering how funny this all is on paper, I can't imagine a world in which producer Lorne Michaels (who used to dislike reoccurring sketches) would turn down Californians.
As of late, the characters of The Californians have been featured in Volkswagen commercials, and I do hope to see them back on SNL again at some point. Whether that'll actually happen is hard to say. However, there are currently bigger matters to consider as far as SNL Season 51 goes. Stars like Heidi Gardner and Michael Longfellow just exited the show, and a lineup of new SNL stars was just announced this week. With all that drama, I’m sure it’ll take some time for current members to get back on track together.
Here’s hoping that this season ahead brings some Californian-level excellence and maybe even a cameo from Fred Armisen or any other SNL legends. Rewatch Armisen's iconic Saturday Night Live sketches with a Peacock subscription, and make sure to have an active account so that you can stream Season 51 upon its premiere on October 4.
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