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:
