Who coined the nickname 'Not Ready for Prime-Time Players'?

Herb Sargent coined the nickname “Not Ready for Prime-Time Players” for Saturday Night Live’s original cast.

Sargent joined SNL as an original writer in 1975, helping shape the show’s early satirical voice. The phrase referred to performers including Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, and Garrett Morris. It jokingly suggested that the ensemble was talented but not yet polished or commercially “prime-time” material.

The nickname was used mainly for the first several seasons, when the cast was still building its reputation. It is often mistakenly attributed to a cast member or to Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator and original producer. Sargent was also important to the program’s news-comedy tradition: he co-created Weekend Update with Chevy Chase and Al Franken.

The phrase became a lasting label for the original ensemble, even though later SNL casts developed their own identities and were not generally called the Not Ready for Prime-Time Players.