Last week, Lorne Michaels axed three “Saturday Night Live” freshmen — Brooks Wheelen, Noël Wells and John Milhiser.
They may not have made much of a splash in their single season, but that doesn’t mean their ship has sailed.
Here are some “SNL” one-season wonders who bounced back in a big way:
Billy Crystal
Crystal joined the cast for only 17 episodes during the 1984-85 season. While his characters were popular — like talk show host Fernando Lamas, whose famous catchphrase was, “You look marvelous!” — he wasn’t asked back.
He rebounded in 1987 with “The Princess Bride.” Crystal was famously booked for the first-ever “SNL” episode in 1975, but his segment was cut when the show ran out of time.
Sarah Silverman
Silverman appeared on “SNL” in the 1993-1994 season as a writer/performer and “was almost immediately fired,” she told Huffington Post Live.
Martin Short
Short’s short-lived “SNL” turn was for the 1984-85 season. There were no hard feelings, though, as the actor has returned to host the show many times.
Jenny Slate
After accidentally dropping an F-bomb on air, Slate got the ax at the end of her first season.
“Lorne [Michaels] and I never talked when I was fired at the end of the season; I got the news online. I’ve still never watched the clip of my f - - - -up,” the comedian told Glamour magazine. Slate went on to star in this year’s “Obvious Child.”
Robert Downey Jr.
Downey, who appeared in the 1985-86 season, would later collect a Best Actor Oscar nom (for 1993’s “Chaplin”).
Janeane Garofalo
In 1995, Garofalo left “SNL” in the middle of her first season, and she later told TV Guide the show left her “anxious and depressed.”
Anthony Michael Hall
Hall was only 17 years old when he was cast in the 1985-86 season. He also starred in “Sixteen Candles” and “The Breakfast Club.”