100 Best Things in Pop Culture- No. 29 Bill Hader,

Dana Edelson/NBC

By the time the tears had dried on the SNL stage following Kristin Wiig‘s momentous musical farewell back in May, most critics and fans had worked out a formula for which cast members would be picking up the slack.

Then Andy Samberg jacked up the math with his own goodbye bomb in the post-season break, followed closely by simmering rumors of a Jason Sudeikis departure in the near future.

But we’re not worried.

As long as Bill Hader‘s manic mug remains a fixture in the show’s opening credits, we know we can count on at least a handful of legitimate LOLs in every episode.

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A native of that not-so-hotbed of hilarity Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hader continues to follow in the footsteps of fellow Second City alums likeTina FeyandAmy Poehler. He was an immediate standout when he first appeared onSNLin 2005, both for his disarming surfer-boy-gone-silly good looks and for his wonderfully wild facial contortions.

A few solid celebrity impressions never hurt, and Hader’s are golden, fromVincent PriceandAl Pacinoto CNN headline-makers includingEliot SpitzerandJulian Assange.

And of course, there’sStefon, the beloved recurring character responsible for introducing America to New York’s hottest fake nightclubs—and its most horrifying tattooed T-shirts.

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WhereasSNLused to be considered a “training ground” for future movie stars, Hader has already blessed Hollywood with a number of funny roles that bode well for his long-term future. From his bit part inKnocked Upto the amazing rule-breaking cop inSuperbadto Andy Warhol in this year’sMen in Black 3, he’s proven himself just as comically committed and fearless as Wiig.

On the upcoming season ofSNL—it’ll be his eighth—we geared up to see fresh helpings of chain-smoking Vinny Vedecci, spot-onJames Carville-isms and something at least as disturbing as “draggers” (spotted by Stefon, it’s that thing where dogs have short legs and long you-know-whats).

What lies beyond? Whatever it is, we’re looking forward to that, too. Saturday nights are safe, at least as long as Bill Hader’s still live from New York.

GET THE LIST: The 100 Best Things in Pop Culture