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Will Ferrell's First SNL Sketch Has a Crazy Connection to The Office
"Get Off the Shed!" co-stars Nancy Walls Carrell and David Koechner, aka Carol Stills and Todd Packer.
Though viewers couldn't have known it while watching in real time, Will Ferrell's first Saturday Night Live sketch marked a historic moment in comedy, marking the beginning of his epic seven-season run as a cast member. And in another piece of comedy history, "Get Off the Shed" has some major cast crossover connections to another NBC show that showcased funny performers over the years: The Office.
Since its debut in 1975, SNL has been a breeding ground for comic talent, the first major TV gig for performers who'd previously been honing their craft onstage. That was certainly the case for Will Ferrell when he joined SNL in 1995. Fresh off a successful run in The Groundlings comedy group in L.A., Ferrell kicked off Season 21 as the main star of "Get Off the Shed," the premiere's very first live sketch following the cold open.
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"Get Off the Shed: New Friends" co-stars three newly-minted SNL cast members who, over a decade later, would crush memorable The Office guest roles. In addition to Ferrell, who played Michael Scott's short-lived replacement Deangelo Vickers, the sketch stars David Koechner and Nancy Walls Carell, known to Dunder Mifflin employees as Todd Packer and Carol Stills.
Will Ferrell's first SNL sketch was part of his audition
In "Get Off the Shed: New Friends," Ferrell plays Frank Henderson, a suburban dad meeting a couple (David Koechner and Nancy Walls Carell) who've been invited to his barbecue. Ferrell's Frank is playing grill master, flipping burgers as he watches his sons play out of frame.
"Hey Brandon? Michael? Need you to do me a favor and get off the shed," Ferrell's character says lightly. "Need you to be a buddy and get off the shed, okay? Thanks."
As the sketch goes on, Ferrell unveils a signature comedic technique of his: Going from a nice, mild-mannered guy to a shouting hothead in seconds flat. Koechner and Walls Carell's characters look more and more unnerved as Ferrell ratchets up his threats, punctuating them with "GET OFF THE SHED!!"
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Ferrell's character was one he brought to his Saturday Night Live audition, and he recurred in a second sketch later in the season, "Get Off the Shed: Birthday Party," co-starring Host Christine Baranski.
While neither Koechner nor Walls Carell returned to SNL for Season 22, all three later wound up in "Scranton" in recurring The Office guest roles — and Ferrell and Koechner would also reunite on the big screen as Ron Burgundy and Champ Kind in the Anchorman movies. As for Nancy Walls, in addition to going on to be a Daily Show correspondent for years, she married The Office star Steve Carell.
