At the Television Critics Association press tour Lorne Michaels announced that all of his Saturday Night Live cast from last season will be returning this September. Last year newcomer Jenny Slate was dropped and Taran Killam, Paul Brittain, Vanessa Bayer, and Jay Pharoah joined the funny crew led by current movie stars Kristin Wiig and Jason Sudeikis. Though it hasn’t been made official yet, we can expect the 2010 newbies to remain as featured players and 2009 entrant Nasim Pedrad to fold into the main cast. Though Killam, Brittain, and Pharoah didn’t receive much screen time last season, I’m glad the NBC honcho is giving this bunch another chance to shine in Studio 8H. During their roles sprinkled throughout the season they proved to have potential and I can’t wait to see the new material they tackle this year. Auditions to fill up more featured players spots are happening this month.

In related SNL news, NBC announced that 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin will host the season 37 premiere. This marks the record-breaking 16th time he’s hosted the long-running show. Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) will play host in episode 2.

Saturday Night Live returns September 24 on NBC.

Update: Radiohead and Lady Antebellum have been penned in as the first two musical guests of the season.

[Via HuffingtonPost; EW 1, 2]