Were you a fan of Saturday Night Live from the beginning?

SNL was a part of our lives in the late 70's. We all partied at someone's house and tuned in to Chevy Chase, Dan Akroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, etc. I have watched it over the years from time to time but never felt that it ever came close to the original. Were you a fan? Who was your favorite character? I loved them all and miss that kind of originality in today's TV.