When Tim Meadows left "Saturday Night Live" in 2000 after a decade of service, he had the honor of being the longest-running cast member.

His post-"SNL" roles have been comparable to his time at "SNL." He's always a funny, steady performer but never quite a standout.

Meadows' latest gig, as Bill Engvall's best friend on TBS' "The Bill Engvall Show," fits that mold. He's amusing as a newly single, mildly neurotic sidekick to family man Engvall. But he isn't the star. His role has been expanded this second season, and he'll appear in eight of the first 10 episodes. (He won't be in tonight's episode.)

"My character is a little envious of Bill," Meadows said last week before a screening of the Engvall show at the Dave & Buster's in Marietta. "He's a little frustrated and lonely."

During a Q&A session, the 47-year-old Michigan native got his biggest laughs when he fell into his suave "Ladies Man" role, his most memorable character from "SNL," which led to a film in 2000. Here are some other highlights:

> On Lindsay Lohan (he played the school principal in her "Mean Girls" movie): "She's like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. She's completely different now than she was then. She was 17 and I don't think she was drinking. She was really talented and nice. When I see stories about her now, it's not the same person."

> On the stress of "SNL": "I had an ulcer for 10 years. It was high pressure competing with your friends trying to do comedy on a national live TV show. I ended up doing meditation instead of taking medication. And it worked. In three months, the ulcer went away."

> Worst guest host: "Steven Seagal. He wasn't nice. He wasn't funny. He didn't take constructive criticism. He beat everyone down. He'd get upset and you'd be afraid he'd punch you out."

> Best guest hosts: "It's the guys who come back a lot like Alec Baldwin and John Goodman. I loved working with Christopher Walken. He's so strange. We did a scene together... he never looked at me one time. He always looks at the cue cards. It's like talking to a blind person with no glasses on. Can he see me, cause I'm right here! If I punch him, will he duck?"

TV TONIGHT

"The Bill Engvall Show," 9 p.m. TBS