Two of NBC’s new series have been rewarded with second seasons. According to TVLine, freshmen comedies Young Rock and Kenan both received season renewals. The two half-hour comedies premiered this year filling NBC’s Tuesday evening block airing before hour dramas This Is Us and New Amsterdam.
Young Rock, which wrapped its first season on April 7, chronicles Dwayne Johnson’s (Rampage, Hobbs & Shaw) life as he prepares for a not-so-distant future presidential run according to TVLine. Through interviews with actor Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat, WandaVision), Johnson details his life through three specific lenses: as a seven-year-old who adores his pro-wrestling father; as a delinquent high schooler wanting to impress the girls; and, as a freshman football player at the University of Miami. Adrian Groulx (Kid’s CBC, The Christmas Cure), Bradley Constant (Following Phil, Famous Nobody), and Uli Latukefu (Marco Polo, Black Adam) all play Johnson through the timelines. The series is created by Nahnatchka Khan (Don’t Trust the B in Apt 23, Fresh Off the Boat) and Jeff Chiang (Enlisted, American Dad) and also stars Joseph Lee Anderson (The Joj, Harriet) and Stacy Leilua (Love Birds, The Factory).
According to TVLine, Kenan stars Saturday Night Live‘s Kenan Thompson (Goodburger, Barbershop 2) as another version of himself – a single father of two girls struggling to balance his life and career after the passing of his wife. He shares these responsibilities with his father-in-law Rick, played by Don Johnson (Watchmen, Nash Bridges), and his brother Gary, played by fellow SNL castmate, Chris Redd (Disjointed, Scare Me). The series also stars Kenan’s dedicated friend and boss Mika, played by Kimrie Lewis (Single Parents, We the Peeples). Kenan airs its season finale on May 4 at 8 p.m. ET.
“It has been a true joy to watch Dwayne Johnson and Kenan Thompson on NBC every week and see families connect with their relatable, entertaining and heartwarming stories,” said Lisa Katz, NBCUniversal’s president of scripted programming via TVLine. “We’re thrilled to renew both of these shows for another season and can’t wait to see more from Dwayne, Kenan and the incredibly talented casts and producing teams behind each of them,” Katz said via TVLine.