Kenan Thompson has been announced to have been offered a huge opportunity for prime time television — a family sitcom starring the SNL mainstay, has earned a pilot order from NBC, TvLine reported. Audiences may be most familiar with the artist, from his various collaborations with fellow All That costar Kel Mitchel, in which they both starred in 1996 in their own sitcom Kenan & Kel (1996–2000).
According to the upcoming series’ description, the single-cam comedy titled Saving Kenan will star Thompson as a recently widowed father who is “determined to be everything for his kids while begrudgingly letting his persistent father-in-law become more involved in their lives.”
Other than Thompson, no other cast members have been announced as of yet, especially the casting of the other main character, Thompson’s father in law. The Good Burger comedian will also serve as an executive producer on the project, along with SNL showrunner Lorne Michaels. Jackie Clarke (Superstore, Happy Endings) will pen the pilot script.
Saving Kenan may get picked up for NBC’s 2019-20 TV season, leading Thompson himself to leave his long-term role on Saturday Night Live, where he has been a cast member for 16 plus seasons over the past few years. He’s now garnered the title of the longest-tenured cast member in SNL history, and has earned his first Emmy nomination in 2018 for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.