Nickelodeon to Revive ‘All That’ With Kenan Thompson Helming Project

Nickelodeon is bringing back All That, with the help of the show’s most famous alumnus, Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson.

Nickelodeon president Brian Robbins told Variety Thursday that Thompson signed on as executive producer for the revived sketch comedy show. Although it will lean heavily on an all-new cast, former cast members are expected to make cameo appearances.

All That originally ran from 1994 to 2005, but has “stayed in the zeitgeist for many years,” Robbins said. “People are really fond of it.”

“It means everything to me,” Thompson told Variety of the show. “It was my first job that I ever had. It gave me an opportunity.”

The series was co-created by Robbins and Mike Rollin, who both served as executive producers during its entire run. The show helped introduce Amanda Bynes, Jamie Spears, Nick Cannon, Kel Mitchell and its sketches inspired several spin-off shows. The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, Kenan & Kel and The Nick Cannon Show all have their roots in All That. The show’s “Good Burger” sketch became so popular it inspired the 1997 Good Burger film, which grossed $23.7 million.

This is the latest attempt from Nickelodeon to cash-in on the ’90s nostalgia kick, following returns of Hey Arnold and Legends of the Hidden Temple. Mitchell and Thompson also reunited for an episode of Double Dare in November. Thompson also said there has been talk about a Good Burger sequel.

“We think there’s a great opportunity to find the next pool of stars,” Robbins told Variety. “We want to bring the show back in a real fun way. This summer, we are going to bring back a lot of the original cast and the cast through the years, and let them introduce the new cast of All That to the world.”

Robbins said the show would include a mix of new sketches with a taste of the old.

Thompson called Robbins’ ideas a “no-brainer,” adding that he even considers Robbins one of his “second fathers.” Once Robbins suggested he sign on as executive producer, Thomson could not say no. However, it will be difficult to do too much work because of his day job at Saturday Night Live.

“If I’m not at the table read, I’ll be on the phone during the table read,” Thompson said. “I’ll be around.”

Aside from All That, Nickelodeon said it plans to make SpongeBob SquarePants spin-offs. The network also signed a deal to produce an animated Paddington show with Studiocanal.

Photo credit: Nickelodeon