Kenan Thompson Reveals What It Would Take to Bring Back ‘Kenan & Kel’

SNL star Kenan Thompson has revealed just what it would take to bring back Kenan & Kel — his iconic Nickelodeon sitcom from the ’90s. While chatting with the TODAY Show Tuesday morning, anchor Craig Melvin brought up the hit series stating how with all the remakes and reboots occurring, if there was a chance Thompson would bring back Kenan & Kel, one of Melvin’s go-tos growing up.

Thompson seemed keen on the idea and offered his opinion on what might happen if the show does get a reboot, revival, or reunion. “I mean, there’s always a chance, I would think, right? I wanted to see sort of the Fresh Prince when they brought it back but you know, it was just a gathering, which is fine. But I really wanted an episode,” he said, adding how if Kenan & Kel makes a comeback he would want them to “definitely” make at least one new episode. It’s certainly notable how Thompson is not flat out saying no to a return at the moment, but that he’s just got a lot on his plate right now with both SNL and his new NBC sitcom, Kenan.

The new series stars Thompson as an Atlanta morning talk show host who is also a widowed father raising his two daughters while living with his father-in-law — played by Don Johnson — and his brother, Gary. Thompson’s brother in the show is played by his SNL co-star Chris Redd. In a recent Variety interview, Thompson addressed the basis for the show and what fascinated him about it.

“What if there was a guy struggling with the love of his life not being in his life anymore, and what that would look like?” he said. “And how do you still make that a sitcom? I thought that would be intriguing to watch.”

Redd also spoke to Variety and shared how he grew up “watching Kenan” on TV and in movies, adding that even though Thompson was already a huge star by the time they met, “he felt like family immediately.” Redd continued, “I’ve never had a big brother before, but he immediately assumed that role and put me on game. SNL can be hard especially when you don’t know how to navigate it quite yet, and he’s such a calming presence like he’s mastered the thing.”

“Talk to anybody in that building at SNL, and they would have similar things to say about Kenan,” Redd added. “He’s just a consistently good dude. With raw talent.” Kenan premieres Tuesday at 8:30 pm ET, only on NBC.