Kenan Thompson to Star in The Kenan Show on NBC

Kenan Thompson is celebrating his 16th year on Saturday Night Live, but soon he’ll be adding yet another project to his impressive resume, as he will be starring in a brand-new television series on NBC. According to Variety, the network has now picked up The Kenan Show, a single-camera comedy show that will feature Thompson as a recently widowed father of two kids. He would pretty much do anything for them, but he isn’t completely on his own, as his father-in-law (played by Andy Garcia) will also make his way into the mix, whether Thompson wants him to or not.

The show is being directed by Chris Rock and executive produced by Rock, Thompson, Lorne Michaels, and Andrew Singer. The Kenan Show will also star Punam Patel, Dani Lockett, and Dannah Lockett.

Kenan has enjoyed quite a tenure on Saturday Night Live, and some might assume this announcement means he will be exiting the show to take on the series, but that seems to not be the case. An individual close to the production has said that he’s expected to return, and it helps that not only does Michaels help produce the show but it is part of the same NBC family. It seems Thompson will be enjoying a Season 17 after all.

Thompson has been a fan favorite part of the SNL cast since 2003, and at the time he was the show’s youngest performer. Since then he’s become a pillar of the cast, someone who regardless of what type of sketch he’s called to be in somehow finds a way to make his role memorable. Whether it’s the straight guy to someone else’s over-the-top character or his eccentric and self-centered host on What’s Up With That or his snarky host on Black Jeopardy, Kenan has a plethora of memorable moments in his catalog, and thankfully that isn’t ending anytime soon.

There’s still two episodes to enjoy of this year’s season of Saturday Night Live too, and the upcoming second-to-last episode of the season will feature Emma Thompson as host and The Jonas Brothers as the musical guest. That episode airs this Saturday night on NBC.

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