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Kenan (TV series)

Kenan is an American television sitcom created by Jackie Clarke and David Caspe. The series stars Kenan Thompson as Kenan Williams, the widowed father of Aubrey (Dani Lane) and Birdie (Dannah Lane) who hosts a morning show in Atlanta, Georgia. The show follows Williams' attempts to move on from his previous life, though he is met with much resistance from his former father-in-law Rick (Don Johnson) and brother Gary (Chris Redd). He also becomes close friends with Mika (Kimrie Lewis), his show's executive producer. The series aired on NBC from February 16, 2021, to January 31, 2022. In April 2021, the series was renewed for a second season.[2] The second season premiered on December 15, 2021, ahead of the second season time slot premiere on January 3, 2022.[3][4] In May 2022, the series was canceled after two seasons.[5]

For his work on the show, Thompson received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2021.[6]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2021)

Season 2 (2021–22)

Production

Development

David Caspe, one of the show's creators, head writers, and executive producers

Co-creator Jackie Clarke, previously the head writer for Superstore, had written three separate versions starring Kenan Thompson. First, the show was planned to air as Saving Larry. The title (and title character's name) was later changed to Saving Kenan. The third attempt, titled The Kenan Show, was planned to air in May 2019. Chris Rock joined as the pilot's director and executive producer in January 2019. However, the pilot never aired and the project was put on hold for re-tooling. Rock has dropped out of the project and the director for Kenan's pilot episode was Ken Whittingham.[25] In July 2020, David Caspe, creator of comedies such as Happy Endings and Black Monday, was brought in to develop and re-write the newest re-tooled pilot with Clarke and serve as showrunner-executive producer on the first season.[26]

On January 26, 2021, the new title and its new cast was announced virtually at the TCA panel, as part of the 2021 Winter Press Tour for NBC. At the panel, Thompson stated "It was a long process, starting with finding someone to settle on the idea with. Jackie and I had a similar idea for what kind of show people hadn’t seen before — how to put a new twist on the ‘uplifting father figure’ kind of show."[27]

On April 30, 2021, the series was renewed for a second season.[2] More recently, Kenny Smith, formerly of Black-ish joined the show as co-showrunner.[28] On May 12, 2022, the series was canceled after two seasons.[5]

Casting

Kenan Thompson, who plays Kenan Williams

The show is led by Kenan Thompson, actor, and comedian best known for his work on Saturday Night Live. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Thompson said that, "It's every comedian's dream to get their own show on a major network, especially one of the original three. It's historic, mind-blowing and very surreal."[29] Thompson originally made a deal with Universal Television in late 2018, with plans for his show to air on NBC the following year. Though he is starring in Kenan, Thompson told Variety that he has no plans to leave Saturday Night Live, as some had rumored.[30]

Sisters Dani and Dannah Lane were cast as Aubrey and Birdie Williams after being seen in the "Call Jesus" viral music video alongside DJ Suede the Remix God, that was published March 7, 2018. Andy García was originally cast in the role of Percy, Kenan's father-in-law. However, García dropped out of the project in 2019 and the role was given to Don Johnson. The character's name was also changed to Rick. The role of Mika, Kenan's executive producer, was originally named Erica and was originally given to actress Punam Patel. However, Patel dropped out of the project with García and the role was given to Kimrie Lewis.[31] Fellow SNL star, Chris Redd, was also cast to play Gary Williams, Kenan's brother.[29]

Broadcast

The series premiered on February 16, 2021.[32] A holiday special episode titled as "Christmas" aired on December 15, 2021 as the season premiere, ahead of the second season moving to its time slot on January 3, 2022.[3][4]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 67% based on 12 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.62/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Kenan benefits from the warmth of its winsome ensemble—led by a reliably solid Kenan Thompson—but its stale sitcom trappings leave something to be desired."[33] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on eight critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[34]

Ratings

Overall

Season 1

Season 2

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Live+7 ratings were unavailable, so Live+3 ratings have been used instead.

References

  1. ^ White, Peter (March 31, 2021). "'Kenan': Kenan Thompson Prepared For Challenge Of Filming New NBC Comedy & 'SNL' – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  2. ^ a b White, Peter (April 30, 2021). "'Young Rock' & 'Kenan' Renewed For Season 2 At NBC". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Petski, Denise (November 3, 2021). "NBC Sets Holiday Previews For Five Comedy Series– 'Young Rock', 'Kenan', 'Mr. Mayor', More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "NBC Rings in 2022 with Dynamic Talent, A Double Dose of New Comedy, Bold Dramas and Supercharged Unscripted Formats" (Press release). NBC. November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
  5. ^ a b Petski, Denise; White, Peter (May 12, 2022). "'Kenan' Canceled By NBC After Two Seasons". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  6. ^ "Emmy Awards 2021: The winners and nominees". BBC. September 19, 2021. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d "Shows A-Z – Kenan on NBC". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Metcalf, Mitch (February 18, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.16.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 24, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.23.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 3, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.2.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Salem, Mitch (March 17, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.16.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 24, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.23.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 31, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.30.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 7, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.6.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 14, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.13.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Salem, Mitch (April 21, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.20.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c Metcalf, Mitch (April 28, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.27.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Kenan Season 2 Episode Guide". Zap2it. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  19. ^ a b c Metcalf, Mitch (December 16, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.15.2021 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  20. ^ a b c d Metcalf, Mitch (January 5, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.3.2022 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d Metcalf, Mitch (January 11, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.10.2022 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  22. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (January 19, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.17.2022 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  23. ^ a b c d Metcalf, Mitch (January 25, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.24.2022 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  24. ^ a b c d e Metcalf, Mitch (February 1, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Monday 1.31.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  25. ^ "NBC's Kenan: Release Date, Cast, Story & More | tvshowpilot.com". November 10, 2016. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  26. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 17, 2020). "Don Johnson & 'SNL's Chris Redd Join NBC's Kenan Thompson Comedy Series With David Caspe As EP". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  27. ^ Travers, Ben (January 26, 2021). "'Kenan' Trailer: Kenan Thompson's NBC Sitcom Sets Long-Awaited Premiere — Watch". IndieWire. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  28. ^ White, Peter (October 13, 2021). "Kenny Smith Strikes Overall Deal with Universal Television, Joins 'Kenan' As Co-Showrunner". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  29. ^ a b Krishnamurthy, Chaitra (February 1, 2021). "'Kenan' Full Cast List: Meet Kenan Thompson, Gary Williams and the rest of the actors from NBC's comedy series". meaww.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  30. ^ "Kenan Thompson Says He Has No Plans to Leave SNL Ahead of New Sitcom Premiere". People. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  31. ^ Travers, Ben (January 26, 2021). "'Kenan' Trailer: Kenan Thompson's NBC Sitcom Sets Long-Awaited Premiere — Watch". IndieWire. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  32. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 15, 2021). "NBC Opens Tuesday Comedy Block With 'Young Rock' & 'Kenan' As 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' Goes On Hiatus". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  33. ^ "Kenan: Season 1 (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  34. ^ "Kenan: Season 1 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  35. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 8, 2021). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: Big Sky the Top Total Viewer Gainer in Each Week of its Winter Run". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  36. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 18, 2021). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: The Conners and Young Sheldon Lead Comedies in Gains". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  37. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 21, 2021). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: Oprah Winfrey's Interview with Meghan & Harry Tops All Telecasts in Delayed Viewing Lifts". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  38. ^ Berman, Marc (April 7, 2021). "Tuesday Ratings: Clean Sweep for CBS; Pooch Perfect Declines Considerably on ABC". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  39. ^ Berman, Marc (April 14, 2021). "Tuesday Ratings: CBS Tops in Total Viewers Despite Airing All Repeats; NBC Leads in Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  40. ^ Berman, Marc (April 21, 2021). "Tuesday Ratings: CBS in Repeats From 8-10 p.m. ET; Modest Results Elsewhere". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  41. ^ Berman, Marc (April 28, 2021). "Tuesday Ratings: Clean Sweep for CBS". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  42. ^ Berman, Marc (December 16, 2021). "Wednesday Ratings: Survivor Season-Ender Leads CBS to Victory". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  43. ^ a b Berman, Marc (January 4, 2022). "Monday Ratings: ABC and CBS Share Victory; Modest Start for Fox's The Cleaning Lady; NBC Left at the Starting Gate". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  44. ^ Berman, Marc (January 18, 2022). "Monday Ratings: Los Angeles Rams' Victory Over the Arizona Cardinals Ignites ABC". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  45. ^ a b Berman, Marc (January 25, 2022). "Monday Ratings: New Entries Promised Land on ABC and Docuseries March on The CW Left at the Starting Gate". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.

External links