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'Kenan' is Kenan Thompson's third try at a sitcom

Kenan Thompson spent two years developing his NBC sitcom "Kenan." File Photo by Christine Chew/UPI
1 of 4 | Kenan Thompson spent two years developing his NBC sitcom "Kenan." File Photo by Christine Chew/UPI | License Photo

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Saturday Night Live cast member Kenan Thompson told the Television Critics Association he had tried to develop a sitcom twice before, and the new series, Kenan, represents the third attempt.

"The third time is a charm," Thompson said on a Zoom panel. "I think we are all pretty grateful that we had a chance to live with the material for a while."

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Thompson said he and executive producer Jackie Clarke first began to develop a series for Thompson in 2019. Chris Rock was involved in the first iteration of the pilot.

Clarke and Thompson continued to redevelop the series, as they were "trying to figure out a different twist on the positive father figure," Thompson said.

He said each version of Kenan represented a different idea with different casts.

The current version stars Thompson as Kenan, a widowed father who hosts a TV morning show. Thompson said each iteration of the show found his character in a different profession.

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"We pivoted into the morning show profession, which I think is a much more similar energy [to what] people would expect because of my SNL energy," Thompson said.

The morning show within Kenan allows him to comment on social topics outside of his family. However, Thompson said he does not intend Kenan to get political.

"We don't necessarily have to have a Black Lives Matter episode," Thompson said. "But, we do want to show a strong African American cast in a professional setting and a family unit."

The 42-year-old Thompson said he did not see any shows dealing with the death of a spouse on the air. Thompson said shows exist about divorced fathers, but he wanted Kenan to represent families forced to cope with the death of a spouse and parent.

"How would I feel if I lost my best friend, teammate, my partner in raising two kids?" Thompson said. "It's a lot with just one kid let alone more than one."

Thompson said he has great respect for single parents, adding that he is overwhelmed being alone with his kids for a weekend. Thompson has two daughters with wife, Christina Evangeline.

"There are times when my wife goes on vacation for two days and everything falls apart," Thompson said. "I just want to reflect the circus that it can be."

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Kenan also shows that Thompson's character is not alone. The cast of Kenan includes Don Johnson as Kenan's father-in-law, Chris Redd as his brother and real-life sisters Dani and Dannah Lane as his daughters.

"When good people come together for the purpose of raising some good, positive kids, it can be a beautiful thing to explore," Thompson said.

Thompson is in his 17th season on Saturday Night Live. He joined the cast in 2003, three years after the end of his Nickelodeon variety series, All That.

Nickelodeon also aired four seasons of the sitcom Kenan & Kel with his All That partner, Kel Mitchell. Thompson said he has always liked to stay busy.

Currently, Thompson is traveling between New York for SNL and Los Angeles for Kenan. He said he will continue to do both shows.

"I couldn't be more happy to be surrounded by people that I love seeing every day for 12‑plus hours a day," Thompson said. "I think we are making something really special here."

Kenan premieres Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. EST on NBC.

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