Kenan & Kel
Kenan & Kel is an American sitcom created by Kim Bass. The show originally aired on the Nickelodeon network for four seasons, from August 17, 1996, to January 14, 2001. Set in Chicago, the series follows mischievous Kenan Rockmore (Kenan Thompson) and his happy-go-lucky best friend Kel Kimble (Kel Mitchell), who get involved with zany hijinks on a number of misadventures.[1] The show was one of three spin-offs from All That, in which Thompson and Mitchell had co-starred for several years.
Kenan & Kel
Victor Concepcion
- "Aw, Here It Goes"
- by Coolio
United States
English
4
65 (list of episodes)
- Mike Tollin
- Lauren Sticker
- Dan Schneider
- Kevin Kopelow
- Heath Seifert
- Virgil L. Fabian
- Keiren Fisher
24 minutes
August 17, 1996 –
January 14, 2001
The show features Kenan's family, which consists of his father Roger (Ken Foree), mother Sheryl (Teal Marchande), and younger sister Kyra (Vanessa Baden). The show also features Kenan's boss Chris Potter (Dan Frischman). Kenan & Kel features appearances from a number of guest stars, including game show host/radio disc jockey Bob Eubanks, basketball player Ron Harper, and singer Britney Spears.
It won the "Favorite TV Show" award at the 1998 Kids' Choice Awards.[2] After the conclusion of the series, it was followed by the television film Two Heads Are Better Than None (2000).
The first two seasons were taped at Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios Florida. The last two seasons were taped at the now closed theater Nickelodeon on Sunset in Los Angeles, California.
Premise[edit]
Set in Chicago, Illinois, Kenan & Kel follows Kenan Rockmore and Kel Kimble, a pair of high school students who go on various misadventures, which usually occur as a result of Kenan devising a scheme to get rich quick, or avoid trouble with his elders. These schemes are often foiled as a result of Kel's aloof nature and clumsiness.
The show employs a number of running gags. Episodes open and close with Kenan and Kel breaking the fourth wall by interacting with a studio audience, standing in front of a red curtain that is placed in front of the main set while they are still in character. Usually they do stuff that relates to the episode itself, for example, in the opening of "The Tainting of the Screw", Kel is seen wearing fishing gear and showing off a tuna he caught, and the episode is about Kenan choking on a screw that was in his tuna sandwich. A running gag of the openings is Kel never knowing what the night's episode would be about and Kenan refusing to tell him, while the closings frequently feature Kenan coming up with a new scheme, often asking Kel to get various assorted items and meet him somewhere. Frazzled both times, Kel exclaims his catchphrase, "Aww, here it goes!" (which both opens and closes the show).
Production[edit]
Kenan & Kel was created by Kim Bass, and stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell as the title characters. The actors previously starred in the Nickelodeon series All That.[1][3] Mitchell and Thompson would frequently joke around on the set of All That, which caught the attention of producers, including Bass, who wished to package Thompson and Mitchell in a series.[3] During a hiatus of All That, the producers kept Thompson and Mitchell so they could tape the pilot for Kenan & Kel. Mitchell later expressed fondness working with Thompson on the series.[3] Kenan & Kel was Mitchell's second professional acting performance, having only worked on All That and in amateur theater productions in Chicago beforehand. Thompson's previous experience included a role in D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994).[1][3] Kenan is the series' straight man, and Kel is his comedic foil.[4] The series theme song, "Aw, Here It Goes", is performed by rapper Coolio.
The first season contains 14 episodes, taped between April and August 9, 1996. The season was taped in front of a studio audience at Universal Studios Florida.[1] The characters of Kenan and Kel also make a crossover appearance on the Nickelodeon series Cousin Skeeter.[5]
Broadcast[edit]
In the midst of the series' initial run, reruns of the series briefly aired on Nickelodeon's sister channel, Nick GAS in 1999.[6] After the series finished its run in 2001, reruns continued to air on Nickelodeon from January 21, 2001, to February 15, 2004.[7]
The series then reran daily on The N as part of the "TEENick on The N" block from October 13, 2007, to August 2, 2009. Reruns started airing on the successor channel TeenNick from July 25, 2011, to February 3, 2013, and again from March 4, 2013, to May 31, 2014, as part of its The '90s Are All That programming block (later called "The Splat", "NickSplat", and "NickRewind"). The series airs reruns frequently on Nickelodeon's Pluto TV channel and streams on Paramount+ and Netflix.
In the United Kingdom, the series aired on Nickelodeon from 1997 to 2012. The series now reruns on Trace Vault.
Legacy[edit]
In a December 3, 2022, Saturday Night Live comedy sketch, Kenan Thompson, a longtime SNL cast member, appears in a spoof of Kenan & Kel called Kenan & Kelly with guest host Keke Palmer. In the skit, Palmer explains her desire to reboot Kenan & Kel after meeting Thompson and expressing her fondness of him during his Nickelodeon years. The skit is intercut between pseudo-interviews and recreations of the Rigby's grocery store set from the original series featuring Thompson, Palmer, and Mitchell. The addition of elements such as Palmer's disapproval of the word "idiot" to describe her, her pregnancy reveal, the robbery of Rigby's, and the subsequent shooting death of Kel are played for dramatic effect, which Thompson concludes as a reason why the "reboot" failed.[13]